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Committed to catchment health

N O R T H C E N T R A L R E G I O N A L C A T C H M E N T S T R A T E G Y

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy

North Central Region

Located to the north of the Great Dividing Range, the North Central region forms part of the Murray-Darling Basin.Within Victoria, the North Central region is one of ten catchment management regions.

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy i

Chairman’s message

The care with which we manage our natural resources – land, water, biodiversity and climate – ultimatelysustains our social and economic wellbeing. It is also the trust we hold on behalf of all other life and futuregenerations.

The North Central region is a complex mix of environmental values and challenges, productive agriculture andpopulation issues. It encompasses approximately 13% of Victoria and is a significant component of the Murray-Darling Basin. Within this context, the North Central Regional Catchment Strategy sets out a vision and anintegrated planning framework for land, water and biodiversity management.

This Regional Catchment Strategy builds on the 1997 Strategy and a range of specific strategies and plans thathave been developed over many years. It has been developed by the North Central Catchment ManagementAuthority in consultation with its partner agencies, local government, particular interest groups and the regionalcommunity.

The Regional Catchment Strategy takes an assets-based rather than issues-based approach, examining howthese assets can be enhanced and how the threats they face can be addressed. In addition to the primarynatural resource assets of the region – land, water, biodiversity and climate – the Regional Catchment Strategyidentifies our human or social assets. At the core of recognising the community as a primary asset for integratedcatchment management is the reality that achieving our objectives is as much a whole-of-community endeavouras it is whole-of-catchment: it is a responsibility we all share. Our partnerships are therefore fundamental toimplementing the Regional Catchment Strategy and, on behalf of the Board, I invite the active involvement of allour partners in this great endeavour.

The 1997 Regional Catchment Strategy was contemporary with the establishment of the North CentralCatchment Management Authority and the Natural Heritage Trust. This Strategy has been finalised just prior tothe CoAG Agreement on the National Water Initiative, the Living Murray debate and the Securing Our WaterFuture policy document. There are strong reasons for optimism for the period covered by this RegionalCatchment Strategy: these are exciting and challenging times.

Ian MacBeanChairNorth Central Catchment Management Authority

North Central Catchment Management Authority Board Members 2003-2006

Ian MacBean, John Brooke, Malcolm Fyffe, Noel Harvey, Jill McFarlane, Stuart McLean, Tony Norton, YvonnePostlethwaite, Jean Sutherland, Alison Teese, Gregory Toll, Chris Norman, Rob Price.

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy ii

Acknowledgements

The review and renewal of the North Central Regional Catchment Strategy has involved a large number of peoplefrom communities, interest groups and agencies both within and outside the North Central region. The NorthCentral Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) is indebted to all who have contributed throughout thisextensive process. Special acknowledgement is deserving to past and present National Action Plan ProjectLeaders (Ingrid Duncan, Kate Lottkowitz and Ron Davies), their support staff Sandra Volk, Laura Strauch andNathan Day, members of the NAP Executive Team (Terry Simpson, Carsten Nannestad, Mick Davidson, Rob Priceand Ken Ashton), members of the Project Managers Team (including staff from the NCCMA's partnerorganisations), members of the NCCMA's Implementation Committees and Board.

Valuable support and advice was provided by the Accreditation Coordinating Group, led by Patricia Geraghty(DSE) and Naomi Dumbrell (Environment Australia).

Finally, the NCCMA acknowledges the early contribution of SMEC, Geoff Park (NCCMA) and the tremendous effortof the consulting team of Simon McGuinness (RMCG), Craig Clifton (SKM) and Charles Thompson (RMCG).

Design and production by SASI Marketing.Document layout by Sandra Volk, NCCMA.Maps by Nathan Day and Laura Strauch, NCCMA.

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy 2003 – 2007

Preparation of the North Central Regional Catchment Strategy has been coordinated by the NCCMA with assistance from various consultants.

North Central Catchment Management AuthorityPO Box 18Huntly Vic 3551T: 03 5440 1800F: 03 5448 7148 E: [email protected]

© North Central Catchment Management Authority, 2003

ISBN: 0 9750456 6 0

A copy of this document is also available at www.nccma.vic.gov.au

The North Central Catchment Management Authority wishes to acknowledge the Victorian and Commonwealthgovernments for providing funding for this publication through the National Action Plan for Salinity and WaterQuality.

This publication may be of assistance to you, but the NCCMA and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without

flaw of any kind, or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other

consequence which may arise from you relying on information in this publication.

Cover photosFront (L to R): Avoca River, photo: Linton Argall, NCCMA.Tree planting on the Campaspe River at Echuca, photo: provided courtesy of Environment Australia.Mallee Wattle, photo: Ian Higgins, NCCMABack: Headwaters at Myrtle Creek, photo: Geoff Park, NCCMA.

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy iii

Contents

Part A – Purpose and scope

1 Introduction 22 Vision for the North Central region 33 Overview of the North Central region 44 Scope of the Regional Catchment Strategy 10

4.1 Purpose of the Regional Catchment Strategy 10

4.2 Policy and legislative context of the RCS 105 RCS development process 13

5.1 Stakeholder consultation 145.2 Review of the 1997 RCS 15

Part B – Asset and actions

1 Strategic framework and integrated catchmentmanagement 231.1 Asset-based framework 231.2 Existing plans and strategies 261.3 Structure of asset chapters 29

2 Biodiversity 322.1 Goal 322.2 Resource condition targets 322.3 Biodiversity: an overview of the

asset and the services it provides 332.4 Biodiversity status and

threatening processes 342.5 Priority issues and

management response 363 Climate 40

3.1 Goal 403.2 Resource condition targets 403.3 The threat of climate change 403.4 Priority issues and

management response 414 Community 42

4.1 Goal 424.2 Resource condition targets 424.3 The community and natural

resource management 424.4 Priority issues and

management response 455 Cultural heritage 48

5.1 Goal 5.2 Resource condition targets 485.3 Cultural heritage in the

North Central region 485.4 Threatening processes 505.5 Priority issues and

management response 516 Dryland 53

6.1 Goal 536.2 Resource condition targets 536.3 Dryland: an overview of the asset

and the services it provides 546.4 Dryland condition and


management response 577 Infrastructure 62

7.1 Goal 627.2 Resource condition targets 627.3 Infrastructure: an overview of the

asset and the services it provides 627.4 Threats to infrastructure 627.5 Priority issues and

management response 63

8 Irrigated land 658.1 Goal 658.2 Resource condition targets 658.3 Irrigated land: an overview of the

asset and the services it provides 668.4 Irrigated land condition and


management response 689 Public land 72

9.1 Goal 729.2 Resource condition targets 729.3 Public land: an overview of the

asset and the services it provides 729.4 Public land condition and


management response 7510 Water resources 79

10.1 Goal 7910.2 Resource condition targets 7910.3 Water resources: an overview of the

asset and the services it provides 8010.4 The condition of water resources

and the threatening processes 8110.5 Priority issues and

management response 8311 Waterways and wetlands 86

11.1 Goal 8611.2 Resource condition targets 8611.3 Waterways and wetlands: an overview

of the asset and the services it provides 8711.4 The condition of waterways and wetlands

and threatening processes 8811.5 Priority issues and management

response 91

Part C – Implementation

1 Priorities for program implementation 961.1 Introduction 961.2 Implementation packages and programs 961.3 Assessing benefits 961.4 Assessing risk 971.5 Setting priorities 981.6 Integration 98

2 Monitoring and evaluation for adaptivemanagement 1022.1 Purpose 1022.2 Framework for monitoring,

evaluation and reporting 1023 Roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in

natural resource management 1043.1 Key stakeholders 1043.2 Other regional partners and service 106

providers 1063.3 RCS strategy relationships 106


Contents

iv

Appendices1 Stakeholder consultation 1082 Risk assessment process 1113 Landcare and other environmental groups

in the North Central region 114

GlossaryAcronyms 116Terms 117

Figures1 Land use of the North Central region in 2002 82 Process of reviewing and renewing the RCS 133 Asset based program logic 244 Regional Cultural Heritage Programs of the

North Central region 525 Index of Stream Condition, 1999 946 Framework for monitoring, evaluation

and reporting 1037 RCS strategy relationships 1068 Risk scoring matrix 111

Transparencies1 Local government areas 9

Population and roads2 Bioregions 39

Pre-1750 Ecological Vegetation ClassesCurrent Ecological Vegetation ClassesTopography

3 Public land 76Topography

4 Catchments and wetlands 93Floodways and land subject to inundation overlayTopgraphy

Tables1 Gross value of agricultural production by industry

sector, North Central region 32 National natural resource management outcomes,

matters for targets and core indicators 113 Natural resource assets 234 Social assets 235 Resource condition targets for biodiversity 326 Management actions and targets for

biodiversity 377 Resource condition target for climates 408 Management actions and targets for climate 419 Community engagement targets 4210 Management actions and targets

for community 4611 Preliminary resource condition targets

for cultural heritage 4812 Management actions and targets for

cultural heritage 5113 Resource condition targets for dryland 5314 Management actions and targets for dryland 5915 Management actions and targets

for infrastructure 6416 Preliminary resource condition

targets for irrigated land 6517 Irrigated land 6618 Management actions and targets

for irrigated land 7019 Management actions and targets

for public land 7620 Resource condition targets

for water resources 7921 Water resources of the North Central region 8022 Management actions and targets

for water resources 8423 Resource condition targets

for waterways and wetlands 8624 Management actions and targets

for waterways and wetlands 9225 Benefit and risk assessment criteria 9726 Triple bottom line priorities table 10127 Asset service definition 11228 Threatening process definitions 113

AP A R T A – P u r p o s e a n d S c o p e


A

2


1 Introduction

Photo:Linton A

rgall ‘’

The North Central Regional Catchment Strategy (RCS)

provides a vision for the future landscape of the North

Central region and the management of its natural

resources. The communities of the North Central region

have a successful track record in natural resource

management and the RCS has evolved from the lessons

of those achievements.

Waterways are special places – the Avoca River near Avoca.

The RCS recognises that the future health of theenvironment is highly dependent on the people of theregion – people who farm and manage the land or livein the towns, work in agribusiness or governmentagencies; school children from Swan Hill to Kyneton,as well as volunteers who contribute their time andenergy for a better environment.

Therefore, the RCS seeks to strengthen people'sskills, motivation, partnerships and resourcing so theycan continue their work in natural resourcemanagement.

The RCS will be the foundation for decisions onpriorities and actions for the North Central CatchmentManagement Authority (NCCMA) and its partners toachieve a healthy and sustainable environment forcurrent and future generations.

The North Central region is rich in natural assets oflocal, regional, national and international significance.The RCS recognises that it will not be possible toprotect every natural resource asset in the regionfrom the threats and challenges, which they face. Forthis reason, it identifies key natural resource assetswith the greatest environmental, economic or culturalsignificance from which the community derives thegreatest benefit and values the most. Where it istechnically possible, cost efficient and sociallydesirable, investment under the RCS will be directedto protect and enhance those key assets.

In a practical sense, the RCS is the investment guidefor natural resource management funds from Stateand Commonwealth governments and other sources.

At the end of the day, it is actions on the ground thatprotect and enhance natural assets. New and existingmanagement plans are the mechanism to prioritise,coordinate and help fund these actions.

The RCS overarches the management plans. Its roleis to prioritise, coordinate and guide funding inaccordance with management plans.

Once identified and prioritised in the RCS, themanagement plans will be easier to fund andapprove.

The RCS is presented in three parts. Part Adescribes why and how the RCS has beendeveloped. Part B describes the assets, goals,issues, targets and actions. In other words, thissection identifies the priorities for the next five years.Part C provides details on the triple bottom lineassessment of the priorities and the monitoring andevaluation framework.

A Regional Catchment Investment Plan will bedeveloped annually to complement the RCS. Thepurpose of the Investment Plan is to facilitatecoordinated investment targeted at achieving theagreed priorities of the RCS through a suite ofintegrated natural resource management programs.

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy 3

A2 Vision for the North Central region

Photo:E

nvironment A

ustralia ‘’

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy Vision

‘A well informed, resourced and actively

committed community protecting and improving

the natural resources for the environmental,

social and economic benefit of our region’.

Tree planting on the Campaspe River – a joint community effort.

The North Central region is home to more than200,000 people who enjoy a range of benefits from itsnatural resources. The rivers and streams, forestsand bushland, native fauna, soils, water, landformsand climate all contribute to its uniqueness. Thenatural resources provide immense value to thewhole community in a range of ways, for example,agriculture, recreation, tourism and lifestyle.

To continue to provide these and other benefits, thenatural resources must be managed sustainably tomaintain or enhance their condition. Everyone in theregion has a role to play.

This region must work together to have sustainablewater use in rural and urban areas, to have healthywaterways and wetlands, to have land that isproductive and healthy, to have the region'sbiodiversity protected and improved on private andpublic land, to have cultural heritage valued andprotected and to have communities learning andmanaging in partnerships.

The region is an important part of the Murray-DarlingBasin and therefore has a responsibility incontributing to the health of the River Murray so thatit continues to sustain communities and preserve itsenvironmental and cultural values.

The challenge for the community of the North Centralregion is to seek ways of improving how the naturalresources are managed in light of continuing changesin:

" population (either growing or declining in differentparts of the region)

" land use in irrigation areas, around urban centresand in the upper catchment

" knowledge, values and aspirations of thecommunity.

The RCS builds on past achievements to guidenatural resource management in the North Centralregion for the next five years. It adopts a long-termoutlook but has also identified programs forimplementation in the short term. The RCSrecognises that people are the key to the future healthof the region. Consequently, the strategy is basedupon the vision above.

The RCS is underpinned by the following principles:

a) Protect and improve the region's natural assets formultiple local and downstream benefits.

b) Strengthen region-wide community ownershipand participation in decisions related to on-groundactivity.

c) Recognise and promote the value of biodiversityin sustaining productive landscapes.

Implementation of the RCS and the managementactions will be through supporting plans andstrategies and is intended to achieve multiple benefitsthrough integrated programs, while ensuring optimumuse of available resources for sustainable outcomes.

It is vital that the community both supports the RCS andis supported in its efforts to manage the environment.Hence, communication and transparent monitoring andevaluation of programs will be required throughout thelife of the RCS. Similarly, the region requires effectivepartnerships at all levels to ensure ownership of naturalresource management programs. Finally, there mustbe a commitment to build the community's capacity totake advantage of environmental, social and economicopportunities.

Location

The North Central region is one of ten CatchmentManagement Authority (CMA) regions in Victoria. Itcomprises an area of almost three million hectares (ha),approximately 13% of the State of Victoria. The regionextends from the Great Dividing Range in the south tothe River Murray in the north, a distance of up to 280km. It is around 150 km wide and extends from the MtCamel Range in the east to the western boundary ofthe Avon-Richardson catchment.

River basins

The North Central region includes four major rivercatchments – those of the Campaspe, Loddon, Avocaand Avon-Richardson rivers.

The Campaspe and Loddon rivers flow directly into theRiver Murray. The Avoca River flows into a series oflakes and wetlands (the Avoca Marshes). During floodevents, it may drain to the River Murray and via effluentstream channels to a further series of terminal lakes,some of which are outside the North Central region.

The Avon-Richardson catchment in the west isinternally drained, with most surface water outfallinginto Lake Buloke in the north of the catchment. TheAvoca River is one of the few remaining unregulatedriver systems in the entire Murray Darling Basin.

The interaction between the region and the RiverMurray is very significant.The River Murray is the singlebiggest source of water for irrigation to the region. Italso drives the focus of much natural resourcemanagement over the whole North Central regionbecause of the impacts on downstream users.

The Loddon, Campaspe and Avoca rivers all contributesalt and nutrients to the Murray.

Historically, the salt exported from the North Centralregion and especially from Barr Creek, was responsiblefor almost half of Victoria's impact on the salinity of theRiver Murray at Morgan in South Australia1.

Salinity management in the region has significantlyreduced the salt loads exported from the Barr Creekand provides a great economic benefit and a successstory for the Murray.

Climate

Generally, the region's climate is Mediterranean, withcool and relatively moist winters and warm drysummers. The north and west of the region issubstantially warmer and drier than the south and east.Rainfall ranges between about 350 mm per year atSwan Hill and over 1,200 mm per year in the far south-east. Average daily temperatures at Kerang in thenorth-west range between 15° and 31°C in January and4° and 14°C in July. At Creswick in the far south of theregion, they range between 11° and 27°C in Januaryand 2° and 10°C in July.

Water resources

The region has substantial groundwater and surfacewater resources. Groundwater is used extensively inirrigation of horticultural crops and pastures in the southof the region. Mineral springs in this area are alsoutilised and support both processing and touristindustries. Increasing use is also being made of deeplead aquifers in parts of the Loddon and Campaspeplains.

There are several major water storages in the region, onboth the Campaspe and Loddon River systems. Thetwo major storages are Lake Eppalock on theCampaspe River and Cairn Curran Reservoir on theLoddon River. Storages and groundwater supplies areimportant sources of water. Irrigated agriculture uses1,425,000 ML/year and urban activity usesapproximately 40,000 ML/year.

The region's surface water resources do not fully meetregional demand. The region draws heavily on suppliesfrom the Murray and Goulburn systems, via the RiverMurray and Waranga Western Channels respectively.Most of this water is used to support irrigatedagriculture and horticulture in the north of the region. It

A


3 Overview of the North Central region

Photo:N

CC

MA

Photo:M

att Jackson, NC

CM

A

The Avoca Marshes within the Kerang Wetlands Ramsar site.

Cairn Curran Reservoir at low capacity, August 2003.

4

is supplied to users through an extensive network thatincorporates constructed channels, natural wetlandsand waterways. Urban, domestic and stock supplies inthe north of the Avon-Richardson and Avocacatchments are supplied from the Wimmera basin.Again, the supply system includes constructedchannels, natural wetlands and waterways.

The use of 'imported' water is substantial. More than75% of the water used in the region is from theGoulburn and Murray catchments.

Land use

The North Central region is agriculturally diverse.Irrigation areas cover much of the northern Loddon andCampaspe riverine plains. Dairying, horticulture andmixed farming are the main enterprises. Improvedirrigation technology and tradeable water entitlementshave encouraged the rapid expansion of horticultureoutside traditional irrigation areas.

Dryland agricultural areas are characterised bybroadacre land uses, such as cropping and grazing.Land close to the major centres is increasinglydeveloped for horticulture, new and emergingagricultural commodities and as 'rural living' zones.Intensive animal production industries are alsorepresented.

The gross value of agricultural output within the region(excluding intensive animal production industries) wasalmost $0.8 billion in 2001 (Table 1). Although irrigatedland accounts for only about 10% of the region's area,it accounts for almost 50% of the gross value ofagricultural production. The grains and mixed croppingsector remains the largest agricultural sector, with grossproduction exceeding $300 million in 2001.

The horticultural sector has been expanding rapidly,with an average annual growth rate of 6.3% between1997 and 2001. The value of output from dairy andpastoral sectors grew by around 4% p.a. over the sameperiod, while the output from the grains and mixedcropping sector grew by only 1.2%, which represents asubstantial contraction of output in real terms.

Approximately 13% of the region is public land. Largeareas are reserved and managed for recreation andnature conservation. Commercial forestry operationsare carried out on public land throughout the region.The most intensive operations are concentrated infoothill forests and softwood plantations in the south.A range of products, including firewood, posts andpoles, furniture timbers, honey and Eucalyptus oil, areobtained from forests and woodlands in the north.


A

Industry sector

Dairy Grains andmixed cropping

Horticulture Pastoral Total

1997 $224,853,881 $296,893,520 $68,922,907 $94,536,773 $685,207,081

2001 $269,101,609 $311,229,307 $92,101,351 $113,135,067 $785,567,334

Change (% pa) 4.1 1.2 6.3 4.1 3.2

Table 1: Gross value of agricultural production by industry sector, North Central region.

Sheep grazing dryland at Natte Yallock.

Photo:N

CC

MA

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

W

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997 and 2001, Australian Bureau of Statistics Census (adapted by Neil Clark & Associates), Canberra.


Dairying, one of the main types of agriculture in the region’s north.

Period

The region was once Australia's premier gold-miningregion. Several gold-mining ventures are stilloperational, mostly in the Bendigo area. Fossicking iswidespread throughout the box-ironbark forests of thegoldfields.

The natural environment

Past and present land use practices, particularly thoseassociated with agricultural development, and in someareas, gold mining, have seriously affected the naturalenvironment of the North Central region. Nonetheless,it retains many unique and important features.

The Gunbower Forest and Kerang Lakes are ofinternational significance, and listed under the Ramsarconvention.

These and many of the region's other wetlands providehabitat for migratory birds protected under internationalagreements. Thirty-six natural features, includingwetlands, remnant grasslands, geological sites, wildlifereserves and the mineral springs recharge area, arelisted on the Register of the National Estate.

Eight bioregionsi are represented within the NorthCentral region. Native vegetation in particular is poorlyrepresented in all but the Central Victorian Uplands,Goldfields and Murray Fans bioregions. Although 12.7%of the region retains native vegetation coverage, manyecological communities retain less than 1% of theiroriginal distribution. Woodlands and grassy woodlands,which occupied the areas most readily developed foragriculture, are especially poorly represented.Nonetheless, the region retains some of the mostextensive box-ironbark and river red gum forests in theState.

The result of habitat loss in extent and quality due toagricultural and urban development, weed invasion andimpacts from pest animals, mining and changing waterregimes, has been that the region now has 100 speciesof native animal and around 300 species of native plantthreatened by extinction.

A substantial area of public land in the region has beenset aside for nature conservation. The major reservesinclude the Terrick Terrick, Greater Bendigo,Castlemaine Diggings Heritage, St Arnaud Range andHeathcote-Graytown National Parks. Together withState and Regional Parks and other types of reservesaround 100,000 ha of public land has been set aside fornature conservation and compatible land uses.

Population

The regional population exceeds 200,000 people, withmost living in the larger urban centres. Bendigo is thelargest centre, with several provincial centres having apopulation exceeding 5,000 people (including SwanHill, Echuca, Maryborough and Castlemaine). Thepopulation is concentrated in the southern areas of theregion, including the Calder corridor, and along theRiver Murray in the north of the region.

Regional population growth is exceeding the averagefor Victoria. While population growth is strong in non-urban areas, this tends to be concentrated in rural livingzones.There is a migration away from agricultural areasto provincial centres and to Bendigo. The population isageing and the proportion of young people remaining inthe community is declining.


A

Photo:R

ohan Hogan, N

CC

MA

Photo:A

ngela Gladm

an, NC

CM

A

i Biogeographical regions that capture patterns of ecological characteristics in the landscape.


6

Gunbower Forest in flood – an internationally significantRamsar wetland.

Unique remnant grass trees of the Baynton district.

Photo:Lara F

lavel

Enthusiastic school children participating in a tree planting day.

Indigenous interests and culturalheritage

Aboriginal people have lived in southern Australia,including the North Central region, for tens ofthousands of years. During this time, they left physicalevidence of their activities, which now survive ascultural heritage sites or places. Examples include:shell middens, scatters of stone artefacts, ovenmounds, scarred trees, burial places, axe grindinggrooves and stone quarries.

Indigenous peoples of 11 language groups occupiedthe region prior to European settlement. Indigenouscommunities continue to hold strong affiliation with theregion. Indigenous interests may be from traditional andmore contemporary perspectives. There are numerousindividual sites and places with which Indigenouspeoples have strong affinity. Areas of significanceinclude: Kow Swamp, Lake Boort, Lake Boga, MtKooyoora and Mt Franklin. Many are located alongrivers and water edges, as the rivers and lakes wereand still are important for Indigenous people of theregion. In the Loddon-Murray region alone around1,700 Indigenous heritage sites have been registeredon the Aboriginal Affairs Victoria database. Fifteen sitesof Indigenous significance have been included on theRegister of the National Estate.

Protection of significant recorded sites is fundamentalto Indigenous heritage. Past land use, managementpractice and the actions of pest animals, such asrabbits, has damaged or destroyed important sites.

The region is also rich in non-Indigenous culturalheritage. A total of 515 features, buildings and placeshave been listed on the register of the National Estate.A National Heritage Park for the Castlemaine diggingsarea was declared in October 2002.

Unique features

The region has a number of unique features, thatdistinguish it from other regions in Victoria. Examples,some of which have been mentioned above, include:

" Murray-Darling Basin – the region forms part of theMurray-Darling Basin, the largest and mostsignificant drainage basin in the country.

" Avoca River – which is one of the last unregulatedrivers that at times feeds surface water directly tothe Murray.

" Avon-Richardson Basin – a large internally drainedcatchment with a terminal lake (Lake Buloke).

" Internationally significant wetlands – including theKerang Lakes and Gunbower Forest Ramsarwetlands as well as numerous other wetlands thatprovide habitat to internationally protected migratorybirds.

" Lowland rivers – the Loddon, Avoca, Avon andRichardson rivers are important examples oflowland floodplain river systems.

" Flora and fauna ecological communities – theregion supports a large number of species andecological communities. Regrettably, some of thesespecies are threatened with extinction.

" Mineral springs in the upper catchments of theLoddon and Campaspe rivers, e.g. Daylesford,Hepburn.

" Unique geological features, including Barfold Gorgeand the glacial pavements of the Knowsley-Mia Miaarea.

" Indigenous heritage – including numerous sites andplaces of cultural and archaeological significance.

" Loddon-Murray, Rochester and Campaspe Westirrigation areas – which produce over $500 millionin gross value of agricultural production annually.

" Goldrush era heritage – including diggings,racelines, buildings and streetscapes from that era.

Catchment condition report

The NCCMA has prepared the North CentralCatchment Condition Report, which provides a detailedanalysis of the condition of the key assets of the NorthCentral region. This report is available atwww.nccma.vic.gov.au.


A3 Overview of the North Central region

A rock pool in the culturally significant landscape of theBaringhup

Photo:M

att Jackson, NC

CM

A (reproduced w

ith permission

from B

rien Nelson, C

hairman, Jaara Jaara C

orporation).


A

Figure 1: Land use of the North Central region in 2002.


8

Local Government Areas

Population and Roads


A4.1 Purpose of the Regional

Catchment StrategyThe RCS is the primary integrated planningframework for natural resource management in theNorth Central region. The RCS establishes the long-term direction for natural resource management inthe region based on its assets. Within that framework,it specifies actions for the next five years.

The priority natural resource management issues willbe addressed in detail through action plans andprojects which may be existing, in need ofmodification or have yet to be developed.

The RCS integrates the regional priorities with therelevant National and State policies and plans dealingwith natural resource management. It sets agreedregional outcomes and targets which will contribute toState and National natural resource outcomes.

In addition, the guidelines established by the VictorianCatchment Management Council require that therevised RCSs include:

" a broadened scope beyond the essentiallybiophysical scope of the CaLP Act 1994

" an attempt to achieve integrated outcomes acrossthe range of issues to be addressed includingworking more closely with local government toensure integrated planning for land use anddevelopment

" evidence-based decision making for theprotection of priority assets.

4.2 Policy and legislativecontext of the RCS

Regional Catchment Strategies are the overarchingcatchment management blueprints for Victoria'scatchments. State and Commonwealth governmentshave agreed that that they will be the accredited plansfor investment under the National Action Plan forSalinity and Water Quality (NAP) and the NaturalHeritage Trust (NHT).

The RCS needs to be aligned with a suite of naturalresource management legislation and policies at boththe State and National levels.

At the National level, relevant policies and legislationinclude:

" Commonwealth legislation, e.g. EnvironmentProtection and Biodiversity Act 1999, Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act1984

" Commonwealth policy such as the NationalStrategy for Ecologically SustainableDevelopment

" Murray Darling Basin Commission (MDBC)Integrated Catchment Management PolicyStatement 2001 – 2010

" MDBC Basin Salinity Management Strategy 2001– 2015

" MDBC Cap on Surface Water Diversions

" MDBC Floodplains Wetlands Strategy

" MDBC Native Fish Strategy for the Murray DarlingBasin

" National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

" Managing Natural Resources in Rural Australiafor a Sustainable Future: A discussion paper fordeveloping a national policy.

The targets and outcomes of the RCS will bedeveloped to align with the national outcomes,matters for targets and core indicators as provided bythe Commonwealth (refer table 2).

At the state level, there is a range of policies andlegislation which support or relate to the RCS,including:

" Victorian Archaeological and Aboriginal RelicsPreservation Act 1972

" Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994

" Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987

" Environment Protection Act 1970

" Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988

" Planning and Environment Act 1987 (VictorianPlanning Policy Framework; Municipal StrategicStatement – Local Planning Policy Framework)

" Victorian Fisheries Act 1995

" Water Act 1989

" Management of Victoria's Ramsar WetlandsStrategic Directions Statement

" Victorian Salinity Management Framework

" Victorian River Health Strategy

" Victorian Biodiversity Strategy

" Victorian Native Vegetation ManagementFramework 2002

" Victorian Pest Management Framework

" Waters of Victoria State Environment ProtectionPolicy (SEPP)

4 Scope of the Regional Catchment Strategy

10


A

" Other groundwater and regional surface waterSEPPs.

Environmental flow programs for the Murray andSnowy rivers both have potential to impact on theavailability and management of water within theregion.

The RCS needs to demonstrate consideration of andprocesses to achieve integrated catchmentmanagement in the context of statewide frameworksdescribed in various strategies and policy documents.The major outcomes sought by the statewideframeworks are:

" creating better, stronger communities aimed atimproving social and economic wellbeing acrossVictoria

" preventing, stabilising and reversing trends insalinity, particularly dryland salinity, affecting thesustainability of production, conserving biologicaldiversity and infrastructure viability

" protecting water environments (waterways,wetlands, lakes and estuaries) from furtherdegradation by protecting and rehabilitatingexisting water quality, flow and aquatic habitats

" reversing the long-term decline in the extent andquality of native vegetation across the entirelandscape, leading to a net gain

" maintaining and restoring the ecologicalprocesses and the biodiversity dependent uponterrestrial, freshwater and marine environments

" maintaining and improving the present diversity ofspecies and ecological communities and theirviability

" increasing the viability of threatened species andthe extent and quality of threatened ecologicalcommunities.

National Outcomes

Aspirational Statements aboutdesired Natural Resource Outcomes

Resource Conditions Matters forTargets

Core Indicators

The impact of salinity on land andwater resources is avoided or reduced.

Biodiversity and the extent, diversityand condition of native ecosystems aremaintained or rehabilitated.

Populations of significant species andecological communities are maintainedor rehabilitated.

Ecosystem services and functions aremaintained or rehabilitated.

Surface and groundwater quality ismaintained or enhanced.

Land salinity.

Soil Condition.

Native vegetation communities integrity.

Inland aquatic systems integrity (rivers and other wetlands).

Estuarine, coastal and marine habitatsintegrity.

Nutrients in aquatic environments.

Turbidity/suspended particulate matter inaquatic environments.

Surface water salinity in freshwaterenvironments.

Significant native species and ecologicalcommunities.

Ecologically significant invasive species.

Area of land threatened by shallow orrising water tables.

Soil condition.

Native vegetation extent anddistribution.

Native vegetation condition.

River condition.

Wetland ecosystem extent anddistribution.

Wetland ecosystem condition.

Estuarine, coastal and marine habitatextent and distribution.

Estuarine, coastal and marine habitatscondition.

Nitrogen in aquatic environments.

Phosphorous in aquatic environments.

Turbidity / suspended solids.

Instream salinity.

Selected significant native species andecological communities extent andconservation status.

Selected ecologically significantinvasive species extent and impact.

Table 2: National natural resource management outcomes, matters for targets and core indicators

Source: Natural resource management Ministerial Council 2002, National Natural Resource Management Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, Canberra.



AThe consolidated outcomes sought from these are:

" better engagement of communities in improvingsocial, environmental and economic well-beingacross catchments in Victoria

" prevention, stabilisation and reversal of trendsaffecting the 'triple bottom line', in particularsalinity, water quality, terrestrial and aquatic nativebiodiversity, including natural ecosystems, nativevegetation and threatened flora and fauna.


12


A5 RCS development process

The process for reviewing and renewing the RCS is shown in the following diagram.

Figure 2: Process of reviewing and renewing the RCS

Review of originalStrategy

Community stakeholders from across the North Central region and Project Managers

Team reviewed the 1997 RCS with regard to:

• Vision, objectives, scope, and priorities

• Information and catchment condition

• Performance indicators

Achievements were evaluated against the resource management programs.

Achievements made against visions, objectives and targets were assessed.

Reflection Phase Regional catchment representatives including members of the four Implementation

Committees and the Partnership Forum considered the following:

• Findings of review phase and other studies

• Elements for inclusion in the new RCS

• The draft RCS vision, scope and objectives

NCCMA Board and key stakeholders workshop finalised new RCS vision and objectives.

Targeted consultation Specific consultation with local Indigenous communities to identify their needs and role in

natural resource management.

Renewal Phase.Identification of risks toassets & targets

Key agency representatives:

• Considered review information, interpretations, insights and implications of the work

undertaken to date, including the foundation projects.

• Indentified assets, services and threats – undertook risk assessment.

• Established regional targets and programs.

Renewal of Research &Development program

Natural Resource Management researchers and other key stakeholders assessed the

need for development of strategies to address current knowledge gaps.

Research & development needs identified and consolidated in management actions.

Renewal of monitoring& evaluation

Key stakeholders convened to define monitoring and evaluation needs for the preliminary

targets.

Document feedbackstage

• Received Accreditation Panel response to preliminary draft RCS

• Produced Future Directions Paper

• Held a series of forums to canvass community opinion

• Released draft RCS for public comment

• Held a series of forums to canvass community opinion.

Development of finalRCS

Development of the new RCS for the period of 2003 – 2007 for the adoption by all

stakeholders.

• RCS endorsed by NCCMA Board

• Community consultation process approved by the Independent Advisory Panel.


A5.1 Stakeholder consultationAn essential outcome of the process of preparing theRCS is inspiring community ownership.

The NCCMA has consulted widely with thecommunity and key stakeholders during preparationof the RCS. A range of forums, workshops andmeetings have been held to canvass the views andopinions of people throughout the region. Thisconsultation process has utilised existing regionalnetworks such as Landcare and the VFF, and hassought contributions from people and organisationsoutside those networks. (For a full description of theconsultation activities, see Appendix 1).

The major consultation activities revolved around fourkey stages of RCS development:

1. Review of 1997 RCS

2. Preliminary draft RCS

3. Future Directions Paper

4. Draft RCS

Review of RCS

The review of the 1997 RCS was the first majorexercise which involved various sectors of thecommunity. The purpose of the review was to:

" identify the progress that had been made againstthe 1997 RCS

" identify the extent of implementation

" assess the adequacy of the 1997 RCS in light ofnew information and arrangements

" identify gaps.

The consultation approach involved a number ofactivities:

" initial community engagement, includingadvertising and website

" nine community forums and local governmentforums

" stakeholder interviews

" reflection workshop.

Preliminary draft RCS

This stage of RCS development involved a series ofworkshops with key stakeholders and communityrepresentatives. The workshops were structured tobuild on the findings of the RCS review phase and tocommence development of the new RCS.

The workshops addressed the following themes:

" a new vision and objectives

" risks and target setting

" research and development

" monitoring and evaluation.

In addition, Indigenous communities in the regionwere consulted at this stage.

This stage culminated in a preliminary draft RCS,which was submitted to the AccreditationCoordinating Group. Detailed feedback was received,which led to the development of the Future DirectionsPaper.

Future Directions Paper

A Future Directions Paper was prepared anddistributed in early March 2003. The Paper formedthe foundation of the draft RCS. Distributed widely, itallowed interested parties to comment on theframework, the assets, the services and threatsidentified and to reflect on how natural resourcemanagement programs could be delivered within theregion over the next five years.

A communications strategy was developed andimplemented to ensure widespread communityaccessibility.

