August 2010
Update from the Chair

Hello All

The NRMB has just released the draft integrated natural resource management plan. We are asking you to contribute to the future of natural resource management over the next couple of months by telling us your views on the draft. It is a review of the INRM plan that you may have contributed to 5 years ago, and helps us define the issues and priorities for the next 5 years.
This time we are also going to work with you to complete 4 sub-regional action plans. These action plans will help us capture your knowledge and solutions at a more local level, and will help us all make the Territory-wide targets a reality.
I believe integrated NRM plans are a crucial part of how we all do our business in natural resource management. The Territory’s plan can:

• Draw together information and knowledge from a wide range of people and organisations (local, regional and national) to best determine our NRM priorities and actions;
• Encourage and guide future actions and investments undertaken by all the very different organisations, communities and governments involved in NRM in the Territory;
• Identify opportunities for new partnerships and encourage a wider range of investors;
• Link our NRM work across the whole landscape to ensure it is not ad hoc, wasted or only short-term;
• Inform future NRM policies of the Northern Territory Government;
• Inform the NRM programs and priorities of the Australian Government (currently its Caring for our Country program);
• Help set the agenda for future proposals for NRMB NT’s regional funding allocation from the Australian Government; and
• Help direct investments through the NT NRM Community Grants and other NRMBNT programs.

Ideally a plan inspires us and others, and is a compass to guide our journey. Please take the time to help us in setting the direction of NRM in the Territory.

Kate Andrews
Chair, NRMB NT

July 2010
Update from the Chair

Hello All

On behalf of the Board members I am very pleased to announce that Karen May has been appointed as Executive Officer of the NRMB NT.

Karen has done a fantastic job as acting EO, and before that as program manager and regional facilitator for the NRMB. Karen has worked in the Territory for 17 years, originally with the Parks and Wildlife Service in a wide range of locations across the NT. She has won the respect of diverse stakeholders, government partners and the Board. As acting EO Karen has hit the ground running, bringing new ideas and tackling a range of challenges.

The Board looks forward to a period of stability and continuity after a time of change and uncertainty. We are looking forward to working with Karen to support the team, to continue to improve our internal systems and governance, and to build community engagement across the NT for natural resource management.

Regards

Kate Andrews
Chair, NRMB NT

June 2010
Update from the Chair

Hello All,

Last network notes I mentioned the budget announcement of investment in a National Plan for Environment Information. This issue has been raised regularly by regional bodies across Australia. At the last national chairs’ forum and NRM conference in Darwin there was again unanimity in calling for a national natural resource condition monitoring system along with a national set of environmental accounts. The two are related but different things. Environmental accounts need to be able to aggregate and compare data and information from across Australia.

Why is this so important? For priority setting; improving the effectiveness of our investments and interventions; improving accountability to funders and communities, and being able to make our case for investment (and to the Australian National Audit Office); and to understand trends and identify emerging issues.

In the recent budget the National Plan for Environmental Information (NPEI) was announced, with $18 million allocated over four years. Although it is not much money, and the scope of the NPEI is limited there are some positive aspects. It would be established in legislation and the Bureau of Meteorology
would have an ongoing mandate. This is a crucial point as the lack of such legislation has contributed to the failure or discontinuation of previous attempts. Being housed with an enduring organisation that
handles spatial data, and community collected data, is also a plus. Although a set of environmental accounts is not expected in the first four years the plan would work towards establishing a framework for them.

Some of my concerns for, and possible threats to, the success of the NPEI include:
‘My patch’ problem - not being able to muster all jurisdictions and relevant departments and scientists to establish a coordinated approach;
‘Indicator’ rabbit hole - falling into the ‘indicator’ rabbit hole where the possible indicators (such as for water quality or soil health) breed to numbers beyond our control and capacity to use;
‘So what?’ - not defining the ‘so what?’ question for determining what needs to be collected and how it
needs to be analysed. We need to ensure that the information is also useful for land managers and NRM decision-makers. And what is intended as the scope of “Environmental information”?
‘Sticking with it’ – we need to be able to ensure a long-term commitment. Such fundamentals can lose their novelty and innovative appeal over time (particularly when governments change), and on-going funding as opposed to one-off program funding is less attractive to governments. So we need to ensure that a national system does not become less sexy with age and familiarity.

