Copyright

© ACT Natural Resource Management Council 2009

Disclaimer
This work is copyright. Apart for any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth), no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the ACT Natural Resource Management Council, GPO Box 158, Canberra City ACT 2601.

The ACT Natural Resource Management Council is appointed by the ACT Government to develop and maintain a natural resource management plan for the ACT and oversee funding directed at addressing the targets set out in the plan.

For further information on the ACT natural resource management plan contact:

Mapping: Territory and Municipal Services

Photographs

Front cover and title page: left – near-pristine wilderness, Booroomba Rocks in the Brindabella Range (E Beeton); middle – older established Canberra suburbs (Sarah Ryan); right – recent urban development with smaller block sizes and encroaching on grassy woodlands (Sarah Ryan)

Part 1: Top – Water in an urban landscape – Yerrabi Pond, Gungahlin (Sarah Ryan). Bottom – Grassland plain from Mt Ainslie (Sarah Ryan).

Part 2: Top – Red-anther wallaby grass (Joycea pallida) on slope of Mt Majura (Sarah Ryan). Bottom – Managing stormwater and providing water views – Yerrabi Pond, Gungahlin (Sarah Ryan).

Part 3: Top – Learning about the Molonglo (Sarah Ryan). Bottom – Planning for rural and urban land uses together (Sarah Ryan).

Part 4: Top – Managing stormwater with broad shallow swales. (Sarah Ryan).
Bottom – Bearded dragon on lower slopes of Mt Majura (Sarah Ryan).

Part 5: Top – Urban housing abutting a Canberra Nature Park (Sarah Ryan).
Bottom – Regeneration in the Lower Cotter (Sarah Ryan).

Printing: Printed on Monza Satin. Monza is manufactured from 55% recycled fibre (25% post-consumer waste, 30% preconsumer). The remaining 45% pulp is sourced from Forestry Stewardship Council certified sources, which guarantees all fibre comes from well managed forests and is manufactured by an ISO 14001 certified mill.

October 2009

The N(g)unnawal people

Acknowledgements

The ACT NRM Council has developed this natural resource management plan with the assistance of stakeholders in the ACT and generous technical input from a large number of contributors. The Council thanks all those who have contributed to its development and welcomes their ongoing contribution to its continuous improvement and implementation.

The Council urges the whole community to use the plan as a focus to achieve the natural resource management targets it sets out.

Scope

This plan has been written for and applies to the ACT only. It acknowledges that major catchments of the ACT (the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee) arise in neighbouring New South Wales and drain from the ACT via the Murrumbidgee back into that state.

The Council also acknowledges that the Indigenous people of the ACT have broader natural resource management interests and influence than just being confined to the jurisdictional boundary of the ACT.

Foreword

The health of natural systems – soils, water, biodiversity and landscapes - is an integrated measure of human impacts on the environment. The health of these natural systems, tell us how well we are balancing what we humans take from the environment, against the capacity of the environment to continue to provide this natural capital.

Paradoxically, the health of our natural systems is increasingly reliant on human capital.  This reliance includes the knowledge that underpins sustainable management of natural systems; and the effort of individuals, communities, governments and business in looking after the environment.

The 2007 ACT State of the Environment Report found that while the state of the ACT environment is generally good, we continue to face challenges such as improving land and water quality, maintaining and improving environmental flows of rivers, reducing the rate of biodiversity loss and reducing the ACT’s ecological footprint.

The Bush Capital Legacy – iconic city, iconic natural assets provides a road map for prioritising and addressing these challenges. Like our natural systems – it is integrative - it draws together all the threads – community, biodiversity, land and water into a comprehensive long-term plan for managing and improving the Territory’s natural resources.

I acknowledge the work of the ACT Natural Resource Management Council in consulting extensively with the ACT community in preparing this Plan.   I understand that the Council views the Plan as a stimulus to debate and as a contribution to policy setting in natural resource management in the Territory. 

The Bush Capital Legacy proposes 16 intermediate and long-term targets for repairing and maintaining the landscape of the ACT.  I will be particularly interested in progress to reduce the Territory’s ecological footprint, as well as improving the condition of our catchments, rivers and wetlands.

These targets challenge us all to work hard towards their achievement in how we live our lives, how we work and through the many decisions that government, business, land managers and the community make.

I commend the ACT Natural Resource Management Council for the extensive work it has done in bringing Bush Capital Legacy to publication. It will be a valuable contribution to direction setting for natural resource management in the ACT.

Simon Corbell
Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water

Abbreviations

Summary

Natural resources in the ACT are at risk. Despite more than half the territory being protected in conservation reserves, some 31 plant and animal species and two ecological communities are either vulnerable or endangered. These species and habitats occur mostly in the lowland open woodland and grassland areas where the city is located and rural activities take place. At the same time, the population of the ACT is increasing, placing a higher burden on the territory’s land, water and biodiversity.

The ACT also imposes a very high (by world standards) ecological footprint on the Earth – higher than any other city in Australia. It was measured at 2.65 million hectares in 2003/04 which is more than 11 times its actual size.

Wildflowers in an urban setting: Xerochrysum viscosum on Mount Majura. Photo Sarah Ryan

This plan is about repairing and maintaining the landscape of the ACT so that it is sustainable. It is integrated with other ACT plans that take account of natural resources, and recognises the ACT’s place in the local Murrumbidgee catchment and the wider Murray–Darling Basin.

This plan for managing the ACT’s natural resources is a revision of the territory’s first plan published in 2004. It takes account of progress made since that plan, and changes in values and environmental status.