The NCCMA held a series of presentations to explainthe Paper to community forums and ImplementationCommittees.

Photo:C

lare Claydon, N

CC

MA

5 RCS development process

14

Extensive community consultation was undertaken toreview and renew the Regional Catchment Strategy.



Feedback was received over a five week period. TheNCCMA received over 80 written submissions frompeople from a range of backgrounds, e.g. urbanresidents, landholders, Landcare groups, governmentagencies. The submissions were made on behalf ofapproximately 1,450 people.

Draft RCS

The draft RCS responded to that feedback. It wasmade available to the community and stakeholdersfor a four-week period in May–June 2003. Acompanion document to the draft RCS, the draftNorth Central Catchment Condition Report, was alsoprepared and made available at this time. Over 70written submissions were received on the draft RCS,in addition to the formal feedback received from theAccreditation Coordinating Group and the KeyContacts and Expert Panels.

What the community and stakeholderssaid

The consultation process identified a range of newand existing issues that have helped shape therenewed RCS. The major issues raised were:

" improving the river health and water quality withinthe region

" improving land and water management practices,including soil health, pest plant and animalmanagement

" protecting and enhancing biodiversity

" landscape change incorporating landstewardship, climate change and sustainablefarming systems

" considering the effects of increasing residentialand hobby farm development, particularly in theupper catchment, on natural resourcemanagement

" improving community communication andknowledge transfer to enhance the community'scapacity to apply integrated management to theland

" needing to understand that private landholderswill contribute to the restoration of the land, waterand biodiversity assets of the region but cannot beexpected to do it all

" including the Indigenous communities inmanagement of the region's natural resources

" enhancing coordination among the NCCMA andother agencies

" enhancing integration of sub-strategies and actionplans

" ensuring, where possible, that solutions to naturalresource management issues are integrated andachieve multiple outcomes

" adopting a 20 – 50 year horizon that embraces thecommunity's aspirations for natural resourcemanagement and landscape change

" the community must be considered as an asset,along with land, water, biodiversity and climate.

5.2 Review of the 1997 RCS

Introduction

A review of the 1997 RCS is a requirement ofdeveloping a renewed RCS to consolidate lessons ofthe past five years.

Photo:S

andra Volk, N

CC

MA

Reviewing the 1997 RCS was an important stepundertaken prior to its renewal.

Community engagement with the draft RCS.



16

The 1997 RCS was the first natural resourcemanagement strategy that considered all four rivercatchments of the North Central region. The strategywas prepared by the North Central Catchment andLand Protection Board.

Responsibility for implementing the RCS was thenpassed to the NCCMA.

The strategy identified six regional priorities and arange of programs for implementation. Someprograms (e.g. for dryland and irrigation salinity) pre-dated the RCS. The regional priority issues included:

" salinity – dryland and irrigation

" biodiversity

" waterways and water resources

" soil health

" pest plants and animals

" regional development

The performance of each program for the regionalpriority issues has been assessed to learn from itsstrengths and shortcomings.

Dryland salinity program

A comprehensive review of the dryland salinitymanagement program was undertaken prior to thepreparation of a Second Generation Dryland SalinityManagement Plan for the North Central region. Itfound that the original salinity management planswere based on several assumptions. The first relatedto the effectiveness of the management practices.The second related to the capacity of the communityeducation, extension and onground works programsto encourage landscape scale adoption of thosepractices. Proposed implementation programs werealso based on bold assumptions about the level offinancial support that would be received.

The review found that there has been a substantialgap between expectation and achievement in relationto program implementation. However, whileimplementation of the plans has not generallyproceeded as anticipated there have beensuccesses:

" the regional community in general, and rurallandholders in particular, are now much moreaware of salinity than they were when the planswere first conceived

" stream salt loads have dropped and water tablelevels have generally receded across the region in

recent years (although this would appear to belargely due to the influence of climate)

" there is strong evidence from field based trialsand modelling that there is a range of farmingsystems or land management options that cansuccessfully manage salinity processes in somehydrogeological settings

" there is a greatly improved understanding of thenature of the future salinity threat, of theprocesses by which salinity operates in differentlandscape settings and of the ways in whichsalinity can be managed.

The approach to dryland salinity managementadopted within the North Central region has changedsubstantially in recent years. The focus is now onsmaller, high priority areas where the aim is toachieve the landscape scale change in farmingsystems required to protect the natural resourceassets and values threatened by salinity.

This approach is underpinned by a more rigorous andcommunity-oriented implementation approach whichemphasises community capacity building.

Experience has shown that:

" A 'one size fits all' approach to salinitymanagement is not appropriate. Approaches tosalinity management must be tailored, withimplementation programs developed at local,priority area levels to reflect the real biophysicalprocesses and community capacity issues.

" Lifestyle landholding and part-time professionalfarming is increasingly replacing 'full-time'professional farming in much of the southern partof the region. This change needs to beconsidered in the way extension services areprovided. For example, the provision of labourrather than financial support may be moreeffective in encouraging voluntary adoption toachieve land use or management change.

" Integration of priorities, targets and actions of thesalinity management plans with other catchmenthealth outcomes is essential.

" Monitoring and implementation programs need tobe integrated to test the effectiveness of currentrecommended practices in various regionallandscapes.

" Successful implementation of the salinity plansrelies on more than delivery of a grants programfor onground works. Lasting and landscape scalechange in farming systems and salinity processes



requires the capacity of landholders to bedeveloped so they are ultimately dependent onneither financial nor technical support fromgovernment agencies or the NCCMA.

Irrigation salinity program

The irrigation salinity program has been based onsalinity management plans developed in the early1990s. It has a strong community-driven approachand has achieved the following:

" The farm program has been very successful,especially those activities which the farmersunderstood and could see the benefit of, e.g. soilsalinity surveys, re-use systems, whole farmplanning.

" Significantly dropping the water table below alarge area of irrigated land with associated triplebottom line benefits. For example, in 1990, 83%of the Tragowel Plains had a watertable within onemetre of the surface. That figure has decreasedto less than 31%. This trend has been greatlyassisted by dry conditions since 1996, but borehydrographs show that the watertable alsodropped from 1990 to 1996.

" Successful off-farm program components wherethe benefits were clear and strongly supported bythe community, e.g. Lake Charm outfall and theplanned Pyramid Creek salt interception scheme.

" The increase in gross value of agriculturalproduction in the Loddon-Murray region in the last10 years was about twice the rate of increase forthe rest of Victoria. Much of the increasedproduction came from irrigated high-valueenterprises.

" A large reduction in salt flow to the River Murrayfrom the Loddon-Murray region (associated withre-use schemes and dropping the watertable).

" Using provisional figures and conservativeassumptions, it is estimated that the plans haveproduced $1.40 for every $1.00 invested (of whichGovernment paid $0.40).

Much of the success of the program was due to thestrong interest and involvement of landholders inplanning and decision-making, and a technicallyrobust and practical implementation plan.

Less successful components of the irrigated salinityprogram related to less tangible on-farm benefits, e.g.revegetation and management of saline soils, orunclear and uncoordinated managementresponsibilities between land and waterorganisations, e.g. management of streams andwetlands and development and implementation ofwetland management plans.

The default option of 'no change' in managementtends to be adopted when there is a risk of anenvironmental downside, even when risk could be lowand chance of environmental gain could be high.

A major recent development has been the merger ofthe four Loddon-centred plans into a combinedstrategy (Loddon Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy, 2002). This strategy has encouraged afeeling of strong ownership and support in the irrigatedagriculture community. It includes two additionalthemes: Planning and Development (to increase therole of local government in natural resourcemanagement) and Social Capacity Building (toencourage the development of people who caninvigorate the community).

Biodiversity program

The biodiversity program over the last five years hasseen a substantial increase in awareness andunderstanding of the value of biodiversity in the NorthCentral region. Much of this has been due to a strongcollaborative approach with stakeholders in the region.

The program commenced from a small base in1997–98 ($200,000 p.a.) to funding of $1.5m forbiodiversity conservation works in 2001–2002.Achievements include:

" significant implementation of onground works andactions, with a shift from ad hoc activity tostrategic landscape scale projects that integratebiodiversity with other natural resource issues

" adoption of a bioregional planning andimplementation approach through biodiversityaction planning

" development of strong skill/knowledge baserelating to biodiversity assets across the region

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

W

Salt harvesting at near Lake Charm.



18

" development of strong partnership approach withDSE/DPI, Implementation Committees and non-government organisations (e.g. Trust for Nature,Greening Australia)

" timely and successful completion of NAPFoundation activities, e.g. EVC Mapping,Biodiversity Risk Mitigation Protocols

" conception and implementation of collaborativeprojects with other CMAs, research organisationsand local government

" implementation of regional seed collectionprogram currently collecting 800 kg seed/annum:up from approx 100 kg/annum in 1997–98

" completion of North Central Regional VegetationPlan and Climate Change Action Plan

" initiation of new projects including EnvironmentalManagement Systems, Greenhouse and ClimateChange, and Bush Tender.

Recently, the approach has shifted to endorse astronger commitment to integrate the biodiversityprogram with salinity and river health programs inorder to achieve catchment health outcomes.

There is now a much stronger focus on assetprotection and enhancement. This has been possiblebecause the information/knowledge base is muchimproved. The adoption of a bioregional approach topriority setting and implementation is a significantadvance that supports statewide policy direction.

A whole of landscape approach to biodiversityconservation is now applied as the relationshipbetween various landscape elements/assets andthreatening processes is better understood.

Waterways and water resources program

The waterways and water resources program of the1997 RCS was divided into four sub-programs: waterquality, waterway management, floodplainmanagement and groundwater. Substantial progresshas been made with the main actions proposed undereach sub-program.

Water quality

Nutrient management strategies have been completedfor all four catchments. These strategies have beensupplemented by nutrient action plans. Governmentendorsement has been achieved for the Avoca andAvon-Richardson Nutrient Management Strategies.

Across the region, stormwater management planshave been developed, erosion control worksimplemented and waste water treatment plantsupgraded. In addition, buffer strip programs to protectstreamsides and community education programshave been implemented.

Waterway management

The regional waterways program has been workingtowards the development of a North Central RiverHealth Strategy. The objectives of the strategy are toestablish priority waterway reaches, develop riverhealth objectives and set targets for strategyimplementation and the future condition of waterwayassets.

Development of the strategy has been supported byextensive field investigations. These have providedan excellent indication of the value and condition ofstream reaches across the region and of the threatsthey face. An extensive consultation process hasbeen undertaken to determine the community'sperception of waterway values, threats and priorityactivities.

Photo:A

ngela Gladm

an, NC

CM

A

Photo:P

eter Weaving

Community tree planting day near Axe Creek.

Canoeists on the Campaspe River at Barnadown.



This information has been used to identify prioritystream reaches. Implementation programs based onthese priorities have been set for the next five years.A draft River Health Strategy has been preparedwhich outlines the development process, discussesthe priority reaches and implementation program andsets 10-year targets for waterway condition. Theseprograms will build on works already undertaken inthe region to protect and/or rehabilitate streamreaches.

Key successes have been:

" integration of water quality and river healthpriorities

" partnerships with local government on erosioncontrol and urban stormwater

" extensive works programs across all catchments.These have involved erosion control, willowmanagement, riparian revegetation and fencing.

The MDBC's cap on further diversions of surfacewater from the Basin is being implemented in theregion through a process of defining bulk waterentitlements for rural, urban and environmental use.As part of this process, environmental flow regimesare being investigated and developed for the fourmain regional river systems.

Floodplain management

Floodplain and rural drainage strategies have beenprepared for the region. Implementation is well shortof targets due to shortfalls in funding.

Flood studies have progressed in many areasincluding Tyntynder Flats, Pental Island, LowerLoddon, Lower Avoca, Lake Marmal and Avon-Richardson.

In recent years, the demand on the NCCMA foradvice on planning referrals for development hasbeen growing substantially.

Groundwater

The issue of groundwater usage and allocationversus availability is being closely examined acrossall groundwater management areas.

Usage and allocation of groundwater resources havebeen investigated for the Spring Hill Water SupplyProtection Area in the Upper Loddon and also in theMid-Loddon Groundwater Management Area. TheMid-Loddon investigation resulted in a further 7,000ML of available groundwater being auctioned byGoulburn-Murray Water in December 2002. Agroundwater management plan has also beendeveloped for the Campaspe Deep Lead WaterSupply Protection Area.

The mineral springs around Daylesford represent aparticularly valuable resource. The management ofmineral water is overseen by the Victorian MineralWater Committee.

Soil health program

The 1997 RCS aimed to increase landholderadoption of management practices that addressedsoil structure decline, soil acidification and soilerosion. The proposed soil health program was neverdeveloped, funded or implemented in its own right. Asoil health strategy for the dryland part of the regionwas prepared to a draft stage. However, as the levelof public benefit was considered to be low, thestrategy was neither completed nor implemented.

Soil health issues remain a problem at a paddock orfarm scale in many areas. Some are addressedthrough the implementation of dryland salinity andwaterway management programs. Some landmanagers are of the view that soil health needs to beaddressed in the renewed RCS.

Pest plants and animals program

The pest plants and animals program has beendriven by action plans for weeds and rabbits whichwere developed in 1998–99. The action plansintroduced a clear focus for the programs, based onreducing impact of the pests over the long-term andworking with the community where there is strongsupport and a high level of participation. Thisapproach changed the way the program wasdelivered and as a result, is considered to be far moreeffective.

Round Creek running through Greater Bendigo National Park.

Photo:A

ngela Gladm

an, NC

CM

A



20


The success of community-based programs hasbeen enhanced by the commitment shown toenforcement. Inaction by a few individuals prevents alocal community group from achieving its desiredstandard for pest control.

The introduction of the rabbit-free concept has beena significant step forward. It has changed the waypeople think about rabbits on their land and hasraised the standard for rabbit control within the regionand beyond.

There is also an expectation that all land managers,public and private, must participate in pestmanagement programs if they are to be successful.

Challenges facing the program include:

" insufficient resources to support and enforce allcontrol programs

" lack of regional coverage by community groupsundertaking projects

" increased community expectation of support fordealing with an increasing number of 'new andemerging' weeds

" variability in the success of registered controltechniques – some priority species are extremelydifficult or expensive to manage

" pest management continues to have a low profilein some communities

" declining enthusiasm of community groups

" other more pressing rural concerns push pestmanagement to the background.

Regional development program

The regional development program has comprisedfarm forestry and Loddon Murray 2000 Plus. Morerecently, a pilot future land use project has beeninitiated in the area between Kerang and Swan Hill.

Farm forestry

The farm forestry program was developed to facilitatethe establishment of farm forestry for economic,environmental and social benefits. An action plandeveloped in 1999 established the strategic directionfor the program.

The program started with few resources and a lowregional profile. Nevertheless, it has been successfulin harnessing community interest and support forfarm forestry as an emerging and credible agriculturalenterprise. The program steadily raised the credibilityof farm forestry systems in addressing natural

resource management issues. The program hasbeen instrumental in increasing awareness andknowledge capital relating to the integration andeconomics of commercial tree growing opportunities.

Loddon Murray 2000 Plus

The Loddon Murray 2000 Plus program was aninitiative of the community in the irrigated agriculturalarea in the north of the region. The communityidentified an opportunity to improve the region'seconomic performance by lifting the profitability ofagricultural enterprises, changing the enterprise mixof others and shifting irrigation water from low valueto high value usage.

A community-driven management committeedeveloped and implemented an integrated solution tomeet the regional circumstances. This involved ahigh degree of community consultation and input intothe development of a strategic plan. The strategicplan identified projects addressing regional economicviability, water management, higher value addingactivities and achieving a greater regional identity.

The main achievements of the program were:

" Farm business plans – the cornerstone of theprogram. The gross income per ML of watershows a projected increase of almost 50% acrossall enterprises undertaking business planning(from $540/ML to $989/ML)

" Development grants aimed at stimulating on-farminvestment has seen the average developmentgrant of $15,400 leveraging a further $48,000investment per business. Over $4.75 million indevelopment works were planned by the 75participating farm businesses.

" The prime development zones project addressedthe opportunity for moving irrigation water from lowvalue enterprises to high value horticulturalenterprises by identifying potential new irrigationland for high value production. The projectassessed land capability and irrigationinfrastructure within the region and identified newareas for development. The project considered thepotential on-site and off-site salinity impactsresulting from changed hydrogeological anddrainage regimes and potential environmental risksfrom irrigation development. This analysis aimed toensure that irrigation development in the zoneswould be environmentally responsible andsustainable.



" Loddon Murray Community Leadership Programhas been very successful in developing localleadership in the region, with more than 100participants in its five years of operation. Theprogram plays an important role in communitycapacity building to manage natural resources. Itsstated purpose is to ‘equip people in ourcommunities to lead, face challenges, work withcommunities for positive change and increaseawareness and understanding of regional issues,resources, contacts and networks.’

Kerang-Swan Hill Future Land Use

In 2002, this program investigated the key economic,environmental and social issues arising from theimpact of water trade and water reform. A communityworking group is currently working on options forachieving more viable future land use, infrastructure,environment and community.

Landcare support

The national Landcare movement commenced in theNorth Central region over 15 years ago. Since then,the region has benefited greatly from the contributionof the many Landcare groups to natural resourcemanagement.

A Landcare support program has been delivered inthe region since 1997. The intensity of the programhas increased in recent years in response to thechallenges facing Landcare volunteers and with theincreasing recognition that strategic support tocommunity groups results in sustained growth incommunity awareness, execution of onground worksand the development of community capacity.

Components of the program include:

" developing training in natural resourcemanagement issues for landcarers and others inthe regional community

" networking Landcare groups with each other, withagencies involved in natural resource managementand with regional community decision-makers

" publicising the achievements of Landcare groupsand raising awareness of natural resource issuesin the community

" developing action plans with Landcare groups toenable them to be more effective and to sustaincommunity energy

" developing industry investment in Landcare,developing Junior Landcare (Landcare in schools)and working with the Indigenous community.

Much of the program is now delivered through localgovernment-based Landcare coordinators. Thisrecent development has greatly improved the scopeand effectiveness of support given to regionalLandcare groups. Funding available for Landcaresupport and for Landcare initiated projects remainsmodest, a factor that limits the scope and outcomesof activity under this program.

Photo:Jennifer Johnson

Hands-on activity at one of the region’s Landcare courses.

Photo:Jo H

aw, N

CC

MA

Members of the Future Land Use Community WorkingGroup learn about Barr Creek weir, near Kerang.

BP A R T B – A s s e t a n d A c t i o n s


B


Strategic framework and integrated 1 catchment management

Social Asset Secondary Assets Definition

Human Community Capacity The abilities and resources of individuals, networks,organisations and communities to manage naturalresources sustainablyii.

Cultural Heritage Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural heritage sites andlandscapes.

Infrastructure Built infrastructure in rural, urban and peri-urban areas,including transport, communications, energy, water supply,waste management, residential, commercial, mining andindustrial infrastructure.

iiSource: Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building and Innovation in Rural Industries

Table 4: Social assets

1.1 Asset-based frameworkThe first generation of natural resource managementplans and strategies in Victoria, including RegionalCatchment Strategies, were largely problem- orthreat-based. Their focus was mainly on how to dealwith problems such as:

" irrigation and dryland salinity

" biodiversity decline

" river health and water quality decline

" pest plants and animals

" flooding.

Problem-based programs encouraged a culture thatsaw problems and threats addressed almostwherever they occurred.

Natural resource management has moved on from thatapproach. Assets, rather than problems, are the driversof the current generation of plans and strategies. Evenwhere they remain threat-based, the rationale for actionunder these plans and strategies is based onmaintaining or enhancing assets and their values.

This section outlines the region's natural resource,social and economic assets and provides an overviewof the asset-based framework on which the draft RCShas been developed.

The environment is made up of natural resources(assets) which society uses or appreciates/values ina variety of ways (services). The primary assets arewater, land, biodiversity and climate. These can bedivided into secondary assets which reflect the waythe environment is managed in the North Centralregion.

Assets throughout the region are strongly inter-relatedand their separation within the RCS is only done so thateach asset can be adequately described.

Natural resource management within the region mustbe fully integrated. For example, in the lowercatchment, this is achieved through the integratedimplementation framework provided by the LoddonMurray Land and Water Management Strategy.

Primary Assets Secondary Assets Definition

Land Private Land – Dryland Land in areas where the predominant use is dryland agriculture.

Private Land – Irrigated Land Land in areas where the predominant use (by gross value ofagricultural production) is irrigated agriculture and/or horticulture.

Public Land Publicly owned land outside urban areas, including National, State orregional parks, nature conservation reserves, state forest and crownland reserves (e.g. roads and streams).

Water Waterways and Wetlands All rivers, streams and floodways that convey water and the naturaland constructed features, such as lakes, wetlands and reservoirs, inwhich water is temporarily or permanently stored.

Water Resources Surface and groundwater resources, including those generated withinthe catchment and interbasin transfers.

Biodiversity Native Vegetation, Terrestrial andAquatic Fauna

Terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna, their ecological communitiesand the ecosystem functions they perform.

Climate Air, Rainfall, Temperature The climate of the North Central region.

Table 3: Natural resource assets


B

24

Figure 3: Asset-based program logic

People and communities of a region have afundamental role in protecting and enhancing thenatural assets. Hence, the RCS addresses issuesrelating to the role of the community in naturalresource management, as well as the culturalheritage and infrastructure assets which help sustaincommunities.

Asset-based program logic

The assets define the framework for programs andactions in the RCS. The logic for defining programsand actions to protect these assets is illustrated in thediagram below. The key to developing the RCSprograms is the definition of an asset objective, whichmust be made in light of the trends and risks to theasset and its services.


Monitor and evaluate

Define the assets

Asset goal Conditions and threats

Priority issues

Management responses

What is to be

achieved for / with

the asset?

What is condition of

the asset? What are

the main threats to

the services it

provides?

Targets Packages of actions

What are the key

barriers to achieving

the asset goal?

Research anddevelopment

What still needs to

be understood for an

effective response?

What are the most

threatened services

provided by the

asset?

Risk assessment

Based in supporting plans and strategies

and other information, what must be done

in response to the priority issues?

What are the

measures of

progress – in

implementing

responses and

towards the

objective?

Groups of actions

addressing a

common threatening

process?

Priority actions

What actions are

implemented first?

Is progress being

made? Why / why not?

Triple bottom lineassessment

Assessing benefits and

risks of implementation

packages against social,

environmental and

environmental criteria.

What is the asset? Where is it located? What are its unique or special features? What services does it provide?

Action Plans


B


Integration of catchment issues

The development of the RCS using the asset-basedframework, as required for State and Commonwealthaccreditation, has imposed a new discipline on theregion to identify the priority assets and values itseeks to protect and enhance. There is a strongeremphasis on working towards agreed targets andoutcomes for biodiversity, water, land and communityassets.

Whilst the management actions of the RCS aregenerally specific to assets or services, delivery ofthe actions will be through integrated programs. TheNorth Central region has a strong record ofcommunity involvement in integrated natural resourcemanagement planning and implementation, whichhas enabled the region to tailor technical solutions tomeet the needs of land managers. The regionpioneered community engagement through theirrigation and dryland salinity plans which establisheda successful model used widely ever since. Theregion has also been particularly progressive in theLandcare movement, with the first official groupformed in the region in 1986, and very strong growthin groups.

The region has also embraced the concept ofcatchment management, where the linkage betweenmanaging different aspects of the catchment isrecognised and understood. This has had a majorinfluence on the way in which projects areimplemented to deliver multiple benefits.

Integrated catchment management can only occurwhen all parties are involved in the planning andimplementation process.The NCCMA recognises thatcommunity ownership and engagement isfundamental for the successful implementation of theRCS and integrated catchment management. It hasinitiated a process to determine how best to engagethe community and to establish the necessary roles,responsibilities, structures and processes.

The natural resource management capability of theregion is considerable and is made up of individuals,community groups, water authorities, local government,state agencies, etc. A challenge is to establish and/ormaintain effective relationships between the variousstakeholders so that the management of the region'snatural resources is improved. The North Centralregion must maintain a culture that encouragespartnerships, information exchange and support innatural resource management.

The suite of management actions within the RCS canbe categorised into a set of key regional challengesthat apply to communities throughout the NorthCentral region include:

Sustainable production systems

Development of sustainable production systems inthe irrigation and dryland farming areas(encompassing the assets: dryland, irrigated land,biodiversity, community and climate).

Regional plans include, but are not limited to:

" Loddon Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy

" Dryland Salinity Management Plan

" Farm Forestry Action Plan

" Rabbit and Weed Action Plans

" Draft Soil Health Action Plan

" Land Use Change and Revegetation in NorthCentral Victoria (Climate Change Response).

Healthy rivers and floodplains

Improving the health of waterways, floodplains,wetlands and groundwater resources (assets includewaterways and wetlands, water resources,biodiversity, community and infrastructure).

Regional plans include:

" Regional River Health Strategy

" River Health Plans

" Floodplain Management Strategy

" Nutrient Management Strategies

" Streamflow Management Plans

" Bulk Water Entitlement Processes

" Rural Drainage Strategies

" Groundwater Management Plans

" Wetland Management Plans

" Kerang Wetlands Ramsar Site Draft StrategicManagement Plan

" Gunbower Forest Ramsar Site Draft StrategicManagement Plan.

Ecosystem protection and restoration

The protection and enhancement of biodiversity(assets include biodiversity, public land, dryland,irrigated land, waterways and wetlands, waterresources and community).



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" Native Vegetation Plan

" Bioregional Action Plans

" Bendigo Fishery Management Plan

" North Central Weed and Rabbit Action Plans

Future landscapes

Managing future landscapes by recognisingopportunities for achieving a greater level anddiversity of beneficial services from existing naturalresource and human assets (assets includebiodiversity, dryland, irrigated land, waterways andwetlands, water resources and community).


" Future Landuse in the Kerang Swan Hill Area

" Land Use Change and Revegetation in NorthCentral Victoria (Climate Change Response).

Capable communities

Promoting and supporting community leadership andparticipation in natural resource management, e.g.Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program(assets include community and cultural heritage).


" Protocols, Principles and Strategies Agreementfor Indigenous Involvement in Land and WaterManagement

" Draft Landcare Support Strategy

" Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program

" NCCMA Communications Strategy.

Research

A number of research needs have been identifiedwithin the management actions of the RCS,particularly where the relationship between threatsand services is not well understood. Similarly, there isa need for improved knowledge of the condition ofassets and trends in asset condition which will feedinto the adaptive management approach described inSection C of the RCS.

The research needs of the North Central region willbe identified via a strategic planning process by 2004.This is a management action target of the RCS. Akey regional stakeholder in this process is DPIResearch and Development, Bendigo (formerly theCentre for Land Protection Research).

Examples of how the management actions withinassets can be delivered in an integrated way ispresented in the case studies in this chapter.

1.2 Existing plans andstrategies

In the following chapters, many of the managementactions make reference to existing regional plans andstrategies. One of the strengths of the North Centralregion is the extent to which plans have beendeveloped in recent years to address many of thenatural resource issues. These plans areacknowledged and reflected in the RCS, as they havebeen developed with considerable community andagency input. Twelve major plans are describedbelow. Note that many plans exist within the region inaddition to those listed below, e.g. local governmentplans.

River Health Strategy

The NCCMA has responsibilities under the Water Act1989 to manage natural waterways. This includescatchment planning and works to protect and repairwaterways from the impacts of degradation.

The NCCMA is preparing a North Central RiverHealth Strategy and has produced river health plansfor the Loddon, Campaspe, Avoca and Avon-Richardson Catchments. The plans outline:

" actions to improve river health

" cross agency programs

" priority works programs

" future funding application priorities

" program benefits and costs

" cost sharing arrangements

Nutrient Management Strategies

Nutrient management strategies have beendeveloped for the four main rivers and theircatchments. Some of these strategies were originallydeveloped as water quality strategies.

The nutrient management strategies identify sourcesof nutrients entering waterways and priority sites fornutrient works.

Floodplain Management Strategy

The Regional Floodplain Management Strategyidentifies priority flooding related issues and floodmanagement projects for the North Central region.



BThe NCCMA is responsible for managing theactivities on the floodplain to:

" maintain and enhance the inherent functions ofthe floodplains to convey and store flood waters

" minimise the flood risk to property, production,safety and social well-being

" maximise the environmental values of floodplains.

Rural Drainage Management Strategy

The NCCMA has responsibilities under the Water Act1989 with respect to floodplain and rural drainageissues. The management of rural drainage isrequired to ensure the protection of the North Centralregion's catchment and waterway health from theadverse impacts of rural drainage.

The purpose of the regional Rural DrainageManagement Strategy is to:

" set out objectives for rural drainage management

" provide a decision-making framework for a formalplanning approval process to apply to proposedrural drainage activities, including clarifying rolesand responsibilities of the key stakeholders

" provide regional design principles and standardsto apply to rural drainage activities

" identify specific measures / studies to be able toimplement the strategy.

Native Vegetation Plan

The North Central Native Vegetation Plan is the keydocument for providing the regional approach tobiodiversity conservation and native vegetationmanagement. The plan identifies the current status ofvegetation communities and provides a baseline tomonitor the status of native vegetation in the region.The plan establishes a framework for determiningpriorities for vegetation protection and enhancement.It also identifies a framework for involving andsupporting communities in biodiversity activities.

Bioregional Plans

Bioregional plans have been developed for thebioregions across the North Central region, including:

" Goldfields

" Victorian Riverina

" Wimmera

" Northern Inland Slopes

" Murray Fans

" Murray Mallee

" Victorian Volcanic Plain

" Central Victorian Uplands.

These plans provide an overview of biodiversityassets (e.g. threatened species, ecologicalcommunities, wetlands), associated threats andpriority management actions across a range of landtenures.

Loddon Murray Land and WaterManagement Strategy

The Loddon Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy provides a framework for the region toachieve its greatest potential while addressing theongoing problem of salinity, enhancing theenvironment, improving regional productivity andensuring social wellbeing. The Strategy provides thefocus needed to ensure the sustainability of theLoddon Murray region's social, environmental andeconomic values and assets. The Strategy alsoserves as the region's Second Generation SalinityManagement Plan. It was developed with extensivecommunity and agency contributions.

The Strategy is based on five themes that relate toensuring the future sustainability of the region:

" land management

" water management

" biodiversity enhancement

" social capacity

" planning and development.

The Strategy clearly links to other regional and Statestrategies such as the Nutrient Management Strategyand Nutrient Action Plan, and the North CentralNative Vegetation Plan and River Health Strategies.

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

W


Former NCCMA Chairman, Drew English, at the launch ofthe Loddon Murray Land and Water Management Strategy.


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Dryland Salinity Management Plan(draft)

The Second Generation Dryland SalinityManagement Plan builds on the successes andlearnings from the previous four dryland salinity plansof the region (Campaspe, Loddon, Avoca and Avon-Richardson). The new plan targets the salinityprogram to ten high priority subcatchments within theregion. The program has a strong focus on a farmingsystems approach to land use change. This isbecause many of the priority areas have climate andgroundwater flow systems that allow farming systemsto change to address salinity processes.

Alternative approaches are recommended where thecommunity does not have the capacity to changefarming practices on the scale required or where thebiophysical processes restrict application of thefarming systems change approach.

Rabbit and Weed Action Plans

The North Central Rabbit Action Plan and WeedAction Plan provide clear priorities for action tomanage the impacts of rabbits and weeds across theregion.

The plans identify targets for onground works andcommunity support. They emphasise that effectiverabbit and weed control needs to be part of anintegrated approach to land management andrequires long-term commitment from land managersand agencies.

Farm Forestry Action Plan

The North Central Farm Forestry Action Planaddresses the challenge of incorporating commercialtree production into low rainfall farming systems. Theplan promotes the strategic integration of commercialtrees onto cleared agricultural land to provide botheconomic and environmental benefits.

The multiple benefit approach to farm forestry isexpected to provide new land use options to helpaddress many of the region's land and waterdegradation problems, diversify farm income andcreate new employment opportunities.

Landcare Support Strategy (draft)

The draft Regional Landcare Support Strategy aimsto ensure the sustainability of the Landcaremovement in the North Central region. Supportmeasures advocated in the plan fall into sixcategories:

" networking and communication

" action planning

" assisting groups to greater effectiveness

" broadening the support base

" publicity

" training.

These support measures are based on the belief thatLandcare groups will be more sustainable and moreeffective in their environmental work and contributionto community capacity if they:

" are well networked

" have and use an Action Plan

" have a broad resource base

" regularly communicate their achievements to theircommunity

" have skilled and knowledgeable office bearers

" have the information they need or know wherethey can readily obtain it.

Shepparton Irrigation RegionCatchment Strategy

The strategy is integrated into the Goulburn BrokenIrrigation Program administered by the neighbouringGoulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority.This program addresses surface water management,sub-surface water management, farm and landmanagement, waterways and program supportservices.

It delivers these programs to the Rochester irrigationarea and the Campaspe irrigation district, much ofwhich lie within the North Central region.

Originally started as the focus for salinitymanagement in the Shepparton irrigation region, theStrategy now encompasses an integrated approachto a range of natural resource management issuesincluding water quality, pest plants and animals,biodiversity and riverine health.



B1.3 Structure of asset

chaptersThe following ten chapters present the strategicframework used to identify the outcomes and targetsfor each of the assets. The structure of each chapteris as follows:

" Goal – the desired long term condition,management and/or use of the asset and itsservices

" Resource Condition Targets – expectedoutcomes from implementation of managementactions over the next 10 – 20 years. Unlessotherwise stated, the change in resourcecondition will be measured against 2003 baselinelevels.

" Overview of Asset – definition of the asset,overview of the asset and the services it provides

" Asset Condition and Threatening Processes –brief description of the condition of the asset andthe threatening processes impacting on the asset

" Priority Issues and Management Response –Summary of the outcomes of the risk assessmentprocess to identify priority issues and descriptionof the management actions and targets. Themanagement actions and targets are grouped intoimplementation packages, with linkages to therelevant Resource Condition Targets.(Note: the implementation packages or programsare the basis for determining priorities for programimplementation using a triple bottom lineassessment process – refer section C)

The resource condition targets, management actiontargets and implementation packages included withineach asset chapter are not presented in priority order.

As outlined previously, the RCS is based on fiveprimary assets of land, water, biodiversity, climateand social (people). However, for managementpurposes, these are separated into ten secondaryassets.

The ten secondary assets are presented in thefollowing chapters in alphabetical order:

" biodiversity

" climate

" community

" cultural heritage

" dryland

" infrastructure

" irrigated land

" public land

" water resources

" waterways and wetlands.



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Lake Batyo Catyo is a significant wetland in theAvon-Richardson catchment, particularly in termsof water quality, biodiversity, habitat and tourism.From a recreational and environmentalperspective, the lake has tremendous significancefor the local community and contributesimmensely to the region's social andenvironmental sustainability. The lake supportsnative fish species, including Murray Cod andGolden Perch and is thought to be frequented bymigratory birds.

Recreational activities that the lake supportsinclude boating, fishing, swimming, bird watching,bush-walking and camping.

In 2000 after becoming dry for the first time in sixtyyears, attempts were made to desilt part of thelake to enhance its recreational potential and soincrease its value as an attraction and communityasset. Unfortunately, despite widespread support,very little onground action eventuated.

The appointment of a shire-based LandcareCoordinator in November 2002 allowed the visionof the local Landcare community to become thecatalyst for action. The Coordinator was able tobring stakeholders together to take action,including:

" Avon Plains Landcare Group" Banyena Landcare Group" Marnoo Land and Water Management Group" Donald and District Landcare Group" Northern Grampians Shire" Lake Batyo Catyo Committee of Management" Buloke Shire" Wimmera Mallee Water

" NCCMA

" Department of Sustainability and Environmentand Department of Primary Industries

" Donald Primary School" Victorian Farmers Federation" St Arnaud Angling Club" Donald Angling Club" Donald Boating Club" Traynors Lagoon, Rich-Avon and Donald Rural

Fire Brigades.