Below is a summary from the Australian Government site about the NPEI:
“The plan will coordinate and prioritise the way the Australian Government collects,
manages and uses environmental information. It represents a long-term approach to
building and improving our environmental information base. In the first four years, the
initiative will:
- establish the Bureau of Meteorology as the Australian Government authority for
environmental information
- formalise arrangements to coordinate priorities and activities across government
- review existing information resources, and environmental information activity
begin building priority national environmental datasets and the infrastructure to
deliver them.”
For further information see http://www.environment.gov.au/npei/index.html

The Wentworth group have been proposing a process for environmental accounts for Australia which
regional bodies are interested in trialling in a number of places as a starting point to developing a system. These discussions are continuing as such trials would still be able to inform the work of the NPEI and perhaps speed up the process.

Regards,
Kate Andrews

May 2010

Update from the Chair

Hello All

Firstly a quick take on the budget based on a briefing by the heads of the Australian Government Land and Coasts team and a reading of the Portfolio Budget Statements. Caring for our Country has received a 4.8% cut across 4 years, a total of $81 million. This is a cut to future growth. In other words we don’t go below last year’s allocation - it increases slightly but not as much as originally planned. So last year (9/10) the total for CFOC was $408 million. In 10/11 it will be $423 million which includes a cut of $10mill. (Of course the pool of unallocated funding is decreasing as longer term projects are drawing from funds of latter years).

With the change from NHT to CFOC the program became an ongoing program. We see that reflected in the budget with the out years taking us past the existing time span of the program (we see an out year for 2013/14 as well).

Landcare, funded as a component of CFOC, takes a cut of 6.7% or $10.8 million over 4 years. I was advised that this will come from program and departmental cuts - there will be no redundancies and no reductions in the number of Landcare facilitators. It is good to see that Working on Country receives on-going commitment.

There has been an announcement from Minister Garrett on the establishment of a National Plan for Environment Information that will be based with the Bureau of Meteorology and managed with DEWHA. It will have a legislative basis and long-term funding which is excellent news.
(See factsheet at http://www.environment.gov.au/npei/pubs/npei-factsheet.pdf ).

This is only the first step. We will need to work with the departments to ensure that this work provides more than just data. We need a system that can track landscape health, and inform management and investment decisions.

We still see no commitment in the budget to research and development in natural resource management, though there is some allocation to environmental research. This is going to become more and more of a problem over time.

Underlying all of this is the clear fact that as a country we are still drastically under-investing in managing our natural resources and environment.

Finally a big thanks to everyone who helped make the national NRM conference a success, whether through helping with the fieldtrips, presenting to the conference, or showing off the best of the north at the Knowledge Fair and Showcase. We got great feedback in the evaluation forms and lots of personal comments about how interesting it was to learn more about the north. Thanks for contributing to that!

Kate Andrews

April 2010

Update from the Chair

Hello All,

Congratulations to the successful applicants of the NRMB’s Community Grants program. It was great to see applications coming from right across the Territory and from such a wide range of organisations. Funds will be going to groups in the Top End, the Centre, The Gulf and the Barkley. They will be targeting the likes of weeds, water quality, and soil erosion. The Natural Resource Management Board believes it is crucial that financial support reaches community groups and organisations doing work on the ground, and the Community Grants Program is a significant way to achieve this. The Program is funded through the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country Program.

As I’ve discussed previously the National NRM Knowledge Conference, “Connecting across people and place”, is on next week. There is still an opportunity to come along and learn about natural resource management across Australia. For further information go to the conference website http://www.agentur.com.au/NRM/N_R_M/home.html

I would also like to farewell Ross Belcher and thank him for all of his hard work as our Executive Officer. Ross has overseen significant organisational planning and recruitment processes while EO. The Board members and team wish Ross all the best for the future.

Regards
Kate Andrews

Februrary 2010

Update from the Chair

Hello All,

In April this year the Natural Resource Management (NRM) Board of the NT is hosting, on behalf of the National NRM Chairs’ Working Group, the National NRM Knowledge Conference and Chair’s Forum. Darwin based company Agentur are organising the conference.

The National NRM Knowledge Conference, “Connecting across people and place”, will be held 20 to 21 April at the Holiday Inn Esplanade, Darwin with fieldtrips on Monday 19th. The conference is for people with a direct interest in natural resource management including those from Australia’s 56 regional NRM bodies, community and non-government organisations, and State and Australian Government officers.

The Conference will explore how we connect across people and place – through community engagement, partnerships, making NRM good business, and measuring progress – in the context of climate change, managing land use, cultural heritage, and improving biodiversity off-reserve. It is an opportunity to share and learn from our achievements and experiences. The conference will not just be talking heads. There will be case-studies and workshops to allow more targeted and interactive knowledge sharing.

