81 BURDEKIN DRY TROPICS NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2016-2026
APPENDIX A
NRM REGIONAL PLANNING The purpose of the plan
The scope of natural resource planning
Natural resources are the building blocks on which societies are created. They include everything that is not made, grown or bred by people. Some classify these resources as natural assets such as soils, water, air, minerals, nutrients, animals, plants, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Others prefer to think in terms of landscape features such as plains, mountains, rivers, wetlands, reefs, coastlines and oceans. All these terms describe our region’ s natural resources, which we depend on for our health, wealth and wellbeing. Indigenous leaders integrate all this in their use of the word‘ country’.
Our region is experiencing changes in climate, industry, technology, community and land use. If we fail to protect and maintain our resource base we will lose the foundations on which we can continue to build our regional community and economy. Natural resource management( NRM) is about recognising that we need to sustainably access some of these resources, while protecting others. It is critical that our activities today do not limit opportunities for future generations.
This plan’ s scope
The people who live and work in our region and whose health, wealth and wellbeing depend on its natural resources, own this plan. There are many organisations, landholders, industries and others in our community who manage, research and invest in our region’ s natural resources. This plan sets out the strategic direction for how we will work together, combining our knowledge and experience to protect and sustainably use our natural resources over the next 10 years. The plan identifies our natural assets, as well as how to manage threats and capitalise on opportunities to ensure they will be around for future generations. Good decisions will enhance and protect natural resources, stimulate renewable natural resource production and make use of non-renewable resources, without compromising the socio-ecological system. The traditional custodians of land and sea ask us all to follow their lead to‘ care for
Country so that Country can care for us’.
Planning context and linkages
This community plan outlines the highlevel strategies that will help natural resource managers and users to make robust decisions, coordinate our combined regional NRM efforts and direct regional investment. This is an umbrella plan which links with a myriad of statutory and non-statutory plans and policies with differing scope, scale and intents to achieve and deliver common goals and objectives for our region.
It considers international and national agreements, Australian and Queensland government legislation, programmes, strategies and plans. Of particular relevance to our region are the GBR World Heritage Area plans and strategies. The plan will establish priorities that will guide future regional action plans, such as an update of the Regional Pest Management Strategy. Conversely, the priorities outlined in existing action plans have guided this plan’ s development. The diagram opposite illustrates some of the key linkages that potentially overlap in area or topics with this plan.
Why we are updating the 2005 plan
The original Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM plan( 2005 plan) was prepared primarily as a blueprint to guide expenditure for the Australian Government’ s initial National Heritage Trust funding programme. By 2013, the NRM funding model had changed significantly and some of the resource and community issues and actions had been progressed or changed. Many lessons have been learned and achievements made. Since 2005, increased regional developments, pressures associated with the global resource market and pollution have posed new challenges for effective NRM delivery.
In 2013, the Australian Government announced funding to address climate change risks and determine appropriate regional responses. One identified priority was to update NRM plans across Australia, to incorporate climate knowledge and provide practical landscape-based climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.