Beginning with Clean Up Australia Day, desilting ofthe Lake had been completed by the time thebreak arrived, and the island that was created inthe middle, planted out to appropriate indigenousand aquatic vegetation.

Works will soon commence to control the rampantcumbungi in the mooring basin and re-establishblack box and lignum vegetation. This will befollowed by the erection of boardwalks throughthat area to link with the proposed walkways.

The stakeholders are due to meet to develop amanagement plan for the Lake that will include thecurrent plans of the community for the entirewetland system. They are excited at the progressbeing made at Lake Batyo Catyo.

"We all wanted it done, but nothing washappening. It's wonderful to have a LandcareCoordinator who can talk to everyone and bringthings together. Finally, things are getting doneand we have a way forward – the Coordinator is soimportant in this process." Caroline Jesse, AvonPlains Landcare Group.

Contrasting views of Lake Batyo Catyo foreshore and jetty.

CASE STUDY Photos: John Dod

A partnership approach to improving Lake Batyo Catyo


B Strategic framework and integrated 1 catchment management

Severe erosion in a gully on Bright's farm draining into the Bet Bet Creek The same gully after tree planting, battering of the right hand bank and mixed perennial pasture species sown on the former bare salt scald.

CASE STUDYUpper Bet Bet farmers Rob and Lyn Bright areworking with the Department of PrimaryIndustries (DPI) Dryland Salinity Program todevelop a demonstration showing the potentialbenefits of combining a range of options toaddress salinity coupled with severe gullyerosion.

Trialing various gypsum/lime applications, re-establishing ground cover and tree plantingtogether with erosion control earthworks, thisdemonstration is attracting interest from aroundthe district, including the Waubra Primary School.

The activities being undertaken at the site arefunded through the Bet Bet targeted area of DPI'sNorth Central Dryland Salinity Program,supported by the NCCMA and funded by theNational Action Plan for Salinity and WaterQuality, which is a joint State-Commonwealthprogram.

Bare salt scalds bordering extensive gully erosionwere already present when Rob and Lynpurchased the property located a few kilometresfrom Lexton in 2000. The property, althoughgenerally productive, is intersected by anextensive, badly eroded gully system that drainsinto the Bet Bet Creek.

This area of the catchment exports more than1,000 kg per ha of salt annually into the Bet BetCreek.

Last year, Rob fenced off 18 ha around the gullyfor the trial that began with the battering of oneside of the gully. Battering involves usingearthmoving equipment to remove topsoil,reducing the angle of the bank and smoothing thegrade and then replacing the topsoil. This allowsgrass and vegetation to grow on the banks andhelp stabilise them. Rock structures were alsobuilt on the banks of gully corners to stop furthererosion.

In 2003, Rob sowed a mix of pasture species onthe site including phalaris, cocksfoot, strawberryclover, tall wheat grass, oats, triticale and wheat.

The demonstration site is also trialing differentgypsum/lime/superphosphate applications in 20 m by five metre plots. A control plot of normalsuperphosphate application (12 kg/ha) wasestablished along with one plot with 150 kg/ha ofgypsum, one plot with 150 kg/ha of lime, one with150 kg/ha of lime and gypsum, and one with 150kg/ha of lime and gypsum, plus super.

Local tree species suited to the site were plantedaround the entire area through both directseeding and tubestock. Children from the localWaubra Primary School spent a day at the site,planting 750 trees, listening to a talk on the valueof trees, and examining the direct seedingmachine. Rob has erected a sign to recognise theefforts of the children and hopes that they will beback to check on progress in the future.

Photos: DPI North Central Dryland Salinity Team

Farmers demonstrate salinity and erosion control options

B2 Biodiversity



The goal for biodiversity can also be expressed interms of long-term aspirational targets for resourcecondition change. Since the scale of land use changerequired to achieve them is beyond the scope of thecurrent RCS, they have not been included asresource condition targets. These aspirational targetsare to:

" increase native vegetation cover to 30% of theregion

" increase the coverage of all EVCs to at least 15%of their pre-1750 distribution.

2.2 Resource conditiontargets

This chapter outlines management actions that areneeded to make progress towards the goal forbiodiversity. Resource condition targets (Table 5) havebeen developed to indicate the expected outcomesfrom implementing those and related actions(described in relation to other assets) over the next 10– 20 years.They therefore reflect how the ‘condition’ ofbiodiversity assets (e.g. indigenous ecosystems,species and habitats) might change over that period.

The targets listed in Table 5 relate directly tobiodiversity. The management actions described inthis chapter will also influence the condition of otherassets, particularly waterways and wetlands, waterresources and land. The biodiversity resourcecondition targets they influence are indicated in Table 6.

# Resource condition target Year to be achieved

RCT BD1 Improve the quality and coverage of all vulnerable or endangered EVCs and any otherswith less than 15% of pre-1750 distribution by 10% (as measured by habitat ha).

2013

RCT BD2 Maintain or improve existing viable populations of significant threatened species(including threatened flora and fauna and migratory birds).

From 2003

RCT BD3 No further bioregional extinctions. From 2003

RCT BD4 Increase native vegetation coverage to 20% of the region. 2030

Table 5. Resource condition targets for biodiversity

Photo:G

arry Cheers, N

CC

MA ‘

’

2.1 Goal

The ecological function of indigenousvegetation communities will bemaintained and, where possible,improved. Populations of threatenednative plant and animal species will berestored to viable levels. Threatenedvegetation communities will increase inextent and improve in quality to achievea net gain.

A Black-winged stilt.


B2 Biodiversity

2.3 Biodiversity: an overviewof the asset and theservices it provides

Definition

Biodiversity is defined as:

"The variety of life forms: the different plants, animalsand micro-organisms, the genes they contain, andthe ecosystems they form. It is usually considered atthree levels: genetic diversity, species diversity andecosystem diversity.’

Commonwealth of Australia (1996)

In the context of the RCS, biodiversity as a naturalresource asset includes all of the native plants andanimals which occupy or, in the case of migratorybirds, pass through the region. It includes aquaticand terrestrial species, as well as vertebrate andinvertebrate fauna. Biodiversity also includes theecosystems that these species form and theecological processes that support them. As a naturalresource asset, biodiversity includes: nativevegetation communities, ecological vegetationclasses, species, river reaches and wetlands. Riverreaches (or waterways) and wetlands are dealt withseparately.

Bioregions and ecological vegetationcommunities

The ecological patterns of landscapes arerepresented by bioregions, which are characterisedby particular vegetation complexes and associatedfauna. The North Central region comprises parts ofeight bioregions. The largest are the Goldfields andRiverina bioregions, which occupy almost two millionha between them. The smallest is the Northern InlandSlopes bioregion, which occupies just 15,000 hawithin the North Central region. Within eachbioregion, distinct vegetation communities can beidentified based on floristic, structural and ecologicalfeatures – these vegetation communities arecommonly referred to as ecological vegetationclasses (EVCs). Forty-six different EVCs have beenidentified within the North Central region. Furtherinformation on the bioregions and EVCs of the NorthCentral region are given in the North CentralCatchment Condition Report2.

Biodiversity and ecosystem services

Biodiversity, in the sense of vegetation communities,species, river reaches and wetlands, are a regional

natural resource asset. In the sense of the variety oflife forms and the diversity and interconnectedness ofecological processes, biodiversity is also a service.Services that accrue because of these propertieshave been termed ecosystem services. A range ofsuch services have been attributed to the diversity ofspecies and processes, including prevention oferosion and salinity, filtration of water, assimilation ofwastes, control of pests and diseases, maintenanceof soil health (in natural and agricultural systems) andthe provision of cultural, social and recreationalamenity3. While these services may not all be strictlydependent on diversity per se, diversity can often addsubstantially to their value.

Valuation of ecosystem services has receivedconsiderable attention in recent years3. Estimatessuggest that the average annual value of ecosystemservices for a single hectare of native vegetation isaround $300. Based on this estimate, the annualvalue of ecosystem services generated by nativevegetation in the North Central region could be asmuch as $54 million.

Direct economic activity

Currently, a relatively small proportion of the region'sindigenous biodiversity has a direct economic use.Native vegetation, particularly grasses, contribute toagricultural productivity in some dryland areas.Several native tree and shrub species are widelyused in timber production and for ‘minor’ forestproducts, such as Eucalyptus oil, firewood, fencingmaterials, garden mulches and honey production.

Water production

Native vegetation communities, particularly in theupper catchments of the Campaspe and Loddoncatchments and along the riparian zone of theregion's stream network, help to provide water ofsuitable quality for domestic, irrigation, industrial andrecreational uses.

Cultural heritage

The region's biodiversity forms an important part of itscultural heritage, from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives. The most common sites ofIndigenous cultural significance remaining in theregion are scarred native trees. Native flora andaquatic and terrestrial fauna have been harvested forfood by humans for millennia.


B2 Biodiversity

34


Visual and recreational amenity

Native vegetation coverage adds much to the value ofthe region's landscapes as well as tourism andrecreational opportunities. Native fauna populations,particularly birds and fish, support sustainablehunting and fishing activities, as well as more passivepursuits such as bird watching.

Carbon sequestration and emissionsoffsets

Young and growing patches of native vegetationsequester carbon from the atmosphere and help tooffset carbon emissions from agricultural and urbansources. Recent plantings (post-1990) can be used ina formal sense to offset these emissions and mayprovide direct or indirect economic value tolandholders.

2.4 Biodiversity status andthreatening processes

The region had rich and diverse populations of nativeflora and fauna prior to European settlement. Whilemuch of the original diversity has been retained,many populations and ecological communities havebeen severely depleted. Retained vegetation covervaries from less than 0.5% of pre-1750 distribution forthe Murray Mallee and Wimmera bioregions to 31%for the Central Victorian Uplands2. Less than 13% ofthe pre-1750 native vegetation cover has beenretained across the region. Native vegetationcommunities on land that was most easily occupiedfor agriculture – the natural grasslands, grassywoodlands and wetlands – are most poorlyrepresented.

Within the Goldfields and Riverina bioregions alone,over 200 native plant and animal species have beenlisted as having rare or higher conservation status. Atotal of almost 260 indigenous flora and faunaspecies found in the region have Victorian rare orthreatened species status. Only seven of the region’s174 EVC bioregion combinations (for whichconservation status has been confirmed) do not havea threatened conservation status.

Losses in regional biodiversity are yet to be fullyexpressed. Species extinctions may still occur overthe next 20 years, even with substantial vegetationprotection and enhancement activities. Loss ofbiodiversity may also jeopardise ecosystem services(e.g. soil health, waste assimilation, amenity value,cultural heritage) that are strongly dependent onvariety in life forms and processes.

Habitat fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation remains one of the key agentsof biodiversity decline within the North Central region.Historically, clearing for agriculture, mining and urbandevelopment have been the major causes of habitatfragmentation. Urban and peri-urban developmentremain significant contributors. Firewood collection,particularly on private land, can result in the loss ofstanding and fallen dead timber, which are importanthabitats for some birds, marsupials, reptiles andinvertebrates.

Fragmentation of native vegetation habitat detractsfrom biodiversity, in that it results in:

" a smaller area of native vegetation andassociated habitat for dependent species – thequantity of native vegetation habitat is consideredto be an important and direct indicator of thenumber of species a landscape can support

" reduced size of remnant vegetation patches –research suggests that 40 ha is a criticalthreshold for species diversity, with smallerpatches supporting greatly simplified communities

" creation of patches whose shape increases theirexposure to adverse climate, weed invasion andother threatening processes

" a reduction in the connectivity of remnantvegetation patches, which in turn reduces dispersaland movement of small or less mobile fauna.

Salinity

Prior to European settlement, hydrological and saltbalances were maintained entirely by nativevegetation. Loss of native vegetation, its replacementwith agricultural species (or by urban development)and irrigation is largely responsible for the region'ssalinity problems.

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

W

A dry Second Marsh – one of the Kerang Wetlands.


B2 Biodiversity

Almost 40,000 ha of high conservation value nativevegetation and at least part of the habitat of almost200 species of threatened native flora and fauna areunder threat from shallow water tables and salinity.The most threatened ecosystems are those whichare more highly fragmented and located in lowerlandscape positions in mid and lower catchmentareas. Wetlands, riparian zones, floodplains andaquatic communities are most at risk.

Altered hydrology

Changed hydrology impacts on both aquatic faunaand vegetation and on riparian and floodplainecological communities. Regulation and diversion ofwater for irrigation and urban use in the Campaspeand Loddon catchments have markedly changed thevolume and timing of flows along the river systemsand have impacted on aquatic, riparian and floodplaincommunities. The magnitude and frequency offlooding is believed to have increased in the Avocaand Avon-Richardson catchments. This is associatedwith increased recharge in floodplain areas andenhanced salinity impacts (e.g. lower RichardsonRiver, Lake Buloke).

Construction of drains and levee banks has alsoinfluenced the hydrologic regime experienced byaquatic, riparian and wetland ecosystems,particularly in the floodplains of the Avon-Richardson,lower Avoca and Loddon catchments.

Water quality decline

Salinity and increased nutrient levels contributetowards water quality decline and the subsequentreduction in aquatic and riparian biodiversity. Aquaticbiodiversity has been severely affected in areaswhere changes in water quality have beensubstantial, such as immediately downstream ofwastewater or stormwater discharge or when naturalwaterways receive highly saline water. Water qualitydecline typically results in a simplification of diversityin aquatic ecosystems.

Population growth/rural residential

Rural residential development can result in the lossand increased fragmentation of native vegetation.Increased proliferation of pest plants and animalsresulting from vegetation disturbance andinappropriate land management practices also hasadverse effects. Predation by domestic cats and foxescan drastically reduce populations of reptiles, birdsand small marsupials in peri-urban areas.

Inappropriate recreation

A wide range or recreational activities, both knowinglyand unknowingly, can cause different levels ofdisturbance to wildlife. Recreational activities such asoff road vehicle use, illegal shooting and camping cancause disruption to breeding and nesting, removehabitat and injure or cause death to wildlife.

Even passive recreational activities such asbushwalking, camping, horse riding and recreationalnature study can have localised environmental effectsby inadvertently trampling vegetation or disturbingnesting birds.

Pest plants and animals

Weeds displace native species from their habitat andprovide harbour for rabbits and foxes. The threatappears to be greater in periods of higher rainfall,upper catchment areas, land subject to disturbanceand in lower parts of the landscape where wateravailability is greater (in riparian and wetlandcommunities and the open forests in the south of theregion).

Foxes prey on native fauna and can pose a significantthreat to some populations. If rabbit populations areexcessive, overgrazing can prevent the regenerationof native species and contribute to long termpopulation decline.

European carp and other introduced fish may preyupon and/or modify habitat, such that native fishpopulations are displaced.

Changed fire regime

Native vegetation communities have developed underfire regimes that are quite different from thoseexisting today. Changes have been made in thefrequency, intensity and time of year of burns, with the

Photo:M

att Jackson, NC

CM

A

Rabbit warrens in the Baringhup district.


B2 Biodiversity

36


nature of change varying between patches. Firedependent ecological processes in native vegetationcommunities, such as succession and recruitment,have been affected to varying extents.

Climate change

Ecosystems that are likely to be particularlyvulnerable to climate change are freshwater wetlandsand riparian ecosystems. Species with restrictedclimatic tolerances (and range) and which are unableto migrate due to landscape fragmentation, soildifferences or topography, could become endangeredor extinct.

2.5 Priority issues andmanagement response

Priority issues for biodiversity have been defined by acomprehensive risk assessment process, whichconsidered the range of services provided bybiodiversity assets, the likelihood of those servicesbeing affected by various threatening processes andthe potential impact on service values should thatthreat be realised. The priority issues for biodiversityare based on combinations of likely threats and theexpectation of a significant decline in service values.The outputs from the risk assessment process aregiven in the North Central Catchment ConditionReport2.

Priority issues for biodiversity are based aroundthreats to:

" habitat values and ecological function in remnantvegetation communities

" Indigenous cultural heritage, associated withremaining scarred trees and other sites ofsignificance

" recreation and tourism

" visual amenity.

These services are threatened by agents such asurban and peri-urban development, salinity and waterquality decline, fragmentation and loss of nativevegetation habitat, pest plant and animal infestation,changed water and fire regime and inappropriaterecreation. If combined with a failure to protect andrestore native vegetation habitat, these are the mainimpediments to achieving the sustainability goal forbiodiversity. While most threatening processesoperate across the region, the impacts of land usechange are most acute in the upper reaches of theLoddon and Campaspe catchments and the impactsof changed flow regime on lowland aquaticecosystems in mid and lower catchment areas.

Although climate change is recognised as a threat tobiodiversity, the risk assessment did not flag it as apriority issue, due to uncertainty as to its impacts andbecause of the long timeframe over which they arelikely to be expressed. However, responses to thethreat have been developed and are outlined in thechapter on climate (Part B, Chapter 3).

A series of responses to the priority issues forbiodiversity have been developed (Table 6). They aremostly based on the relevant regional or sub-regionalaction plans, but include some actions that addresskey gaps in the current response. Responses are notcompletely comprehensive: some actions are only thepreliminary actions that form part of a longer termresponse to the issue. Several of the issues andproposed responses overlap with those relevant toassets other than biodiversity. To avoid repetition,Table 6 only includes responses that primarilyaddress biodiversity issues. Other responses aregiven in the chapter for appropriate asset (asindicated in Table 6).

The actions in Table 6 are grouped by implementation‘packages’. These packages are simplycomplementary actions that address the priorityissues, particularly the main threatening processes.Further details on implementation packages aregiven in Part C. Resource condition targets that linkwith each package are also indicated.

Photo:G

reg Chant

Coppice regrowth following a fire along the Coliban River.

Photo:M

att Jackson, NC

CM

A

Gorse Spider Mites biologically controlling Gorse on theLoddon River.


B2 BiodiversityTable 6: Management actions and targets for biodiversity

# Management actions and targets Keyimplementationagency(s)

Referring plan(s)

Biodiversity Package 1: Reducing the impacts of pest and domestic plants and animals on biodiversity.

This package is concerned with reducing the impact of pest and domestic plants and animals on indigenous biodiversity.Actions need to be implemented across public and private land. Urban fringe and rural living areas adjacent to bushland andconservation reserves are also emphasised because of the potential impacts of environmental weeds escaping fromgardens and the potential impact of domestic pets on small birds and marsupials. Activities supported include on-groundworks and activities to educate and inform communities about pest and domestic animal management/control practices. Thepackage relates to the North Central Native Vegetation Plan, as well as regional Weed and Rabbit Action Plans.

This package directly addresses RCTs BD2 and 3.

BD1 Support landholders and public land managers in eradicating orimplementing long term control over new and emerging weeds,priority weeds and controlled weeds, as per Weed Action Plan.

DPI/DSE, ParksVictoria

Weed Action Plan, NativeVegetation Plan

BD2 Support landholders in priority areas to undertake rabbit controlprograms as per Rabbit Action Plan so that long term rabbitcontrol is extended in priority zones by 425 000 ha by 2008.

DPI Rabbit Action Plan, NativeVegetation Plan

BD3 Encourage commercial nurseries to limit the sale of plants withenvironmental weed potential.

NCCMA Native Vegetation Plan

BD4 Encourage responsible pet ownership by landholders in urbanfringe and rural living areas to reduce predation on native fauna.

NCCMA, DSE,Local government

BD5 Undertake integrated fox control programs in priority areas toreduce predation on native fauna

DPI

Biodiversity Package 2: Protecting and enhancing significant native vegetation communities.

This package is concerned with delivery of key actions under the North Central Native Vegetation Plan and relevantBioregional Plans. In addition, it is supported by activities under the Dryland Salinity Management Plan, the River HealthStrategy and the Loddon-Murray Land and Water Management Strategy. The package emphasises the priorities of theNative Vegetation Plan, in that its primary focus is on identification and protective management of significant patches ofremnant native vegetation. It addresses this objective through investigations, planning and priority setting, engagement withlocal government and land managers, by building land manager capacity to protect remnant vegetation and onground works.

This package directly addresses RCTs BD1 to 4.

BD6 Identify areas supporting high conservation significance nativevegetation that is threatened by sub-division and peri-urbandevelopment, fragmentation and tree decline, salinity and otherprocesses. Develop and Implement Biodiversity Action Plans forthese areas by 2006.

NCCMA,DPI/DSE, Localgovernment

Native Vegetation Plan,Bioregional Plans, Loddon-Murray LWMS, Dryland SMP,River Health Strategy,Municipal Planning Schemes

BD7 Develop vegetation and environmental protection overlays(VPO/EPO) for priority threatened species and communities inall local government areas by 2006. Negotiate with localgovernment to ensure planning schemes are amended by 2006to protect high conservation value native vegetation. Ensure thatan outcome of all future development activities (from 2003) is anet gain in remnant vegetation coverage.

NCCMA, Localgovernment

Native Vegetation Plan,Bioregional Plans,MunicipalPlanning Schemes

BD8 Provide financial support to landholders wishing to protect andenhance remnant vegetation. Run annual Bush Tender auctionprocess in biodiversity priority areas.

NCCMA, DSE Native Vegetation Plan,Bioregional Plans

BD9 Promote the adoption of recommended management practicefor remnant vegetation. Ensure that all remnant vegetation ofendangered, rare or vulnerable EVCs and all populations ofendangered, vulnerable or threatened native and fauna speciesare managed according to recommended practice by 2010.

NCCMA, DPI/DSE Native Vegetation Plan,Bioregional Plans

BD10 Establish Public Authority Management Agreements (or similarenvironmental management arrangements) to ensureappropriate management of important sites of remnantvegetation on smaller blocks of public land (e.g. cemeteries andrail reserves) and public land managed by rural and urban waterauthorities.

NCCMA, DSE,Water Authorities

Native Vegetation Plan,Bioregional Plans,


B2 Biodiversity

38


# Management actions and targets Key implementationagency(s)

Referring plan(s)

BD11 Identify ecologically significant roadsides. Develop and implementroadside management plans for all local government areas by 2008.


Native VegetationPlan, BioregionalPlans, MunicipalPlanningSchemes

BD12 Undertake assessments of threats to biodiversity from all existing andnew programs and major projects under RCS, using Victorianbiodiversity risk mitigation protocols, from 2003.

NCCMA, DSE/DPI Native VegetationPlan, BioregionalPlans

Biodiversity Package 3: Ecological burning for remnant native vegetation.

This package addresses the need to provide significant native vegetation remnants (particularly those on private land) withappropriate ecological fire regimes to ensure that ecosystem processes are sustained. This involves investigation, trialing and,ultimately, implementation of such fire regimes. The objectives of the package are supported by Public Land package 2.

The package will contribute to the achievement of RCTs BD2 and 3.

BD13 Develop and implement appropriate fire management regimes to sustainecological processes in key private land native vegetation remnants by2008.

DSE/DPI, NCCMA

Additional action

BD14 Develop and implement region vegetation extent and conditionmonitoring program for remnant vegetation patches on private land by2004. Review resource condition targets for biodiversity based on initialassessment by 2005.

NCCMA, DPI Native VegetationPlan, BiodiversityMonitoringFramework

Additional biodiversity priority issues dealt with by management actions listed under other assets include:

Impacts of dryland and irrigation salinity on biodiversity assets (Dryland; IrrigatedLand)

Impacts of water quality on aquaticbiodiversity (Waterways and Wetlands)

Impacts of changed water regime on biodiversity assets and their habitat, culturalheritage and recreational values (Waterways and Wetlands; Water Resources)

Influence of inappropriate recreation oncultural heritage values of biodiversityassets (Waterways and Wetlands)

Table 6: Management actions and targets for biodiversity (cont.)

Bioregions

Pre 1750 Ecological Vegetation Classes

Current Ecological Vegetation Classes

Topography


B

40

3 Climate

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy North Central Regional Catchment Strategy


This chapter outlines some of the managementactions that are needed to achieve the goal forclimate. Tangible outcomes that can be expressed interms of resource condition targets are difficult toderive for actions relating to more resilient landmanagement systems. The resource condition targetlisted below relates only to reducing the region'scontributions to greenhouse gas emissions, which arethe key drivers for climate change. Managementactions under other assets will also help to achievethe resource condition target for climate.

The resource condition target for climate is given inTable 7 below.

3.3 The threat of climatechange

The region's climate is fundamental to its character. Itis a key factor influencing the nature and distribution ofthe region's native flora and fauna, its water regimes,farming systems and even settlement patterns.

The purpose of this chapter is not to describe theregion's climate, as has been the case for otherassets. Rather, this chapter describes the threat thatclimate change poses to the region and the emergingregional response to this issue.

The Third Assessment Report of the InternationalPanel on Climate Change (2001) confirms that theearth is warming in response to the release ofgreenhouse gases. By 2100, the average globaltemperature is forecast to increase by 1.4° to 5.8°C.In addition, the change in climate brought about byglobal warming will include increased variation in theweather. Extreme temperature events, for example,are likely to become more frequent.

In the North Central region, wetter conditions areexpected in summer and drier conditions in winterand spring. Temperatures are expected to be from0.5° to 2.2°C warmer by 2050 with extreme dailytemperatures and rainfall events increasing inintensity and frequency. These changes are expectedto have a major impact on ecosystems, affect thepattern of agriculture and reduce water supplies4.

Protection of the climate may seem a daunting taskgiven the global scale of the problem – however,human populations everywhere should takeresponsibility for their impact on the climate.

In the North Central region, the NCCMA and DPIhave initiated a response to climate change bysequestering carbon through revegetation andchanging land use. This has been documented in anaction plan4.

Carbon sinks, such as new plantations andrevegetated areas offer potential returns from the saleof carbon credits or the rights to sequestered carbon.


RCT CL5 By 2010, the North Central region will reduce net greenhousegas emissions by 30%, compared with 1999 levels.

2010

Table 7: Resource condition target for climate

‘’

3.1 Goal

The North Central region will have zero

net greenhouse emissions. It will

introduce management practices that

improve the resilience of natural

ecosystems and agricultural and other

land uses in the face of climate change.

A tank awaiting rain amongst a triticale crop.

Photo:N

icole How

ie


B3 Climate

This mechanism is seen as a key tool for funding landuse change and revegetation that will not only establishcarbon sinks but also complement the aims of a rangeof other natural resource management plans.

The Climate Change Action Plan is an innovativeapproach that seeks to:

" raise awareness of climate change and itsimplications

" promote the role of native vegetation carbon sinks

" use carbon sequestration as a means ofintegrating the outcomes and resources of nativevegetation programs

" support landholders to adopt and manage nativevegetation carbon sinks

" facilitate investment in carbon sinks revegetationprojects

" develop partnerships to increase regional carbonsinks capacity.

One partner in the action plan is the Central VictorianGreenhouse Alliance which coordinates a broadcommunity response to climate change, includingrenewable power generation, energy conservation,clean fuels, modified farming practices and

revegetation. Its membership is drawn from ten localgovernments, La Trobe University, Bendigo andseveral other regional organisations.


Priority issues for climate have not been defined bythe same risk assessment process that was used forother natural resource assets. Indeed, the riskassessment process for those other assets did nothighlight climate change as a priority issue, based onthe long time frame and uncertain nature of impact.Nonetheless, it is a significant issue that does requirean immediate response.

There are two priority issues for climate – improvingthe resilience of natural systems and land uses toclimate change, and reducing the regionalcontributions to greenhouse gas emissions.Responses to these issues are given in Table 8. Theyrepresent progress towards the goal for climate. Onlythose actions which are specifically directed at thetwo key climate issues are given here. Other actions(e.g. under Native Vegetation, Dryland Salinity andFarm Forestry Action Plans) also contribute toachieving the climate RCT and sustainability goal.


Referring plan(s)

Climate Package 1: Climate change response

This package proposes actions that respond to the challenge of climate change by helping the North Central region to takeresponsibility for net greenhouse gas emissions, by developing an improved understanding of the impacts of climate changeand thereby enabling actions that improve the resilience of natural systems and primary industry in the face of climate change.In part the package is based on implementation of the Regional Response to Climate Change Action Plan.

This package addresses the resource condition target for climate, RCT CL5. The package also indirectly addressesRCT BD2 and BD3.

CL1 Finalise the Regional Response to Climate Change Action Plan by2004 and implement key actions by 2008.

NCCMA Climate Change ActionPlan

CL2 Develop understanding of implications of climate change scenarios formanagement of dryland and irrigated land and associated assets andservices by 2008.

DPI

CL3 Develop farming systems and management practices that increaseresilience in the face of climate variability and climate change by 2008.

DPI

CL4 Conduct a second comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions audit forthe North Central region during 2005.

NCCMA Climate Change ActionPlan

CL5 Develop greenhouse gas emissions audit tool for use by individuallandholders/primary producers.

NCCMA

CL6 Assess the implications for climate change scenarios for flooding,water way management and riparian and wetland health and developmanagement response by 2008.

NCCMA, DSE

CL7 Coordinate community participation in climate change activities toincrease regional awareness of climate change.

NCCMA, Localgovernment, CVGAstakeholders

Climate Change ActionPlan, MunicipalGreenhouse Action Plans

Note: Management actions from other packages (BD7, 8; DL1,3; WW1,2) will also help to achieve the RCT CL5.

Table 8: Management actions and targets for climate


B4 Community

42

North Central Regional Catchment Strategy North Central Regional Catchment Strategy

4.2 Resource condition targetsThis chapter outlines some of the actions needed toachieve the goal for community. For natural assets,the asset goal and these actions were used as abasis for setting resource condition targets. Whilesetting resource condition targets per se is notappropriate for community, it is essential that targetsare set so that progress towards the goal can bemeasured. These community engagement targetsare given in Table 9. Achieving the targets is based onthe actions outlined in this chapter (see Table 10) andin relevant actions proposed for other assets.

4.3 The community and naturalresource management

The community includes everyone who lives andworks in the North Central region, those who visit andthose with some other connection to it. Thecommunity is responsible for managing the naturalresources of the North Central region sustainably.

The future health of the environment is highlydependent on the people of the region – including

people who farm, those who live in towns, those whowork in agribusiness or public sector natural resourceagencies, school children, local government,members of the region's Indigenous community andLandcare volunteers.

Changing the way natural resources are managedrequires leadership, knowledge, participation,resource wealth, grassroots action and accountability.Therefore, the North Central region needs people tobe skilled, motivated and well-resourced. The regionneeds strong and effective networks and partnershipsto effectively engage the community in decision-making and the development and implementation ofresponses to their natural resource managementissues.

Investing in people – building their capacity – shouldseek to strengthen a community's ability to commit,resource and problem solve. This applies across thecommunity – to individual landholders, the NCCMAand government agency personnel, localgovernment, etc.

# Community Engagement Target (CET) Year to beachieved

CET1 A community that is actively engaged in natural resource management processes and equipped toimplement landscape change.

2012

CET2 A comprehensive network of self-directed Landcare and other community groups participating innatural resource management in rural, peri-urban and urban areas.

CET3 Active participation by members of the Indigenous community in natural resource managementprocesses and having Indigenous values, perspectives and approaches incorporated intoimplementation programs.

CET4 High calibre natural resource professionals within both public and private sector organisations.

CET5 Clear understanding of natural resource management roles and responsibilities of regionalstakeholders and improved partnerships in project planning, resourcing and delivery.

Table 9: Community engagement targets

‘ ’4.1 Goal

An informed and engaged community,

managing natural resources sustainably.

Photo:C

lare Claydon, N

CC

MA

Landcare tour participants overlook the headwaters of Axe Creek.


B4 Community

As everyone has a role to play, investment in peopleis as important as investment in technical solutions.Increasingly, natural resource plans in the regionreflect this need to build the capacity of thecommunity to manage natural resources in a moresustainable manner.

The effective management of natural resourcesinvolves creating and managing effective workingpartnerships within and between the various levels ofgovernment, communities and community groups,Indigenous communities and private landholders.Only through effective collaboration will outcomes beachieved.

A core role of the NCCMA is the coordination andpromotion of sustainable natural resourcemanagement. It must capture the imagination of thecommunity and harness their energy. This can beachieved through creating and maintaining effective,flexible and responsive regional partnerships andstructures. Foremost among these is the partnershipthat the NCCMA has sought to establish with theregional community. The NCCMA has also builtsuccessful partnerships with government agencies(e.g. DSE, DPI, EPA Victoria), urban and rural waterauthorities (Goulburn-Murray Water, Wimmera-MalleeWater, Grampians Water, Coliban Water, CentralHighlands Water, Lower Murray Water) and localgovernment.

The NCCMA has developed a communicationsstrategy to support the implementation of the RCS.The strategy details the approach to be taken toensure effective stakeholder involvement andcommunication of the progress and outcomes of theRCS and its supporting action plans. A communityengagement strategy will be produced to ensurecommunity engagement and involvement in thedecision making associated with particular actionsunder the RCS.

Several of the key regional partnerships for naturalresource management are described below.Discussion also considers how they will be developedunder this RCS so that they help to achieve thedesired natural resource outcomes for the region.

Landcare and other communitypartnerships

Landcare has evolved to become the largestcommunity-based movement for natural resourcemanagement in Victoria. There are over 170Landcare and other community groups involved innatural resource management in the North Centralregion alone (see Appendix 3).

The broad ‘landcare’ movement, including Landcareand other non-government organisations (e.g.Greening Australia, Conservation VolunteersAustralia, VRFish, Birds Australia, etc.) has raisedconservation awareness in rural and urban areas.Themajority of onground action is undertaken inconjunction with Landcare and related groups. Thesegroups represent a significant source of socialcapacity for addressing natural resourcemanagement and integrating environmentalconservation into agricultural production. Thesegroups are a vital component in engagingcommunities and require considerable and effectivesupport. The regional Landcare Support team isimportant in supporting groups.

The RCS identifies natural resource managementpriorities to which Landcare and other groups canmake a valuable contribution. Building on existingnetworks and their successes through ongoingsupport is a core component of the strategy. The draftNorth Central Landcare Support Plan promotes theneed for groups to have access to high qualitysupport so that natural resource management andgroup learning activities are more effective.The rangeof support required by land managers addressingenvironmental degradation includes improvedcooperation of agencies, access to labour andtechnical support.

Indigenous communities

Indigenous communities have an important role inregional land management. Aboriginal communitiescontrol parcels of land of high environmental,historical and cultural value. There are thousands ofsites and places of Aboriginal heritage in the region,and catchment restoration and protection works havethe potential to impact heavily on these. Therefore, itis important that appropriate consultation beundertaken and partnerships formed with theappropriate Aboriginal land management groups.There is an urgent need to increase the capacity ofAboriginal groups to be directly involved in naturalresource management and for landholders and land


B4 Community

44


managers to understand their legislativeresponsibility to protect sites of significance throughforming partnerships.

The NCCMA, Yorta Yorta Nation and North WestNations jointly developed a set of protocols tofacilitate participation of Indigenous nations in naturalresource management activities. The philosophybehind this development was derived from theLandcare aspiration of community participation inland and water management. In order to achievesustainable resource management, it is recognisedthat remedial and protection programs must involveall land managers in decision-making andimplementation.The outcome of this unique approachis the 'Protocols, Principles and StrategiesAgreement for Indigenous Involvement in Land andWater Management', 2002.

The agreement is a major step in ensuring thatIndigenous interests are recognised and representedin natural resource management in the region. Theagreement paves the way for the establishment ofculturally relevant processes to strengtheninvolvement of the North West Nations and YortaYorta Nation in developing land and watermanagement policies, strategies and programs foraction at local levels, and in implementing appropriateprograms as well as local events and celebrations.

Local government

Local government has a significant and broad role incatchment management in a number of areas.Councils administering planning schemes, regulateand monitor development, manage rural roadsidesand the vegetation they support, supportingLandcare, construct and regulate stormwaterdrainage, manage land, oversee heritage protectionand participate in a range of other natural resourcemanagement activities.