There are many opportunities to be involved in the conference and to share the work or research your organisation has been doing.

A “Knowledge Fair” provides the opportunity for NRM participants from across Australia to share their work through stalls and exhibits. With 2010 being the International Year of Biodiversity we will be focusing particularly on biodiversity related work.

The “Northern Showcase” provides an opportunity for people to exhibit and sell food and arts and crafts from across the NT and northern Australia. The Showcase will share a broader understanding of how we connect with country, and highlight some of the alternative economic opportunities available.

The conference website is: http://www.agentur.com.au/NRM/N_R_M/home.html
Please pass this information on to your networks and encourage people to visit the site.  We encourage you to register to present stalls or displays at the Knowledge Fair or Northern Showcase, or just to participate in the conference!

This is a great opportunity to show the rest of Australia the work of the natural resource management community in the Northern Territory and across the north.

And finally a reminder to everyone that the open call for the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country Program closes on Thursday the 15th of April. If you are interested and require some help please contact the NRMB’s regional facilitators.

Kate Andrews

January 2010

Update from the Chair

Hello All,

Welcome to the New Year everyone.

I am looking forward to all that we can achieve in the year ahead. Last year was significant for us with the new Australian Government program, changing expectations about the role of regional bodies, and a new Executive Officer. Over 2009, however, we built a good foundation for the coming year.

In 2010 the NRMB will be:
• Working with and supporting you all to achieve even more on-ground;
• Seeking increased Government funding for natural resource management in the Territory;
• Diversifying funding sources through partnerships with industry, philanthropic groups and the like;
• Sharing the achievements and lessons from previous projects (funded through the Regional Investment Strategies); and
• Improving the structure and business of the NRMB to establish greater participation, accountability and relevance for the entire territory.

Here's to us all achieving even more for natural resource management in the NT this year.

Regards

Kate

December 2009

Update from the Executive Officer

Hello All,

We’re excited to announce the NRM Board’s Community (Local and Landscape) Grants Program kicks off today.  Inside the latest issue of Network Notes you’ll find more information on program details and where to go for assistance.   

The NRM Board is also excited to announce that on November 26th 2009 Ministerial approval was given by the Australian Government to extend the NRMB (NT) Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Program to December 2010.  This is a great opportunity for us to complete delivery of the program for its third and final year.  While there is no new funding for the program attached to the extension, there is now adequate time to support IEK activities with all remaining funds in the program budget. 

We would like to acknowledge and thank all Indigenous Knowledge Holders, project and program participants and our major program partners CLC & NAILSMA for engaging, being involved and supporting the program.  It is a unique program aimed at increasing understanding and value of Indigenous Knowledge in mainstream NRM and associated sectors.  The program includes many exciting projects providing strong on-ground outcomes for both Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians who are caring for country.   We would like to extend our thanks to the Australian and Northern Territory Governments for their on-going support of this important initiative.

Recently, NRM Board members and staff attended a Strategic Planning workshop to further develop our vision, mission, objectives and actions.  The workshop gave us the opportunity to focus on the effective management of our natural resources into the future.  An immediate development from that workshop is the advertising of both Communications and MERI positions within the Board (see Positions Vacant on this site).  More soon…    

Regards
Ross Belcher
Executive Officer

November 2009

Update from the Chair

A Senate Inquiry into Natural Resource Management and Conservation Challenges is currently underway. Originally due to report last year the inquiry has been extended and is looking into the implications of changes under the Caring for Our Country program.

I will be presenting to the Inquiry (by phone) and tabling some information, including the letter and feedback the NRMB NT sent to the Australian Government. Unfortunately the deadline for written submissions was August last year.

The Inquiry provides the opportunity to discuss long-term issues regarding natural resource management rather than just the short-term responses to program changes and implementation. It is positive to see the Inquiry asking what has and hasn’t worked over the last 30 years, and what is required in the future to manage Australia’s natural resources. It is crucial that we learn from the past, and understand what we need for the future, to ensure that we are not all wasting time, dollars and effort responding to changing programs or having to reinvent the wheel. Perhaps the report and recommendations from the Senate Inquiry will help us achieve that.

Regards,
Kate

September 2009

Update from the Chair

Firstly I would like to congratulate the winners of the NT Landcare
awards. Information about the winners is available on page 5. The
NT Landcare awards provide a great opportunity to celebrate the
work and success of Landcare groups in the NT, and to share our
stories nationally.

