Invasive garden plants |
NRM bridges | Social
research handbook | Integrated NRM plan
accredited in NT | Animals under threat in
West | Pest control audit | More information |
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Ornamental water hyacinth — a garden escapee that is now a
major pest in rivers and dams. It destroys native habitats,
increases water loss and is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Photo: Greg Calvert
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JUMPING the Garden Fence: Invasive Garden Plants in
Australia raises concern that many serious environmental and
agricultural weeds continue to be imported into Australia.
Worldwide Fund for Nature Australia commissioned the CSIRO
report that shows the gardening industry is by far the largest
importer of introduced plant species and is the source for 25,360
or 94% of new plant species introduced into Australia.
Authors Dr Richard Groves, Dr Robert Boden and Dr Mark Lonsdale,
reported that invasive garden plant species make up 70% of the 1953
combined agricultural, noxious and natural ecosystem weeds. For
example, rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora), a
significant weed problem in northern Australia, is an escaped
garden plant and has been recorded across 34.6 million hectares, or
20% of Queensland alone.
The report warns that the continuing sale, and thus wide
distribution, of invasive and potentially invasive garden plants in
Australia presents a significant risk to our environment and
agricultural industry. The report makes seven recommendations
to reduce the impact of invasive plants species, of which four
arise from the report.
A NEW report by the Coastal CRC suggests that managing natural
resources in regional areas of Australia could be greatly
improved if more effort went into strengthening
relationships between community,
government and industry groups. Bridges and
Barriers to Collaborative Natural Resource
Management in South East Queensland outlines a range of
constraints to regional natural resource management (NRM) processes
throughout Australia.
The report describes barriers such as ‘turf wars’
between grassroots NRM groups; power and responsibility
inequities between government, the regional body and
grassroots groups; and in some areas, a culture of
‘blame’ caused by unresolved conflict over the
regionalisation process and previous Natural Heritage Trust I
activities. The report provides recommendations or bridges to
improve collaboration including sharing realistic expectations
and to clearly define community and government roles and
responsibilities.
From Coastal CRC newsletter Flotsam and Jetsam, March
2005
Up to 100 researchers and PhD students have produced a handbook
that investigates some of the social aspects of natural resource
management (NRM). Social Innovations in Natural
Resource Management: A handbook of social research in natural
resource management in Queensland , funded through the National
Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP), is a
comprehensive collection of Queensland-based social science
projects revealing various approaches to gaining a better
understanding of society and the environment.
Many of the research projects in Social Innovations seek
to more fully understand the new and evolving relationships and
their implications for action with people involved in NRM including
landholders, local communities, volunteers, catchment groups,
regional bodies and non-government organisations.The handbook also
includes topics that are often overlooked, such as the role of
rural women in NRM.
Go to:
<www.regionalnrm.qld.gov.au/planning/state_wide/nap/se03_handbook.html>
Order a hardcopy: Regional NRM GPO Box 2454, Brisbane QLD
THE Northern Territory’s first Integrated Natural Resource
Management Plan was formally accredited by NT and Commonwealth
ministers in May. This strategic plan addresses priority natural
resource management issues and is essential to being able to
deliver more than $22m in Natural Heritage Trust and National
Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality funding between now and
2007.
Animals under threat in the West
THREATENED Animals of Western Australia, written by eminent
naturalist and scientist Andrew Burbidge, documents the current
state of research into and management of threatened animals in
Western Australia.
At least 185 animal species are threatened in Western Australia
with a further 18 species either extinct or extinct in the wild.
Burbidge discusses the factors that led to their decline and
presents a vision of what needs to be done to secure the future of
these threatened species.
From WA Department of Conservation and Land Management website.
Price: $32.95 208 pp. ISBN: 0 7307 5549 5
Go to the CALM website through the link below and click on
bookshop.
RED foxes, wild dogs, feral cats, feral rabbits, feral pigs, and
feral goats separately and in various combinations are believed to
be responsible for the extinction or decline of a wide range of
native species and for adverse changes in ecological communities in
Australia.
The Department of Environment and Heritage report, Review of
existing Red Fox, Wild Dog, Feral Cat, Feral Rabbit, Feral Pig, and
Feral Goat control in Australia. I. Audit , details an audit of
existing pest animal control activities in Australia.
From Dept. Heritage website, see link
below.
Links
Bridges and barriers to collaborative natural resource management in south-east Queensland
www.ozcoasts.org.au/pdf/CRC/19-Barriers_Bridges.pdf
Jumping the Garden Fence: Invasive Garden Plants in Australia
www.wwf.org.au/publications/jumping_the_garden_fence.pdf
Social Innovations in Natural Resource Management Handbook
www.regionalnrm.qld.gov.au/research_sips/sips/social_economic/pdf/se03_handbook_complete.pdf
Richards, C. and Aitken, L. (2004). Social Innovations in Natural Resource Management: a handbook of social research in natural resource management in Queensland. © Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines.
Case studies in which research projects and how they established environmental and social contexts in order to enhance natural resource management, while providing social, economic and biophysical benefits.
This collection of papers covers the following themes
Understanding communities as a basis for achieving sustainable NRM outcomes Structuring and supporting partnerships in natural resource management Institutional arrangements for regional natural resource management Supporting community and institutional capacity for natural resource management Addressing the social impacts of resource use and change Awareness and action to facilitate social change
WA Department of Environment and Conservation web site
www.dec.wa.gov.au