A recent Municipal Association of Victoria study5

investigated how to improve the integration betweenregional catchment strategies and planning schemes.The study identified that closer links need to bedeveloped between CMAs, other regional naturalresource management stakeholders andmunicipalities. It indicated that the RCS and planningschemes need closer alignment and that CMAsshould be the primary source of information formunicipalities about natural resource managementissues, e.g. identification of remnant vegetationareas. The establishment of a Local GovernmentCoordinator at the NCCMA will be important in

assisting Councils in the North Central region toeffectively deal with natural resource issues.

By providing information and support, the NCCMAcan help harness resources for improved naturalresource outcomes. There are opportunities forsharing of information, e.g. databases and map setson assets, values and condition to supportdevelopment of Municipal Strategic Statements, localpolicies and overlays of local government.

The Local Government Coordinator position hasbeen established at the NCCMA through the NaturalHeritage Trust. This role will seek to improveintegration of catchment management and land useplanning.

A local government steering committee has beenestablished to oversee the project, including acoordination process between the respective reviewsof council Municipal Strategic Statements and theRCS. The committee comprises representatives ofNCCMA, local government, DSE, and DPI. Localgovernment is also informed through the LoddonCampaspe Mayors and CEOs Forum. Waterauthorities are another important stakeholder thatneed to be able to contribute to improved alignment ofthe RCS and planning schemes.

There is an opportunity in the review of MunicipalStrategic Statements to ensure that appropriateplanning controls are included to protect valuable orsensitive natural assets, such as water supplycatchments, wetlands, drainage lines, river frontagesand high value agricultural land.

Industry

Targeting partnership formation with majorcompanies and industry groups may make a bigdifference to natural resource outcomes. Majorcompanies and industry groups have direct andindirect powers and influences over the styles of landmanagement and production processes adopted byproducers. Industry can identify and create a numberof financial inducements to reward environmentalbest practice. People in the North Central region areincreasingly recognising the need to minimiseenvironmental risk and the market advantages ofbeing perceived as ‘clean and green’ producers.Consequently, suppliers and producers support moresustainable practices and whole-farm environmentalmanagement plans. Support and information aboutwhat constitutes best environmental practice and therequirements of an auditable environmentalmanagement system is required. This issue has been


B4 Community

addressed via management actions in the irrigatedand dryland chapters.

Educational organisations

Strengthening partnerships between natural resourcemanagers and educational organisations is vital toachieving strategy targets. Programs such asWaterwatch and Junior Landcare have targetedprimary and secondary schools. The success ofthese programs in influencing 'land managers of thefuture' highlights the need for ongoing partnershipdevelopment and program delivery in schools andcentres for higher learning. There are opportunitiesfor building closer relationships with training providersto address training needs of primary producers andrelated industry.

Loddon Murray Community LeadershipProgram

The Loddon Murray Community Leadership Programoperates under the auspices of the NCCMA. It seeksto develop community leaders and through them buildthe capacity of rural communities to address localissues and respond positively to change.

Other partnerships

There is an opportunity to work and establishpartnerships with people and agencies not normallyassociated with natural resource management, butwho can contribute human and social capacitybuilding knowledge that adds value to existingapproaches. These groups include rural counsellors,Department of Victorian Communities, VolunteeringVictoria and the Department of Family andCommunity Services.


A series of responses to the priority issues forcommunity have been developed (Table 10). Somepull together community participation and capacitybuilding themes from action plans under the RCS andothers address key gaps in the current response.Many of the issues addressed operate acrossmanagement responses for each of the naturalresource assets.

The actions in Table 10 are grouped byimplementation ‘packages’. These packages arecomplementary actions that address the priorityissues for community. Community engagementtargets are linked with each package.

Photo:Julie S

later

Loddon Murray Community Leadership Programparticipants (2003) meet with Governor John Landy andMrs Landy at Government House.

Photo:N

CC

MA

Sweep sampling for macroinvertebrates.


B4 Community

46



Referring plan(s)

Community Package 1: Integration between RCS and land use planning.

This package focuses on achieving greater integration between the RCS, its supporting action plans and land use planning. Italso seeks to build more effective partnerships between local government, the NCCMA and other regional natural resourcemanagement stakeholders.

It directly addresses CET 7 and 11.

CO1 Run process to improve integration between NCCMA strategies and localgovernment planning schemes by 2004 and have outcomes incorporatedinto planning schemes. Implement key outcomes from process to ensureprotection and sustainable use of natural resources by 2008.

NCCMA, LocalGovernment

MunicipalStrategicStatements, RCSAction Plans

Community Package 2: Community participation and education.

This package is concerned with the community being actively engaged in natural resource management planning andprocesses and equipped to implement landscape change.


CO2 For all natural resource projects, ensure that the development ofcommunity capacity is a component of the project objectives from 2003.

NCCMA, DPI RCS Action Plans

CO3 Complete the draft Regional Landcare Support Plan by 2003 andimplement. Continue to provide coordinators and other support programsfor Landcare groups.

NCCMA Draft RegionalLandcare SupportPlan

CO4 Implement consultation and decision-making processes that genuinelyengage the community and stakeholder organisations from 2003.

NCCMA RCS Action Plans

CO5 Implement NCCMA communication strategy from 2003 NCCMA NCCMACommunicationStrategy

CO6 Support delivery of Waterwatch and other education programs from2003.

NCCMA

Community Package 3: Indigenous participation.

This package is concerned with implementation of the Protocols, Principles and Strategies Agreement for IndigenousInvolvement in Land and Water Management.

It directly addresses CETs 7, 9 and 11.

CO7 Implement the Protocols Agreement for Indigenous Involvement in Landand Water Management from 2003

NCCMA ProtocolsAgreement forIndigenousInvolvement inLand and WaterManagement

Community Package 4: Natural resource management leadership.

This package addresses the need for strong community and agency leadership in natural resource management.


CO8 Design and implement a professional development program for state andlocal government, water authority and NCCMA personnel to improveretention rates and capacity by 2007.

NCCMA

CO9 Continue delivery of the Loddon Murray Community Leadership Program. NCCMA

Other actions

CO10 Develop a business case to facilitate sharing of critical GeographicalInformation Systems (GIS) across all levels of government (includingagencies) to improve natural resource management decision-making by2005.

NCCMA

Table 10: Management actions and targets for community


B4 Community Discussing water management at Fish Point Weir near Swan Hill

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

W

Loddon Murray Land and Water Strategy

CASE STUDY

For a premier example of community participationin land and water management planning, look nofurther than the Loddon Murray region in northernVictoria.

Initiated in 1986, the Barr Creek SalinityManagement Plan provided the first realopportunity for the community to participate indecision-making about the future of naturalresource management in the area. Since then, thebroader regional community has beenrepresented by more than 140 individualsparticipating formally in preparing andimplementing plans for the Tragowel Plains,Kerang-Swan Hill, and Boort West of Loddonareas. (In 1996 the Barr Creek became part of theTorrumbarry East of Loddon Land and WaterManagement Plan).

The 2003 Loddon Murray Land and WaterManagement Strategy builds on the success ofthese four 'first generation' Salinity ManagementPlans.

A Loddon Murray Forum was established by theNCCMA to bring together the Chairs of theprevious plans, the Executive Managers from bothGoulburn-Murray Water and the (then)Department of Natural Resources andEnvironment, and community membersrepresenting biodiversity and agriculturalproduction.

The Forum held a series of workshops late in2001, engaging the active local community instarting to prepare a joint regional strategy to takethe four plans forward in an integrated way.

A Loddon Murray project team facilitated theinvolvement of 93 community representatives plusagency staff in nine issues-based task groups.These groups reviewed the previous four land andwater management plans and helped set acommon direction for the future.

More than 1,200 hours of community inputproduced issues papers, which were combined bythe Loddon Murray Forum into five themes:

" Biodiversity enhancement

" Land management

" Planning and development

" Social capacity

" Water management

These themes provided the framework for the newStrategy.

The Forum's vision is for: 'a diverse, proud andresourceful Loddon Murray community achievingsocial, environmental and economic well-beingfirmly grounded in sustainable resourcemanagement.'

In October 2002, the new Strategy was releasedfor public comment during a communitycelebration involving 300 people at the base ofPyramid Hill – the same landmark where MajorMitchell set his own vision for the surroundingplains in 1836.

Community comment received during theconsultation period has been incorporated into thefinal Strategy – adopted by the NCCMA as anaction plan under this RCS.

During the development of the Strategy, all taskgroups recognised the need to engage a widercross-section of the community, particularly theurban residents, to achieve the full benefits ofimplementation. Plans are now being developedto build the capacity of the community andencourage people in urban areas to engage in thedecision-making about the region's future.


B5 Cultural heritage

48


5.2 Resource condition targetsTargets will be set for cultural heritage during the firstyear of the RCS implementation. They will be basedon actions reported under this asset class and thosefor other assets. Some preliminary areas in whichtargets may be set are indicated below (Table 11).

5.3 Cultural heritage The North Central region includes very important sitesand places of Indigenous and non-Indigenous culturalheritage. They maintain spiritual, physical andemotional links to the region's history and environment.

Indigenous cultural heritage sites andlandscapes

The Indigenous people of the North Central regionhave occupied its landscapes for millennia andcontinue to have a strong affinity with it. There is anabundance of physical evidence of the activities ofIndigenous people, including shell middens, scattersof stone artefacts, oven mounds, scarred trees,shelters, places of burial, axe-grinding grooves, andflaked stone tools. Within the North Central region,there are 3188 registered sites of Aboriginal culturalsignificance register by Aboriginal Affairs Victoria.However, it is highly likely that additional places exist

within the region but have not been located orregistered. Numerous Indigenous cultural landscapeshave also been identified. Of these, 15 places havebeen listed on the Register of the National Estate2.

# Area for resource condition target

RCT6 The number of listed cultural heritage sites under protective management.

RCT7 The number of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities/people (as appropriate for theasset/site) involved in management of cultural heritage.

RCT8 The number of heritage sites threatened by or protected from impacts of salinity and/or shallowwater tables.

Table 11: Preliminary resource condition targets for cultural heritage

A scarred tree, a culturally significant site within TerrickTerrick National Park

Photo:A

ngela Gladm

an, NC

CM

A(reproduced w

ith permission from

the Jaara Jaara Corporation).

‘ ’5.1 Goal

Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural

heritage is valued by the community and

is protected and maintained.

Historical ruins at Clunes remind us of our rich cultural heritage.

Photo:G

eoff Park, N

CC

MA



These areas or landscapes also hold importance forAboriginal people due to the traditional activitiesundertaken at these areas. Such activities includedhunting, gathering of bush foods, preparation of bushmedicines, use of fire in managing the environment,construction of tools, boats, shelters and production ofother artefacts used in ceremonies and rituals. Otherheritage sites and areas include places of ceremonialand spiritual significance, traditional plant, animal andmineral resources, trade and travel routes. Burial sitesin the Kow Swamp area are reported to date from12,000 to 15,000 BC.

The waterways and wetlands of the region provided aready supply of water, fish and other fauna. Aboriginalcamps tended to be in close proximity to water and sothere is a high concentration of Aboriginal artefactsalong watercourses, billabongs, wetlands, floodplains,levees, swamps and lunettes. As the locations ofwatercourses and wetlands have changed over time,these sites may not now be closely associated withwaterways.

Poor documentation of the locations of Indigenouscultural heritage sites and a lack of understanding oftheir significance to the Aboriginal people have meantthat many such sites have been damaged ordestroyed by agricultural activities and infrastructuredevelopment.

Aboriginal cultural heritage sites and areas areprotected by legislation. However, there continues tobe concern over the adequacy of legislation and localplanning processes in identifying and protectingsignificant sites and areas. For example, sites may bedamaged or destroyed in undertaking deep ripping fora revegetation project if heritage sites are notidentified at the project planning and approval stage.

It should also be noted that, as Indigenous heritagesites and places are at the core of Indigenouspeople's physical, spiritual and cultural existence andidentity, they must be consulted regarding theiridentification, protection and enhancement.

Connection and belonging to places,landscapes and community

For Aboriginal people it may be difficult to separatethe social and environmental services provided bycultural heritage sites as the people, theirenvironment and their cultural beliefs are stronglyinterlinked. According to Aboriginal Dreaming,Aboriginal people were descended from the land atthe time the earth was created. The people, therefore,

are a natural part of the environment from which theyare born. This creates a sense of belonging,attachment, custodianship and responsibility for themaintenance of the natural environment.

This sense of belonging to significant places andlandscapes is important for much of the communitythroughout the North Central region.

European cultural heritage sites andlandscapes

Sites of European cultural heritage significance arewell documented within the North Central region. TheVictorian Heritage Inventory, which lists all knownhistoric archaeological sites and relics, has 2023records for the regioni. These sites and relics includecemeteries, mine sites, diggings, workings andmullock heaps. In addition, 758 places of significantheritage value have been placed on the Register ofthe National Estateii (for further information, see NorthCentral Catchment Condition Report, NCCMA 2003).The Victorian Heritage Register lists 373archaeological sites of state significance. Theseinclude sites such as botanic gardens, bridges,cemeteries, buildings, gold mines, water supplies andrailway stations.

Non-Indigenous cultural landscapes within the regioninclude old stock routes and expedition trails of earlyexplorers.

Research and education resources

Historic sites provide a resource for research andeducation on human history and interaction with theenvironment. It allows an assessment of how pastmanagement practices have impacted on theenvironment and may help to develop improvedmanagement options.

i Heritage Victoria, Victorian Heritage Register and Heritage Inventory Online (as viewed 11 February 2003) at http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/doi/hvolr.nsf ii Australian Heritage Commission, Register of the National Estate (as viewed 14 April 2003) at http://www.ahc.gov.au/register/easydatabase/database.html

An historic photo of Enders Bridge, Coliban River.



50


Community enrichment

There is a social value in understanding thebackground history, beliefs and cultures of othermembers of society. Historic sites and areas providea rich resource for use in education, which aids innurturing mutual understanding and respect of thediversity of cultural heritage within the community.

Profound changes to the landscape occurred at thetime of European settlement. Land clearing andoccupation by the settlers, particularly alongwatercourses, displaced the Aboriginal people fromtheir traditional land and deprived them of access tomany of their most abundant food and water sources.An understanding of these historic relationshipsbetween Indigenous groups and colonists form animportant base for cross-cultural education programs.

Tourism and recreation

The tourism industry in the North Central region issubstantially based on a regional heritage theme andprovides a recreational amenity, employment in thetourism industry and tourism revenue.

5.4 Threatening processesThe major threatening processes and their impact oncultural heritage are described in this section.

Inadequate engagement of Indigenousgroups

The recognition that greater involvement ofIndigenous groups is required in land and watermanagement is encapsulated in the Protocols,Principles and Strategies Agreement for IndigenousInvolvement in Land and Water Management 6.Implementing this agreement will foster opencommunication between Indigenous groups andnatural resource agencies.

In maintaining Indigenous cultural heritage, it is vitalthat opportunities for Indigenous groups to rebuildtheir connections with the land are enhanced.

Damage to unregistered and registeredsites

Much of the past damage to heritage sites and placesstems from a lack of awareness of the locations ofsites and of their significance. This is particularly truefor Indigenous sites. These issues can be addressedthrough building strong partnerships betweenIndigenous communities and natural resourcemanagement agencies, and being involved inprogram planning and implementation. Education ofall stakeholders in natural resource management onIndigenous culture and its significance is a priority.

In order to prevent further loss of undocumentedIndigenous sites, processes need to be developed byIndigenous groups to capture and store informationrelating to sites and landscapes of significance.

Landholders may be deterred from registeringpotentially significant sites, fearing restrictions onagricultural practices and future developmentopportunities. This may be addressed throughawareness programs and consideration of financialincentives for identification, protection andmanagement of registered sites.

Urban development and intensification of agriculture,especially in areas close to watercourses andpreviously uncultivated areas, pose a major threat toAboriginal heritage sites. It is vital that adequateprotection is provided for these sites prior to theapproval of projects in these areas. Growth inagriculture, irrigation infrastructure and water-basedtourism and recreation potentially continue tothreaten the region's cultural heritage.

Local government planning and the heritage registerprovide the mechanisms for retaining heritage sites ofvalue.

Historical images of salt harvesting in the Kerang Lakesarea.



# Management action and targets Key implementationagency(s)

Referring Plan(s)

Cultural Heritage Package 1: Protection of cultural heritage values.

This package seeks to build on recent developments in the North Central region to strengthen engagement of Indigenouspeople in natural resource management, as well as increasing cultural heritage awareness and management strategies.This package also addresses community engagement target 3.

CH1 Strengthen engagement of Indigenous groups innatural resource management decision makingprocesses by implementing the ‘Protocols, Principlesand Strategies Agreement for Indigenous Involvementin Land and Water Management’ between theNCCMA, North West Nations Clans AboriginalCorporation and the Yorta Yorta Nation AboriginalCorporation from 2003.

NCCMA, North West NationsClans Aboriginal Corporation,Yorta Yorta Nation AboriginalCorporation

Protocols, Principles andStrategies Agreement forIndigenous Involvement inLand and Water ManagementAgreement

CH2 Ensure there is consideration of altered flow regimescausing exposure of Indigenous burial sites in lakesor wetlands when deciding water regimes orenvironmental allocations from 2004.

NCCMA

CH3 Increase awareness of the significance of heritagesites in recreational areas and develop strategies tominimise disturbance by 2005.

Parks Victoria, NCCMA

CH4 Assess hazard faced by Indigenous and non-Indigenous heritage sites from salinity by 2005.

DPI, NCCMA Dryland SMP, Loddon MurrayLWMS

CH5 Establish management agreements for all significantcultural heritage sites in areas where on-groundworks under the RCS area to be undertaken.Agreements to be between NCCMA, landholders,heritage authorities and, for Indigenous sites,traditional owners.

NCCMA

Table 12: Management actions and targets for cultural heritage

Inappropriate access and recreation

Inappropriate access and recreation has the potentialto cause damage to heritage sites. Planning andmanagement of these sites should aim to minimiseany potential impacts.

Altered flow regimes

The manipulation of flow regimes can exposeAboriginal burial sites in lake beds and water bodiesduring periods of drought or low flow. The exposure ofAboriginal ancestral remains causes distress to someIndigenous people.

Salinity and heritage sites

Several significant cultural heritage sites within theregion are located in areas threatened by rising watertables. Based on water table depths in 2000,approximately 186 Victorian Heritage Register sitesand 150 Victorian Heritage Inventory sites are at highrisk of salinity with a water table depth within twometres of the natural surface. The predicted salinity

risks to heritage sites are presently unquantified.Research into salinity impacts on heritage listed sitesis warranted.


Several actions are proposed to address the threatsfaced by sites and places of cultural heritage (seeTable 12). Some reflect actions recommended underregional natural resource management planningframeworks, while others are an attempt to fillperceived gaps in that framework. No specific link isdrawn to resource condition targets, since none havebeen developed yet for cultural heritage.



52


Figure 4: Regional cultural heritage program of the North Central region.


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6.2 Resource condition targetsThis chapter outlines some of the managementactions that are needed to achieve the goal fordryland. Resource condition targets (table 13) havebeen developed to indicate the expected outcomesfrom implementing those actions over the next 10 –20 years. In this sense, they reflect how the ‘condition’of dryland might change over that period. The targets

listed below are those that relate directly to dryland.The management actions described in this chapterwill also influence the condition of other assets,particularly biodiversity, waterways and wetlands andwater resources. Related resource condition targetsfor those assets are indicated in Table 14.


RCT DL9 No net increase in the area of land with water table depths < 4 m and with rising trendin the upper Bet Bet, Bulabul, Carapooee, Redbank, Pental Hills and Reedy andParadise dryland salinity targeted project areas.

2012

RCT DL10 Increase the area of land with water table >4 m depth by 50% in the Avon-UpperRichardson, Glenloth and Natte Yallock dryland salinity targeted project areas.

2012

RCT DL11 Greater than 90% currently salt-affected agricultural land within the dryland salinitytargeted project areas in the Loddon, Avoca and Avon-Richardson catchments will bestabilised with vegetation and either restored to agricultural production or revegetatedwith native salt tolerant species.

2012

RCT DL12 Reduce salt load export from dryland salinity targeted project areasiv:

" Upper Bet Bet (Loddon R) – by 3000 t/y

" Timor West (Loddon R) – by 2000 t/y

" Natte Yallock (Avoca R) – by 5000 t/y

" Bulabul (Loddon R) – by 3500 t/y.

Avoid future salt load export into from the Glenloth project area (Avoca River).

2010

from 2003

RCT DL13 Maintain long-term trend for real increase in the gross value of agricultural productionfrom mid-catchment broadacre farming areas

2012

iii Resource condition targets for soil health will be developed as part of the revised regional Soil Health Plan (Table 14, DL11).iv Salt load reduction targets only provided for project areas for which there is adequate monitoring and/or process information.

Table 13: Resource condition targets for dryland iii

‘’

6.1 Goal

The use and management of the land

resource for agriculture, rural living and

other purposes will be consistent with its

capability, will be undertaken in an

ecologically sustainable manner and

provide economic and social benefits.

A typical dryland landscape at the headwaters of Myrtle Creek.

Photo:G

eoff Park, N

CC

MA


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54


6.3 Dryland: an overview ofthe asset and the servicesit provides

Definition

Dryland includes all private land not owned ormanaged by irrigation farmers and so accounts foralmost all privately owned, non-urban land outsidethe Loddon-Murray, Campaspe and Rochesterirrigation areas. It includes rural living zones that arenot commercially farmed, but does not includeirrigated land in upper and mid catchment areas.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the predominant use of dryland in theNorth Central region. Almost 90% of agriculturalholdings (some 2 million ha) are not irrigated,although under the above definition for dryland, someof this land is irrigated land. The North CentralCatchment Condition Report 7 estimated that therewas approximately 1.4 million ha of drylandagricultural land in the region. Dryland includes thisarea and an unknown area of not commerciallyfarmed rural living zone.

The capital value of dryland is difficult to estimate withany precision.The most recent information for land onwhich dryland agriculture is practised suggests thatcapital value is between $1.7 and 3.2 billion8. Thecurrent capital value is considered to be substantiallygreater, with land prices escalating rapidly in themore intensively settled areas in the south of theregion and along the Calder Highway corridor. Theynow bear little relation to the agricultural productivityof the land.

Agriculture is practised across a range of soils andlandscape settings. The most productive soils are therich volcanic ferrosols found in the far south of theregion and the vertosols of the floodplains of theAvon-Richardson and Avoca rivers. Soils developedon the Palaeozoic sediments of the hill and risingcountry of the southern half of the region (tenosolsand sodosols) are often poorly productive, acidic andprone to a range of degradation hazards, includingsalinity, erosion, acidification and fertility decline.

The annual gross value of agricultural productionfrom dryland is estimated to be $380 million7. Almost60% is derived from cropping, occupies less than30% of the dryland area. Employment generated fromagriculture supports the economies of most of thesmaller towns outside the south-east of the region.

Most commercial scale dryland farming operationsare located in mid-catchment areas of the Loddon,Avoca and Avon-Richardson catchments. Farmenterprises in upper catchment areas, particularly inthe Campaspe, Loddon and Avoca catchments, tendto be of a smaller scale, with farming families morereliant on off farm employment than those in mid-catchment areas.

Other land uses

Landholding in upper catchment areas in the south-east of the region is increasingly characterised bylifestyle rather than commercial objectives. Whileagriculture may be practised, the scale and intensityof production is often much less than in commercialoperations.

In addition to agriculture and rural living, the othermain uses of dryland are for plantation forestry andmining. The area occupied by these alternative usesis relatively small.

Remnant vegetation

Dryland landscapes support approximately 240,000ha of remnant native vegetation, which is only 30,000ha less than the area found on public land. Aroundhalf of remnant vegetation on dryland is of anecological vegetation class that is endangered orpresumed to be endangered. A large number ofthreatened native plants are located in patches ofremnant vegetation on dryland. Remnant vegetationprovides habitat for populations of native fauna,including many threatened species. Native vegetationon private land also provides an important connectionto the larger but fragmented tracts of public land thatare found throughout the dryland area.

Water resources

Much of the water run-off generated and harvestedwithin the catchment is derived from dryland andadjoining areas of public land. Harvesting of surfacewater resources is concentrated in the uppercatchment areas of the Campaspe and Loddonrivers.

While groundwater is the key driver of the region'ssalinity issues, it is also an important resource. Thereis quite extensive use of groundwater for irrigation inthe upper and middle reaches of the Loddon andCampaspe catchments. The Daylesford region (in theupper Loddon and Campaspe catchments) also hasthe most concentrated and intensively utilised mineralsprings reserves in Victoria. Dryland and adjacent


B6 Dryland

public land are the major intake or recharge areas forthe region's Groundwater Management and WaterSupply Protection Areas.

Cultural heritage

There are numerous sites and places of Indigenouscultural heritage within the dryland area, althoughthere is a greater concentration of more intact sites onpublic land and associated with waterways andwetlands. Non-Indigenous cultural heritage ondryland is reflected by remnants from the gold miningera and structures associated with agriculturaldevelopment and settlement. Agriculture andagricultural landscapes themselves also form animportant part of the region's cultural heritage.

Landscape

The varied landscapes of dryland areas, particularlyin the uplands of the south of the region, are attractiveand add to the amenity value of non-agriculturaldryland and peri-urban or rural living areas.

6.4 Dryland condition andthreatening processes

The condition of dryland and the value of services itprovides are threatened by a range of landscapeprocesses and cultural practices. Several of thethreatening processes and their impact on drylandcondition are described below.

Salinity

Almost 32,000 ha of land have been mapped asbeing affected by dryland salinity within the NorthCentral region. Around half of this is located in theAvon-Richardson catchment. While the area currentlyaffected by dryland salinity comprises just 1% of theNorth Central region, over 10% is considered to be atrisk of developing shallow water tables and salinity9.

Dryland salinity threatens agricultural productionacross the region. Annual losses in agricultural grossmargins could increase threefold if the worst casesalinity projections are realised (i.e. with a prolongedperiod of above average rainfall). It also threatensnative vegetation and dependent fauna, particularly inremnants located in mid-catchment areas and inlower landscape positions.

Water tables across much of the region are now attheir lowest levels since the mid-1980s. The dryclimate sequence that has prevailed since the mid-1990s is largely responsible for this. While the fall in

water table levels has allowed some previously saltaffected land to be restored to productive use, thishas not generally been the case.

Flooding

A 1-in-100-yearv flood along watercourses in thedryland areas is estimated to cause around $21.5million in damage. This would include damage topastures, crops and fences, stock losses, erosion andthe loss of topsoil. Damage in more frequent eventswould be substantially less. There is some evidencethat the frequency of flooding had increased in atleast the Avoca catchment in the 1970s and 1980s10.

Recharge associated with river flow and flood eventsis believed to be an important driver for salinityprocesses in the floodplains of the Avoca and Avon-Richardson catchments. It is also an importantecological process for floodplain and other wetlandecosystems. Lack of flooding, due to regulation anddiversion of surface water flows and the constructionof artificial levees and other flood diversion structuresis implicated in the decline of remnants of suchecosystems that are located in dryland.

Soil health decline

There is a range of soil health issues, other thansalinity, that threaten agricultural production andenvironmental services generated by dryland. Theyinclude acidification, water and wind erosion andfertility and soil structure decline. The North Centralregion includes substantial areas that are moderatelyor highly susceptible to these processes11.

Cleared hill country across the region is particularlysusceptible to water erosion. This has resulted in soilloss, gullying and sediment deposition in waterstorages, waterways and wetlands. These sedimentsare, in turn, a major source of nutrients carried bystreams and contribute to algal blooms. While thereare extensive areas of dryland showing symptoms of

v A 1-in-100-year flood is equivalent to a 1% probability flood event.

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

W

A flooded paddock at Murrabit.


B6 Dryland

56


water erosion, only a relatively small proportion ofthese areas are still eroding at rates that threatenwater quality or river health.

Soils across much of the upper catchment and on hillcountry in mid-catchment areas are characteristicallyat least moderately acidic. Agricultural systemspracticed across these areas and much of the drylandregion are inherently acidifying. Product removal (bygrazing, hay cutting or grain harvesting), the use ofsub-clover in pastures and/or nitrogenous fertilisersand the maintenance of cover by annual (as opposedto perennial) species all contribute to acidification. Inthe absence of widespread use of lime, soils acrossmuch of the southern part of the region are expectedto become acidic to the point where agriculturalproduction is affected and the choice of crop orpasture species is constrained12. Acid soils alone arealready estimated to cost the region $45 million perannum in lost agricultural production.

Reduced agricultural production could lead toincreased recharge and/or erosion and couldexacerbate existing issues. Acidification of soils mayalso lead to acidification of streams and could haveadverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

Soils across much of the dryland region areconsidered to be highly susceptible to soil structuredecline11. Cropping soils are generally the worstaffected. This condition mainly impacts on farmproduction and is readily addressed by conservationtillage practices. There is no clear indication as towhether this issue is having increasing or decliningimpact on soil health.

Light textured soils in the north of the region aresusceptible to wind erosion, as evidenced by thesevere dust storms striking the region during earlyand mid-2003.


Pest plants and animals impact on agriculturalproductivity and the cost structure of managingdryland properties. Pest plants displace nativespecies from patches of remnant vegetation.Overgrazing by rabbits has, in the past, contributed toerosion and sedimentation and the loss of nativespecies. Foxes and domestic pets hunt and kill nativefauna and may threaten populations in some areas.Problems with these species are generally worse inperi-urban or rural living areas with dryland.

Rabbits have been a major pest species across theregion. However, the control of rabbits has improvedmarkedly with the release of rabbit calicivirus diseaseand development of the ‘Rabbit Buster’ controlprograms.The region is now classed as being in goodcondition in relation to rabbit infestation. Control offoxes has been less effective.

Agricultural production and biodiversity on drylandare threatened by several pest plants. Five species ofnew and emerging weed (including ChileanNeedlegrass and Serrated Tussock) have been listedfor the region. There are 20 species of ‘priority’ and‘controlled’ status weeds13.

Land management practices

Land management practice has potential to eitherexacerbate or ameliorate the process described herethat threatened dryland condition. Practices currentlypromoted under regional natural resourcemanagement programs, such as liming,establishment of perennial pastures, protection ofremnant vegetation, revegetation, farm forestry,conservation cropping and riparian fencing andrevegetation (for example) may help to contain orreverse the decline in dryland condition. However,inappropriate practices such as maintenance ofannual pastures, overgrazing, clearing anduncontrolled grazing in patches of native vegetationcontinue and detract from the value of servicesprovided by dryland.

Reaching the audience of part-time and rural livinglandholders requires new approaches to naturalresource management extension and possibly newland management options. Since they may be lessfocussed on commercial outcomes from dryland landuse, recommendations based on farming systemschange will not necessarily be appropriate.

Photo:M

att Jackson, NC

CM

A

Gully erosion within the Wild Duck Creek catchment,Campaspe Basin.


B6 Dryland

Firewood collection on dryland can add to pressureon biodiversity values. Standing dead timber andfallen trees are important habitats for a variety ofnative fauna and are particularly targeted bycollectors. While reduced firewood availability frompublic land adds to pressure on remnant vegetation indryland areas, it also improves opportunities forestablishing commercial plantations that can supplyfirewood and other forest products and help toaddress some of the region's natural resource issues.

Population growth/rural residentialexpansion

The difference in land value between that based onuse for commercial agriculture and that for ruralresidential use is likely to continue to increase aspopulation and the demand for rural living areas grow.This places further pressure on the viability of drylandagriculture in affected areas, as farm expansion tomaintain a commercial scale becomes increasinglydifficult. In addition, lifestyle expectations of people inrural residential areas can be in conflict with theneeds of adjoining commercial farming activities.

The level of attention to pest plant and animal controlis often less in rural living zones than in nearbycommercial farming areas. In some instances thismay impact on the agricultural productivity orenterprise choices (e.g. lack of action on foxpopulations may mean that sheep farming is nolonger viable). Uncontrolled domestic animals(especially dogs) can exacerbate this conflict.

If it is not planned and managed carefully, peri-urbanand rural living developments can lead to increasedfragmentation of patches of remnant vegetation andattendant loss of biodiversity values.

In the dryland area of the region, the challenge ofrural residential/lifestyle land use is particularly acutein upper Campaspe and Loddon catchments, as farnorth as Bendigo.

Farm business viability and attitudes

The commodity price collapse of the mid-1990sresulted in substantial numbers of farms becomingfinancially unviable. This was particularly true forgrazing properties, where less than 5% are estimatedto be of a large enough scale to support a full-timebusiness. Cropping businesses tend to be moreviable, which may be reflected in their location furtheraway from the parts of the region where land valueshave been inflated by rural residential values.However, the gross value of agricultural production for

pastoral industries grew by an average of 4.2% p.a.between the 1997 and 2001, compared with just 0.8%for cropping enterprises in dryland areas of theregion7.

Fire

Rural residential and peri-urban development inupper-catchment areas result in both increased firehazard and the likelihood of greater economic and/orhuman loss should a fire occur.

The isolation of native vegetation remnants in drylandareas means that they experience a different fireregime to that prior to European settlement. While theimpact of this is unknown, it is likely to affectecological processes.

Climate change

Climate change models suggest that average annualtemperatures might rise by around 1.5°C by 2030 andby up to 5°C by 2070. Average spring rainfall isexpected to decrease, resulting in more frequent dryyears towards the end of the century. Variability inweather and the frequency of extreme events are alsoexpected to increase.

There could be profound impacts for drylandagriculture in the region if climate change proceedsas expected. Higher temperatures and reductions inspring rainfall may reduce pasture and cropproduction, limit variety choices and add to pressureon profitability. New weed, pest and disease problemscould emerge.

If it results in increased evaporation and reducedspring rainfall, climate change could reduce rechargeand lead to sustained drops in water tables. This willhelp to reduce the threat of land salinity. However, thelack of dilution flows may, in the short to mediumterm, contribute to increased stream salinity.


Priority issues for dryland have been defined by acomprehensive risk assessment process. Thisprocess considered the range of services provided bydryland, the likelihood of those services beingaffected by various threatening processes and thepotential impact on service values should the threatbe realised. The priority issues for dryland are basedon combinations of likely threats and the expectationof a significant decline in service values. The outputsfrom the risk assessment process are given in theNorth Central Catchment Condition Report 2.


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58


Priority issues for dryland are based around threatsto:

" economic activity, mainly based on agriculturalland use

" habitat values and ecological function in remnantvegetation communities

" Indigenous cultural heritage, associated withremaining scarred trees and other sites ofsignificance

" generation of surface water and groundwater,particularly in upper catchment areas, in thequantities and at the quality required for humanand environmental uses

" visual and residential amenity.

These services are threatened by agents such asland use change, inappropriate land managementpractice, salinity and declining soil health,fragmentation and loss of native vegetation and pestplant and animal infestation. Collectively, thesethreats represent the main impediments to achievingthe sustainability goal for dryland. While most operateacross the dryland region, the impacts of land usechange on dryland are mostly related to urbanexpansion and rural living development in the upperreaches of the Loddon and Campaspe catchments.

Although climate change is recognised as a threat todryland, the risk assessment did not flag it as apriority issue, due to uncertainty about its impactsand because of the long timeframe over which theyare likely to be expressed. However, responses to thethreat have been developed and are outlined in thechapter on climate (Part B, Chapter 3).

A series of responses to the priority issues for drylandhave been developed (Table 14). They are mostlybased on the relevant regional or sub-regional actionplans, but include some actions that address keygaps in the current response. Responses are notcompletely comprehensive: some actions are only thepreliminary actions, that form part of a longer termresponse to the issue. Several of the issues andproposed responses overlap with those relevant toassets other than dryland. To avoid repetition, Table14 only includes responses that primarily addressdryland issues. Other responses are given in thechapter for the relevant asset.