I’d also like to thank everyone who participated in the NT Landcare
forum on the day of the awards. Hearing presentations from groups right across the NT highlighted some of the unique aspects of Landcare in northern and rangelands Australia. The successful ways in which groups dealt with factors such as the wet season, remoteness, lack of facilities etc is probably something we take for
granted here in the NT but must continue to communicate with Governments and funding bodies. I learnt a great deal at the forum
and hope that the NRMB can continue with such events.

A lot of work went on behind the scenes to organise the awards and the NT Government Department NRETAS should be congratulated on their efforts. I’d also like to thank everyone who participated in the NT Landcare forum on the day of the awards. Hearing presentations from groups right across the NT highlighted some of the unique aspects of Landcare in northern and rangelands Australia. The successful ways in which groups dealt with factors such as the wet season, remoteness, lack of facilities etc is probably something we take for granted here in the NT but must continue to communicate with Governments and funding bodies. I learnt a great deal at the forum and hope that the NRMB can continue with such events.

Next week sees the new Executive Officer of the NRMB take up his
position. Having worked in the NT for many years up until about 9
years ago, Ross Belcher has a good understanding of the environment, industries and people of the NT.

In 1999 Ross was Station Leader at Australia’s Mawson research station on the Antarctic coast. Research programs at the station included monitoring of global warming and climate change as well as other atmospheric, biological, and geological studies. In 2001 Ross moved to South Australia as Manager of the Great Australian Bight Marine Park. Prior to this he worked for 20 years with the Parks and Wildlife Commission in the Northern Territory. Ross moved to Port Lincoln in 2002 to take up the position of Regional Conservator West (regional manager) for the Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH), managing parks and wildlife issues. A significant part of his work involved working with the community in the management of natural resources in the region, in particular as a member of the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board, the Maralinga Unnamed Conservation Park Board and the Tourism Eyre Peninsula Marketing Committee.

Regards,
Kate

21 August 2009

Update from the Chair

Hello All,
There has been a lot of frustration across the NT and Australia regarding theCaring for our Country program round. Recently the Australian Government held a stakeholders forum in Canberra to hear peoples’ concerns. About 70 people attended from a wide range of NGOs, regional bodies and jurisdictions. I attended on behalf of the NRM Board and the National Working Group of regional body chairs.

A representative from the Australian Government began with a presentation of the feedback they have received so far from a number of sources - the web survey (for which they received about 300 responses), the target meetings, letters, calls etc. It was a comprehensive and blunt list which included – the huge oversubscription to the program, the enormous transaction costs, the resulting disappointment, the lack of support from C4C for community and NGOs, and so on. We added to the already extensive list over the course of the day and discussed how the program could be improved. It was positive to see that the messages were getting across and that there was a genuine desire to improve the situation. A key point, however, is how the Australian Government are going to respond to the feedback and adapt the program.

At a national level regional bodies are putting together suggestions for improvements to Caring for Our Country in the short term (to hopefully be incorporated into the next business plan shortly), and in the longer term to look at what best supports natural resource management across Australia. The NRM Board is also putting together a response addressing issues from the NT and northern perspective. If you would like to contribute please e-mail your comments to your regional facilitator or the Board at feedback@nrmbnt.org.au.

This situation also emphasises the importance of establishing a wider range of sources for resourcing NRM in the NT. A key objective of the NRM Board over the next few years.

Regards,
Kate

12 June 2009

Update from the Chair

Dear all

As Chair of the NRM Board I was invited along to the 2009 Indigenous Land and Sea Management Ranger conference, held last week at Wilam Camp Ground at Waminari Bay in Western Arnhem Land. The Namunidjbuk traditional Aboriginal land owners were supported by the Northern Land Council and Mardbalk and Garngi Rangers in hosting the event.

The conference provided a forum for rangers to come together and discuss issues, share experiences, learn new skills and showcase their successes. I was privileged to have the opportunity to attend, listen and learn, and to enjoy camping in such a beautiful place. I was intrigued by the examples of first contact rock art we visited with the traditional owners.

It  was impressive to see the diversity of work that the rangers are undertaking, from coastal surveillance for illegal fishing and ghost nets, through participation in research, to weed and feral management, including biocontrol. The growing fire management work is an example of how traditional knowledge is coming together with technology (such as choppers and incendiary devices) to manage country for cultural and environmental outcomes, along with greenhouse gas emission reduction.