Management of natural resources needs to be sustainable ensuring that land, water and biodiversity remain healthy and viable,
to support a healthy and viable ACT community. Issues of immediate concern in the ACT include:

• urban expansion – threatening remaining areas of woodland and grassland, and species that depend on them, and placing an ever greater pressure on water resources
• fragmentation – resulting in at-risk plants and animals only occurring in less viable isolated pockets
• pest plants and animals – threatening ecological communities particularly at the edges of developments
• climate change – increasing demands on water and energy, and severely affecting the ability of native plants and animals to survive
• water extraction and waterway modification – threatening natural river flows and reducing water quality and quantity for downstream users
• bushfire hazard – ensuring hazard is reduced while not threatening natural values and strengths.

In this plan, the management of natural resources has been divided into the categories of community, land, water and biodiversity. Sixteen targets have been developed addressing issues of concern. These targets are to guide natural resource management actions for government and community. They do not impose data collection responsibility on any specific agency. The targets will also be used to support funding proposals.

Land Targets

Vision: Land is recognised as the foundation of ACT landscapes and is used and managed in a way that is consistent with its capability, sensitive to catchment health, responsive to climate change, adaptable to the carbon economy and contributing to sustainable community development

6. Urban land health

Intermediate

Achievement of urban soil health at above the average for large Australian cities and preservation of vegetation cover on buffer land (2015)

Long-term

Maintenance of urban soil health at above the average for large Australian cities (to 2030)

7. Rural land health

Intermediate

80% of rural land meets the top standard for land health in relation to land capability (2015)

Long-term

95% of rural land consistently meets the top standard for land health in relation to land capability (2030)

Target timelines

Both intermediate and long-term targets are proposed in this plan. Intermediate targets are intended to be achieved by the year 2015; long-term targets by 2030. Targets and progress towards them will be reviewed at regular intervals.

Community engagement in natural resources.
Photo Sarah Ryan

Road upgrade disturbing soil
Photo Colin Chandler

 

Biodiversity Targets

Vision: Biodiversity decline is halted, then sustainably managed to ensure resilient ecosystem functioning

14. Communities and habitat

Intermediate

Fire hazard management is improved so that it is more compatible with protection of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (2015)

A strategy is in place to guide management and conservation of biodiversity threatened by climate change (2015)

Long-term

The integrity, condition and resilience of native terrestrial and aquatic communities and related habitats is as good or better than it was in 2008 (2030)

15. Endangered species and communities

Intermediate

Trajectories show that endangered species and communities are becoming less threatened (2015)

Long-term

The conservation listing status of endangered species and communities improves by 20% (2030)

16. Urban biodiversity

Intermediate

Provision for enhancing urban biodiversity values and functions is incorporated into development decisions, management plans and local neighbourhood actions (2015)

Long-term

Healthy and resilient urban biodiversity, at local and landscape scale (2030)

Canberra has established a strong international reputation as a ‘bush’ capital and is widely used as a best practice case study (2030)

Ginini Flats – a harbour of biodiversity

Photo Parks Conservation and Land

Stream in the Orroral Valley, Namadji National Park Photo Mark Stewart

 

Figure 1. Land use map

Figure 1. Land use in the ACT. (Map: Territory and Municipal Services)

(Click on map for larger image. File opens in new window.)

Sustaining the Bush Capital

Canberra is a special place – being both a designed city and the national capital of Australia. Its site was chosen for its natural advantages – its good water supplies, land suitable for development and a natural backdrop of hills and mountains that are aesthetically pleasing.

Walter Burley Griffin’s original intentions continue to guide overall development, particularly in the parliamentary triangle, principal avenues and wooded urban hills. 1.

Canberra is also iconic. Its history and inland landscape setting – city and urban streets imposed on and interspersed with open grass and forested land (‘bush’), rivers, creeks and lakes – define it as the ‘bush capital’. Many Canberrans have developed a strong sense of place with the city and its environs. They also understand much more than previously about the impact that sprawling urban design and lifestyle choices can have on natural resources.

Canberra’s population and urban footprint has grown far larger than originally planned or imagined. As a consequence, the condition of the ‘bush’ that surrounds and intersects the city is deteriorating. The ‘bush’ in ‘bush capital’ is at risk.

The bush at risk does not consist of just the trees on the hills and mountains around the city. In the context of the bush capital and this natural resource management (NRM) plan, ‘bush’ includes all the natural assets of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) – its upland forests, woodlands and grasslands, soils, and waterways; and the organisms living in its landscapes.

These natural assets depend on each other for their health and long-term survival. The bush capital will only live up to its iconic status if all its natural assets are also in iconic condition.

This plan defines the natural resources of the ACT and brings together the aspirations for their retention in the landscape. It also links the future of natural resources to the people who live with them, who benefit from them, and who take care of them on behalf of all Australians.

Sustaining the Bush Capital - 2

Two natural assets that are under stress and need concerted attention if they are to measure up to Canberra’s iconic status are Lake Burley Griffin and its principal source of water, the Molonglo River, and the region’s lowland woodlands and grasslands.

Lake Burley Griffin and its principal source of water, the Molonglo River, are in poor ecological health 2. Both have high sediment and nutrient levels transported from land higher in the catchment that has been modified for farming, grazing, mining and forestry. High sediment and nutrient levels have encouraged and favoured alien fish species such as carp in the lake and algal blooms are common in the warmer months.

Although the Australian Government makes significant investments in the buildings and grounds of the parliamentary triangle, this is not matched by similar expenditure on the Mnatural assets at its centre (e.g. Lake Burley Griffin).

The lowland open woodlands and grasslands of the ACT favoured for agriculture in the 19th century and more recently for urban development are now seriously depleted. They continue to be depleted as the city expands to meet demand for housing.