The actions in Table 14 are grouped byimplementation ‘package’. These packages aresimply complementary actions that address thepriority issues for dryland, particularly the mainthreatening processes. Further details onimplementation packages are given in Part C.Resource condition targets that link with eachpackage are also indicated.


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Referring plan(s)

Dryland Package 1: Managing the impacts of dryland salinity

This package is largely concerned with implementation of key actions related to dryland under the Second GenerationDryland Salinity Management Plan. Implementation activities are concentrated at present in 10 ‘targeted project areas’, whichare located in the upper and middle reaches of the Loddon, Avoca and Avon-Richardson catchments. These projectsemphasise engagement with local communities, building capacity for management of natural resources and on-ground worksthat lead to improved land and water salinity outcomes and improvements in biodiversity and wetland and waterway health.The package also includes research and investigations activities.

It directly addresses RCTs DL9 – 12.

DL1 Complete targeted salinity projects in upper Bet Bet, Redbank,Carapooee, and Reedy and Paradise Ck priority areas by 2008 andTimor West, Bulabul, Natte Yallock, Pental Hills, Glenloth, and Marnootargeted priority areas by 2012: by building community capacity fornatural resource management and implementing recommendedmanagement practice for multiple environmental benefit.

DPI, NCCMA Dryland SMP

DL2 Investigate salinity processes in key dryland salinity research priorityareas: upper Loddon/Campaspe basalt groundwater flow system areas,Wild Duck Ck catchment and Lower Avon-Richardson catchment. Assessand report on opportunities to protect environmental, agricultural andwater resource assets by 2004.

DPI Dryland SMP

DL3 Develop and implement opportunities for third party investment indryland natural resource management programs. By 2005, undertakepilot project in upper Bet Bet catchment to:

" define third party investment mechanisms for environmental services,agricultural commodities and forest products

" develop institutional and operational arrangements for third partyinvestment

" accelerate the pace of land use and management practice change inthe project area, achieving >500 ha of farm forestry and/or newrevegetation/remnant protection by 2005.

Establish 5000 ha of third party funded plantation by 2008 in priorityareas able to deliver multiple benefit according to mechanisms/arrangements defined in pilot and established program guidelines.

DPI, NCCMA,MDBC, DSE

Dryland SMP,Farm ForestryAction Plan, NativeVegetation Plan

DL4 Undertake research to develop farming systems that suit floodplainenvironments and natural resource issues and report by 2008.

DPI

Dryland Package 2: Managing the impacts of pest plant and animal populations

This package reflects the regional Rabbit and Weed Action Plans and activities to address other pest animals. Priority areashave been set for rabbit control and priority weed species have been identified. Implementation is based around priorityissues, where there is strong community commitment to achieving long term control of pest populations. It is proposed thattargets for pest management activities be updated . An upper catchment specific pest plant and animal program is to bedeveloped, that reflects the pest management priorities and constraints and opportunities of urban and rural livingdevelopment. Key outcome areas are related to biodiversity and economic activity in agricultural areas.

It addresses RCT DL13 and RCT BD2 and 3.

DL5 Adapt Rabbit and Weed Action Plans to peri-urban issues by 2004 andimplement programs appropriate to land uses, management practicesand community characteristics. Undertake strategic pest plant andanimal control programs where public investment is warranted. Developrelevant management action and resource condition targets.

DPI Weed Action Plan,Rabbit Action Plan

DL6 Support landholders in broadacre agricultural priority areas to undertakerabbit control programs as per Rabbit Action Plan. Long term controlextended in priority zones 1 and 2, with new targets set by 2004.

DPI Rabbit Action Plan

DL7 Support landholders on broadacre agricultural lands to eradicate orimplement long term control over new and emerging weeds, priorityweeds and controlled weeds as per Weed Action Plan. Increased area ofpriority and controlled weed infestation eradicated or under control by2008. New targets set for regional pest plant program by 2004.

DPI Weed Action Plan

DL8 Undertake integrated fox control programs in priority areas to reduceimpacts on agricultural production and enterprise flexibility.

DPI

Table 14: Management actions and targets for dryland


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60



Referring plan(s)

Dryland Package 3: Responding to the challenge of rural residential development.

There has been an acceleration in land use change towards lifestyle or ‘residential’ development in upper catchment areasacross the region. This package responds to the challenges this poses for natural resource management. It seeks to apply ina uniform manner the recommendations of the recent Victorian Rural Zones Review to ensure local government planning isconsistent with natural resource objectives. It also seeks to develop and deliver guidelines for more sustainable landmanagement practice for non-agricultural landholdings in this part of the region. There are no direct dryland RCTsattributable to this package, although it will contribute to the goal for dryland.

DL9 Undertake a dryland regions, ‘Future land use’ study that will assistcouncils to develop a ‘Rural Strategy’ consistent with that recommendedunder recent Victorian Rural Zones Review (DSE, 2003). The study willinclude an audit of rural lands, a land capability and productivity analysis,the identification of lands to be incorporated within Rural Industry,Environmental Rural, Rural Mixed Use and Rural Living zones and thesetting of appropriate resource condition targets. The studies are to becompleted, results incorporated into municipal planning schemes andresource condition targets set by 2008.

Local government,DSE, NCCMA, DPI

Local governmentplanning schemes

DL10 Develop guidelines for sustainable management of rural residential landby 2005. Guidelines should address biodiversity, salinity, groundwater andsurface water resource management, water quality, river health, pest plantand animal and farming practice.

NCCMA, DPI, DSE Native VegetationPlan, DrylandSMP

Dryland Package 4: Safe and environmentally sustainable fire regimes

This package addresses the need for safe and environmentally sustainable fire regimes in broadacre agricultural landscapesand rural living zones. It is intended that it lead to fire management practices that address community safety issues. It alsoseeks to develop guidelines that allow reinstatement (where appropriate) of environmental fire regimes for large blocks ofremnant native vegetation. There are no direct dryland RCTs attributable to this package, although it will contribute to thegoal for dryland.

DL11 Review fire hazard reduction practices and fire regimes on private land.Develop and implement appropriate regimes in conjunction withstakeholders across all local government areas by 2008.

NCCMA, DSE/DPI,CFA

Dryland Package 5: Improved dryland management practice (also DL4)

There is substantial overlap between this and the dryland salinity package. Apart from addressing dryland salinity, it hasthree main focus areas: improving soil health, using environmental management systems (EMS) to support more sustainableagricultural land use and the development of saline resource use industries in areas where salinity issues are intractable. Itsprimary concern is with economic activity, however several activities address natural resource issues, including biodiversity,river and wetland health and water quality. Actions DL12 and DL13 are intended to support achievement of RCTs DL9to 12. Targets are to be developed for soil condition as part of the process of preparing a regional soil health plan.

DL12 Review regional soil health issues. Conduct land resource assessment forNorth Central region. Prepare revised dryland soil health plan that evaluatesneed/case for public investment in a soil health program by end 2004.Plan is to include appropriate resource condition targets for soil health indryland areas and appropriate monitoring and evaluation program.

DPI Draft Soil HealthPlan

DL13 Develop and implement regional EMS process, linked to RCS, drylandsalinity and other key action plans, to demonstrate adoption of sustainableland use and management practice by 2005. Negotiate local governmentsupport for adoption of EMS via rating system by 2005.

DPI, NCCMA Localgovernment

Dryland SMP,Local governmentplanning schemes

DL14 Support the development of saline resource use enterprises in midcatchment areas, where ‘living with salinity’ is the only feasiblemanagement option. At least two new saline resource enterprisesestablished in salinity hazard area by 2008.

DPI, NCCMA Dryland SMP

Dryland Package 6: Improving natural habitat and ecosystem function in dryland areas (See DL -1,3,5)

This package comprises actions under the dryland salinity program, which contribute to the improvement in the size,connectivity and function of native vegetation communities and associated fauna. All on-ground components of this packageare carried out within the dryland salinity targeted project areas. The package complements related activities within the drylandarea that are described in Part B, Chapter 2, Biodiversity. Actions are intended to support the achievement of RCT BD4.

Additional dryland priority issues dealt with by management actions listed under other assets include:

" Expansion of horticultural land use change (Water Resources)" Impacts of erosion on water quality (Waterways and Wetlands)" Impacts of flooding (Waterways and Wetlands)

Table 14: Management actions and targets for dryland (cont.)

Photo:T

im S

hanahan, G-M

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B6 Dryland

CASE STUDYKevin and Katrina Alexander have a dream tohand over their farm to their sons in betterenvironmental condition than when they took itover.

The Alexanders are developing paddock plans fortheir mixed farming business at Lanelly, 6 kmfrom Tarnagulla, to help them work towards theirdream.

The plans are being developed and implementedwith assistance from the DPI North CentralDryland Salinity Program. This program issupported by the NCCMA and is funded by theNational Action Plan for Salinity and WaterQuality, a joint State-Commonwealth program.

Kevin supports the landscape-scale approach toland management being taken by the DrylandSalinity Program and he has joined other localfarmers on a steering committee for the Bulabulsub-catchment area, which has been targetedunder the program.

This year, the Alexanders have converted a 65 hapaddock of cropping and grazing of annualpasture to a deep-rooted perennial pasturesystem alternately sown with oats, which will helpreduce groundwater recharge in the Bulabulcatchment.

Other treatments on the paddock will includefencing of native remnant vegetation and re-establishment of native vegetation along agully that runs through the paddock. The worksbeing carried out by Kevin and Katrina willimprove the water quality in the local area andhelp reduce the 7,000 tonnes of salt that theBulabul creek contributes to the Loddon Rivereach year

Kevin will be testing soil acidity across the wholefarm and addressing any problem areas. Otherworks planned for the next two years include thefencing of other remnants and creeks, particularlyin areas where there is a problem with saltdischarge.

Inspection of the native vegetation remnants onthe farm by a vegetation officer from DPI hasidentified an ecologically valuable stand ofBuloke trees. Buloke Woodlands are classifiednationally as an endangered ecologicalcommunity.

"I don't mind fencing these remnants and re-establishing vegetation that used to be herebecause I see it as an important part of securingthe future of our farming business", said Kevin.

Bulabul paddock plans map out farming future

Photo: DPI North Central Dryland Salinity Team


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7.2 Resource condition targetsThere is insufficient information on the nature ofthreats to infrastructure assets to set specificresource condition targets. Implementation ofrelevant management actions under the RCS andreferring plans will help fill those gaps and isexpected to provide a more sound basis for settingtargets. Targets will be set based on this work duringthe first year of implementation of the RCS. A keyarea for target development would relate to the levelof salinity expenditure maintenance or repairexpenditure by local government and utilities.

7.3 Infrastructure: overview ofthe asset and the servicesit provides

Infrastructure assets are most heavily concentratedin, and in many cases, most highly valued in, theregion's urban areas. There are many types that maybe affected by natural resource degradation issues,such as salinity, water quality decline, fire, floodingand soil erosion. They include housing, publicbuildings, industry, roads, railways, public parks andgardens, urban and rural water supply, rural drainage,energy and communications infrastructure.

Infrastructure, and in particular the development ofnew infrastructure, can also pose a hazard to theservices provided by other assets. Its role as athreatening 'process' is described in other chapters.

Infrastructure provides a range of important services.In addition to the specific function of the infrastructure(e.g. transport, energy, communications, recreation,

shelter), this asset is intimately linked with the wealthand prosperity of the community, economicdevelopment opportunities, the amenity afforded byliving in and/or travelling through particular areas andcultural heritage.

7.4 Threats to infrastructureSalinity

Salinity poses a major threat to the region'sinfrastructure. It is known to be responsible fordamage to roads, footpaths, parks, cemeteries andpublic buildings in some urban centres. Housing andindustrial developments in several parts of Bendigoare also located on salt affected land. Damage toroads, parks and other public infrastructure is asignificant expense to some local governments withinthe region, through increased maintenance orconstruction costs and greater maintenancefrequency. Rising saline watertables in urbanresidential areas threaten to substantially diminishthe value of what is generally the principal asset ofhouseholders. Reductions in real estate values, ifthey apply to a substantial area, may also reduce therate base for councils.

Recent work estimated that annual costs of drylandsalinity to households, businesses and localgovernment were almost $10 million14. Major costitems were costs of saline town water supplies tohouseholds, damage to housing, increasedmaintenance expenditure on roads and otherinfrastructure and costs associated with shortenedroad life spans. It is estimated that 2,800 km of theregion's road network traverses land at risk fromsalinity and shallow water tables.

‘ ’7.1 Goal

Infrastructure assets will be protected byland and water management practicefrom the impacts of natural resourcedegradation. Infrastructure developmentwill be carried out in ways that minimiseand offset adverse environmentalimpact.

Regulators provide infrastructural support to irrigated areas.

Photo:T

im M

urphy, G-M

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B7 Infrastructure

Flooding

The North Central region is highly flood prone.Although occupying 13% of the State, it experiences23% of the average annual flood damage of non-metropolitan Victoria. It is estimated that a 1:100 yearflood would cause $113 million damage to buildingsand $80 million damage to roads and relatedinfrastructure. The total impact, including agriculturaland other losses, would exceed $300 million. Lesserand more frequently recurring floods would have asmaller localised impact.

Soil Erosion

Soil erosion, particularly that associated with the bedand banks of streams and gullies, can threaten roadsand bridges. Much of the damage is linked withflooding, since most major erosion events occurduring or after intense rainfall.

Plantation forestry development

Development of forestry plantations may haveimplications for rural infrastructure, particularly roads.The concentration of use by heavy trucks on roadsleading to plantations during harvesting can beparticularly damaging. The problem is likely to beexperienced in the restricted parts of the uppercatchment that are suited to larger scale commercialplantations.

Water allocation and trade

One outcome of the separation of title to water fromownership of land has been the shifting of demand forirrigation water supply from one location to another. Inmore (financially) marginal irrigation areas, this hasleft supply infrastructure 'stranded'. The infrastructureremains, but now supplies few or no irrigators and it isno longer financially viable to maintain.

Fire and changed fire regime

The 2003 bushfire season demonstrated thevulnerability of infrastructure to fire. Powerlines,fences and private dwellings in more isolated areasare particularly vulnerable in bad fire seasons.


An assessment has been undertaken of the mainthreats faced to services provided by infrastructure.The outputs from the risk assessment process aregiven in the North Central Catchment ConditionReport 2.

A suite of management actions and targets (Table 15)addresses some of the issues challenginginfrastructure assets. Most relevant actions are dealtwith in the response to priority issues for other assets(e.g. flooding in Waterways and Wetlands). At thisstage, none of the management actions link toresource condition targets.


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64



Referring plan(s)

Infrastructure Package 1: Managing impact of salinity.

The package includes actions designed to identify the impact of salinity on infrastructure and develop some preliminaryresponses. The focus is on urban and rural infrastructure.

IN1 Identify urban areas most threatened by salinity and undertake riskassessment for all centres by 2005. Develop guidelines for planners anddevelopers to deal with salinity hazards. Incorporate appropriateresponses into planning schemes by 2006.

DPI, NCCMA, Localgovernment

Dryland SMP,Loddon-MurrayLWMS, MunicipalPlanningSchemes

IN2 Develop salinity management plan for Bendigo by 2005 and implement keyrecommendations in conjunction with City of Greater Bendigo by 2008.

DPI, NCCMA, City ofGreater Bendigo

Dryland SMP

IN3 Develop monitoring and reporting protocols for infrastructure assetsthreatened by salinity and for salinity caused expenditure by 2004.

DPI, NCCMA, Localgovernment,VicRoads

Dryland SMP

Infrastructure Package 2: Managing the impact of forestry industry development.

This package seeks to provide a strategic and early response to potential local government concerns about the impacts ofplantation expansion on roads infrastructure.

IN4 Engage with local government in implementation of West Victoria RegionalForest Agreement. A farm plantations process to ensure that relevant roadand road maintenance issues are resolved by 2004.

DPI/DSE, Localgovernment

West VictoriaRegional ForestAgreement

Table 15: Management actions and targets for infrastructure


B8 Irrigated land

8.2 Resource condition targetsThis chapter outlines some of the managementactions that are needed to achieve the goal forirrigated land. Resource condition targets will bedeveloped in the first year of RCS implementation toindicate the expected outcomes from implementing

those actions over the next 10 – 20 years. Somepreliminary areas in which targets may be set areindicated in Table 16. They will be set at a sub-regional level, as irrigated land within the NorthCentral region is not managed as an integratedwhole.

# Area for resource condition target

RCT IR14 Increase the average value of agricultural production per ML or water on irrigated land to between 100%(double)and 200% (treble) current levels by the year 2023; while maintaining (worst case) or trebling (best case) the totaleconomic value of production from the region.

RCT IR15 Reduce the irrigated area of salt affected land (C and D class) to a specified % and increase the % of irrigatedarea that is A and B class soils by the year 2023.

RCT IR16 Reduce the percentage of the irrigated area subject to waterlogging losses due to inadequate surface watermanagement to zero and increase the area served by adequate surface water management (including on-farmsystems) to 100% by the year 2023.

RCT IR17 Manage the salt load exported from land to the River Murray and regional waterways and wetlands within ECcredits and ecological limits.

RCT IR18 Reduce the nutrient loads exported from land to the River Murray and regional waterways and wetlands bybetween 30% and 50% by the year 2023.

RCT IR19 Reduce regional irrigation tailwater flows and accessions to groundwater by between 20% to 50% by the year2023.

Table 16: Preliminary resource condition targets for irrigated land

‘’

8.1 Goal

The use and management of land forirrigated agriculture, rural living andother purposes will be consistent with itscapability to support those uses. Theuse and management of both land andwater provides sustainable economicand social benefits and improvesenvironmental values.

An irrigated vineyard near Swan Hill.

Photo:T

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urphy, G-M

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8.3 Irrigated land: anoverview of the asset andthe services it provides

Definition

Irrigated land is defined as land managed by irrigationproperty owners. It is mostly located in the lowercatchment areas of the Campaspe, Loddon andAvoca basins and includes both the Loddon-Murrayregion and parts of the Shepparton Irrigation region(Rochester Irrigation Area and Campaspe IrrigationDistrict). It also includes the irrigated land in upperand mid catchment areas, such as the potato growersin the Central Highlands area, river diverters and thevineyards of Bendigo and Avoca districts.

Coordination of natural resource managementinitiatives (including the integration of the Kerang-Swan Hill, Boort West of Loddon, Torrumbarry East ofLoddon and Tragowel Plains Land and WaterManagement Plans) has been achieved through theLoddon Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy (LMLWMS). Salinity and surface watermanagement in areas to the east of the LoddonMurray region are managed as part of theShepparton Irrigation Land and Water ManagementPlan. Those aspects of that area are serviced throughthe Goulburn Broken rather than the North CentralCMA. There are important works now undertaken bythe North Central service delivery team in thoseareas to improve water use efficiency and irrigationwater management skills.Those elements are alignedwith the strategic priorities in the LMLWMS forplanning, management and budget purposes.

Irrigated land in the upper and mid catchment areashas not been specifically covered by previousirrigation land and water management strategies.

Agricultural production and economicactivity

In a typical year the estimated area of land underirrigation is between 300,000 and 350,000 ha15 (10% ofthe North Central region), depending on the irrigationallocation made available. In addition, this asset classincludes the approximately 150,000 ha to 300,000 ha ofdryland managed by irrigation farmers (5% to 10% ofNorth Central region).This gives a total area of irrigatedland of approximately 700,000 ha or 23% of the NorthCentral region. At present, irrigated land is associatedwith 900,000 ML of water right entitlement and1,425,000 ML of annual water use for irrigation.

Irrigated land is important for providing agriculturalproduction and for supporting regional employment.The main industries are dairying, horticulture andmixed farming (combinations of cropping, lucerne,wool and meat production from beef and sheep). Thesize of these industries is estimated in Table 17 andfurther information given in the North CentralCatchment Condition Report2.

Environment and amenity

The land also supports flora and fauna habitat,cultural heritage, landscape and a rural livingenvironment. Adjacent to the irrigated land are someof the region's key natural assets, including theinternationally significant Kerang Wetlands andGunbower Forest Ramsar Sites.

Land Use Area (ha)vi Water used(ML)

Estimate Grossincome ($/ML)vii

Value ofProduction($m)

No. properties

Dairying 133,000 752,000 500 376 1,400

Mixed 275,000 563,000 150 84 1,300

Horticulture 6,700 15,000 2,000 30 270

Dryland 275,000 – – 28 (included inabove)

Private diversion andgroundwater usage outsidemain irrigation districts (GMID)

16,000 95,000 500 48 3,500 (est.)

Total 700,000(ha)

1,425,000(ML)

3,150($/ML)

518($m)

approx 6,500

Table 17: Irrigated land

vi Derived from background papers prepared on Loddon Murray by S Lottkowitz, corrected for Irrigated Land outside Loddon Murray.viiDerived from Rendell McGuckian farm financial surveys.


B8 Irrigated land

8.4 Irrigated land conditionand threateningprocesses

The condition of irrigated land and the value ofservices it provides are threatened by a range oflandscape processes and cultural practices. Severalof these processes and their impact are describedbelow.

Water trade

Water trade is a major activity. Temporary water tradeoccurs on a large scale, most of which is internal tothe region. However, there has been a net permanentwater trade out of the region.

Mixed irrigation farming is a major user of water in theregion, but this is a low value use and currently themarket value of water is generally higher than thereturns that mixed irrigation justify. Consequently,permanent trading has generally shifted water frommixed farming areas in the region to higher valuedairying and horticulture external to the region. Since1991 – 92, 22,500 ML16 of water right has been lostto the region. The continuing loss is turning previouslyirrigated land into 'new dryland'. It is also reducing theviability of some irrigation supply systems.

The loss of permanent water has been partially offsetby increased water sales, when available, and moretemporary water purchases. However, net use isdeclining in the region. This trend is not evenlyspread. The water right in dairy areas at Cohuna andRochester has increased, while water right hasreduced in the mixed areas around Kerang andPyramid Hill. Some dairy farmers have purchasedland in traditional mixed areas and transferred waterto the dairying area.

Water allocation

It is suggested that up 1,500,000 ML of current waterallocations in the Murray-Darling may be needed forenvironmental flows to maintain biodiversity. Thisrepresents a significant loss of water for irrigation andis approximately equivalent to the annual volume inthree Torrumbarry irrigation areas. If this occurs,even more 'new dryland' areas may be created. Theactual water loss to irrigation in the North Centralregion is likely to be much greater than in most otherirrigated regions because low value mixed areaswould be under increasing pressure to sell as themarket readjusts to lower allocations. It is possible

that dairy and horticulture would be the onlyremaining major users. This would have significanteconomic, social and environmental impacts.

Salinity

Salt has been a major threat to irrigated land. Landbecomes saline when watertables are consistentlywithin 2 m of the natural surface. More than 50% ofirrigated land in lower catchment areas is estimatedto be affected, although this represents animprovement over the last decade. In the LoddonMurray irrigation region, the area affected bywatertables less than two metres has fallen from 74%to 59%. This improvement is thought to be due todrier than average conditions, water trade impactsand improved irrigation practices. A series of wetyears may reverse this trend.

Economic impacts of salinity have also been reducedby targeting water to low salinity soil and by improvingsurface drainage. The irrigation salinity managementplans have been successful in achieving or exceedingtheir original objectives. However, the high rate ofrecharge to groundwater on some of the lighter soiltypes that are currently being flood irrigated is yet tobe addressed.

Horticulture has largely converted from furrow tomicro irrigation systems and in so doing reduced therisk of salinisation. Spray and improved floodmethods (pipes and risers) are also being consideredfor traditional flood irrigated areas.

Salinity of water supplied to irrigators can also impacton soil health and production.

Flooding

Flooding is a major threat to irrigated land. Much ofthe lower catchment land and infrastructure is locatedon floodplains and is prone to damage in large floodevents. The total cost of a 1-in-100-year flood onirrigation areas is estimated to be $26.2 million.Future land use projects are looking at the impacts ofchanging land use, including floodplain regeneration.

Land and irrigation managementpractices

The trend to more efficient irrigation practices isreducing damage caused by recharge to groundwaterand surface run-off. However, nutrient run-off towaterways, particularly from dairying, remains amajor contributor to water quality decline.


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Better management practices, such as the adoptionof drainage recycling, have provided significantimprovement over the last decade. The adoption ofthese is likely to continue with the strong economicimperative to be water efficient and theencouragement of current extension and naturalresource management programs.

The trend towards pressurised irrigation from gravitysystems leads to improved water use efficiency, butalso means higher costs and increased energyconsumption. Irrigation efficiency needs to applytriple bottom line analyses to ensure that greenhouseimpacts are considered.

Reaching part-time and residential property ownersrequires new approaches to natural resourcemanagement extension models.


Weeds can pose a significant threat to irrigated landand associated wetlands and water supply systems.New weeds such as arrowhead, parramatta grassand mullumbimby couch are serious threats toirrigated pasture production. Parrot's feather,arrowhead and alligator weed pose even greaterthreats to the water delivery systems.

Pest animals have relatively minimal impact on thisasset.

Soil health

Soil erosion is generally not an issue in irrigated land,except for the upper catchment cropping and potatogrowing areas. Soil structure decline, especially soilsodicity, can severely limit plant growth in irrigationareas. Recent research into soil moisture followingirrigation indicates that root pruning and physical orchemical barriers in the soil profile can significantlyrestrict the ability of plants to utilise water and limitirrigation efficiency. Soil health is an emerging issue forwater use efficiency and in areas where waterlogging

has reduced and the depth of soil available for rootgrowth should have improved (e.g. on the 'new dryland'areas formed after irrigation is removed).

Farm business viability and attitudes

Based on 2001 ABS figures, approximately 60 – 70%of dairy farms are large enough to be viable full-time,but horticulture and mixed irrigation farms tend to besmaller businesses and are dominated by part-timefarmers and growers. Growth needed to maintainagricultural viability is hampered by competition forland in areas that appeal to rural residential use.


Increasingly, irrigation areas are being used as ruralresidential land. Already significant parts of theirrigation supply system serve part-time or hobbyproperties. Areas near towns with high amenity (e.g.with water views or near rivers) are particularlyattractive for rural residential purchasers.The Tyntynder Flats area near Swan Hill and thelakeside areas are examples. Rural residential usersalso dominate the Coliban irrigation area and mostmajor towns.

Climate change

Although the impact of climate change is uncertain, itmay be reasonable to predict lower water allocations,increased summer rainfall intensity and decreasedwinter chill. These changes will affect flower and fruithorticulture.

Fragmentation of habitat

There are few remaining patches of the remnantvegetation on irrigated land. These areas aretherefore very important for maintaining flora andfauna habitat. Any landscape change, such as newirrigation development or rural residential growth,needs to be undertaken in ways that prevent furtherhabitat fragmentation or loss of biodiversity.


Priority issues for irrigated land have been defined bya comprehensive risk assessment process. Thisprocess considered the range of services provided byirrigated land, the likelihood and potential impact onthose services of various threatening processes. Thepriority issues for irrigated land are based oncombinations of likely threats and the expectation of

Photo:Ian H

Iggins, NC

CM

A

Parrot’s feather choking an irrigation drain.


B8 Irrigated land

a significant decline in service values. The outputsfrom the risk assessment process are given in theNorth Central Catchment Condition Report2.

Priority issues for irrigated land are based on:

" land use change, as a result of rural residentialexpansion, which limits the ability of irrigationbusinesses to expand and remain viable, and alsoimpacts on visual amenity

" water allocation and trade, which threatens theviability of irrigation supply systems, impacting onthe environment, and threatening the services toremaining irrigators

" declining farm business viability impacting oneconomic activities and rural living lifestyle

" pest plants impacting on flora and fauna values

" salinity, which threatens farm output, habitatvalues and cultural heritage

" flooding which threatens farm output anddamages other infrastructure

" fragmentation of habitat which threatens flora andfauna, landscape amenity and rural living services

" inappropriate land management practice, whichimpacts on economic output, flora and fauna, andcultural heritage.

Most of the irrigated land is situated in the lowercatchment, with smaller areas dispersed in the uppercatchment.

A series of responses to the priority issues forirrigated have been developed (Table 18). They aremostly based on implementation of the Loddon-Murray Land and Water Management Strategy andrelevant components of other issue based actionplans (e.g. Native Vegetation Plan, River HealthStrategy, Floodplain Management Strategy), but alsoinclude some actions that address key gaps in thecurrent response. Responses are not completelycomprehensive: some actions are only thepreliminary steps in a longer term response to theissue. They operate over the period of the RCS andLoddon-Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy.


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Referring plan(s)

Irrigated Land Package 1: Salinity management

This package implements specific salinity related activities under the Loddon Murray LWMS, including the maintenance andoperation of existing salt interception infrastructure and actions to reduce groundwater recharge and tailwater discharges.

The package addresses RCT IR16, 17 and 19

IR1 Salt Interception. Continue to address impacts of salt accumulation,new opportunities for commercial salt harvesting and saline waterreuse. Seek opportunities for new and/or improved salt interception toprotect water resources environmental values and land resources.

G-MW, MDBC Loddon MurrayLWMS

IR2 Improve irrigation efficiency to reduce groundwater accessions andirrigation tailwater discharges. Audit energy demands and availability forpressurised irrigation.

DPI, G-MW Loddon MurrayLWMS

Irrigated Land Package 4: Land management for sustainable irrigated agriculture.

The package seeks to improve land management practice in irrigation areas and so reduce impacts on water resources andthe environment. It operates across the lower catchment irrigation regions and, in parts, across irrigation properties in midand upper catchment areas.

The package addresses RCT IR14 to 19.

IR3 Provide extension on land and water management to upper catchmentirrigators

DPI

IR4 Development of irrigation EMS (environmental management systems)by 2005

DPI

IR5 Investigate the inclusion of land and water management practice orEMS in conditions for the re-issue of irrigation licences/permits by 2005

G-MW, DPI

IR6 Continue to encourage adoption of current recommended practice inlower catchment, eg drainage reuse

DPI Loddon-MurrayLWMS SheppartonIrrigation RegionCatchment Strategy(SIRCS)

IR7 Continue farm programs to reallocate water to best soils and highervalue crops using soil salinity surveys (2,700 ha/y)

DPI

IR8 Implement agreed 5 year work program under sustainable agricultureproject of Loddon-Murray LWMS, including reuse schemes, whole farmplanning (FARMAP concept) and drainage diversion by 2008.Implement agreed farm programs under SIRCS.

DPI Loddon-MurrayLWMS SIRCS

IR9 Implement agreed 5 year work program under surface watermanagement project of Loddon-Murray LWMS by 2008. Implementagreed programs under SIRCS (including surface water and tail watermanagement strategies).

DPI, G-MW Loddon-MurrayLWMS, SIRCS

Irrigated Land Package 3: Farm business for sustainable agriculture.

The package addresses the potential impacts of farm business viability on water resources and the environment.


IR10 Investigate new high value crops by 2008 DPI Loddon-MurrayLWMS

Irrigated Land Package 4: Flood plain management.

The package implements aspects of the regional floodplain management strategy that relate to the lower catchment irrigationarea.


IR11 Implement floodplain and flood flow management plans includingrestoration of floodplain packages under future land use package inIrrigated Land Package 1. Implement agreed programs under SIRCS.

NCCMA Loddon-MurrayLWMS, SIRCS

Table 18: Management actions and targets for irrigated land


B8 Irrigated land


Referring plan(s)

Irrigated Land Package 5 : Future Land Use – Water allocation and Trade

This package addresses the need to increase the viability of services and farm businesses to match the changes in irrigationdemand.

The package addresses RCT IR14 and 15.

IR12 Encourage 5,000 ha of new environmentally sustainable high valueirrigation development on prime development zones by 2005

DPI, G-MW, LocalGovernment,NCCMA

IR13 Implement assistance for adjustment with future land use packages(based on Kerang Swan Hill model) across region by 2004

DPI, G-MW, DSE Loddon-MurrayLWMS

Irrigated Land Package 6: Managing expansion of rural residential land use.

This package seeks to manage the potentially adverse impacts of rural residential growth in lower catchment irrigation areason water trade and infrastructure viability.

The package addresses RCT IR14.

IR14 Future Land Use Plan zoning land for rural residential growth outside ofviable irrigation systems. Develop by 2005 and implement a plan from2006 for appropriate rural residential and lifestyle developments whileprotecting agriculture.

G-MW, DPI, LocalGovernment, DSE,NCCMA

Loddon-MurrayLWMS

IR15 Develop new extension techniques and target rural residential and parttime land managers

DPI Loddon-MurrayLWMS

Irrigated Land Package 5: Pest plants and animal control for sustainable agriculture.

The package addresses the threat of pest plants (particularly) for agricultural production and associated irrigationinfrastructure and environmental assets.

The package addresses RCT IR14.

IR16 Develop and implement control strategies for pest plants in areas of highhabitat value by 2006

DPI, DSE, ParksVictoria

Weed ActionPlan, RabbitAction Plan

Table 18: Management actions and targets for irrigated land (cont.)


B9 Public land

72


‘ ’9.1 Goal

The uses and management of publicland will lead to improved environmentcondition and provide the servicesrequired and agreed to by governmentand the community.


This chapter outlines some of the managementactions that are needed to achieve the goal for publicland. Implementing these and complementary actionsdescribed in other chapters (particularly forWaterways and Wetlands, and Biodiversity) isexpected to result in changes in the condition of publicland. However, due to the overlap with these otherassets, specific resource condition targets for publicland have not been set. This situation will be reviewedduring the first year of implementation of the RCS andadditional public land specific targets may be set.

9.3 Public land: an overviewof the asset and theservices it provides

Definition

The asset includes all public land within the NorthCentral region, regardless of its use or managementstatus.

Approximately 13% of the region (over 360,000 ha) ispublic land. While there are many classes of publicland, larger blocks fall into one of six categories:national, state or regional park, nature conservationreserve, historic and cultural features reserve andstate forest. These larger parcels include state forestsand parks in the Daylesford-Castlemaine-Maldon,Maryborough-Dunolly-Inglewood, Bendigo-Eppalock-Heathcote, St Arnaud and Pyrenees Ranges,Mitiamo, Kerang and Gunbower areas. While the useof all blocks of public land is prescribed by variousLand Conservation Council or EnvironmentConservation Council reports, many of the largerareas of public land have specific management plans.

There are also hundreds of smaller (2 – 100 ha)parcels of public land across the North Centralregion, including road reserves and Crown waterfrontage. While they are small, they often retain nativevegetation and are significant from natureconservation and river health perspectives. Wetlandsand riparian land located on public reserves are dealtwith in greater detail in the chapter on waterways andwetlands.

Biodiversity and nature conservation

Important biodiversity assets are located on publicland. It supports native vegetation communities andwetlands, which in turn provide habitat for nativefauna. Large blocks of public land provide core habitatand are a key landscape element in a region that isdominated by agricultural land use.

While much of the remaining native vegetation islocated on public land, these reserves are not fullyrepresentative of the many ecological communitiesfound across the region. Those ecosystems typicallylocated on land most suited for agriculture (e.g. thoseon more fertile, moisture rich parts of the landscape,and natural grasslands and grassy woodlands) areunder-represented in conservation reserves.

Native vegetation communities in linear reserves,such as road corridors or Crown water frontages areoften the only remaining examples of indigenousbiodiversity in agricultural landscapes.

Further information on the biodiversity values ofPublic Land are provided in Part B, Chapters 2 and11, Biodiversity and Waterways and Wetlands,respectively, as well as the North Central CatchmentCondition Report, 2003.

Headwaters of the Loddon River.