The number of ranger groups, women and men, is growing, as is the amount of country that they are covering.  More jobs are being created and further services are being provided to the Australian and Northern Territory Governments. Hearing directly from rangers about the work they are doing on country was inspiring, and emphasised to me the importance of the NRM Board supporting, in what ways it can, the work of Indigenous rangers across the NT.”

Regards
Kate

P.S.

The online survey seeking feedback on the Caring for our Country business plan, the targets and the application process is now live on the web site and can be accessed from: http://www.nrm.gov.au/index.html.

I would like to encourage everyone to take some time to respond to the survey to ensure that there is the opportunity for the Australian Government to adapt CFOC in response to our specific regional characteristics, experiences and needs.

15 May 2009:

 

Update from the Chair

“Dear all

The NRMB has been working closely with the Australian Government over the last few weeks to finalise the regional allocation bid and ensure that it meets the requirements of the Caring for Our Country business plan and targets, while recognising the priorities of the NT.

We have also been wrapping up the Regional Investment Strategies and I would like to thank everyone for getting their final reports in. We do also require financial acquittals for those funded projects and I’d like to urge organisations to get those in to us so that we can finalise our own contractual obligations to the NT Government and Australian Government.

It has been a hard year so far for the NRMB team who have been working long hours and under stressful conditions to achieve the above. We are nearly there and I’d like to thank them for their efforts.

We held a Board meeting in Katherine last week and heard from some of the local groups. I really enjoyed being able to learn more from them and appreciated the effort people made to join us in Katherine. I’m looking forward to getting out more with the Board members and hearing more directly from all of you.

Regards
Kate Andrews
Chair NRMB NT”

 

 

07 November 2008:

Media release in relation to the appointment of new Chair and Director on Natural Resource Management Board.

Read more in media release

07 November 2008:

There have recently been some significant changes to the
composition of the Board of Directors of NRMB (NT). Ian
Munro recently resigned from the Board due to increasing work commitments. Ian has been on the board since its inception in October 2005, and has been a passionate advocate for the Northern Territory environment and remote communities. John Gilmour is also leaving the Board as he is retiring from the Northern Territory Government and is moving back to Queensland. John was also an inaugural director, and has provided very strong support to Board staff both as a very involved and efficient director as well as being the NRETAS delegate for our Human Resources needs. We thank Ian and John for their service to the Board and wish them both well in the future.

Read more in weekly update

17 October 2008:

The NRMB has commissioned a review of its organisational structure, governance arrangements and stakeholder relationships. The review is being conducted by Sinclair, Knight, and Merz. The review team is visiting Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs from 13-17 October, and will talk to a large number of NRM stakeholders and land managers.

This is a good opportunity for the board to take stock of our organisation and strengthen it where necessary to meet the challenges associated with delivering Natural Resource Management in the Northern Territory.

Read more in weekly update

26 September 2008:

There have been changes in the NRMB staff and board. Yesterday was Cathy Mylrea’s last day with the NRMB. Cathy is off to work for the South West Queensland NRM regional body. Cathy played a major role in establishing and managing many strategic projects and consultancies for the NRMB and we wish her well for the future. Ian Munro has resigned as a board director due to work commitments. Ian’s technical and regional perspective insights have been highly valued, and we thank him for his contribution to the board. Expressions of interest for new board positions will be called for this weekend in NT local newspapers.

Many scoping and planning projects commissioned by the NRMB are now fully underway, and some of the recent workshops associated with these projects attracting large numbers of participants. Five asset-level program logic development workshops with key stakeholders were held 25 – 29 August 2008 in Palmerston. More than 60 participants attended at least one of the workshops. A wide range of stakeholders were represented, from industry associations to NGO’s to all levels of government. Draft logics for each asset were circulated to participants and those who were unable to attend, so that extra input or comments could be incorporated. It is hoped that the workshops will help in the formation of strong partnerships among NRM stakeholders, and that the logics developed during these workshops, will contribute to the development of future funding proposals for NRM activities in the territory.

Read more in weekly update

05 September 2008:

NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT BOARD COMMUNIQUE
27th NRM Board Meeting - Tuesday 22 July 2008

The Caring for Our Country program succeeded NHT as the primary Australian Government funding source for NRM as of 1 July 2008.

Much of the discussion at this Board meeting enabled the Directors to be updated on the latest details of the Caring for our Country initiative, also to further discuss the role the NRMB should play into the future to achieve the best NRM outcomes, and gave the Directors the opportunity to approve the activities undertaken by Board staff to develop potential future funding programs.

Read more in weekly update