Figure 2. Land use in the ACT.

Converting woodlands and grasslands into social and economic assets (new suburbs, larger houses, more amenities) has been generally considered a necessary tradeoff against their loss. However, these natural assets are a limited, non-renewable resource – few are increasing; most are diminishing, in poor health or disappearing. It is time to set limits, particularly where feasible alternatives still exist. For example, the density of Canberra’s population within existing boundaries can be increased – European cities have an urban population density double that of Australian cities and are still attractive places to live and visit.

2. NLWRA 2002, Australian Catchment, River and Estuary Assessment 2002.

 

An integrated solution

Planning in the ACT is complex because it is administered by both ACT and national governments – more than anywhere else in Australia, local community interests need to be considered within the context of the broader national interest. Integrating across natural assets is also complex because in the past government arrangements have often dealt with each natural asset separately. Sometimes, organising how to respond to the loss of resource sustainability is as great a challenge as knowing what to do.

A planning approach that matches the complexity of the landscape and takes account of assets that are interconnected and linked to socioeconomic values is needed. Such integrated planning looks at multiple costs and benefits rather than single issues (e.g. by assessing the value of woodlands and grasslands against the need to re-establish burnt-out pine plantations and the pressure for urban expansion).

This plan for managing the natural resources of the ACT is overarching, integrating the variety of specific and special purpose natural resource management plans in the ACT (see Appendix 4). It provides an integrated approach across all the natural assets in the ACT and adds new objectives where gaps occur. This plan is consistent with the intent of the Canberra Plan, the Territory Plan and the National Capital Plan. Although the spatial plan embedded within the Canberra Plan incorporates some general natural resource management requirements, it may be appropriate to supplement these with the more specific targets and actions in this plan.

Repair and protect whole landscapes

Landscapes in the ACT refl ect the interaction between people and the natural environment. City and urban development have led to serious and sometimes irreversible damage to basic ecological functioning of the landscape.

Many ACT landscapes are not resilient. Plans for future development must ensure that continuing intervention in the ecological and hydrological functioning of the landscapes does not increase the risk of reduced ecosystem services. The effect is cumulative – as the resilience is lost, more ecological services are lost and social and economic costs increase. Future ACT landscapes need to have long-term resilience, be self-regenerating and deliver ecosystem services. They need people actively engaged in better understanding and caring for them for future generations.

Priority needs to be given to conserving ecological processes of the more natural landscapes and mimicking them in highly modified areas. Even natural assets in poor condition may have enough potential and perceived value to warrant investment in their repair, particularly where they join fragments of better preserved bush to form larger-scale natural landscapes.

Landscapes at the boundaries that connect where people live with more natural places are particularly vulnerable to damage: they are the places where bushfires most threaten, weedy garden plants escape, cats prey, rubbish is dumped, and tracks made by bikes and people lead to compaction and erosion.

ACT residents appreciate the green corridors between and within their suburbs as open space, but many do not recognise that these open woodlands and grasslands can be valuable in other respects. ACT woodlands and grasslands comprise resilient communities of plants and animals evolved and suited to this region (e.g. native grasses resist erosion, persist longer under drought conditions, have good carbon sequestration values and are more fire resistant in summer than introduced grasses). The need to maintain integrity of the ‘bush’ is a strong reason for minimising the spread of urban areas, placing them carefully in the landscape, and limiting the length of their external boundaries.

MacKellar wetland.

MacKellar wetland.

Photos Micheal Schultz

Repair and protect whole landscapes - 2

This means that development decisions need to be less fragmented and incremental: just one more ecologically insensitive development is one too many. Development choices must reflect the collective choices of the whole community rather than just sectional interest groups or governments.

Decisions taken by individual citizens, and their families and diverse communities of interest need to be ecologically sound. The capacity for this to occur must be developed and given priority so that people:

• generally better understand the interaction between human activity and the natural environment
• better understand the real impacts and costs of development
• have a better appreciation of the intergenerational benefits of development decisions and the need to adaptively absorb any necessary costs
• are able to take more informed action in their daily lives and
• are able to generate creative ideas and innovation, beyond governments and their agencies.

A current ACT Natural Resource Management Council investment program

LAND KEEPERS

Addressing the recovery of fire-damaged landscapes, enhancing biodiversity on rural and non-urban land and building strong partnerships between community and government

Land Keepers is addressing the recovery of fire-damaged landscapes, particularly in the Lower Cotter River catchment as well as protecting and enhancing remnant native vegetation and riparian zones. People across the ACT are being enlisted to work on the landscape restoration task. Over 2500 people have signed up so far. The target is 10 000 by 2010.

Land Keepers has also set up a network of community nurseries to grow locally indigenous plants for their restoration activities. Most rural landholders are also engaged in the program.

A partnership between Greening Australia (Capital Region) Inc and the ACT Government.

Tree planting at Mt MacDonald.

Tree planting results at Mt MacDonald.

Photos Micheal Schultz

 

Good neighbours make good friends

The ACT is located in the upper catchment of the Murrumbidgee River and is a part of the Murray–Darling Basin. As the largest city in the basin and a significant economic and educational centre, Canberra draws NSW residents towards its borders, increasing the density of settlement in the area. At the same time, some Canberra residents are relocating to NSW to enjoy semi-rural lifestyles not permitted in the ACT. This congregation of small-scale rural lifestyle properties around the ACT border has the potential to impact negatively on biodiversity, land and water values both inside and outside the ACT.

The border between NSW and the ACT is a political rather than a catchment boundary. Rivers such as the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee start in NSW, flow through the ACT and then back into NSW. ACT reserves such as Namadgi and Goorooyarroo stop at the border and do not extend into NSW. The challenge is for people to work together across these boundaries so that both ACT and upper Murrumbidgee catchment natural resources are well sustained.