Photo:G

reg Chant


B9 Public land

Economic activity

Direct economic output from public land is substantialand varied. The major products are sourced fromforestry production and extractive industries andinclude: timber from native forests and pineplantations; other forest products, such as honey,firewood and Eucalyptus oil; stone, sands, clay andgravel; and salt and gypsum. Public land alsoprovides a range of services that add directly orindirectly to the regional economy. They include theprovision of: water; visual amenity; recreational andtourism opportunities; corridors and sites for watersupply, drainage, transport, power, mining andcommunications infrastructure and support sites ofIndigenous and non-Indigenous cultural heritage. Thetotal value of services generated by public land andits capital value are yet to be fully quantified.

Recent State Government decisions on the use andmanagement of public land in the region haveresulted in reduced areas of land being available forhardwood timber production and larger areas beingavailable for nature conservation, recreation andtourism and protection of cultural heritage. Softwoodplantations growing on public land are now ownedand managed by private interests.

Water resources

Public land parcels in the south-east of the region areimportant catchment areas and generate significantvolumes of surface water. Native vegetation acrosspublic land catchments and along Crown waterfrontages helps to maintain water quality, by filteringnutrients and sediment from inflows.

Public land in upper catchment areas of the Loddonand Campaspe basins also contain importantrecharge areas for mineral springs aquifers.

Landscape

Blocks of public land are often significant landscapeelements. Land suitability and historical factors havemeant that much of the land that was retained inpublic ownership is located in visually prominentpositions: particularly along ridges and drainage linesand in frequently inundated areas.

Cultural heritage

Many of the remaining sites of Indigenous culturalsignificance are associated with the region'swaterways and wetlands, which are generally publicland. Public land also contains many important sitesof non-Indigenous cultural heritage, including old

mine workings, public buildings and water resourceinfrastructure. Former gold diggings on public land inthe Castlemaine area are to become a NationalHeritage Park.

9.4 Public land condition andthreatening processes

The condition of public land and the value of servicesit provides are threatened by a range of landscapeprocesses and cultural practices. Several of thethreatening processes and their impact on thecondition of public land are described below.

Salinity

Shallow groundwater and salinity discharge are majorissues affecting the environmental values of manysmaller blocks of public land and public landcorridors, especially those in floodplain and otherlower landscape positions. Many wetlands in bothdryland catchments and irrigation areas, some ofinternational significance, are either threatened bydryland salinity or have already been impacted.

The public land assets such as waterways andwetlands that are threatened by salinity are oftenlocated in lower landscape positions. Groundwaterflow systems operating in these areas are mostly of aregional scale. Salinity processes may be effectivelyintractable in some areas because of the large scaleof management response required and the slowcatchment response to change.

Salinity may also impact on infrastructure, particularlyroads, where corridors traverse saline or waterloggedland.

Ecological systems decline

Native vegetation communities and associated faunapopulations on much of the public land in the regionhave been degraded by historical human activity, inparticular, from mining, grazing and timber harvestingand symptoms of natural resource decline such assalinity. As a result there are few veteran trees,depleted understoreys and a lack of large woodydebris and other habitats that are vital for many faunaspecies. Natural ecosystems on public land,particularly those in large blocks, are generally in bettercondition than those on private land. However, theyremain vulnerable to a range of threatening processes.


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Small blocks and narrow corridors of public land areparticularly vulnerable to pest plant and animalinfestation and fragmentation.


Pest plants and animals are a major threat to theenvironmental value of public land. Foxes and catsare major predators of small native residentmammals and birds. Public land, particularly thatseverely disturbed by historic land uses, is oftendominated by pest plants and provides poor habitatfor native fauna. Pests plants, particularly, also reducelandscape and recreational values.

Managing the impacts of pest plants and animals onpublic land and minimising impacts on adjoiningfreehold land continue to be important challenges inthe North Central region.


Public land provides many opportunities forrecreation which do not have an adverse impact.However, some recreational activities can bedetrimental when conducted inappropriately, such asoff-road driving, trail bike riding, horseriding, off-trackbushwalking, fossicking and prospecting, illegalshooting and illegal camping (coupled withassociated littering problems). Inappropriaterecreational uses are most concentrated in publiclands adjoining towns and major provincial centres,as well as near streams and wetlands.

Inappropriate recreational activities can contribute toloss of understorey vegetation and habitatsimplification, soil loss, water quality decline andweed invasion. Often associated with increased firehazard, such high impact activities may also threatenboth environmental and economic values of publicland.

Changed flow regime

Many vegetation communities on public land in midand lower catchment areas are highly waterdependent – that is, their distribution and ecologicalprocesses are strongly influenced by flooding.Changes in water regime may be associated withchanges in rainfall-run-off relationships in uppercatchment areas, construction of banks and levees toalter flood pathways, or with irrigation or stock anddomestic water management. These changesthreaten habitat, ecological processes such asrecruitment and succession and influence thesuitability of lakes and wetlands for recreational uses.

Fire and changed fire regime

Although native vegetation communities within theregion have adapted to and will generally survivewildfire, an extensive fire has potential to severelyimpact on populations of less mobile and/or stronglyterritorial fauna. Softwood plantations would beseverely damaged by wildfire, particularly if too youngfor salvage logging. Wildfires may also impact on theamount and quality of surface water generated. Highflows and poor water quality may follow fires if rainfallis relatively high during the following autumn andwinter. Subsequent reductions in streamflow areunlikely to be as great as in some other forests (e.g.Mountain Ash).

The isolation of native vegetation remnants meansthey and the fauna they support are more affected byfire, should one occur, than larger, contiguouscommunities that prevailed pre-European settlement.

Infrastructure development

Public land has typically been used for infrastructurecorridors. In mid and lower catchment areas, mostpublic land comprises either wetlands or linear roador stream reserves. These often comprise the onlysubstantial areas of native vegetation habitat.Careless development of infrastructure (e.g. roadwidening for public safety, installation of new energyor telecommunications infrastructure) in these areashas potential to damage or further fragment importantnative vegetation remnants.

Land management practice

Inappropriate forestry operations on public land andon road corridors and Crown water frontage maythreaten service values of public land. Forestryoperations on public and private land are governed bya Code of Practice17 which sets, for example,

Photo:G

arry Cheers, N

CC

MA

A reduced number of hollow bearing trees on public landhas contributed to the threatened status of the SquirrelGlider.


B9 Public land

requirements for riparian buffers, forest roading andslope limits on logging. Failure to comply with thisCode could result in soil erosion, site contaminationand/or reductions in water quality.

Vandalism, rubbish dumping and illegal firewoodcollection are common practices on public land,particularly in areas close to towns and provincialcentres. These practices threaten habitat, landscapeand recreational values and may lead tocontamination of water resources.

Crown water frontages and road reserves may belicensed to adjoining landholders and used foragricultural purposes. Cultivation and/or uncontrolledgrazing may lead to the loss of any residualbiodiversity values in such areas and reduce theeffectiveness of stream frontages in filteringsediments and nutrients from overland flows.

Climate change

Regional public land assets are key reservoirs ofbiodiversity. Large public land blocks may provide vitalbioregional-scale corridors of flora and fauna speciesresponding to climate change. Climate change islikely to alter the regional water regime, including thesize and timing of flows and flooding. Although theimpacts of this are uncertain, it may add to theenvironmental stresses already experienced by theregions wetlands and floodplains.


Priority issues for public land were defined by acomprehensive risk assessment process. Thisprocess considered the range of services provided,the likelihood of their being affected by variousthreatening processes and the potential impact onservice values should threats be realised. The priorityissues for public land are based on combinations oflikely threats and the expectation of these resulting ina significant decline in service values. The outputsfrom the risk assessment process are given in theNorth Central Catchment Condition Report2.

Priority issues for public land are based aroundthreats to:

" habitat values and ecological function invegetation communities

" generation of surface water and groundwater,particularly in upper catchment areas, in thequantities and at the quality required for humanand environmental uses

" values and use of public land as infrastructurecorridors

" visual and residential amenity.

Of the threatening processes listed above, it isconsidered that achievement of the goal for publicland is most threatened by agents such asinappropriate land management practice andrecreational use, salinity, changed water flow and fireregime, fragmentation and loss of native vegetation,development of new infrastructure, pest plant andanimal infestation. Many of the threatening processesoperate across the North Central region. Howeversome threatening processes (e.g. salinity, changedflow regime) impact most on public land in mid andlower catchment areas.

Although climate change is recognised as a threat topublic land, the risk assessment did not flag it as apriority issue, due to uncertainty about its impactsand because of the long time frame over which theyare likely to be expressed. However, responses to thethreat have been developed and are outlined in PartB, Chapter 3 Climate.

A series of responses to the priority issues for drylandhave been developed (Table 19). They are mostlybased on the relevant regional or sub-regional actionplans, but include some actions that address keygaps in the current response. Responses are notnecessarily comprehensive: some actions representonly the preliminary steps towards a morecomprehensive longer term response. Several of theissues and proposed responses overlap with thoserelevant to assets other than public land. To avoidrepetition, Table 19 only includes responses thatprimarily address public land issues. Other responsesare given in the chapter for appropriate assets (asindicated in Table 19).


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Referring plans

Public Land Package 1: Sustainable management of public land

This package is primarily concerned with the sustainable management of public land. In timber production areas, it isconcerned with implementation of Forest Management Plans and Codes of Practice for Timber Production and FireManagement. In conservation and recreation reserves, it is concerned with implementation of Park Plans. Within these andother areas of public land it is concerned with ensuring management practice helps to achieve community and governmentenvironmental, economic and social objectives. Outcomes include protection of indigenous biodiversity, maintenance of thequantity and quality of surface water and groundwater resources and protection of landscape values.

No specific public land RCTs are addressed by this package, although it does support the achievement of severalthat are more directly related to biodiversity and water resource assets.

PL1 Implement forest management plans in all timber production areas on publicland.

DSE/DPI Midlands andMid-Murray FMPs

PL2 Audited 95% compliance with Code of Forest Practice for Timber Harvestingin all hardwood and softwood forestry operations on public land from 2004.

DSE/DPI, HVP, EPA Midlands andMid-Murray FMPs

PL3 Develop and implement fire management plans or strategies for allconservation reserves and large blocks of public land by 2008.

DSE, CFA

PL4 Implement existing management plans for parks and conservation reserves.Develop management plans for all major reserves with significantenvironmental and/or recreational values for which plans do not currentlyexist, by 2006. Consider dryland and/or irrigation salinity as required.

Parks Victoria, DSE Park and WetlandManagementPlans

PL5 Prepare environmental management plans for all new infrastructuredevelopments on public land, having regard to biodiversity, river health,water resource and visual amenity values and potential impacts onthreatening processes.

DSE/DPI, VicRoads,Local Government

Public Land Package 2: Safe and environmentally sustainable fire management (also PL3)

This package includes actions that specifically relate to the management of fire on public land. The actions included (also seePackage 1) address implementation of the Code of Practice for fire management, safety issues, asset protection ecosystemfunction and maintenance of water quality.

No specific public land RCTs are addressed by this package, although it does support the achievement of severalthat are more directly related to biodiversity assets.

PL6 100% compliance with Code of Practice for fire management inmanagement of public land from 2004.

DSE/DPI, HVP

Public Land Package 3: Minimising impacts of pest plants and animals

This package specifically addresses issues associated with the management or control of pest animals on public land. It seeksto do this from the perspective of reducing impacts on biodiversity, visual and recreational amenity values on public land itselfand from the perspective of reducing the impacts of pest plant and animal populations on public land on the adjoining privateland. No specific public land targets are addressed by this package, although it will help to achieve RCT DL13.

PL7 Adapt Rabbit Action Plan and Weed Action Plan principles to public land by2005 and implement strategic pest plant and animal control programs wherepublic investment is warranted. Develop relevant management action andresource condition targets.

DPI/DSE, ParksVictoria

Public Land Package 4: Managing the impacts of dryland and irrigation salinity on public land (see PL4)

This package recognises the need for actions that address the threat faced by public land assets from salinity and shallowwater tables. The main threatened public land assets include mid and lower catchment wetlands, Crown water frontages androad reserves in irrigation lands and in lower landscape positions in dryland areas. At this stage the only specific additionalactions under public land that are proposed to address this threat is to incorporate salinity, where relevant, as an issue in parkor other public land management plans. The package will benefit by actions under dryland and irrigation salinity packages.

There are no specific public land RCTs that are addressed by this package.

Table 19: Management actions and targets for public land

The actions in Table 19 are grouped byimplementation ‘package’. These packages aresimply complementary actions that address thepriority issues for public land, particularly the main

threatening processes. Further details onimplementation packages are given in Part C.Resource condition targets that link with eachpackage are also indicated.

(continued page 78)

Public Land

Topography


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Referring plans

Public Land Package 5: Improving habitat and biodiversity values on public land (also PL1,2,4,5,7)

This package comprises actions that lead to the maintenance and/or improvement of habitat and biodiversity values onpublic land. It includes: preparation of appropriate management plans, compliance with the code of practice for timberharvesting and implementation of weed and pest animal control strategies. The package addresses large blocks of publicland including parks and other nature conservation reserves, state forests and linear reserves. It should help to avoid orreduce habitat fragmentation of remnant native vegetation on linear reserves.

There are no specific public land RCTs that are addressed by this package, although it does support theachievement of several that are related to the biodiversity and dryland assets.

PL8 Apply net gain principles for native habitat on public land, for allinfrastructure, mining, extractive industries and other developmentsfrom 2003.

DSE/DPI, VicRoads,Local Government


PL9 Avoid development of any new utility corridors on roadsidessupporting significant native vegetation from 2003.

DSE/DPI, LocalGovernment,VicRoads


Additional action

PL10 Develop appropriate resource condition targets for large public landareas and appropriate monitoring program by 2004.

DSE/DPI, NCCMA

Additional dryland priority issues dealt with by management actions listed under other assets include:

" Impacts of changed flow regime on flora and fauna habitat and amenity uses of wetlands and waterways (Water Resources)

Table 19: Management actions and targets for public land (cont.)


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10.2 Resource condition targetsTwenty year target figures will be set for water resourcesin the first year of RCS implementation.

Some preliminary targets are shown below as examples,the actual target numbers are subject to technical reviewin the first year of the RCS. Regional targets are notavailable as the region has historically been managed asa series of separate systems and there is not anamalgamated data set. This will be addressed as part ofthe first year review.

# Resource condition target

RCT WR20 Reduce the frequency and duration of algal blooms as per the nutrient management plan targets for each riversystem.

RCT WR21 Achieve agreed Murray-Darling Basin 2015 within-valley and end-of-valley water quality targets. Meet SEPPWaters of Victoria chemical and physical water quality objectives on a high proportion of the region's streams.Meet water quality targets for regional River Health and Water Quality Strategies.

RCT WR22 Meet SEPP Groundwater water quality objectives.

RCT WR23 Full compliance with MDBC Cap on diversions and with Living Murray and other environmental flowallocations.

RCT WR24 Avoid long term reduction in level or pressure of water resource aquifers within groundwater management orwater supply protection areas.

RCT WR25 Reduce the amount of water lost by evaporation and seepage during transportation and storage to realistictarget figures to be developed by each water authority.

RCT WR26 Reduce per capita urban consumption by between 10% and 20% by 2010.

RCT WR27 Improve environmental and economic measures of water use efficiency on irrigated land.

Table 20: Resource condition targets for water resources

‘ ’10.1 Goal

Water will be shared equitably betweenenvironmental and consumptive uses,water quality will match users'requirements and water will be usedefficiently.

Cairn Curran Reservoir, 2003.

Photo:M

att Jackson, NC

CM

A


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10.3 Water resources: anoverview of the asset andthe services it provides

Surface water and groundwaterresources

The region is an important part of the Murray-DarlingBasin. It has a significant role in protectingdownstream communities along the River Murray bymanaging salt loads, nutrients, floods and waterdiversions.

The River Murray is important enough to warrantbeing treated as an asset in its own right. However, itis included with other water resources in this section,because its services, and the threats to thoseservices require the same management actions asthose needed to manage the other water resources.

Water resources within the region occur asgroundwater and surface water systems. Riversinclude the Avon-Richardson, Avoca, Campaspe andLoddon. The Campaspe and Loddon flow into theRiver Murray, while the Avon-Richardson terminatesat Lake Buloke and the Avoca discharges into theAvoca Marshes and Lake Boga near Swan Hill.

Lakes include Lake Buloke and Lake Batyo Catyo,near Donald in the region's far west, Lake Boort, LakeMeran, Kangaroo Lake, Lake Charm, Lake Lalbertand Lake Boga – all in the north. Reservoirs in theregion include Lake Eppalock between Bendigo and

Heathcote, the Upper Coliban, Lauriston, Malmsbury,Hepburn Lagoon, Newlyn, Cairn Curran, Tullaroopand Laanecoorie, all of which are situated in theupper catchment area.

Groundwater occurs within shallow shoestring sands(Shepparton Formation) of the Riverine plain to thenorth. In the north west Mallee area the shallowaquifer is the saline Parilla Sands aquifer. The qualityof groundwater improves further south. Deep leads inthe Loddon and Campaspe basins (Calivil/Renmarkaquifer) provide medium to good quality water. Withinupper catchment areas, water resource aquifers mayoccur in the new Volcanics, Quarternary alluvialdeposits and the aquifers of the Palaeozoic basementrocks. Groundwater of suitable quality is usedextensively for stock, irrigation and for town watersupplies.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2000, Water Account for Australia (calculated irrigation usage figures, estimates of wastewater flows). Groundwater data from WaterVictoria: A Resource Handbook.viiiGoulburn-Murray Water submission on the Draft North Central Regional Catchment Strategy

Water source by river orgroundwater

Approximate annual volume of regional waterresource (ML/yr)

Approximate average allocatedconsumption for economicactivity within the region (ML/yr)

Murray River is outside of region, but water is imported forirrigation within (Torrumbarry and Murray)

600,000

Goulburn River is outside of region, but water is imported forirrigation within (Rochester, Campaspe, Pyramid, Boort).

550,000

Loddon 263,000 150,000

Campaspe 315,000 140,000

Avoca 85,000 5,000

Avon Richardson 30,000 (est.)

Groundwaterviii 120,000 (most too saline) 60,000

Locally harvested surfacewater in dams

(not included in total) –

Waste water 15,000 6,000

Total 828,000 1,511,000

Table 21: Water resources of the North Central region

Photo:N

CC

MA

Lauriston Reservoir, upper Campaspe catchment.


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Groundwaters in some Palaeozoic basement rocks inupper catchment areas are the basis of the region'svaluable mineral springs industry. This area hasapproximately 80% of Australia's mineral springs,including some south of the divide. Mineral springsand other local features draw over 100,000 people tothe Daylesford area each year, a figure that has beengrowing by 10% per year.

Table 21 illustrates the scale of the resource. Salinityand water quality decline threaten the value of thisasset. The groundwater resource is many timesgreater than that shown in this table – however muchis too saline for economic extraction.

Regional consumptive use of water greatly exceedsthe volume harvested. More than 75% of consumptiveuse comes from water imported from the Goulburnand upper Murray catchments. Some water used inthe west of the region is imported from the Wimmerasystem.

Environmental and non-consumptiveuses

Environmental or non-consumptive uses of waterinclude flows for the environment, recreation and itshabitat value. This aspect is covered in greater detailunder in Part B, Chapter 11, Waterways andWetlands.

Consumptive uses

Consumptive use includes mineral water, domesticand stock, town water supplies, fire fighting andirrigation. By far the biggest use is irrigation, whichaccounts for more than 95% of the water consumedin the region and 85% of that harvested. Mostimported water is drawn from the Murray andGoulburn catchments and most locally harvestedwater is taken from the Loddon and Campaspecatchments. Services that flow from the use of waterfor irrigation are described in Part B, Chapter 8 –Irrigated land.

Urban water supplies are crucial to the catchmentcommunity, industry and regional development.Urban and industry users use approximately 40,000ML/year.This use occurs across the region as follows:

" Coliban Water services approximately 130,000people in the region, most of whom are inBendigo, Castlemaine and Echuca. At 0.23ML/year/person this is 30,000 ML per year.

" Central Highlands services approximately 22,000people in the region, most of whom are in

Maryborough and Daylesford. At 0.16ML/year/person this is 3,500 ML per year.

" Lower Murray Water services approximately18,000 people, mostly in Kerang and Swan Hill.At 0.3 ML/year/person this is 5,000 ML per year.

" Grampians Water services approximately 6,000people, mostly in Wycheproof, Charlton, StArnaud and Donald. At 0.22 ML/year/person, thisis 1,000 ML per year.

" Western Water services approximately 4,000people, mostly in Woodend. At 0.19ML/year/person, this is 800 ML per year.

Urban usage varies with rainfall andevapotranspiration. Consumption is lowest in theCentral Highlands in the south of the region andhighest in the Lower Murray area in the north. Theconsumption per head is similar to the regionalVictorian average of 0.23 ML/year/person and, aswould be expected due to climatic differences, ishigher than the Melbourne usage of 0.13ML/year/person.

Waste water from urban sewerage and industry isincreasingly being seen as a community resource tobe used for irrigation rather than to be disposed. Thevolume of wastewater produced in the region isestimated to be approximately 15,000 ML/year, ofwhich less than half is recycled by irrigation. Treatedwastewater can have high nutrient loadings, whichcan benefit agriculture but are a detriment if releasedinto waterways.

10.4 The condition of waterresources and thethreatening processes

Water allocation and trade

The volume of water used for irrigation is declining aswater is traded to other areas (as covered in theIrrigated Land chapter). This means less water isimported from the Goulburn and Murray systemsrather than lower demand from regional resources.

Irrigation demand for regional water resources isexpected to continue to grow alongside the trend toirrigate tree crops such as olives, vines and moreintensive land use in peri-urban areas. However, therecent farm dam legislation will provide a 'cap' to thisgrowth. New irrigation will need to source water fromother areas through water trade.


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Bulk water entitlements and stream flow managementplans for surface water and permissible annualvolumes for groundwater provide the State'sframework for sharing the resource. Theseframeworks are being implemented to provide clearerdefinitions of entitlements to water. They arefundamental to proper water resource sharing andmanagement.

Bulk entitlements have been prepared for theCampaspe and are in preparation for the Loddon,Avoca, and Avon-Richardson. Groundwaterinvestigations enabled 7,000 ML of additional waterbeing auctioned in 2002 from the Loddon Deep Lead.The development of a new groundwater managementplan for this area has also been initiated.

These frameworks provide opportunities to changecurrent flow regimes to better achieve aquatic andfloodplain environmental outcomes. Balancing thiswith consumptive requirements, and providing 'watersavings' is a challenge that could generate benefits allround.

Projects to reduce water losses such as evaporationand seepage are becoming more important e.g.pipelining of channel systems. This can also impacton recreation or environmental values, for example,when lake systems are 'by-passed'. Similarly,wastewater recycling is expected to continue.

Salinity

Salinity has a major impact on the value of waterresources. Without intervention, it is likely that thesalinity levels of surface waters generated in theupper and mid catchment areas will continue toincrease. This will impact on aquatic biodiversity andconsumptive users. Horticultural production isconsidered to be most sensitive to irrigation salinity,but it may also increase other irrigation, industry anddomestic users' costs.

Water quality in many smaller streams is alreadyaffected by salinity. Annual salt exports from largeparts of the dryland region range between 150 and300 kg/ha, but may be as much as 1000 kg/ha ormore from some smaller sub-catchments.

The region is accountable for the salinity impact of itsirrigation areas on the River Murray. The irrigationareas are currently using 2.13 salt disposalentitlements (EC units), but this is expected to

increase to 9.62 as future works are implemented18.

End of valley targets have been proposed for drylandareas of the Avoca, Loddon and Campaspecatchments under the Murray-Darling Basin SalinityManagement Strategy. Interim 15-year targetsrequire that the year 2000 salinity and salt loadsshould not be increased by more than 1 – 3%(depending on location).


Nutrient levels are already high in surface waters andthis region has the highest incidence of blue greenalgal blooms in Victoria. The future cost of algalblooms without any water quality management isestimated to be $10 – $20 million per year.Recreation, tourism, domestic, stock and irrigationusers will incur costs. There will also be additionalcosts in terms of reduced biodiversity. Blue greenalgal blooms also pose a public health risk.

As well as algae, nutrients and salinity, other waterquality concerns include turbidity, bacteria,pathogens, organic pollution, heavy metals andchemical contamination.

Water quality decline is a major issue for groundwaterresources, as well as surface water. This isparticularly true in the mineral springs areas andthose parts of the region where groundwater is themain source of urban water supply. This means thatthe management of recharge areas for waterresource aquifers is crucial.

Urbanisation and increasing intensification ofagriculture are increasing the risk of polluted run-off.However, implementing programs to arrest waterquality decline is expensive. In some area, the cost ofimplementing the programs exceeds the benefits andprograms will need to be strategically targeted toprovide the greatest benefit for the resourcesavailable.

Many of the pollution risks are incremental in nature,no single development will be the cause of anyproblem. Waterway pollution can be the cumulativeimpact of a large number of small developments.Restoration can be slow and expensive as it involvesaddressing a large number of small projects.Therefore, any new development must be required toimplement best practice for the management ofpolluted run-off.


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Urban demand for water is expected to grow aspopulation increases in the major centres such asBendigo, Castlemaine and Echuca. This has to becontained within the bulk entitlements. Growth indemand will ultimately need to be met by transfers ofwater between users (i.e. water trade), as there isalmost no scope for further harvesting. This meansthe pressure to improve water use efficiency by bothsupply systems and users is increasing.

Urban and rural residential growth and insensitive orinappropriate development increases the potential forwater quality decline in surface and groundwaterresources. Growth must be managed to minimisethese risks.


Pest plants and animals are issues for waterresources as well as land. Carp and aquatic weedspose significant threats to the resource and need tobe managed to avoid future costs.


A risk assessment considers both the consequenceand likelihood of services being adversely affected bythreatening processes. A risk assessment for waterresources was used to identify priority issues and asthe basis for developing the management response2.Threatening processes which pose the highest riskinclude:

" water allocation and trade impacting on wateravailability for flora and fauna, recreation andtourism, irrigation, groundwater andenvironmental services (or beneficial use).

" pest plants and animals (e.g. carp and aquaticweeds) impacting on the water quality andavailability for services

" salinity for irrigation and groundwater services

" water quality decline affecting all water services.

The significance of each issue varies across theregion. Water quality decline affects the servicesoffered by water resources across the entire region.However, water allocation and trade mostly affectslower catchment irrigation areas.

A series of responses to the priority issues for waterresources have been developed (Table 22). They aremostly based on the relevant action plans, includingthe Water Quality and Nutrient Managementstrategies and plans, and the Loddon-Murray Landand Water Management Strategy. Some actionsaddress key gaps in the current response. Table 22only includes responses that primarily address waterresource issues.

The actions in Table 22 are grouped byimplementation ‘packages’. These packages aresimply complementary actions that address thepriority issues for water resources, particularly themain threatening processes. Further details onimplementation packages are given in Part C.Resource condition targets that link with eachpackage are also indicated.


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Referring plans

Water Resources Package 1: Water Quality.

This addresses water quality for urban, irrigation and commercial users and the environment. It largely comprisesimplementation of key actions under water quality strategies and nutrient management plans at a regional or river basin scale.Implementation activities include physical works, stakeholder engagement processes and capacity building activities.

The package addresses RCT WR20, 21 and 22

WR1 Finalise nutrient management strategies and nutrient action plans forCampaspe, Loddon, Avoca and Avon-Richardson catchments.Implement agreed annual works and extension program from 2003.

NCCMA Water qualitystrategies and nutrientmanagement plans

WR2 Develop and implement stormwater management plans in all localgovernment areas by 2008.


Water qualitystrategies and nutrientmanagement plans

WR3 Achieve 100% routine reuse/recycling of water from waste watertreatment plants (unless water treated to appropriate SEPP Waters ofVictoria standard) from 2005.

EPA, urban waterauthorities

Water qualitystrategies and nutrientmanagement plans

WR4 Work with local government to ensure all new development approvalsinclude conditions requiring best practice for controlling pollution ofdrainage water by 2005. Also ensure all high priority domestic watersupply catchments, domestic water aquifer intake areas are includedin local planning schemes and appropriate planning controls areintroduced to prevent inappropriate development. By 2005

NCCMA, localgovernment, waterauthorities

Municipal PlanningSchemes

Water Resources Package 2: Water Sharing (Allocation) and Trade.

This addresses water allocation shares for urban, irrigation, commercial and also non-consumptive use such as theenvironment. The package complements Waterways and Wetlands Package 2: Maintaining and restoring appropriate flowregimes, particularly WW8-10.

The package addresses RCT WR23 to 26.

WR5 Effective farm dam licensing and planning control system in place inupper and mid catchment areas by 2004. Ensure sustainablediversion limit (SDL) recognised as upper limit for allocation in eachSDL sub-catchment by 2004.

DSE, WMW, GMW, Streamflowmanagement plans,Bulk Entitlements

WR6 Develop and implement management plan for mineral springsrecharge area by 2005 to ensure protection of yield, water qualityand associated water harvesting and tourist industries.

DSE, Localgovernment, GMW

Municipal planningschemes

WR7 Develop and/or implement management plans for all groundwatermanagement/water resource protection areas within the NorthCentral region. These plans should also include water qualityprotection through management of recharge areas as per Package 1.

GMW, DSE Groundwatermanagement plans,Municipal planningschemes

WR8 Fully comply with the MDBC cap on diversions in each of the riverbasins of the North Central region

DSE, GMW, WMW

Table 22: Management actions and targets for water resources


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Referring plans

Water Resources Package 3: Water Salinity

This addresses water salinity for urban, irrigation and commercial users and the environment. The primary focus of thepackage is on meeting regional requirements under the Murray-Darling Basin Salinity Management Strategy. Its main focus ison lower catchment irrigation areas.

The package addresses RCT WR21.

WR9 Manage salt disposal infrastructure to meet agreed water quality targetsand maximise economic opportunity for lower catchment irrigationregions, as per agreed actions under water management program (saltinterception project) of Loddon Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy.

GMW, DPI/DSE Loddon MurrayLWMS

WR10 Define appropriate within- and end-of-valley water quality targets (forsalinity and nutrients) and monitoring sites for Campaspe, Loddon, Avocaand Avon-Richardson river basins and supporting surface watermonitoring program by 2004.

NCCMA, GMW,WMW, DPI/DSE

Dryland SMP,Loddon MurrayLWMS, WaterQualityStrategies

WR11 Implement agreed five year works program under the irrigation supplysystem management and surface drainage management projects of theLoddon-Murray LWMS to protect water resources from salinity. Alsoimplement priority irrigation and drainage programs under the SheppartonIrrigation Region Catchment Strategy.

GMW, DPI/DSE Loddon MurrayLWMS, SIRCatchmentStrategy

Water Resources Package 4: Water Resource Efficiency.

The purpose of this package is to identify and where feasible address opportunities for water savings. It applies primarily inthe lower catchment irrigation areas, but also includes urban water users.

The package addresses RCT WR25, 26 and 27.

WR12 From 2003, implement recommendations of Kerang-Swan Hill FutureLand Use pilot project to minimise loss of water and associated economicand environmental opportunity through water trade out of region.

GMW, DPI/DSE Loddon MurrayLWMS

WR13 Develop portfolio of regional water savings projects for irrigation, stockand domestic and/or urban supply systems by 2005. Implement agreedpriority projects from 2006.

DSE, rural and urbanwater authorities

WR14 Implement community education and other mechanisms to encouragereduced urban water consumption and reduced losses of water in supplysystems.

Urban waterauthorities

Water Resources Package 5: Pest plant and animal management for water resources.

The package addresses pest plant and animal issues associated with water supply infrastructure.

This package addresses RCT WR24.

WR15 Identify and achieve long term control of all infestations of regional priorityand other problem weeds and pest animals such as carp in irrigationsupply channels and waterways.

G-MW, NCCMA Weed ActionPlan, RabbitAction Plan

Additional water resource priority issues dealt with by management actions listed under other assets include:

" Impacts of water allocation and trade on flora and fauna, recreation and tourism and environmental flow (WW6,8-11)

Table 22: Management actions and targets for water resources (cont.)


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This chapter outlines some of the managementactions that are needed to achieve the goal forwaterways and wetlands. Resource condition targets(Table 23) have been developed to show how thesemanagement actions will influence the condition ofthe region's waterways and wetlands over the next

10 – 20 years. The targets listed in Table 23 includeonly those that relate directly to waterways andwetlands. Those relating to water quality are given inPart B, Chapter 10 – Water Resources.

The management actions described in this chapter willalso influence the condition of other assets, particularlybiodiversity and water resources. Links to relatedresource condition targets are given in Table 24.

# Resource condition target

RCT WW28 Significant improvements achieved in environmental flow regimes of five high value reaches currently flowstressed through Bulk Entitlement (BE), Stream Flow Management Plan (SFMP) and the Living MurrayProcesses.

RCT WW29 An increase of 300 km in the length of rivers in excellent or good condition, as assessed by the Index ofStream Condition (ISC).

RCT WW30 Improvement of one point in ISC riparian condition score for at least 500 km of stream length.

RCT WW31 Overall improvement in ISC rating of 1000 km of streams.

RCT WW32 95% of all upland and 60% of all lowland monitoring sites will meet SEPP environmental quality objectives.

RCT WW33 Improvement in condition of high environmental value wetlands, as measured by the Index of WetlandCondition (in development).

RCT WW34 No further decline in the extent of wetlands within the region.

RCT WW35 Reduce long-term average annual economic losses due to flooding by 25%, relative to the no-interventionscenario.

ix The North Central River Health Strategy has not yet been finalised. Targets may be revised following completion of that strategy.

Table 23: Resource condition targets for waterways and wetlands ix

‘ ’11.1 Goal

Waterways and wetlands will bemanaged to enhance theirenvironmental function and, whereappropriate, provide opportunities foreconomic, recreational and amenity use.

Bells Swamp (2000), upper reaches of the Loddon catchment.

Photo:G

eoff Park, N

CC

MA



11.3 Waterways and wetlands:an overview of the assetand the services itprovides

Definition

Waterways, wetlands and floodplains are those partsof the region's natural landscapes where watercollects and through which it flows. The assetincludes the Campaspe, Loddon, Avoca, Avon andRichardson rivers, their tributaries and the region'slakes and wetlands. This asset class focuses on thehabitat provided for riparian, wetland and aquaticecosystems and their function in conveying andretaining water. The biodiversity of these habitats isdealt with under that asset class and the quantity andquality of water conveyed or stored by wetlands andwaterways is dealt with under Water Resources (PartB, Chapter 10).

Waterways, wetlands and ecosystemservices

Waterways, wetlands and floodplains are key lifesupport systems in their own right and help to protectwater resources. In doing so they provide a range ofecosystem services. These services include:

" maintenance or improvement of water quality –riparian vegetation helps to capture sediment andnutrients in surface run-off and reduces theamount entering streams. It also helps to stabilisestream banks and reduce the contribution of bankerosion to sediment load

" maintenance of channel form and flow capacity –the roots of riparian vegetation help to stabilisestream banks and maintain channel morphology.This helps to slow channel migration and maintainthe capacity of the stream to convey water

" provision of habitat – wetland and waterways arefocal points for mobile fauna in a generally drylandscape. They provide refuge in summer andduring times of drought. Riparian vegetation alsomodifies aquatic habitats by providing shade andwoody debris

" provision of energy and nutrients for aquaticecosystems – leaf litter from riparian vegetation isa key source of carbon and nutrients for aquaticecosystems. They collect sediment, build soils,recycle nutrients, assimilate wastes and filterwater

" soil formation – silt carried by streams duringoverbank flood events helps to build up soils onfloodplain area. Many of the region's mostproductive agricultural soils are located in suchareas.

Nature conservation

Many of the region's wetlands, particularly those inmid and lower catchment areas, have internationalconservation significance. The Kerang Wetlands andGunbower Forest have been listed under theInternational Convention on Wetlands (the ‘RamsarConvention’). Other wetlands are significant atnational or state level. Many wetlands attract birdsthat are protected by international migratory birdtreaties, such as JAMBA, CAMBA (and the BonnConvention). While the treaties are concerned withprotection of the bird species, they do requiregovernment to protect habitat.

