Sustainable Farm Practices – Bellinger River and Nambucca River Floodplains, NSW
The Sustainable Farm Practices Program is a Caring For Our Country project that addresses issues causing significant threat to natural resources and their values, agricultural and farm productivity as well as economic industries of the lower Bellinger and Nambucca catchment. The project focuses on landholder engagement in sustainable farm management. On-ground activities include fencing to control stock access to wetland areas; revegetation and control of emerging weeds; installing infrastructure including off-stream watering points and upgrading stock crossings; and, development of property management plans and actions.
This project is the second phase of an on-going WetlandCare Australia program focused on improving the management of natural resources across the lower Bellinger and Nambucca catchments. The program aims to engage the broad stakeholders involved in floodplain management and seek a common direction for best practice management of floodplains into the future.
The project encompasses a wide spectrum of natural resource management issues including;
- Wetlands, why are they important?
- Managing drainage and acid sulfate soils;
- Implementing sustainable floodplain grazing;
- Restoring riparian health;
- Improving fish passage and habitat;
- Tackling weeds.
Information packages on these issues including a sustainable floodplain management booklet, fact sheets and posters are now available for interested landholders. Floodplain landholders in the Nambucca and Bellinger Catchments who are interested in being involved in the program are encouraged to contact WetlandCare Australia.
For further information, please contact:
Kirralee Donovan - WetlandCare Australia (Coffs Harbour)
kirraleedonovan@wetlandcare.com.au or phone (02) 6652 5589.
This project is supported by WetlandCare Australia, through funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country.
PHOTO: Engaging with floodplain landholders is the key to this Sustainable Farm Practices project (Kirralee Donovan, WetlandCare Australia)
PHOTO: This stock laneway upgrade (before and after) is an example of the work to improve sustainable farm practices under this project. The laneway upgrade has reduced erosion and pugging from frequent stock crossings and has greatly improved the water quality of the creek (Kirralee Donovan, WetlandCare Australia).