Management of natural resources in the ACT needs to minimise impact on the surrounding region and elsewhere. Although this plan is concerned only with ACT resources, it acknowledges the place of the ACT in the Murray–Darling Basin, and aligns and works with with other Murray–Darling Basin plans, particularly the Murrumbidgee Catchment Action Plan. In recognition of this, in 2006 the ACT Natural Resource Management Council and the Board of the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority signed an agreement to work together on issues of mutual interest.

WORKING WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS

Building better relationships with neighbouring local governments and catchment authorities to address natural resource management issues at the right scale

This program provides for sharing of natural resource management expertise with neighbours in the Murrumbidgee River catchment. Working with our neighbours conducted an initial forum on shared natural resource management in the Upper Murrumbidgee region in 2006. A second forum will take place during 2008.

Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Coordinating Committee

Murrumbidgee River.

Photo Michael Schultz

Junction of the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee rivers.

Photo Sarah Ryan

Natural resources values

The ACT’s natural assets promote social and economic wellbeing (e.g. clean water, aesthetically pleasing landscapes, a sense of place, recreational opportunities) and contribute to wider ecosystem services across the region. Keeping them in good condition is the best way to ensure they continue to deliver benefi ts as well as protecting their capacity to adapt to uncertain future climate.

The ACT community is an asset to the territory. People are a part of the landscape and even while they are the main source of pressure on other assets (land, water and biodiversity), they also hold the capacity to reduce the pressure and repair previous damage.

Status: The ACT community is changing. As household sizes decrease, pressure for land development is increasing. Increasing affluence and lifestyle choices also increase pressure on natural resources.

Management: Better natural resource management requires acceptance of, and involvement and activity in sustainability issues by the community. Canberrans are better educated and wealthier than in any other capital city in Australia. This gives them great potential to become involved.

The land is the substrate on which communities (natural and built) are supported. The land needs to be protected from erosion by wind and water, rising salt, loss of soil condition, increasing acidity or alkalinity, and development.

Status: The precise condition of much of the land in the ACT is not known, as baseline data are not available. A comprehensive soil and water data collection process and land capability study, funded through the Decade of Landcare Program, has identified some land-use issues and given some detail of land condition. However, the data are in an inaccessible format and now need to be reviewed. Further studies need to be undertaken to give an accurate baseline 4.

Management: Challenges include, increasing soil permeability, structural stability, increasing nutrient cycling and moistureholding capacity, increasing soil carbon, reducing soil erosion and topsoil loss and enhancing hydrological connectivity.

Community event - picnic at the Cotter.

Photos Micheal Schultz

Natural resources values - 2

Water

Water resources include the water in rivers, streams and ponds – the water that ACT residents use, the water that flows down the Murrumbidgee River to other consumers and the water that supports biodiversity.

Status: Although water quality has varied over time and across the ACT as land-use and weather have changed, the ACT has a minimal impact on water quality in the Murrumbidgee. Land planning and management influence transport and delivery of pollutants into the main drainage system. Elevated salt loads are derived from salts excreted from the human population rather than from degraded catchment condition. Levels of blue-green algae are often above safe levels. Drought, the bushfires of 2001 and 2003, large storms and accidental discharge of sewage also compromise water safety.

Under current climatic conditions, the amount of water available is also an issue both for direct human use and environmental flows.

Management: Challenges include securing enough water for all consumers (rural, urban and environment), ensuring that it is of an appropriate quality and that it is used efficiently.

Biodiversity

Diversity of life (plants, animals and other organisms) is essential to maintain a healthy natural environment. Keeping the variety of species is important, but so too is keeping a diversity of the ecosystems that provide their homes.

Status: Two ecological communities and 17 species are endangered in the ACT. A further 14 species are vulnerable and others continue to be threatened.

Management: Challenges include the need to maintain the number and variability of existing species so that they are more able to cope in times of stress; and the need to reduce threats (e.g. from weeds, development, fire).

Sugar glider.

Photo Environment ACT

Greenfield urban expansion.

Photo Sarah Ryan

 

Pressures on natural resources

Although the condition of some natural assets in the ACT has improved, other assets are suffering from a steady decline in condition. In rural areas for example, lessees have learnt more about managing stock density and pastures so that the land is better covered in drought, with ongoing benefits for land, water and biodiversity, as well as landholders. But pressures resulting from urban expansion, fragmentation of natural resources, climate change, pest plants and animals, exploitation of water systems and fire are continuing to degrade assets both inside and outside the city limits. Addressing the causes of decline (the pressures) is usually cheaper than having to repair the consequences later.

Canberra’s early development was focused around Lake Burley Griffin. However in 1967 the then National Capital Development Commission developed and adopted the ‘Y Plan’ laying out future urban development around a series of central shopping and commercial areas (or town centres) that would be linked by freeways. The layout of this plan roughly resembled the shape of the letter Y – Tuggeranong is located at the base of the ‘Y’; Belconnen and Gungahlin are at the ends of its arms.

The Canberra Spatial Plan 5 (ACT Government 2004) goes beyond the ‘Y’ Plan by:

• specifying that 50% of future growth will be within existing urban areas, thereby promoting increasing intensification
• specifying that new greenfield developments are no more than 15 km from Civic and
• identifying two new areas for greenfield residential development – the Molonglo Valley and the Kowen plateau.

Challenge: The challenge for Canberra’s planners and developers is to maintain an effective balance between providing for continuing urban development (rather than expansion) and at the same time protecting the urban open space and adjoining natural areas with their environmental values that are closely woven into the fabric of the city.