Waterways and wetlands are often the only areas ofretained native vegetation in mid and lowercatchment areas of the region. However, even thesecommunities are mostly substantially depleted andhave high conservation status. They also providehabitat for native fish and water birds.

Cultural heritage

The availability of water and food meant thatwaterways and wetlands have been focal points forhuman populations for millennia. These places retaingreat cultural significance for Indigenouscommunities. A number of Aboriginal andarchaeological sites have been identified across theregion and registered on the Aboriginal AffairsVictoria database. These sites may include isolatedartefacts, rock shelter/caves, burial sites, shellmiddens and scarred trees. Kow Swamp is aparticularly important regional archaeological site.

Recreation and amenity

The region's natural lakes and wetlands provideimportant recreational opportunities to tourists andmembers of the local community. They are used forfishing, boating, swimming, bird watching, camping,as meeting places and for hunting. In drawing visitorsto an area, they can contribute to economic activity.Recreational fishing alone has been estimated toinject $78 million/y into the economy of north-westVictoria.

During the hot and dry summers of the region's north,the availability of water (outside of some extended



88


drought periods) and shade improve the amenity ofrural living. These values are also reflected inincreased pressure for rural residential developmentand higher property values for residences alongwaterways and lakes, particularly in lower catchmentareas.

Flooding

The region's floodplains are the natural paths bywhich floods are conveyed to the River Murray orlower catchment lakes and wetlands. Development onfloodplains has resulted in average annual damagebills from flooding, running to over $23 million.

Flooding is an important natural process in lowlandriver systems. It helps to maintain channel form and isoften an essential ingredient for regeneration events.Periodic flooding also flushes salts from the root zoneof riparian and floodplain vegetation and is essentialin preventing the soils from becoming salinised.

Salt disposal

Several of the region's wetlands are used for saltdisposal. Salt interception schemes involving LakesTutchewop, Kelly, Little Kelly, and William, nearKerang, contribute to a 13 EC unit reduction in RiverMurray salinity (measured at Morgan in SouthAustralia). While damaging to the natural environmentof these wetlands, this use provides substantial

benefits for downstream communities and helps toprotect irrigated agricultural land, the River Murrayand other waterways and wetlands from the effects ofsalinity. Wetlands used for salt disposal may alsopresent opportunities to develop commercial salt ormineral harvesting or saline aquaculture enterprises.

Some streams in the lower catchment irrigation areasform part of the regional drainage network and help toprotect adjacent land from waterlogging and salinity.There has been a dramatic reduction in naturalwetland area since European settlement. Thirty-seven percent of Victoria's wetland area has beenlost, primarily as a result of drainage19.

Water supply infrastructure

Many of the region's lakes and waterways have beenincorporated into the supply network for domestic,stock and irrigation water supplies. This has resultedin substantial changes to the character and values ofa range of wetlands due to the change in hydrology.Some wetlands experience more frequent wettingcycles and even permanent inundation, whilst otherwetlands have been cut off from supply and aresubject to much drier regimes.

11.4 The condition ofwaterways and wetlandsand threateningprocesses

There are 6,400 km of major waterways within theNorth Central region, not including the length of theRiver Murray that forms its northern boundary. Thereare 85,000 ha of wetlands and 500,000 ha of landsubject to inundation in a 1-in-100-year flood.

The waterways, wetlands and floodplains of the NorthCentral region have been degraded by a range ofprocesses, including historical mining and clearingoperations, agriculture, irrigation and water supplydevelopment. Many have been transformed by urbandevelopment, irrigation and water supplyinfrastructure, drainage and changes in flow regime.Some of these wetlands have adapted to long termchanges in their environment and now offer a differentsuite of values and services that need to beprotected.

The Index of Stream Condition (ISC) is acomprehensive measure and incorporatesassessments of stream hydrology, physical form,riparian habitat, water quality and aquatic biodiversity.ISC assessments were undertaken for the rivers and

A flooded Axe Creek, November 2000.

Photo:A

ngela Gladm

an, NC

CM

A

In addition to other services, waterways provide aestheticand recreational values to regional communities.

Photo:N

CC

MA



major tributary streams contained within the NorthCentral region in 1999. They showed that the region'sstreams are predominantly in poor to very poorcondition. Across the North Central region only 2% ofthe waterways are considered to be in a goodcondition; 45% are in a marginal condition; 36% poorand 17% in very poor condition. There are nowaterways considered to be in excellent condition.

The following discussion highlights some of thefactors that contribute to this state.

Salinity

Waterways, floodplains and wetlands arecharacteristically located lower in the landscapewhere they are most exposed to threat from elevatedwater tables and direct saline discharge. Many of thelarger lake and wetland systems (e.g. Lake Buloke,Avoca Marshes) are also end points of surfacedrainage networks. They are effectively 'sumps' intowhich the salt carried by streams is deposited.

Changes in rainfall run-off relationships in uppercatchment areas (due to clearing and poor pastureand soil cover) has resulted in increased frequency ofwaterway flooding and lake filling events. Enhancedflood recharge has led to groundwater moundsforming below some lakes (e.g. Lake Buloke) andfloodplains (e.g. Avon River, lower Richardson River,Avoca floodplain at Glenloth). In the lower reaches ofthe Richardson catchment, water tables are soshallow that they have extensively damagedfloodplain and wetland environments.

Shallow regional water tables have also developed inand around lower catchment irrigation areas for theAvoca, Loddon and Campaspe riverine plains. Thishas resulted in groundwater intrusion, moreprolonged water-logging of wetlands and floodplaindepressions, and gradual salinisation as theopportunity for leaching of salts during flood events isdiminished.

Altered hydrology

Flow regimes across the region have been changedby river regulation, groundwater flow, altered surfacedrainage patterns and changed rainfall run-offrelationships. The impact of these changes ispronounced on floodplains, waterways and wetlands.

The flow in a river is fundamental to its ecosystem,providing habitat for many organisms and supportinga variety of critical ecological processes. This aquaticecosystem can be threatened when significantalterations to the natural flow regime occur, throughchanges in magnitude, timing and duration of flows20.Changed flow and flooding regimes (and constructionof artificial levees) have resulted in some wetlandsand floodplain becoming isolated from flooding flows.The increasing aridity and concentration of saltassociated with this has created gross changes inspecies composition and ecological function in someareas (e.g. Avon Plains lakes).

In other areas, changed water regimes associatedwith the use of wetlands in water supply systemshave transformed ephemeral waterbodies into(almost) permanent bodies of open water. While thismay favour some species and provides improvedrecreational opportunity, it is to the detriment of theoriginal wetland ecosystem and may contribute tosalinisation of surrounding areas.

Drains have been constructed in some wetlands inbasalt plains areas of the upper Loddon catchment toenhance agricultural values. Direct damage byagricultural use and reductions in the extent andduration of inundation have both contributed to theirdecline.

Other wetlands have been used as drainage disposalbasins and as a consequence, water levels havebeen maintained at artificially high levels. This hasimpacted on wetland values, particularly forephemeral wetlands.

Transfer of water entitlements out of irrigationdistricts, environmental flow initiatives (e.g the LivingMurray21), water savings initiatives and increases in

Photo:N

CC

MA

Aerial view of Ramsar-listed Second Avoca Marsh –Kerang Wetlands (1998).

Photo:C

raig Clifton

Symptoms of severe dryland salinity at Lake Buloke



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water use efficiency means that wetland waterregimes may change, particularly where they form apart of the water distribution, storage or drainagesystem. While the current water regime may not benatural, change due to transfer of water can threatenwetland values that may have developed as a resultof long-standing water regime alterations.

The North Central region forms part of the MurrayDarling Basin, with the Loddon, Campaspe andAvoca Catchments all contributing flows to the RiverMurray. Consideration will be required to assess thecontribution of flows from these river systems to theoverall environmental flow needs of the Murraythrough the Living Murray process21. The LivingMurray process has the potential to provide riverhealth benefits to the region’s waterways throughimproved environmental flow regimes. The VictorianWater Management Framework, that includesprocesses such as the Bulk Entitlement process forregulated streams, Stream Flow Management Plansfor unregulated streams and the Stressed RiverProcess for flow stressed rivers, will also considerrequirements for environmental flows with linkages tothe Living Murray process.

Current climate change scenarios for the regionsuggest that the amount, seasonal distribution andvariability of rainfall will alter. While this will influenceflow regime in streams, the nature of the changes andtheir impact on waterway and wetland ecosystems isdifficult to predict.

Fragmentation and ecological systemsdecline

Decline in ecological function of waterways andwetlands is both a consequence of other threateningprocesses and a cause of further decline. Directactions, such as clearing, cultivation, grazing,drainage and the construction of artificial levees, hasisolated remnant vegetation and dependent faunafrom other populations and the water that is integral toecological function. This increases the risk ofpredation and weed invasion, reduces reproductionand recruitment and has over time resulted in thesimplification of ecosystems.

Loss of riparian vegetation and removal of woodydebris from streams impairs the function of aquaticecosystems. This is exacerbated by increased watersalinity, reduced flows and elevated nutrientconcentrations. Deposition of sediment, sand andgravel in upper catchment streams reduces thequality of instream habitat and can lead to furthersimplification of ecosystems.


Water quality decline, particularly nutrients, hasimpacted on the ecological and recreational value oflakes and streams. Blue green algal blooms occurfrequently and regularly in waterbodies throughoutthe region, with some waterbodies almostpermanently in bloom. Major sources of nutrientsinclude run-off from agricultural land, stream andgully erosion, discharge from waste water treatmentplants, dairy shed effluent and runoff from urbanareas. Upgrades to wastewater treatment plants havereduced contributions from this source. However,inputs from intensively developed agricultural landsand urban areas are increasing.

Surface water monitoring stations indicate that waterquality often fails to meet the State EnvironmentalProtection Policy water quality objectives, particularlyfor nitrogen, phosphorus and electrical conductivity(salinity).

Low off-takes from reservoirs can also cause coldwater pollution, which can disrupt freshwaterecosystems. While locally significant, this issue onlyaffects reaches downstream of major storages in theCampaspe and Loddon catchments.


Wave action from water skiing and boating activitiescan cause bank erosion, and fuel and oil use orspillage can create water quality problems. Illegalcamping and associated littering and other issues canalso contribute to losses in water quality and riparianvegetation. The impact of inappropriate recreation onwater quality is particularly an issue in those storagesthat are used for urban water supplies.

Inappropriate adjoining landmanagement

Inappropriate land management and developmentcan impact on the condition of riparian vegetation andchange surface and sub-surface drainage flows intostreams and wetlands.The most threatening activitiesinclude irrigation developments, grazing, cultivation,land clearing and residential developments thatinclude septic tanks and/or alteration of drainagepatterns.

Water trade, increased rural living demand and lackof awareness have increased exposure to this threat.



Population growth/rural residentialdevelopment

Visual amenity and recreational opportunity isresulting in increased residential development aroundlakes in lower catchment areas and around LakeEppalock. This development, if not properlycontrolled, can be a threat to ecological and culturalheritage values and to water quality.


Pest plants and animals threaten terrestrial andaquatic ecosystems and water quality. European carpare a particular nuisance, by diminishing water qualityand displacing native species. Aquatic (e.g. Parrot'sFeather, Arrowhead) and terrestrial (e.g. willows,blackberries) weeds also displace native species,reduce ecological values of waterways and wetlandsand affect flow characteristics.


Priority issues for waterways and wetlands have beendefined by a comprehensive risk assessmentprocess. This process considered the range ofservices provided, the likelihood of those servicesbeing affected by various threatening processes andthe potential impact on service values should thethreat be realised. The priority issues for waterwaysand wetlands are based on combinations of likelythreats and the expectation of a significant decline inservice values. The outputs from the risk assessmentprocess are given in the North Central CatchmentCondition Report 2.

Priority issues are based on threats to:

" habitat values and ecological function in riparian,floodplain and wetland fringe vegetationcommunities and to aquatic ecosystems

" Indigenous cultural heritage, particularly sites ofarchaeological significance

" recreation, tourism and visual amenity

" flood protection

" water supply infrastructure

" salt disposal.

These services are threatened by agents such asland use change, inappropriate land managementpractice and recreation, fragmentation and loss ofnative vegetation, salinity, soil erosion and decliningwater quality, pest plant and animal infestation,changed flow regime and the impacts of historicalmining activities. When combined with failure tostrategically intervene to protect river health andwater quality, these threats represent the mainimpediments to achieving the sustainability goal forwaterways and wetlands. While the majority of threatsoperate across the region, a significant proportionrelate to either lowland streams and wetlands in midand lower catchment areas, including irrigation areas(e.g. changed flow regime).

A series of responses to the priority issues forwaterways and wetlands have been developed (Table24).They are mostly based on the relevant regional orsub-regional action plans, but include some actionsthat address key gaps in the current response.Responses are not completely comprehensive. Someactions are only the preliminary stages of a longerterm response to an issue. Several of the issues andproposed responses overlap with those relevant toother assets. To avoid repetition, Table 24 onlyincludes responses that primarily address waterwayand wetland issues. It covers environmental waterregimes, but not water quality, which is described inPart B, Chapter 10 Water Resources. Otherresponses are given in the relevant chapters (asindicated in Table 24).

The actions in Table 24 are grouped byimplementation ‘packages’. These packages aresimply complementary actions that address thepriority issues for waterways and wetland, particularlythe main threatening processes. Further details onimplementation packages are given in Part C.Resource condition targets that link with eachpackage are also indicated.



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Referring plan(s)

Waterways and Wetlands Package 1: Protecting and improving riparian and wetland habitat (also WW6, 8–11)

This package is primarily concerned with completion and implementation of the North Central River Health Strategy. TheStrategy will direct on-ground works to regional priority areas. The Strategy has several main areas of focus, includingprotection and restoration of riparian habitat and the maintenance and improvement of channel and gully stability. Both actionsare intended to improve biodiversity and water quality outcomes. It includes capacity building activities for adjoining landholdersto improve their management practice and involves engagement with Indigenous communities. The package also addresseshabitat issues associated with the region's two Ramsar wetland sites.The package is supported by actions under thebiodiversity (BD1,6-10), dryland (DL1,5-6,12), irrigated land and public land (PL4-5,9) assets.

The package addresses RCTs WW29 to 34.

WW1 Finalise North Central Regional River Health Strategy by 2004.Implement agreed annual works and extension program to 2008.

NCCMA River HealthStrategy

WW2 Develop River Health Plans for the Loddon, Campaspe, Avoca and Avon-Richardson catchments by 2004. Implement the four catchment plans,based on regional priorities from the Regional River Health Strategy.

NCCMA River HealthStrategy

WW3 Implement Kerang Wetlands and Gunbower Forest Ramsar SitesStrategic Management Plans

Parks Victoria,NCCMA, DSE

Ramsar SiteStrategicManagement Plans

WW4 Develop and/or implement management plans for all priority wetlands by2006. Priorities for wetlands in Loddon Murray region based on wetlandsprioritisation framework. Undertake an inventory and conditionassessment and determine priorities for wetlands in mid and uppercatchment areas by 2006.

Parks Victoria, DSE Loddon MurrayLWMS

WW5 Identify environmentally sensitive waterways, wetlands and flood plainareas for each local government area by 2004. Develop planning controlswith local government by 2005 to avoid inappropriate development inthese areas and to manage the cumulative impact of any approveddevelopments.

NCCMA, urban andrural waterauthorities, localgovernment

Municipal PlanningSchemes

Waterways and Wetlands Package 2: Maintaining or restoring appropriate flow regimes (also WW3,4)

This package is concerned with the determination and provision of appropriate flow and flooding regimes in the region'swetlands and waterways. It implements parts of the region's River Health and Floodplain Management Strategies. The packagewill involve extensive consultation with stakeholders. By providing water, it helps to address habitat issues associated withaquatic ecosystems.The package is supported by actions under the biodiversity (BD1,6-10), dryland (DL1,5-6,12), irrigated landand public land (PL4-5,9) assets.

The package addresses RCTs WW28 to 31, 35.

WW6 Restore proper floodplain function to lower catchment wetlands andfloodplains affected by artificial banks and levees, as recommended inapproved floodplain management plans by 2008.

NCCMA FloodplainManagementStrategy

WW7 Implement agreed 5 year program under regional and sub-regionalFloodplain Management Plans by 2008.

NCCMA FloodplainManagementStrategy

WW8 Develop streamflow management plans for upper Avon-Richardson,Avoca and Loddon catchments by 2004 and make environmental flowallocation by 2005.

NCCMA, G-MW,WMW, DSE

River HealthStrategy

WW9 Finalise the Loddon Bulk Entitlement (BE) process and implement by2004.

NCCMA, G-MW,CHW, Coliban Water,DSE


WW10 Develop Stressed River Plans for the Loddon by 2005 and Campaspe by2007. Implement actions from these plans by 2012.

NCCMA, G-MW,CHW, Coliban Water,DSE


WW11 Finalise the Gunbower Forest Water Management Plan by 2004 andimplement recommendations by 2005.

NCCMA, ParksVictoria, G-MW, DSE

Gunbower ForestRamsar Site DraftStrategicManagement Plan

Additional waterway and wetland priority issues dealt with by management actions listed under other assets include:

" Impacts of pest plants and animals on waterway and wetland habitat (Biodiversity, Dryland, Public Land, Infrastructure)

" Impacts of salinity on waterways and wetlands (Dryland and Infrastructure)

Priority issues not specifically addressed at this stage:

" Impacts of past mining activities on river health and water quality

Table 24: Management actions and targets for waterways and wetlands

Catchments and Wetlands

Floodways and Land Subject to Inundation Overlay

Topography



94

Figure 5: Index of stream condition, 1999.

CP A R T C – I m p l e m e n t a t i o n


C1 Priorities for program implementation

96

1.1 IntroductionThe process for determining implementation prioritiesfor the RCS was adapted from that used for theWimmera RCS22. It uses a simple form of multi-criteria analysis to assess the benefits and risks ofimplementing programs. The methodology istransparent and accounts, within the sameframework, for financial and non-financial benefitsand risks across the 'triple bottom line' of social,economic and environmental accounts.

The prioritisation process developed for the RCSoperates for ‘packages’ of management actions. Thisis considered to be appropriate, since the threatsfaced, the services they provide and the naturalresource management outcomes sought by the RCSare all unlikely to be effectively addressed by singleactions.

The assessment process to develop priorities forprogram implementation was initially undertaken bythe RCS consulting team. It was subsequentlyreviewed by representatives of regional stakeholderorganisations.

1.2 Implementation packagesand programs

Implementation packages have been developed foreach of the region's principal asset groups (Part B). Arisk assessment process was used to identify themajor threatening processes and the most threatenedand valuable services provided by each asset class.This combination of threats and threatened servicesidentified the priority issues for each asset (from over240 issues across all assets). A suite of managementactions (and associated targets) were then developedor taken from the existing NRM planning framework toaddress each priority issue. Management actionsseek to mitigate the threat and protect or enhanceservice values. Combinations of management actionsaddressing the priority issues became theimplementation packages.

Some management actions address the servicesprovided and threats faced by several assets. Forexample, development and implementation of amanagement plan for mineral springs recharge areasis relevant to dryland, public land and water resourceassets. However, to avoid duplication within the RCSdocument, actions have only been listed against asingle, primary asset (water resources, in the case ofthe mineral springs management plan).

Implementation packages address threats or priorityissues rather than services. In part, this reflects theissue based nature of the region's NRM planningframework, from which most management actionswere drawn. However, the approach is conceptuallysound. There is generally a clear connection betweenthreat and response and that response typicallyprovides benefits across a range of services that theasset provides.

The risk assessment process was not considered tobe fully relevant to several assets, e.g. community,climate change and cultural heritage. Implementationpackages for these assets were, at least in part,based on considerations other than threats toservices.

Several additional management actions have beendefined, but not included in this priority settingprocess. Some of these actions, such as the setting oftargets for surface water quality, are criticalcomponents of the program. However, since theywould not effect change in resource condition directlyand do not easily link with other threat basedpackages, they would not be given high priority underthe assessment procedure.

Many of the implementation packages are multi-faceted, including elements of natural resourceplanning, community engagement and capacitybuilding, onground works and monitoring andevaluation. While primarily directed at improvingservice values for a particular asset, they will oftenseek to improve service values for other relatedassets. For example, the dryland salinity managementand waterways and wetlands habitat packages bothaddress the needs of biodiversity. They also haveelements that lead to improved community capacity fornatural resource management.

1.3 Assessing benefitsThe relative benefits of undertaking implementationpackages for each asset were assessed against theeconomic, social, environmental and general criterialisted in Table 25. A score of between 1 and 3 wasgiven according to the level of agreement with thestatement and/or the relative level of benefit likely tobe achieved. A total score was given for each criterionand implementation packages ranked accordingly.The sum of rankings for economic, social,environmental and general criteria was used to rankimplementation packages for the expected overallbenefit. This assessment is not absolute, but providesa guide to how different packages compare against



each other in relation to environmental, social andeconomic criteria.

The assessment indicated that highest benefit wouldbe achieved through implementation of the majorwater resources packages (water sharing, salinity,water quality and resource efficiency) and drylandand irrigation salinity and/or land managementprograms.

1.4 Assessing riskRisk was assessed in terms of the likelihood of theprogram failing to realise anticipated benefits, (usingthe criteria in Table 25). The process followed wassimilar to that used for benefit. A score of between 1 – 3 was given according to the strength of

agreement with each statement and/or relative levelof risk. Risk scores were summed andimplementation packages ranked. The combined rankscores were then used to provide an overall riskranking.

Most of the highest benefit packages were alsoassessed as having relatively low risk of not achievingthe anticipated benefits. Lower risk activities alsoincluded pest plant and animal management indryland areas.

Packages rated as having higher risk, were generallythose delivering only a narrow range of outcomes(e.g. only social or only economic outcomes) or thatwere not able to comprehensively address therelevant threatening process.

Table 25: Benefit and risk assessment criteria

Theme Benefit criteria Risk criteria

Economy " Program will facilitate economic growth forregional industries and enterprises (e.g.agriculture, tourism).

" Program expenditure will result in long-term savings.

" Program will result in the development ofnew business opportunities.

" Program will not yield financial return withinRCS period.

" Program will cost (works, incentives,enforcement, monitoring) more than theexpected returns.

Society " Program will increase knowledge, skillsand facilitate higher levels of NRMparticipation.

" Program meets community expectations·

" Program will not clarify stakeholder rolesand responsibilities

" Program lacks support for change fromNRM stakeholders

" Program may not manage communityresistance to change

Environment " Program will maintain or enhancesustainable uses of land and water.

" Program will maintain, restore or enhancethe health and function of naturalecosystems.

" Program implementation will not deriveenvironmental change within human timescales.

" Program will not prevent furtherenvironmental degradation.

General " Program will break down institutionalbarriers and foster cooperation amongststakeholders.

" Program will avoid the seriousconsequences of doing nothing·

" Program will not break down institutionalbarriers and foster cooperation amongststakeholders.

" Program lacks technical and professionalresources to precipitate change.



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1.5 Setting prioritiesPriority for investment in natural resourcemanagement should be based on expectations ofbenefits to be achieved, moderated by the level ofconfidence that those benefits will be realised (i.e. theassociated risk). Therefore, implementation packageswith relatively high benefit and low risk of failureshould receive investment in preference to thosewhich yield fewer benefits and/or present greater risk.

The combined benefit and risk assessment was usedto set investment priorities under the RCS.Implementation packages were each given a scorebased on their respective overall benefit and riskrankings. This final score was then ranked andpackages placed in priority order (see Table 26).Priority bands have been used to avoid attributinggreater precision to the priority setting process than iswarranted.

Highest priority implementation packages included:

" water resources packages addressing waterquality, salinity and water allocation and trade

" irrigated land packages addressing salinity andland management practice

" dryland salinity management

" integration of the RCS with local governmentplanning.

Several related packages were in the next grouping,including maintenance of flow regimes for waterwaysand wetlands, water resource efficiency and aresponse to rural residential development in drylandareas. Several biodiversity and habitat relatedpackages were either in or just outside this secondgrouping.

Many of the highest priority packages includeelements that address important communityengagement and biodiversity issues.

It must be emphasised that this analysis gives arelative ranking between actions and responses thathave already been identified through a riskassessment process as having priority. Lower rankingin this process does not imply that activities areunimportant – merely that compared with otheractions, they provide fewer benefits or greateruncertainty.

1.6 IntegrationThe priority setting process described above providesan excellent basis for integration of programs under

the RCS. While the inputs to that process were basedon individual assets and asset related issues, severalcommon integrating themes have emerged. Thesethemes, which are outlined below, provide the basisfor the key program areas under the RCS. While theydo not address all of the issues identified in the RCS,they provide a sound framework and a context fordoing so.

Water resource management

The availability and quality of water for environmental,amenity and consumptive uses is fundamental to asustainable future for the North Central region. Theregion's surface water resources, including inter-basin transfers from the Goulburn, Murray andWimmera systems, are critical to primary industry, theviability and amenity of urban centres and to many ofthe region's most significant natural assets. Whilegroundwaters that are suited to consumptive usesrepresent a much smaller resource, they are locallyimportant for both agricultural and urban supplies.The region's mineral springs aquifers are nationallysignificant and help support a thriving tourist industry.The current prolonged dry climate sequence hashighlighted the importance of water to both rural andurban populations.

The priority setting process highlighted the need forthe regional natural resource management programto address the issues facing water. A water resourcemanagement program must address several issues,including:

" water quality, particularly in terms of salinity andnutrient and sediment load, for surface waters andcontamination by nutrients and agriculturalchemicals, for groundwater

" the allocation and sharing of water between theenvironment and various amenity andconsumptive uses – a response is required toissues at both catchment and Murray-DarlingBasin scales

" improving the efficiency of water distribution anduse in agricultural and urban settings

" restoration and management of floodplains.

The program also needs to understand theimplications of the region's own natural resourcemanagement activities on water resources. Achievingmanagement action and resource condition targetsfor the region's native vegetation and dryland salinitymanagement plans has the potential to substantiallyreduce inflows to upper and mid catchment waterstorages and in some cases might even worsen river



salinity. These and other land use changes may,without careful planning and management, placefurther pressure on already heavily committed waterresources.

Management of irrigation and drylandsalinity

It is a well noted irony that in a region wheremanagement of scarce water resources is such apressing issue, the abundance and surface dischargeof shallow groundwater should be one of the keynatural resource management issues. For while theregion is a substantial net importer of surface water, itcontributes in a significant way to River Murray saltloads.

Shallow water tables and salinity pose a pervasivethreat across dryland and irrigated regions of NorthCentral Victoria. They already impact on the conditionof many of the region's most significant natural assetsand affect cultural heritage sites and infrastructure.The costs, in economic, environmental and socialterms, are substantial.

The North Central region has strong and wellestablished irrigation and dryland salinity programs.Maintenance of these programs is essential to protectthreatened assets and lessen the regional impact onthe River Murray. While these programs may beperceived as focussing on a single issue, i.e. salinity,they do in fact address a wide range of pressingnatural resource issues, including:

" community engagement and capacity building

" improving land management practice

" protecting and restoring terrestrial, riparian andaquatic biodiversity

" improving river health and water quality.

There is clear linkage in irrigation areas betweenimplementation packages that address land andwater salinity, water quality, land managementpractice, water sharing and maintenance of flowregimes for wetland habitats. Each of these wereidentified as having high priority under the prioritysetting process. They are also key themes of theLoddon Murray Land and Water ManagementStrategy. There is a similar connection in drylandareas between priority implementation packagesaddressing dryland salinity, protection and restorationof terrestrial, riparian and wetland habitat and waterquality.

In some areas, salinity also represents an economicopportunity. The region needs to fully explorecommercial opportunities for use of its salineresources. In some areas, commercial use of salineresources may also help to protect important assets,including agricultural land or significant wetlands,from the effects of salinity. Where this is not the caseand saline resource use enterprises can beestablished in an environmentally sustainablemanner, they can at least boost local economies.

Protecting and enhancing indigenousbiodiversity

The North Central region retains just 13% of its pre-1750 native vegetation coverage. Depletion ofnative vegetation coverage by clearing for mining,agriculture and urban development lies at the heart ofthe region's natural resource management issues.The feedback loop created by its initial depletionmeans that regional biodiversity – in terrestrialecosystems, along waterways and floodplains and inlakes and wetlands – continues to face threats fromthose same natural resource management issues.

Protection and restoration of indigenous biodiversityis an important goal in its own right. Vegetationcoverage in much of the region is already well belowrecognised sustainability thresholds. The depletionand fragmentation of native vegetation poses anongoing threat to native fauna with specific habitatrequirements.

Protecting and enhancing indigenous biodiversity is acore part of the region's natural resourcemanagement program. There are strong synergiesbetween such activities and other priority actionsaddressing water quality, salinity and water resourcemanagement.

Protecting and enhancing biodiversity also provides apoint of linkage for regional pest plant and animalmanagement programs. While they threaten servicesto other assets (notably dryland agriculturalproduction), justification for public investment inmanagement programs is largely based on the threatto biodiversity assets.

Restoring native vegetation cover to the landscapesof the North Central region may reduce surface wateryields and groundwater resource availability, as thiswill generally involve replacement of low water useagricultural species with deep-rooted perennials.Fortunately, the impacts will be less in the areaswhere native vegetation cover is most depleted – the


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woodlands, grassy woodlands and grasslands of theWimmera, Volcanic Plain, Riverina and Murray Malleebioregions. In these areas rainfall and water yields aremostly relatively low and, in the case of grasslands,restoration of native vegetation cover would notgreatly alter the landscape water balance. In otherareas, particularly in higher rainfall, upper catchmentlocations, vegetation restoration must be carefullyplanned to minimise impacts on water yields.

Linking municipal planning with naturalresource management

There is growing recognition of the need to improvethe linkage between local government planning andthe region's natural resource management agenda.Doing so provides another potentially effective pointfor the NCCMA and its partnership organisations toinfluence a range of activities that threaten theregion's natural and cultural heritage assets.

The RCS has highlighted several drivers for this,including:

" population growth and pressure for urban andrural residential development (particularly inupper catchment areas in the south-east of theregion and along the River Murray)

" intensification and diversification of agriculturalland use and increasing demand for irrigationwater to support those uses

" the potential impacts of inappropriatedevelopment on water resources, biodiversity,waterways and wetlands and agricultural landuses in dryland and irrigation areas.

Several related implementation packages have beendeveloped in response to regional priority issues.They include a package dealing with integration of theRCS with land use planning and packages thatrespond to the challenge of rural residential land usein dryland and irrigation areas.

A regional program linking municipal planning withnatural resource management must be based on athorough process of engagement with localgovernment. Ways must be found for linking the

regional NRM agenda with municipal planning thataddress the needs and resources of localgovernment and the NCCMA and its otherstakeholder organisation. It must also includeprocesses to build capacity for natural resourcemanagement within local government and improvethe understanding of local government processeswithin natural resource management organisations.

Community participation and education

Community participation and education is anessential theme that must operate throughout all ofthe regional natural resource management programareas. It must function at a number of levels,including:

" active engagement with key stakeholders andstakeholder groups at all stages from planningthrough implementation to monitoring andevaluation

" building capacity within the general communityand specific stakeholder groups to effectivelyparticipate in natural resource management andhelp deliver on resource condition change

" educating the community about natural resourceissues operating at local and regional levelsthrough to a national scale and informing themabout efforts to tackle these issues and progresstowards objectives.

Given the diversity of the community, their differinginterests and capacity to influence natural resourceoutcomes, a single, ‘one size fits all’ approach tocommunity participation and education will not beeffective. A range of approaches must be developedthat are well targeted and strategic, i.e. linked to prioritynatural resource management issues.

Other priorities for community participation in theNorth Central region include:

" engagement of Indigenous communities

" building effective partnerships with stakeholders

" developing community and institutional leaders innatural resource management.

1 Priorities for program implementation



Asset Implementation Package (Package No. in Asset Chapters) Priority Band

Water resources Water quality (1)

Priority band 1

Water resources Water salinity (3)

Irrigated land Salinity management (1)

Dryland Managing the impacts of dryland salinity (1)

Water resources Water sharing (allocation) and trade (2)

Community Integration between RCS and land use planning (1)

Irrigated land Land management for sustainable agriculture (2)

Waterways and wetlands Maintaining or restoring appropriate flow regimes (2)

Priority band 2

Dryland Responding to the challenge of rural residential development (3)

Waterways and wetlands Protecting and improving riparian, aquatic and wetland habitat (1)

Dryland Managing the impacts of pest plant and animal populations (2)

Water resources Water resource efficiency (4)

Dryland Improving natural habitat and ecosystem function in dryland areas (6)

Irrigated land Future land use – water allocation and trade (5)

Public land Sustainable management of public land (1)

Biodiversity Protecting and enhancing significant native vegetation communities (2)

Community Community participation and education (2)

Irrigated land Farm business for sustainable agriculture (3)

Public land Minimising impacts of pest plants and animals (3)

Infrastructure Managing impacts of salinity

Priority band 3

Dryland Improved dryland land management practice (5)

Priority band 4

Public land Safe and environmentally sustainable fire management (2)

Irrigated land Floodplain management (4)

Climate Climate change response (1)

Irrigated land Pest plant and animal control for sustainable land management (7)

Community Indigenous participation (3)

Public land Managing the impacts of dryland and irrigation salinity on public land (4)

Irrigated land Managing the expansion of rural residential land use (6)

Public land Improving habitat and biodiversity values on public land (5)

Biodiversity Reducing the impacts of pest and domestic animals on biodiversity (1)

Cultural heritage Protection of cultural heritage values

Priority band 5

Community NRM Leadership development (4)

Infrastructure Managing the impacts of forest industry development

Dryland Safe and environmentally sustainable fire regimes (4)

Biodiversity Ecological burning for remnant native vegetation (3)

Water resources Pest plants and animal management for water resources (5)

Table 26: Triple bottom line priorities table.


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2.1 PurposeThe purpose of the monitoring, evaluation andreporting framework is to:

" provide accountability to investors on their returnon investment in natural resource management.Major investors such as the Commonwealth andState Government have specific monitoring andreporting standards that need to be met

" learn about the effectiveness of actionsundertaken so that they can be continuallyimproved through adaptive management

" ensure resourcing of programs achieves the RCSvision and objectives for each asset

" alert the NCCMA to changes in catchmentconditions, new threats and new opportunitiesthat were previously unknown.

2.2 Framework for monitoring,evaluation and reporting

Already many data exist in the North Central region.However, much have been collected at a wide rangeof spatial and temporal scales with datasets beingmanaged for specific projects rather than for thepurposes described above.

The framework for monitoring, evaluation andreporting should be driven by the objectives of theRCS.

These objectives need to be translated into a seriesof targets. Each target needs to be developed on thebasis of an underlying assumption on cause andeffect.

These assumptions need to be made explicit so thatthey can be tested and improved. For example, thetime lag between action on the ground andimprovement in resource condition (e.g. water quality)is one such assumption.

Stakeholders need to know the resource condition,the underlying trends and the return on investmentwithin management plans.

To achieve this the framework overleaf has beendeveloped.

A proforma will be developed as part of theimplementation of the RCS that will apply the aboveframework to each management plan.

The completed proformas will form a report that will

list the specific measurable targets for each boxdescribed in Figure 6 as well as the underlyingassumptions.

Each box will require two figures, one being the targetfigure with the management plan proposed and theother being the target figure if there is nomanagement plan, i.e. the 'no intervention' scenario.

The proforma will also describe the monitoringrequired, the timescale and the evaluation processthat will be used to test the key assumptions. Bearingin mind that the evaluation becomes more complexand the results less certain moving up the diagram.

The proforma will also list where responsibility lies formonitoring, evaluation, and reporting for each task ofthe management plan.

