WetlandCare Australia -Projects Archive
UNC Fencing Initiatives to Promote Private Wetland Rehabilitation
Project Description & Objectives
The primary focus of the project is to promote and direct landholders to the various options for funding and management assistance for aquatic ecosystems on private land that they can access.
In the majority of instances fencing wetland areas to exclude grazing, together with effective weed control will enable aquatic ecosystem restoration to occur naturally. The management plan will enable limited grazing in a controlled environment. This process will ensure a win/win situation results for the landholder and for the environment.
The objectives of this project are to:
- Increase the uptake of funding and management assistance for aquatic habitat, fish passage and biodiversity improvements on the floodplain.
- Restore wetlands and other aquatic habitat including riparian zones on private land through the promotion of funding incentives available for aquatic habitat via the catchment blueprint.
- Raise the level of landholder and community involvement in natural resource management on the Clarence floodplain.
Project Outputs
Up to 10 small scale community based projects to protect, enhance or conserve identified aquatic and marine ecosystems.
The individual Aquatic Ecosystem Management Plans will be negotiated separately with all landowners affected by the plans and other stakeholders including agencies such as NSW Fisheries, Department of Information, Planning & Natural Resources (DIPNR), Clarence River County Council, etc.
In general a stakeholder/ technical Task Team or Steering Committee of the Clarence Floodplain Partnership may approve the sites and endorse the management plans that will be prepared.
The management plans are intended to substantially resolve management issues associated with negative environmental impacts while minimising implementation impacts on property owners and others.
The plans are intended as voluntary but binding agreements identifying management guidelines for landowners and managers, including responsibilities and implementation in return for funds for implementation of the plans.
Current Progress?
This project commenced in October 2003 and will finish in September 2004. Wetland Care Australia has appointed Katrina Williams as Project Officer (P: 02 6681 6169 or E: katrinawilliams@wetlandcare.com.au).
A stakeholders meeting has been conducted whereby possible sites were referred to the Project Officer to conduct preliminary desktop assessment and prioritisation. This has been completed.
Applications for funding have been submitted to Envirofund and are awaiting a decision.
Quarterly progress reports have been distributed to the Steering Committee members detailing the progress made in each quarter.
The Project Officer is drafting management plans for 5 prioritised sites and it is anticipated that these drafts will have distributed for feedback, feedback incorporated and accepted by the landholders in June 2004.
The Project Officer will then work with the landholders to implement the accepted management plans and prepare Case Studies for each site for the period remaining for the project.
Case Studies will be available from the website as they are completed.