Pressures on natural resources - 2

Fragmentation

Most of the ACT’s endangered and vulnerable plants, animals and ecological communities are found in lowland areas where they are subject to pressures from urban development and expansion.

As Canberra expands and new urban areas are developed both in the ACT and nearby NSW, the remaining lowland ecological ecosystems are becoming more fragmented and isolated, reducing their resilience and long-term chances of survival. Edge pressures on vulnerable species and communities also increase as the boundaries of remaining woodlands and grasslands increase in length. Fragmentation may also occur through incursion of infrastructure (e.g. power transmission lines, tracks and roads) through natural areas.

Challenge: Limit fragmentation so that ecologically viable units remain.

Land use (December 2007) (Source: Parks, Conservation and Lands 2007)

Conservation areas – 54% (mainly in Namadgi National Park, Murrumbidgee River Corridor and Canberra Nature Park

Rural land – 23% (17% as 150 rural leases and 6% as government-managed rural managed land)

Roads, lakes, rivers, urban infrastructure – 10%

Urban areas – 8%

Forest plantations – 4% (mature and replanted pine in Kowen, Majura, Uriarra, Pierces Ck, and Ingeldene)

Water management – 3% (Lower Cotter)

Changing land use

Forestry – decreased by 6% since 2003

Conservation – increased from 52% to 54% since 1990

Urban areas – continuing to intensify and expand steadily (roughly 2000 houses each year)

Climate change

The climate of the ACT is changing. Warmer temperatures and windier conditions will result in greater evaporation. More frequent and severe storms and fl oods will result in less evenly spread rainfall. Less overall rainfall will result in reduced run-off. Increased use of heating and air conditioning is likely to exacerbate an already existing heat island effect that means Canberra is between 1°C and 2°C warmer than the surrounding countryside and storms approach but pass by the city.

Challenge: These changes pose significant challenges for natural and built environments – increasing demands on water and energy – and severely affecting the ability of native plants and animals to survive. Changed weather patterns will challenge species near their environmental edges; while more severe storms and rainfall in different seasons will lead to loss of resilience. Feral and pest plants and animals are likely to be favoured. Bushfires are likely to increase.

The ACT Government’s Climate Change Strategy 2007–2025, Weathering the Change, released in July 2007, includes the first of a series of five-year action plans aimed at reducing the 2000 emission levels by 60% by 2050. The strategy concentrates on:

• smarter use of resources
• designing and planning Canberra to be more sustainable
• building the ACT community’s capacity to adapt to and
  manage both current and future changes to climate and
• improving our understanding of climate change, its causes and effects, and how we need to respond.

Climate

Dry continental climate with hot summers and cold winters

Average temperatures: 22.5°C in summer, 10.8°C in winter

Average rainfall of 630 mm falling fairly evenly throughout the year

Modified waterway in Brisbane Avenue, Barton.

Photo Micheal Schultz

 

Pressures on natural resources - 5

Bushfire hazard

Fire is part of the Australian environment and necessary for the continuing survival of some ecological communities. However it needs to be managed to protect human life and property.

Fire management must take a whole-of-landscape approach. While too frequent burning can cause irreversible changes, the effect of bushfires tends to be temporary:

• some native vegetation is adapted to fire and much of it is dependent on fire for reproduction
• biodiversity can recover to a certain extent (e.g. from seed beds that are not totally depleted) although some species may not recover at all
• water quality adversely affected by fire recovers gradually as riparian and hill slope vegetation recovers
• run-off from burnt slopes is initially higher and then declines as burnt vegetation re-grows.

Challenge: To ensure a whole-of-landscape management of fire hazard so that the long-term effects of bushfires are minimised.

Bushfire – January 2003 (SoE 2003)

In January 2003, 165 000 ha over five of the ACT’s nine catchments were burnt resulting in massive loss of vegetation, and movement of high levels of ash, charcoal and soil into water courses (greater than 27 years worth of ash and charcoal, and greater than 17 years worth of soil into Corin Dam) creating higher levels of turbidity.

Bridge over the Cotter River after the fires in 2003.

Photo Urban Services

Post-fire landscape in the lower Cotter.

Photo Micheal Schultz

 

Opportunities for response

The ACT has a considerable capacity to halt and reverse threats to its natural resources. It is a compact area with a well-educated, culturally diverse, relatively wealthy and environmentally informed population who have access to quality local scientific advice. The ACT’s leasehold land tenure system, with significant areas in public ownership results in these areas being overseen by a government that combines the functions of state and local government into one governing body.

Weaknesses are the lack of the larger private enterprises that could act as a driver for private sector involvement and the challenge of addressing the requirements of the ACT as a territory community as well as the national capital.

A strong driver for change lies in how much people want to preserve the ‘bush’. Action by individuals, community groups, business and governments working together is needed to achieve lasting improvement in natural assets. Canberra’s population represents capacity that has not yet been fully drawn on.

As well as participating in organised activities and investments as outlined in this plan, individuals can actively help to manage and conserve the ACT’s natural resources by:

• reducing their ecological footprint through reducing their use of energy and material goods in their home or workplace (e.g. using less water and energy in houses, reducing car and fuel use)
• reducing direct damage caused to natural resources by their activities (e.g. reducing stormwater run-off from gardens, ensuring that pets are on leads when exercising in those parts of the Canberra Nature Park where pets are allowed, removing and destroying invasive weeds in gardens)
• joining a group involved in restoring degraded natural resources of the ACT (e.g. ACT Land Keepers is planting trees in bushfire-ravaged areas; Seeds for Survival is collecting and growing locally occurring plants for replanting degraded areas, Working Waterways is developing new wetlands and restoring damaged riparian areas).