The proforma will include:

" to whom to report (e.g. NCCMA Board,Implementation Committees, funding bodies) foreach measurable target

" the actual performance in the last 12 months

" the expected plan target performance

" the expected 'no intervention' performance

" National and State government monitoringrequirements for RCS

" evaluation assumptions

" monitoring methods

" data custodian and storage protocols.

Some management plans work on more than oneasset. In these cases, a completed proforma will berequired for each asset.

The measurable targets used for each asset will bekept as consistent as possible across managementplans, so that the effectiveness of each managementplan can be compared.

Completed proformas will be aggregated at theresource condition and asset service level. This willensure that benefits and achievements ofmanagement plans are consistent and realistic.

A report card on catchment health, trends and naturalresource management will be produced. This will beincorporated into the NCCMA Annual Report and thenext North Central Catchment Condition Report, areporting tool to be used in the reflection phase of thenext RCS review and renewal process.


C Monitoring and evaluation for 2 adaptive management

Key learnings will need to be acted upon as soon asthey are identified, so that management plans can beimproved.

A thorough review will be required in five years so thatthe next RCS review and renewal has a muchimproved knowledge base on what actions areeffective in changing asset condition.

Figure 6: Framework for monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Measurable targets set for:

RCS vision sets social, economic and environmental

outcomes desired.

Assumptions defined for:

Asset service levels defined for each asset (aspirational

goals)

Influence of asset services trend on triple bottom line

Influence of resource condition trend on asset service

level

Asset resource condition targets (as already specified in

asset chapters)

Rates of change in threatening processes (and

beneficial processes)

Impact of threatening process on trends in asset

resource condition

Effectiveness of management actions in controlling

threatening processes rates of change

Management action targets (as already specified in

asset chapters)

Rate of implementation of management plans

Adoption rates of recommended practices and works on

ground

Speed of plan development and then rate of

implementation

Funding for each management plan


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3.1 Key stakeholdersThe management and implementation of the range ofnatural resource projects and activities identified inthe RCS will involve many individuals, groups andagencies. The roles and responsibilities of thesestakeholders are briefly described below.

North Central Catchment ManagementAuthority

" Coordinates natural resource management in theNorth Central region in partnership with thecommunity, State government agencies, waterauthorities, local government and others.

Department of Sustainability andEnvironment

Catchment and Water Division

" Provides advice to government on statewide NRMissues

" Consults with CMAs, service deliverers andothers to develop statewide NRM policies,programs and priorities

" Government agent for purchasing catchmentmanagement services from CMAs.

Parks, Flora and Fauna

" Oversees the management of land resources forenvironmental, conservation and recreationalvalues

" Manages programs that conserve biologicaldiversity of flora and fauna resources

" Supports conservation of historic places on publicland

" Facilitates recreation and tourism opportunities onpublic land.

Forests Service

" Manages state forests for commercial uses,conservation, recreation and education and firemanagement in state forests, parks and reserves.

Fisheries

" Acts as the lead advocate for fish habitatmanagement and works to secure sustainableuse and production of Victoria's fish resources.

Energy and Minerals

" Promotes and regulates extractive industries, oiland gas and minerals and maintenance of the

State's historical geological database.

Greenhouse

" Develops statewide strategies, particularly fordealing with greenhouse gas emissions from allsources, opportunities for enhancement ofgreenhouse sink capacity and adaption to theimpacts of climate change

Land Victoria

" Manages Crown land including reserves, unusedroads, stream frontages, agricultural tenures andcommercial / community use tenures

Department of Primary Industries

Regional Services

" Undertakes essential role in delivery of catchmentrelated extension and advisory services, andprovides technical services in catchment planningand investigations.

Agriculture Division

" Provides services to improve market access,market development and consumer confidence infood and agriculture

" Assists development of next generationtechnologies for sustainable agriculture

" Provides community, farm and industrydevelopment services.

Parks Victoria

" Manages Victoria’s network of national, state,regional and metropolitan parks, otherconservation reserves and significant culturalassets.

Local Government

" Incorporating catchment management objectives,priorities and actions within statutory planningprocesses

" Managing stormwater and regional drainage

" Facilitating local industry involvement incatchment management activities

" Providing support for local action groups,including Landcare. In the North Central region,local government is a key partner through itshosting arrangements for Landcare facilitators.

Roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders 3 in natural resource management


CEPA Victoria

" Facilitates the protection of environmental qualityobjectives in State Environmental ProtectionPolicies

" Controls discharges to the environment andencourages improved environmental performancethrough application of statutory tools. Theseinclude licensing, enforcement, development andpromotion of best practice environmentalmanagement guidelines, technical and scientificsupport, action partnerships, education andconflict resolution.

Rural water authorities

" Provide irrigation and rural drainage, salinitycontrol, some urban water supply and otherwater-related services

" Contribute to management of specific watersupply catchments.

Goulburn Murray Water (G-MW) is the major ruralwater authority operating in the region. It managesseveral of the major water storages in the region andalmost the entire public irrigation infrastructure onbehalf of water users and the State Government.G-MW is also a major natural resource managementservice provider in the region's irrigation districts.G-MW plays a major role in supporting the prioritysetting and strategic planning functions of theNCCMA, particularly as they relate to the region'sirrigation areas.

Wimmera-Mallee Water is the other rural waterauthority that operates within the region.

Urban water authorities

" Provide water and sewerage services to townsand urban communities of the region. Contributeto the management of specific water supplycatchments.

Coliban Water, Central Highlands Water andGrampians Water operate in the North Central region.

Individual landholders

" Vital to successful RCS implementation.Government alone cannot achieve sustainablecatchment management

" All landholders have a major stake in maintainingland, water and biodiversity assets and passingthem on to the next generation

" Most works must be undertaken by individual

landholders on privately owned land.

Landcare and other landholder groups

There are approximately 170 Landcare or communitygroups working in natural resource management inthe North Central region. These groups have adiverse range of interests across the spectrum ofnatural resource issues and are strongly focussed ononground works. Commonwealth and State fundingis provided through the NCCMA to support theseactivities, based on priorities in the RCS. Thesegroups are a key means by which the NCCMA and itspartners can deliver natural resource outcomes in theregion. Their engagement and support in priorityareas will remain important for natural resourcemanagement programs.

" Other types of community groups in the regionthat also contribute to natural resourcemanagement include service organisations,Friends groups, historical societies and youthgroups.

Industry

" Industry holds a significant stake in ensuring thatnatural resources assets are managed inaccordance with the principles of ecologicallysustainable development.

" Responsible for ensuring that environmentalimpacts are minimised.

Indigenous communities

" Contribute to strategies and operational plans toensure due recognition of Indigenous communityvalues

" Facilitate training / education among Indigenouscommunity members to increase knowledge andcapacity in relation to the RCS and NRM issues

" Participate in implementing NRM projects oncommunity controlled land

" Participate in programs to increase the knowledgeand appreciation of Indigenous community issuesin relation to NRM within the wider catchmentcommunity.



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3.2 Other regional partnersand service providers

The North Central region is well served by privatesector service providers in natural resourcemanagement as well as institutions such as La TrobeUniversity, Bendigo. Many providers have a localbase within the region, particularly in Bendigo.Services are offered across the full range of naturalresource management activities – primaryproduction, land and water management, strategicplanning, consultation and community processes –and mostly complement those available within public

sector service providers. The NCCMA, DPI/DSE andG-MW have ongoing relationships with severalproviders, who participate actively in the naturalresource management partnership in the region.

3.3 RCS strategyrelationships

The diagram below illustrates the relationshipbetween the RCS and Commonwealth, State andlocal natural resource management planning.

Figure 7: RCS strategy relationships


Federal GovernmentActs, policies andstrategies

e.g. Environmental Protection

and Biodiversity Act,

Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Heritage Protection

Act, National Strategy for

Ecologically Sustainable

Development, Murray Darling

Basin Commission Integrated

Catchment Management

Policy Statement, National

Action Plan for Salinity and

Water Quality, Managing

Natural Resources in Rural

Australia for a Sustainable

Future: A discussion paper

for developing a national

policy.

e.g. Archaeological and

Aboriginal Relics

Preservation Act, Catchment

and Land Protection Act,

Conservation, Forests and

Lands Act, Environment

Protection Act, Flora and

Fauna Guarantee Act, Water

Act, Victorian Salinity

Management Framework,

Victorian River Health

Strategy, Victorian

Biodiversity Strategy,

Victorian Native Vegetation

Management Framework.

e.g. DPI, DSE, water

authorities, local government,

EPA Victoria, Landcare and

landholders, Indigenous

community, non-government

organisations.

e.g. Local government

municipal planning schemes

Victorian GovernmentActs, policies andstrategies

Community andstakeholder input

Existing regionalstrategies and plans

Catchment Condition Report

Loddon Murray Land and

Water Management Strategy

2nd Generation Dryland

Salinity Management Plan

North Central Regional River

Health Strategy

North Central Native

Vegetation Plan

Future Land UseRabbit and Weed Action

Plans

River Health Plans – Loddon,

Campaspe, Avoca, Avon-

Richardson

Bioregional Action Plans

(Note: the Acts, strategies, plans and groups included in the above diagram are examples selected from the many that exist)


A p p e n d i c e s


Review and Renewal of RCS

Review phase

The review of the 1997 RCS involved various sectorsof the community. The purpose of the review was to:

" identify the progress that had been made againstthe 1997 RCS

" identify the extent of implementation

" assess the adequacy of the 1997 RCS in light ofnew information and arrangements

" identify gaps.

Advertisements were placed in 12 regionalnewspapers to inform the community, stakeholdersand agencies of the start of the RCS renewalprocess. The NCCMA website provided regularlyupdated information on the process and recentdevelopments throughout this phase.

In reviewing the original RCS, a total of nine one-dayworkshops were held in Donald, Bendigo,Quambatook, Echuca, Kyneton, Maryborough, StArnaud, Kerang and Pyramid Hill. Representativesfrom a range of backgrounds participated in theseworkshops, including the ImplementationCommittees, NRE, Landcare, local government,water authorities, environmental organisations, VFFand other people representing key technical orcommunity issues. On average 20 people attendedeach workshop.

The workshops were structured to obtain informationof particular relevance to the program logic modelused to assess the effectiveness of the 1997 RCS. Inparticular, information was sought relating to:

" vision, objectives, scope and priorities

" information and catchment condition

" stakeholder/community engagement

" achievements of resource management programs

" performance indicators

In addition, interviews were undertaken with NCCMAand DPI program managers.

Reflection phase

A workshop was held for representatives ofImplementation Committees, DPI, Landcare, localgovernment, water authorities, environmentalorganisations, VFF and other key peoplerepresenting key technical or community issues. Thisworkshop's objective was to:

" explain and communicate findings of the reviewphase and other studies

" indicate and discuss the new RCS vision, scope,objectives and targets

" discuss expected outcomes.

Indigenous community consultation

Consultation with Indigenous communities was a

component of a larger community consultation

process undertaken in the North Central region to

review, reflect on and renew the RCS. Given the

unique way Indigenous communities relate to natural

resources and consultation processes, special

emphasis was made to genuinely increase their

participation in the review and renewal process of the

RCS.

The consultation process with the Indigenouscommunity involved face-to-face contact with relevantindividuals, groups and organisations within eachIndigenous community to schedule, plan andorganise the needed consultation events (such asmeetings and workshops). During stage two, theseconsultation events were facilitated.

The objective of this consulting with the Indigenouscommunities was to establish an ongoing dialogue onnatural resources management, as well as to identifyissues of importance to these communities forinclusion into the renewed RCS. A specific processand/or program for ongoing inclusion andparticipation of Indigenous communities wasdeveloped for inclusion into the ongoing broadercommunity participation programs.

NCCMA board and key stakeholderworkshop

A full-day workshop was held with the board and keyregional agency representatives. The objective wasto:

" to review information, interpretations, insights andimplications relevant to the existing strategy andthe new RCS resulting from the review andreflection workshops

" develop a revised set of strategy objectives,targets and vision.

Risks and target setting workshops

Three workshops were held with the key regionalagency and NCCMA technical representatives. Theobjectives were to:

1 Stakeholder consultation


" review information, interpretations, insights andimplications of the work undertaken to dateincluding the foundation programs

" identify the assets at risk

" integrate assets and identify priorities

" establish regional targets.

Research and development workshop

After the risks and targets workshops, a furtherworkshop was conducted to define and developstrategies to fill knowledge gaps. The workshop washeld with NRM researchers and other keystakeholders.

Monitoring program workshop

Following the research and development workshop, aworkshop was held to define and develop aperformance monitoring and evaluation plan. Keystakeholders from local governments, communitygroups and agencies participated. A review ofregional natural resource monitoring networks andprograms assessed their capacity to report againsttargets. The review considered the:

" nature of the monitoring networks

" existing monitoring arrangements.

The review also identified gaps in the monitoringnetwork that prevented reporting on targets. Methodsto address these issues were proposed.

New Regional Catchment Strategy

The NCCMA Board held a workshop to consider theinformation gathered to this stage of the process.

A drafting team then developed a preliminary draftRCS. The Department of Natural Resources andEnvironment’s RCS Accreditation CoordinatingGroup provided feedback on this document.

Future Directions Paper

A Future Directions Paper was prepared anddistributed. The paper formed the foundation of thedraft RCS. It was distributed widely to allowinterested parties to comment on the framework, theassets, the services and threats identified, and toreflect on how natural resource managementprograms could effectively be delivered within theregion over the next five years.

A communications plan for the community feedbackphase of the Paper was developed and implemented

to ensure the community and stakeholder groups hadeasy access to this document.

A series of presentations was made by the NCCMAto community forums and ImplementationCommittees.

Feedback was received over a five-week period. Inthat time, the NCCMA received over 80 writtensubmissions from people from a range ofbackgrounds, including urban residents, landholders,Landcare groups and government agencies. Thesubmissions were made on behalf of approximately1,450 people.

Draft RCS

The draft RCS was prepared and made available tothe community and stakeholders for a period of fourweeks. Over 70 written submissions were received inaddition to the formal feedback received from theAccreditation Coordinating Group and Key Contactsand Expert Panels.

Key messages from regionalconsultation process

The consultation process identified a range of newand existing issues that have helped shape therenewed RCS. The major issues raised were:

" improving the river health and water quality withinthe region

" improving land and water management practices,including soil health, pest plant and animalmanagement

" protecting and enhancing biodiversity

" landscape change incorporating landstewardship, climate change and sustainablefarming systems

" considering the effects of increasing residentialand hobby farm development on natural resourcemanagement, particularly in the upper catchment.



" improving community communication andknowledge transfer to enhance the community'scapacity to apply integrated management to theland

" needing to understand that private landholderswill contribute to the restoration of the land, waterand biodiversity assets of the region, but cannotbe expected to do it all

" continue to support Landcare groups

" including the Indigenous communities inmanagement of the region's natural resources

" enhancing coordination among the NCCMA,agencies and other partners to build ownershipand understanding of the RCS

" ensuring NCCMA community engagementstructures are effective and supported by thecommunity

" enhancing integration of sub-strategies andaction plans

" ensuring, where possible, that solutions to naturalresource management issues are integrated andachieve multiple outcomes

" adopting a 20 – 50 year horizon that embracesthe community's aspirations for natural resourcemanagement and landscape change

" including the community as an asset, along withland, water, biodiversity and climate.



2 Risk assessment process

An assessment has been undertaken of all of thethreats that challenge regional natural asset services.This involved identifying the full range of threats andservices listed on the following pages.

The risk assessment involved scoring theconsequence of a threat to the service and thelikelihood of the threat. This was done using the riskscoring matrix shown below.

A summary table of the most significant threats andat-risk services (scores 7–9) was then compiled foreach asset and is presented in the North CentralCatchment Condition Report. The summary tablealso indicates the location within the region where thethreat is most prominent.

Low Moderate High

Low 1 2 4

Moderate 3 5 7

High 6 8 9 Co

nse

qu

ence

sco

re

Likelihood score

Figure 8: Risk scoring matrix



112

Table 27: Asset service definitions

Asset service Definition

Cultural heritage Indigenous and non-Indigenous sites and places of cultural heritage.

Direct economic activity Service generates direct economic activity, e.g. agricultural production, forestry production.

Domestic and stock Water used for domestic purposes and stock watering.

Energy Provision of corridors for distribution of energy (electricity, gas).

Environmental flow Provision of water to stream or wetland for specific environmental objectives.

Fire fighting Provision of water for fire fighting purposes.

Flood protection Protection of built infrastructure from damage by flooding.

Flora and fauna habitat Provision of habitat for indigenous flora and fauna, including aquatic, terrestrial and soilecosystems. Includes ecosystem function.

Generate water run-off Water run-off from a catchment area. Includes amount and quality of water.

Groundwater recharge Groundwater recharge to a beneficially used aquifer. In parts of the region, this will includemineral or spring water.

Human shelter House or other structure of human habitation.

Infrastructure corridors Locations of transport, communications, water or energy supply/distribution infrastructure.

Irrigation and rural drainage Provision of corridors for irrigation and rural drainage pipes and channels.

Landscape - visual amenity Visual amenity or aesthetic value of landscape views.

Mineral water Water with high carbonate and/or mineral content that is extracted for bottling or used in touristfacilities.

Recreation and tourism Passive and active recreational activity, including that undertaken by tourists.

Rural living The amenity associated with living in areas beyond major provincial centres.

Salt disposal Provision of sites for evaporation basin or other sites of ‘salt disposal’. In most cases water isevaporated and salt retained.

Town water Potable water used for drinking and other domestic purposes.

Transport Provision of corridors for road and rail transport.

Waste disposal and reuse Provision of sites for disposal and recycling of wastes, including domestic rubbish and urbanand industrial waste water.

Water supply infrastructure Provision of corridors or locations for water supply infrastructure, such as reservoirs, dams,weirs, pipes and channels.



Table 28: Threatening process definitions

Threatening process Definition

Changed fire regime Direct impact on asset services by fire (esp. wildfire). Longer term, largely ecological impactassociated with fire regime or the lack of fire for a fire adapted ecosystem.

Changed flow regime Change in surface water flow regime (e.g. timing, extent, frequency of flooding; timing andduration of wetting and/or drying cycle in ephemeral wetlands). May be due to change inrainfall-run-off relationships with clearing and agricultural development, upper catchmentstorages, climate change or use of waterway or wetland in distribution of irrigation or stock anddomestic water supplies.

Climate change Long term shift in rainfall and/or temperature regime associated with greenhouse effect.Change beyond ‘normal’ climatic variability.

Farm business viability Change in capacity of landholders to operate a commercial scale farm business. Viabilityaffected by commodity and land prices, scale and efficiency of operation, quality/productivity ofland base and livestock etc.

Flooding Stream flow that extends beyond the stream channel.

Fragmentation of habitat Loss of continuity, connectivity, size and ecological function in native vegetation.

Inappropriate landmanagement practice

Land management practices that have unintended adverse consequences on other assetservices.

Inappropriate recreation Recreational activities that result in damage to the locations at which recreation occurs.

Infrastructure development Maintenance or expansion of infrastructure within a corridor. Includes, road widening,construction of new infrastructure (e.g. pipeline or power line) within existing or new corridor.

Land use change: forestryplantations

Land use change from broadacre agriculture or other use to plantation forestry. Land usechange primarily taking place in higher rainfall areas in the south. Impacts potentiallyassociated with any removal of retained native vegetation and alterations to hydrologicalregime.

Land use change:horticulture

Land use change from broadacre agriculture or other use to (generally irrigated) horticulture. Indryland areas change often accompanied by construction of irrigation water supply dams.Proliferation of such dams may impact on surface water regimes in some sub-catchments.

Land use change: ruralresidential expansion

Land use change from broadacre agriculture or other use to rural residential/lifestyle use.Agriculture may still be practised, but is not commercial in intent, scale or intensity. Land usechange generally occurring on the periphery of provincial centres and along Calder and Murraycorridors. This is also linked to water trade and loss of water in some irrigation areas.

Mining Extraction of minerals, stone, gravel, sand, soil, gypsum and/or salt. Damage resulting directlyfrom contemporary mining activity or from residual impact of historical mining (e.g. sand/gravelslugs in streams).

Pest animals Non indigenous species that cause economic or environmental damage. Main pests are rabbits,foxes and domestic animals (cats, dogs).

Pest plants Non indigenous species that cause economic or environmental damage.

Salinity Presence of shallow water tables and soil salinisation as the result of human activity.

Soil acidity Acidification of soil profiles as the result of human activity. pH also affects availability ofpotentially toxic (to plants) minerals within the soil (e.g aluminium) and of phosphorus.

Soil erosion Loss of top or sub soil due to action of wind or water.

Soil structure decline Compaction of soils as the result of excessive animal or vehicular traffic and/or cultivation.Accentuated by traffic/cultivation when soils are wet and by loss of organic matter from soil.

Water allocation and trade(water shares)

Water can be traded from one location to another. Water is allocated to a range of commercialand environmental uses. Snowy River and Living Murray environmental flow initiatives mayresult in less water being available to commercial users. The loss of water from the regionthrough water trade is also allocated by landuse change, i.e. rural residential expansion.

Water quality decline Loss of quality of surface water or groundwater by contamination with sediment, nutrients,agricultural chemicals and other contaminants.


Landcare and other environmental groups of3 the North Central region

114

Appin Leaghur Landcare and Waterwatch Group

Appin West of Loddon Landcare Group

Ashbourne Landcare Group

Avon Plains Landcare Group

Axe Creek Catchment Landcare Group

Bald Hills/Creswick Landcare Group

Bamawm Drainage Diverters Group

Banyena Landcare Group

Baringhup Landcare Group

Baringhup Young Landcare

Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group

Barr Creek Tree Group

Baynton Sidonia Landcare Group

Bendigo Creek Floodplain Group

Bendigo Deborah Reef Action Group

Benjeroop Landcare Group

Blampied/Kooroocheang Landcare Group

Brenanah Creek Tree Group

Bridgewater Landcare Group

Calivil Landcare Group

Callawadda Landcare Group

Campaspe Lamb Group

Campaspe River and Land Management Group

Campaspe Runnymede Landcare Group

Campaspe Valley Landcare Group

Canary Island Landcare Group

Carapooee Landcare Group

Castlemaine Urban Landcare Group

Charlton Landcare Group

Chewton Landcare Group

Clunes Landcare Group

Combined Upper Campaspe Landcare Group

Daylesford Landcare Group

Donald Landcare Cropping Group

Donald Landcare Tree Group

Dunolly Landcare Group

Eaglehawk Environment Group

Echuca Urban Landcare Group

Echuca West Salinity Group

Elmore/Rochester Farm Group

Emu Landcare Group

Fairley Bael Bael Landcare Group

Fentons Creek Conservation Group

Friends of the Campaspe

Glenloth Landcare Group

Glenlyon Upper Loddon Landcare Group

Golden Point Landcare Group

Guildford and Upper Loddon Landcare Group

Gunbower Landcare Group

Harcourt Valley Landcare Group

Hunter Landcare Group

Jarklin Landcare Group

Jeffcott North Landcare Group

Junortoun Landcare Group

Kamarooka Landcare Group

Kangderaar Catchment Landcare Group

Kerang Landcare Group

Kinypanial Landcare Group

Kooreh Group

Korop/Gannawarra Landcare Group

Koyuga/Kanyapella Landcare Group

Laanecoorie Farm Group

Lake Boga Landcare Group

Lake Charm Landcare Group

Lalbert Landcare Group

Langley Landcare Group

Lexton Landcare Group

Lockington Landcare Group

Loddon Vale Landcare Group

Longlea and District Landcare Group

Macorna Landcare Group

Maldon Landcare Group

Maldon Urban Landcare Group

Malmsbury Landcare Group

Marnoo Land and Water Management Group

McCallums Creek Landcare Group


McIvor Landcare Group

Mologa District Landcare

Moolort Landcare Group

Mt Bolton/Beckworth Landcare Group

Mount Pleasant Landcare Group

Mt Korong Landcare

Muckleford Catchment Landcare Group

Mullers Creek Drainage

Murphy's Creek Landcare Group

Murrabit Landcare Group

Myall Landcare Group

Nanneella Landcare Group

Natte Yallock Landcare Group

Newstead Landcare Group

North Central Landcare Group

North Harcourt-Sedgwick Landcare Group

Northern United Forestry Group

Nuggetty Land Protection Group

Pental Island Landcare Group

Pine Grove Farm Advancement Group

Pipers Creek Landcare Group

Pyramid Hill FM500

Quambatook Landcare Group

Ravenswood Valley Landcare Group

Rocky Lead Landcare Group

Salisbury West Landcare Group

Sandon-Werona Landcare Group

Sandy Creek Landcare Group

Sheepwash Creek Landcare Group

Shepherds Flat Landcare Group

Silverleaf Nightshade Control Group

Stuart Mill Landcare Group

Sutton Grange Landcare Group

Swanwater Landcare Group

Taradale Walking and Landcare Group

Teddywaddy Rabbit Action Group

Terricks Ridge Landcare Group

Timor West Landcare Group

Tragowel Landcare Group

Trentham District Landcare Group

Tylden Landcare Group

Tyntynder Landcare Group

Ullina Landcare Group

Upper Spring Creek Landcare Group

Wandella Landcare Group

Watchem West Landcare Group

Wattle Flat-Pootilla Landcare Group

Welshmans Reef Landcare Group

West Boort Landcare Group

West Marong Landcare Group

Wharparilla Landcare Group

Winjallock Landcare Group

Woodend and Five Mile Landcare Group

Woosang Farm Advance Group

Wycheproof Landcare Group

Yando Landcare Group

Yarrawalla Tree Group

Yawong Conservation Group

Yawong Rabbit Action Group

Landcare and other environmental groups of3 the North Central region


Glossary

Acronyms

ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics

BWE Bulk Water Entitlement

CaLP Act Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994

CAMBA China-Australia Migratory Birds Agreement

CMA Catchment Management Authority

CVGA Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance

DPI Department of Primary Industries

DSE Department of Sustainability and Environment

Dryland SMP Dryland Salinity Management Plan

EC Electrical conductivity

EMS Environmental Management System

EPA Environment Protection Authority

EPBC Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

EPO Environment Protection Overlay

EVC Ecological vegetation class

GFS Groundwater flow system

GL Gigalitre

G-MW Goulburn-Murray Water

ha Hectare

HVP Hancocks Victorian Plantations

ISC Index of Stream Condition

JAMBA Japan-Australia Migratory Birds Agreement

LMLWMS Loddon Murray Land and Water Management Strategy

MDBC Murray Darling Basin Commission

ML Megalitre

NAP National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

NCCMA North Central Catchment Management Authority

NHT Natural Heritage Trust

NGO Non-government organisation

NRE Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now DPI / DSE)

NRM Natural resource management

PV Parks Victoria

RAP Rabbit Action Plan

RCIP Regional Catchment Investment Plan

RCS Regional Catchment Strategy

RCT Resource Condition Target

RFA Regional Forest Agreement

SDL Sustainable Diversion Limit

SEPP State Environment Protection Policy

SMFP Stream Flow Management Plan

SMP Salinity Mangement Plan

VPO Vegetation Protection Overlay

VROTS Victorian Rare or Threatened Species

VFF Victorian Farmers’ Federation

WAP Weed Action Plan

WMW Wimmera Mallee Water


Terms

Aquifer An underground layer of soil, rock or gravel able to hold and transmit water.

Bulk Water Entitlements Issued to rural and urban water authorities, and in some cases for theenvironment. A bulk water entitlement defines the volume of water that anauthority may take from a river or storage, the rate at which it may be taken andthe reliability of the entitlement.

Bush Tender A program which enables landholders to receive payment in return for providingmanagement services that improve the quality and extent of their nativevegetation. The tender process allows landholders to establish their own price forthe native vegetation management services they offer.

Carbon sequestration Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via the uptake and storage ofcarbon. Planting vegetation is one way of biologically removing carbon dioxide.Alternatively, carbon dioxide released from industry could be collected andpumped into geological formations including oil and gas reservoirs, unmineablecoal seams, and into and below the sea.

Community engagement To consult the community, increase awareness and promote the involvement ofcommunity members in a particular event, activity or project.

Discharge area An area where groundwater reaches the soil surface.

EC Units Electrical conductivity is the most widely used method of measuring the salinity ofwater. EC is not a direct measure of salinity, but a measure of the ability of waterto carry an electrical current. The EC increases as the presence of salt increases.

Ecological Vegetation Class The vegetation classification system of choice in Victoria. An EVC comprises oneor several vegetation communities based on landscape, structural, floristic andecological features.

Effluent stream A creek that leaves a watercourse and does not return to it (the opposite of atributary). Tthis term has nothing to do with pollution.

End of Valley Target A target for the quality and quantity of water at the point where a river leaves acatchment.

Groundwater Water beneath the surface held in or moving through saturated layers of soil,sediment or rock.

Palaeozoic A geological era that extended from approximately 570 million years ago to 225million years ago. The Palaeozoic era contained the Cambrian, Ordovician,Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods.

Peri-urban Districts on the outside edge or perimeter of urban areas.

Recharge Areas Areas of the landscape where, due to free draining soils and rocks that are highlyfractured, rainfall can infiltrate into the deeper zones and ultimately enter thegroundwater system.

Social capacity An individual or group's ability to learn, understand and act in relation tomaintaining or enhancing social, environmental and economic well being.

Sodosols Sodosols have a sodic subsoil and strong texture contrast between A and Bhorizons. Widespread throughout the North Central region they frequently occuron the older alluvial plains in the north and on sedimentary hills and rises.

Sodic soils Soils containing so much exchangeable sodium that plant growth and soil stabilityare adversely affected.

Tenosols Tenosols are shallow, weakly developed soils with little profile development otherthan accumulation of surface humus. They generally have low water holdingcapacity and fertility. In the North Central region they are most commonlyassociated with steep hills on sedimentary rock.

Triple bottom line A term used for measuring and reporting business performance againsteconomic, social and environmental parameters.

Glossary



Note No. Endnote

1 MacKay & Eastburn 1992, The Murray, Murray Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.

2 North Central Catchment Management Authority 2003, North Central Catchment Condition Report, North CentralCatchment Management Authority, Huntly.

3 CSIRO 2001, Natural assets: An inventory of ecosystem Goods and Services in the Goulburn Broken Catchment,CSIRO, Canberra.

4 North Central Catchment Management Authority 2003, Regional Response to Climate Change – Revegetation ActionPlan, North Central Catchment Management Authority, Huntly.

5 Maunsell Australia Ltd. 2002, Catchment Management Issues, Municipal Association of Victoria, Melbourne.

6 Victorian Catchment Management Council 2003, Protocols, Principles and Strategies Agreement for IndigenousInvolvement in Land and Water Management, State of Victoria, Melbourne.

7 Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997 and 2001, Australian Bureau of Statistics Census (adapted by Neil Clark &Associates) Canberra, as reported in the North Central Catchment Condition Report 2003.

8 TBA Planners and Neil Clark & Associates 1998, North Central Catchment Profile, North Central CatchmentManagement Authority, Huntly.

9 National Land and Water Resources Audit 2001, Australian dryland salinity assessment 2000, National Land and WaterResources Audit, Canberra.

10 Smith, N 1992, Recent hydrological changes in the Avoca River catchment, Department of Conservation and NaturalResources, Water Division.

11 Victorian Catchment Management Council 2002, The health of our catchments. A Victorian report card 2002 – TheVictorian Catchment Management Council 5 year report, Victorian Catchment Management Council, Melbourne.

12 Slattery, B & Hollier, C 2002, The impact of acid soils in Victoria, The State of Victoria, Department of Natural Resourcesand Environment, Rutherglen Research Institute.

13 Department of Natural Resources and Environment 2001, North Central Region Weed Action Plan 2001 – 2005, TheState of Victoria, Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

14 Wilson, S M 2001, Dryland salinity – What are the impacts and costs to non-agricultural stakeholders (North Centralregion), Report to the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and the National Dryland Salinity Program, Canberra.

15 Goulburn-Murray Water 1997, Irrigated Farm Census, Goulburn-Murray Water, Tatura.

16 Lewis, D 2002, The Value of Water, The State of Victoria, Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

17 Department of Natural Resources and Environment 1998, Cereal, cattle and sheep property values, The State ofVictoria, Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

18 Department of Sustainability and Environment 2003, Victoria’s 2001 – 2002 Report to the Murray Darling Basin SalinityManagement Strategy, State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment.

19 Department of Natural Resources and Environment 1997, Victoria's Biodiversity: Directions in Management, The State ofVictoria, Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

20 Department of Natural Resources and Environment 2002, Healthy Rivers, healthy communities & regional growth –Victorian River Health Strategy, The State of Victoria, Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

21 Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council 2002, The Living Murray – A discussion paper on restoring the health the RiverMurray, Murray Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.

22 Fleming N, Young D & Abernethy B 2002, Integrating our management of natural resources. Combining benefits and risksin planning and prioritising investments, Sinclair Knight Merz.

Endnotes


Values and Principles

The North Central Partnership will manage its business in a highly professional and ethical manner. The valuesand principles of the North Central Partnership require a particular behaviour that will cement relationshipsbetween partners and the wider community, and will underlie all decisions, actions and relationships entered into.These values will be promoted so that all people and organisations that the North Central Partnership has dealingswith know what to expect.

Our Values

We agree to work together, and ensure that our behaviourreflects the following values:

Courage

We will take a visionary approach, provide leadership and beprepared to make difficult decisions.

Inclusiveness

We will build relationships based on trust and sharing,considering the needs of future generations, and workingtogether in a true partnership.

We will engage all partners, including Indigenouscommunities.

Commitment

We will act with passion and decisiveness, taking the long-term view and aiming for stability in decision-making.

We will take a regional perspective and a non-partisanapproach to regional management.

Respect and Honesty

We will respect different views, respect each other andacknowledge the reality of each other’s situation.

We will act with integrity, openness and honesty, be fair andcredible, and share knowledge and information.

We will use resources equitably and respect the environment.

Flexibility

We will accept reform where it is needed, be willing to change,and continuously improve our actions through a learningapproach.

Practicability

We will choose practicable, long-term outcomes and selectviable solutions to achieve these outcomes.

Mutual obligation

We will share responsibility and accountability, and actresponsibly, with fairness and justice.

We will support each other through necessary change.

Our Principles

We agree, in a spirit of partnership, to use the followingprinciples to guide our actions:

Integration

We will manage catchments holistically; that is, decisions onthe use of land, water and other environmental resources aremade by considering the effect of that use on all thoseresources and on all people within the catchment.

Accountability

We will assign clear responsibilities and accountabilities.

We will manage resources wisely, being accountable andreporting to our partners.

Communication

We will keep communities informed of our programs, activitiesand outcomes.

We will engage communities to encourage understanding of,support for and ownership of our strategies and plans.

We will communicate to the community a clear process fortheir involvement in decision-making.

We will establish a respectful and flexible process for genuineinvolvement of Indigenous people in decision-making, supportand understand the value of this involvement.

Transparency

We will clarify the outcomes sought.

We will be transparent about how to achieve outcomes andwhat is expected from each partner.

Effectiveness

We will act to achieve agreed outcomes.

We will learn from our successes and failures andcontinuously improve our actions.

Efficiency

We will work in partnership to ensure the most efficient use ofresources, both internal (i.e. financial and human resources)and external (environmental, social and economic).

Full accounting

We will take account of the full range of costs and benefits,including economics, environmental, social and off-site costsand benefits.

Informed decision-making

We will make decisions at the most appropriate scale.

We will make decisions on the best available information, andcontinuously improve knowledge.

Learning approach

We will learn from our failures and successes.

We will learn from each other.

North Central Catchment Management Authority

PO Box 18

(628-634 Midland Highway)

Huntly Victoria 3551

t: (03) 5448 7124

f: (03) 5448 7148

e: [email protected]

www.nccma.vic.gov.au

committed to catchment health - north central catchment management - water catchment ... ·...

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