ACT National Resource Management Council

Project Profile

Issues

A feature of the ACT National Resource Management Council’s role is its support for the local NRM community, hosting secretariat support for the ACT and Region Catchment and Landcare Association (CLA).  This group is the peak body for Landcare in the ACT region and provides a valuable forum for consultation and collaboration.  The Council is now working with the community to review the ways in which community NRM organisations work together so that stronger partnerships can be developed to address future challenges.

Project Detail

ACT National Resource Management Council has been nominated for a National Landcare Award for its work building strong partnerships with the Landcare community in the ACT and surrounding region.

The Council has developed and refined the draft ACT Natural Resource Management Plan Bush Capital Legacy: iconic city, iconic natural assets. The Council’s draft plan has attracted widespread attention in the ACT community and even before its release it was influencing natural resource management programs in the Territory.

A notable success story for the Council is Seeds for Survival, in which the Council, in partnership with Greening Australia and the Australian National Botanic Gardens, created a regional native seed bank.

The Council’s role is to guide NRM investment in the ACT and support the local NRM community.  As part of its support, it hosts the secretariat for the ACT and Region Catchment and Landcare Association (CLA), the peak body for Landcare in the ACT region and a valuable forum for consultation and collaboration.  The Council is now working with the community to review the ways in which community NRM organisations work together so that stronger partnerships can be developed to address future needs.  The Council also hosts the ACT Landcare website, which has been developed, along with the Council’s own website, using open source software as a community collaboration with the support of Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc.

In all its work, the Council adopts a collaborative, constructive approach and team members are keen to explore opportunities for engaging new audiences in natural resource management and Landcare. A successful example was the round of breakfast meetings with key stakeholders in ACT business, government, education, research and community to discuss opportunities for collaboration in implementing the targets in the ACT NRM plan.

The ACT National Resource Management Council’s Regional Investment Strategy includes a significant component of support for the operation of community catchment groups, Waterwatch, catchment coordination and community based natural resource management activities. Training and capacity building are priorities for the Council.

The Council’s increasing role in advising on NRM investment generally was recently recognised by the ACT Government when the Council was given the role of assessing and recommending to the Government the allocation of ACT Environment Funds.

The ACT National Resource Management Council is one of 88 finalists in the National Landcare Awards to be announced in Canberra on 24 June 2010.  Commencing in 1991, the Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and groups that make a valuable contribution to the land and coast where they live and work.

Photography

Canberra