Vision and objectives

Context

The purpose of this plan is to provide strategic direction for investment in managing the ACT’s natural resources. In responding to the threats facing our natural assets, governments and community are willing to substantially invest in their repair and protection. These investments need to be spent in the right places and on the most pressing needs. Actions need to be logically connected to outcomes and the plan must be supported by the community.

This plan forms the basis for investment by government, business and community in addressing these issues.

The underlying basis of this plan is a framework known as ‘adaptive management’ or learning from doing – adaptive managers learn by implementing plans and policies (Allan 2007). The process can take place at the small scale where one person provides both experimental and governing sides of the process; up to the large scale where government agencies and other organisations provide the input and assessment.

Adaptive management is used when outcomes of actions cannot be accurately predicted so that there is an element of uncertainty about the best management interventions to use. Such uncertainty can arise through natural variability (e.g. weather or climate) or from an incomplete knowledge of systems and how they work. Waiting until the knowledge base is more complete is not a tenable option when it is clear that ecosystem function is declining and the community is willing for action to take place.

Under an adaptive management approach, hypotheses are drawn and action takes place in a systematic fashion so that outcomes can supply knowledge about the ecosystem and its responses. These outcomes then supply knowledge for the next cycle of actions. The resulting series of steps through planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment (see Figure 4) is known as passive adaptive management. In a more active approach and one that is more likely to result in successful outcomes, implementation occurs as large-scale experiments that are testing specific hypotheses about responses, thus enhancing performance of each
cycle.

First attempts to specifically describe targets and relationships may look clumsy in 20 years’ time, but it is the only way to make underlying assumptions visible, test them and improve on them.

Community targets

Community participation in natural resource management engages people at all levels from their back yards through onto community land. The ACT has strong community participation in some areas of natural resource management (e.g. a high voluntary reduction in water use has occurred during the drought from 2001 to 2006; thousands of volunteers are working on revegetation projects particularly in bushfire-devastated areas), but these volunteers represent only a small fraction of the population and more could be achieved if more people were involved.

Participation may be direct or indirect:

• direct participation by the community includes sharing of knowledge of the park and management expertise by Indigenous owners of Namadgi National Park; community activities such as bird watching groups, and Friends of, Watch and Care groups; paid work in natural resource management; and business contributions
• indirect participation helps shift people’s understanding and behaviour (e.g. by raising the level of local environmental philanthropy or participation in events focused on local landscapes).

Community participation changes as demographics, lifestyles and affluence in the ACT shift, and planning for community engagement must align itself with these changes.

Community action in the ACT has a regional focus and groups cooperate with local catchment management authorities in New South Wales in providing opportunities for joint training and capacity building programs, whole-of-catchment research, and workshops. ACT community groups provide input into regional natural resource management by providing:

• experience in planning and working in groups and networks
• access to major research and educational facilities
• potential for corporate partners and
• recruitment potential for community groups.

Community participation

General participation in natural resource management includes activities such as volunteering to work on environmental projects, investing in ethical investments, adopting environmentally responsible habits, and choosing to purchase goods and services with smaller ecological footprints.

Environmental projects in or adjacent to urban areas of the ACT include water quality and riparian assessment, stream bank stabilisation, riparian ecosystem rehabilitation, surveys of flora and fauna, and tree planting. Rural land managers are actively involved in maintaining native grasslands and woodlands. Groups are also removing weeds; revegetating denuded areas; educating and raising awareness; restoring riparian areas and wetlands; surveying, monitoring and researching natural resource management issues; subcatchment planning; and providing advice to government.

A number of community groups collaborate and/or complement each other in conserving and restoring the natural resources of the ACT – the main community natural resource management groups are urban and rural Landcare, Park Care, Horse Paddock Carers and Waterwatch.

ACT Landcare and Waterwatch groups (ACT and local region)

Addressing weeds, revegetation and water quality in urban, rural and bush environments

57 Landcare groups and 100 Waterwatch groups

Membership: more than 2500 people in total, ranging from smaller groups to one group of nearly 200 people

Representing all parts of the community: men and women, younger and older, including indigenous people and people from non-English–speaking backgrounds

Individual community groups are supported by umbrella catchment groups – the Ginninderra, Molonglo and Southern ACT catchment groups – who assist with funding, communication, promotion and logistical support. Greening Australia and Conservation Volunteers Australia provide valuable support by coordinating casual and regular volunteers, and providing technical and other support and advice.

Individual volunteers and landholders are also an important part of community-based natural resource management.

Diversifying the range of participation opportunities to reflect the current and future demographic profile of the ACT will promote greater participation. Opportunities also need to reflect the ACT’s diverse cultural identity.

This target aims to achieve higher levels of participation by increasing the range of opportunities available.

Doubling the current (5%) participation rate to 10% by 2030 means that at least 1100 more people need to become permanently involved every year. The rate is likely to grow faster at first as new opportunities pay off, then slow as the proportion reaches 10%. The calculation does not allow for people ageing or withdrawing. The target would be better expressed as person-days participation but no data are as yet available to support this.

TARGET 4. Community participation

Intermediate

Community participation in natural resource management has grown by 11 000 people (2008 to 2015)

Long-term

Community participation in natural resource management has grown by 23 000 people (2008 to 2030)

 

Bushcare in the Bush Capital

ACT Natural Resource Management Council program

BUSHCARE IN THE BUSH CAPITAL

Improving Canberra residents’ understanding of their local environment and how to care for it

Participants in Bushcare in the Bush Capital find out about how garden plants can escape into the bush thereby reducing its health and viability. They help conserve the bush at the edges of urban areas, and reduce weeds and grow native plants in their own backyards. New residents of Gungahlin also have the opportunity to learn about their nature parks. For example, creation of the Bush on the Boundary Reference Group in Gungahlin, brings together land developers, local community and catchment groups, scientists, and residents to work collaboratively in addressing the impact of suburban development on surrounding nature parks, reserves and public land, by targeting issues such as cat containment, urban wetlands, illegal dumping and weed control.

