27 BURDEKIN DRY TROPICS NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2016-2026
PEOPLE CONNECTIONS
Ongoing support and recognition is critical to farmers and graziers who have invested funds and effort into sustainable farming practices, as they recognise that it makes economic sense as well as protects our natural resources. They are doing good quality work, including undertaking land and water management practices to reduce erosion and improve water quality in the catchments, value adding to waste products, carrying out weed and pest control, and protecting natural areas.
social and ecological systems( such as cattle producers and rangelands that are mutually dependent on each other) to cope and adapt to change”. The research identified that most cattle producers are highly vulnerable to climate change, with only 16 per cent of producers considered to have higher levels of resilience to change. They tend to be younger, well networked, technology users, who manage larger businesses and feel a high level
of responsibility for the future productivity of their land( Marshall, et al., 2015).
Social media could help to promote communication between landholders and their communities. While communications technology has advanced, landholders and communities in our region’ s remote areas continue to have difficulty participating in the national and global economy due to a lack of digital capacity. Indeed, significant areas of our region continue to have only rudimentary dial up services.
Rural to urban migration continues to occur, with already isolated rural communities experiencing declining populations and increasing average ages. This trend is attributed to the lack of rural youth employment opportunities and timely succession planning( Bandaranaike, 2005). From a young age people within the rural community learn and develop experience and understanding of natural resource values and management. Maintaining this human resource and ensuring the intergenerational passing of knowledge is a significant challenge for future management of the majority of our region.
To face these challenges, individuals, family enterprises and communities in remote and rural parts of our region need support to build their resilience and capacity to adapt. Professor Helen Ross, from the University of Queensland’ s School of Agriculture and Food
Sciences, identified six key factors that help communities to be resilient( The University of Queensland, 2015):
• people-place connections;
• knowledge, skills and learning;
• community networks;
• engaged governance;
• a diverse and innovative economy; and
• community infrastructure.
The research identified that NRM groups were“ well positioned to help communities thrive alongside improving their environments, and to also improve their capacities to deal with and adapt to major changes such as industry deregulations, economic downturns and natural disasters”.
Industry associations play an important role in providing industry information, training and education programmes and lobbying to influence government policy. Some of these industry associations representing the interest of farmers in the Burdekin region include:
• AgForce Queensland;
• Bowen Gumlu Growers Association;
• Burdekin Productivity Services;
• Burdekin water supply & irrigation groups;
• Canegrower groups, including
CANEGROWERS Burdekin Ltd;
• Growcom;
• Meat and Livestock Australia; and
• Queensland Farmers Federation.
NRM policies that affect rural land managers must be flexible and realistic to account for varying conditions and take a long-term strategic approach. The delivery of NRM policy, information and training, needs to:
• be enduring;
• engage a large proportion of the community;
• consider socio-economic circumstances;
• account for extreme weather events( eg. water security); and
• identify that improved resource condition leads to better financial performance and farm profitability.
It is possible to sustain the land by increasing people’ s confidence and capacity to adapt( Stokes, et al., 2010). If land managers have the capacity to adopt sustainable practices, pursue innovation