ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee

The ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee held its 6th meeting on 5th February 2024 at Chifley. The meeting was preceded with a visit hosted by the Woden Valley Community Council and Friends of Mawson Ponds. The Friends have undertaken an exemplary, ~1,200 m long revegetation of a corridor linking habitats in the urban environment. A key observation was the value of ACT Government volunteer support staff and the need to secure these positions in City Service’s urban parks and places program.

The meeting focussed on a discussion of ACT Government conservation and land management priorities for 2024 with Mr Bren Burkevics (Executive Group Manager – Environment Heritage and Water, and ACT Conservator of Flora and Fauna) and Mr Stephen Alegria (Executive Branch Manager – Parks and Conservation Service). These included: strengthening strategic environment management and supporting policy; understanding and address biosecurity and invasive threats; regulating and protecting our environment; progressing infrastructure and resilience building in parks, reserves and forests; and good governance of environment, heritage and water. The Committee welcome these strategic approaches, and also sought assurances that the ACT Government would provide security of funding for key programs and associated staff, such as for biosecurity control.

The Commonwealth has allocated funding to ACT natural resources management for FY24 to FY29 under the Regional Delivery Partner Program. Funds have been allocated to projects that include: conservation of native grasslands; restoration of bogs and fens; sustainable agriculture; and employment of Ngunnawal people to undertake key on ground works. The Committee discussed how it and the broader community can enhance implementation of these projects.

Mr Bill Gemmel stepped down from the Committee and a replacement nominee will be sought from the Community Council Board. The Committee will meet next in April 2024.

The 7^th meeting of the ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee (NRMAC) was held in Belconnen on 8 April 2024. NRMAC was hosted on a field visit by the Emu Creek Landcare Group. The Committee was impressed by the restoration work achieved since 2017, and noted the different methods and innovative practices they were testing to improve habitat at a low cost. This raised discussion for the committee about how more outcomes can be delivered in a similar way across the ACT.

Rebecca Vassarotti MLA, Minister for the Environment, Parks, and Land Management joined the meeting on the Committee’s first anniversary. The Minister thanked the Committee for its work over the past year, reflected on its achievements and outlined some key priorities for the year ahead. This included the Regional Delivery Partnership Program, environmental volunteering, NRM Plan actions, National Soils Action Plan and Urban Rivers program.

The Committee discussed with the Minister several areas of concern to them for enhancing NRM outcomes in the ACT. The Committee discussed how to enhance a draft action tracker of the ACT NRM Plan implementation to enhance monitoring, assessment and communication. NRMAC agreed it would focus on assessing progress on two plan themes, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity and conservation, as priority areas at its next meeting. The Committee evaluated its work over its first year and agreed to measures to enhance its activities in the year ahead.

The ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee visited the Ngunnawal cultural site at Gubur Dhaura and then held its second meeting at Wildbark at Mulligans Flat on the 22 May 2023. The committee discussed ways in which support for Ngunnawal identification and management of cultural sites can be enhanced and would improve natural resources management in the ACT.

The committee was briefed on the Connecting Nature Connecting People initiative, and strongly supported this program as a means of engaging Canberrans in the conservation of biodiversity and cultural sites. The committee’s terms of reference and other aspects of its operations were finalised. The next committee meeting will be in late July. Development of the ACT’s proposal to the Commonwealth Government’s National Landcare Program is expected be a focus of the committee’s work in coming months.

The ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee held its 3^rd meeting on 23^rd July 2023. We welcomed a new member, Dr Mark Lonsdale representing the ACT Scientific Committee. The Committee noted that the Australian Government’s decision on the Regional Development Partner process for the ACT is yet to be confirmed. Should this be confirmed in the next few months then the Committee’s September meeting is expected to advise on proposed ACT Natural Heritage Trust projects. The recently completed FY24 ACT Environment Grants funding round was considered and the Committee provided advice on enhancing the criteria, application and reporting systems. Further advice was provided on opportunities for ACT and NSW collaboration for natural resources management in the capital region ahead of a forthcoming meeting of the ACT/NSW Cross Border Committee, including for enhance management of water, invasive species and conservation of biodiversity. An update on reforms to the ACT planning system was received. The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Monday 25^th September 2023.

Prof. Jamie Pittock, Independent Chair, ACT NRM Advisory Committee.

The 4^th meeting of the ACT Natural Resources Management Advisory Committee was hosted by the McGrath family on their Majura valley farm, and gave the Committee an opportunity to better understand the perspectives of the Rural Landholders Association on natural resource management.

The Committee noted that controlled grazing can be an important tool in vegetation management, particularly in areas of grasslands that are habitat for important species such as the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon. Priority issues for potential funding under the Commonwealth’s Regional Delivery Partner Program were considered.

The proposed ACT’s National Soil Action Plan 2023-28 Partnership Program activities were also discussed. Development of the ACT’s Drought Plan was considered. The Committee recommended further exploration of ways to reduce soil erosion in the urban ACT, in particular, better drainage of tracks on public lands.

The next meeting in November will include a visit with a ParkCare group. Further consideration of the Commonwealth’s Regional Delivery Partner Program is a priority.

The ACT Natural Resource Management Advisory Committee held its 4^th meeting in Jamison after a field visit to the Pinnacle Nature Reserve hosted by the local Parkcare group. The field visit highlighted the importance for effective Parkcare groups of support from dedicated ACT Government rangers and resources for weed control.

The Committee discussed opportunities to strengthen Parkcare and Urban Parks and Places (UPP) groups with advice from Ngunnawal traditional custodians on the relevant cultural values of each places, as well as for further technical support and resources for weed control.

The Committee welcomed the ACT Government’s commitments to the pilot Community Stewardship Weed Control Support Program and more volunteer support staff for UPP groups. Technical support to restore weedy understory to indigenous vegetation was identified as an opportunity.

The Committee received a briefing on the urban waterways programs and welcomed its focus on identifying sources of pollution and controlling them at source. A number of suggestions were made to further enhance these programs by working with residents and urban lands managers to reduce the inflow of nutrients and other pollutants onto streets and into waterways. Better draining eroding management and walking tracks on public lands is one such opportunity.

The Committee also considered measures that may enhance volunteering in the ACT community. Opportunities to increase engagement with people from underrepresented groups were discussed.

The ACT Government is still awaiting clarification from the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partner Program on funding to underpin projects from 2024.

The Advisory Committee’s next meeting will be held in February 2024 and will look to visit a Community Council.