Parks Conservation and Land, Conservation Council of the South East Region and Canberra, Ginninderra Catchment Group, ANUGreen,
Australian Native Plant Society

Project to re-instate wood into Mulligans Flat.

Gininderra catchment tour of Mulligan’s Flat

Photos Micheal Schultz

 

Land targets

The land forms the interface between the Earth’s crust and its atmosphere. Its physical form – the landscape – includes rock, soil, vegetation, water and structures built by people. ACT landscapes consist of rugged timbered mountains in the south and west (uplands), and hill and plains country in the north and north-east. Approximately 60% of the territory is hilly or mountainous. The flatter northern plains and hill country contain most of the urban landscape.

• The uplands occur at altitudes of 800 m to 1912 m above sea level, lying mainly on erosion-resistant, ancient sedimentary rocks and granite. Flooding has deposited sediments in many of the river valleys.
• The rolling or undulating hills country generally lies between 600 m and 900 m above sea level, across moderately weathered rocks in the north-eastern part of the territory and along the eastern parts of the Murrumbidgee corridor in the south.
• The plains are in the north of the ACT at between 550 m and 650 m above sea level. They occur on readily weathered rocks and on stream sediment surrounding isolated hills and ridges of erosion-resistant rock such as Black Mountain and Mount Ainslie.

ACT soils are highly variable, with most being infertile. The main soil types are lithosols, gradational soils and duplex soils.

• Lithosoils are characterised by shallow stony profiles overlying rocky parent material in the south and west of the ACT. These soils are nutritionally poor and on steeper slopes are liable to erosion when native vegetation is removed or they are mechanically disturbed.
• Gradational soils have profiles that show a gradual increase in clay content with depth. They are common in the Cotter River catchment and in the north-east, and are the principal soil types under the limestone plains of old Canberra. These soils are deep and relatively fertile. Those on the north-east plain are relatively resistant to erosion. Gradational soils on
  steeper slopes erode if the land is cleared.
• Most of the ACT and its settled areas have duplex soils, characterised by a distinct change in particle size at a depth of 15–30 cm. The topsoil is light in colour, coarse textured and often sandy. It is fragile and, if cultivated or overgrazed, becomes hard setting and relatively impermeable so that rain runs off and can form erosion gullies. Subsoils tend to be reddish or yellow clays that may shrink and swell as water content changes, sometimes damaging infrastructure. These soils often contain sodium salts, so that they are dispersible if exposed. Much of the turbidity of Canberra’s lakes after heavy rain is caused by erosion of these soils.

Water targets

Urban development and land management practices within and upstream of the ACT have caused the health of rivers and streams in the ACT to decline. Water quality has been diminished by increased sediment and nutrient loads, decreased oxygen concentrations, higher water temperatures, reduced flow, and increased algal concentrations. Most natural riverbank vegetation and habitat has disappeared. In recent years, extended drought and severe bushfires have combined to place enormous pressure on water supplies – for urban use, and for the natural environment:

• drought has reduced ground cover vegetation, river flows, water quality and the amount of water released for environmental flows
• bushfires have severely reduced water quality (from sediment and ash washing from the fire-denuded landscapes), and altered run-off – although run-off increased immediately following the fires it will gradually decrease over the next 15 years as re-growing plants place a higher than pre-bushfire demand on water.

Water is a precious resource – it is needed for urban and rural use and for environmental uses. Downstream users also need to be considered when calculating how much water the city of Canberra should be permitted to abstract. Currently it uses 1.3% of total water taken from the Murrumbidgee River system.

In the last few years urban water use in the ACT has been reduced following voluntary and mandatory restrictions. However, in some areas new water sources, particularly groundwater, have been tapped. Groundwater extraction in some areas is exceeding the acceptable limit of 70% of sustainable yield (ACT Government 2003). Run-off from suburban development continues to degrade water quality in rivers and streams.

In order to ensure that water quality in waterways is maintained or improved, and that long-term supply to all users is reliable, water use efficiency needs to be increased, and an integrated regional approach to water management needs to be developed and implemented.

Riverine ecosystems and wetlands

Riverine ecosystems range from uplands through rocky gorges to lowland floodplains. They are often quite different to neighbouring countryside with distinctive habitats, plants and animals.

Riparian zones provide connectivity for migrating birds, as well as habitat and recreational values.

Wetlands provide environmental (e.g. biodiversity, habitat and ecological functions), social and economic values. ACT wetlands are under threat and continued monitoring and maintenance is required.

Two ACT wetlands have a plan of management – Jerrabombera has one through its status as a nature reserve; Ginini has one through its Ramsar listing. Updated planning expectations for Ramsar sites require ‘ecological characteristics’ to be sought for all sites.

Several wetlands projects have been funded including for rehabilitation works and pig control.

Achievement of this target will ensure long-term protection of internationally and nationally designated wetlands and integrity of ACT riparian ecosystems.

ACT wetlands

The Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (EA 2001, third edition) lists 13 nationally important wetlands in the ACT (including Jerrabomberra). It includes one Ramsar site (Ginini and Cheyenne Flats). Only two are lowland wetlands, 10 are in Namadgi National Park.

The listing excludes the lakes – Burley-Griffin, Tuggeranong and Ginninderra – and associated ponds.

The ACT also has a large number of farm dams, many of which have considerable biodiversity value.

TARGET 11. Riverine ecosystems and wetlands

Intermediate

Riparian health of the Molonglo River between Queanbeyan and Lake Burley Griffin enhanced (2015)

Long-term

The extent, integrity and condition of riverine and wetland ecosystems is maintained and enhanced in accordance with their stated values (2030)

ACT Natural Resource Management Council program

WORKING WATERWAYS

Creative ways of improving stream health with wetlands, native vegetation and improved management

Working waterways projects include control of riparian weeds and revegetation along the Molonglo, and a survey of vegetation and habitat in key riparian areas.

Molonglo Catchment Group, Parks Conservation and Land

Molonglo River at the head of Lake Burley Griffin.

Tour of the Molonglo River.

Photos Sarah Ryan

 

Biodiversity targets

Nature reserves protect more than half (54%) the ACT’s water and natural areas from agricultural and urban development. Most of the land area in these reserves is contained within the Namadgi and Cotter areas and although both are in generally good condition and not threatened, their biodiversity is gradually being lost (e.g. the Corroboree frog found in the Ginini wetlands is now an endangered species). Both areas were devastated in the 2003 bushfires, but much of this land is now regenerating and it is thought that most will return to its former state. The future for the Canberra Nature Park and lowland areas earmarked for urban development is less certain.

SEEDS FOR SURVIVAL

Collecting, growing, storing and managing native seed for local biodiversity conservation

Locally grown and sourced plants are more likely to survive the Canberra conditions. Seeds for survival collects and stores local native seed to improve viability of seedlings grown to plant in degraded areas. It is setting up a world class native seed bank to support the rehabilitation of our endangered vegetation communities and to provide a commercial market for locally collected native seed.

Greening Australia

Processing seeds

Seed germination trials

Photos Micheal Schultz

Endangered species and communities

In the ACT, two ecological communities, and 17 plant and animal species are endangered; a further 14 species are vulnerable. The number of endangered and vulnerable species is increasing.

• Yellow Box-Redgum Grassy Woodland is habitat for eight threatened species and other woodland species that are described as declining.
• Natural temperate grasslands are under considerable threat as are a number of threatened and declining species that live in the grasslands.
• Woodland birds and native fish are both in decline.
• Five native fish are threatened or endangered particularly from reduced flows and quality of water in rivers from regulation of flows, degradation of habitat, lower water quality, barriers to fish migration, presence of alien species, pressure from recreational fishers, outbreak of disease and loss of genetic integrity, as well as drought (MDBC 2004).

White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and derived native grassland was declared a critically endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) on 17 May 2006.

Only 2345 ha of the associated community Yellow Box-Red Gum Grassy Woodland (or 9.3% of the total remaining in the ACT and surrounding region from commencement of European settlement) are protected in nature reserves. Some are also protected on rural leases. Although the ACT meets the Regional Forests Assessment target of 15% of its original extent within its own borders, the total for the region is only 8.5%. Future signifi cant impacts will need to be referred to the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Preservation of individual trees does not protect the ecological community since the understorey is lost. Preservation next door to suburbs with no protection from pets such as cats and dogs is also unlikely to be particularly successful.

The ability of native species to be maintained in a landscape depends on the quality, quantity and connectivity of its preferred habitat. Achievement of this target will ensure conservation of endangered species and communities through successful implementation of recovery plans, strategies and action plans, and mitigation of key threatening processes.

The target relates to the 2008 baseline of 17 endangered species, 14 vulnerable species and two endangered communities in the ACT. Progress over the long term would see species and communities gradually becoming more secure and being removed from the list. If species (or communities) are allocated three points for extinct, two for endangered and one for vulnerable, the 2008 ‘conservation listing’ score for the ACT is 50. The target is to reduce this to 40 by 2030.

TARGET 15. Endangered species and communities

Intermediate

Trajectories show that endangered species and communities are becoming less threatened (2015)

Long-term

The conservation listing status of endangered species and communities improves by 20% (2030)

Endangered and vulnerable communities and species in the ACT

A species or ecological community is threatened if it is likely to become extinct in the foreseeable future. The Nature Conservation Act 1980 (ACT) establishes a formal process for the identification and protection of threatened species and ecological communities. The following species and ecological communities have been declared under the Nature Conservation Act. Some species are also declared under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999(Cwlth).

Endangered communities (listed by the ACT)

Natural temperate grassland, Yellow Box- Red Gum Grassy Woodland

Endangered species

Gentiana baeuerlenii (subalpine herb), Prasophyllum petilum (leek orchid), Rutidosis leptorrynchoides (button wrinklewort), Swainsona recta (small purple pea), Synemon plana (golden sun moth), Tympanocryptis pinguicolla (grassland earless dragon), Macquaria australasica (Macquarie perch), Maccullochella macquariensis (trout cod), Petrogale penicillata (brush-tailed rock-wallaby), Xanthomyza phrygia (regent honeyeater), Pseudomys fumeus(smoky mouse), Muehlenbeckia tuggeranong (Tuggeranong lignum), Lepidium ginninderrense (Ginninderra peppercress), Bidyanus bidyanus (silver perch), Pseudophryne pengilleyi (northern corroboree frog), Arachnorchis actensis (Canberra spider orchid), Corunastylis ectopa (Brindabella midge orchid)

Vulnerable species

Delma impar (striped legless lizard), Gadopsis bispinosus (two-spined blackfish), Euastacus armatus (Murray River crayfish), Perunga ochracea (Perunga grasshopper), Melanodryas cucullata (hooded robin), Lathamus discolor
(swift parrot), Polytelis swainsonii (superb parrot), Climacteris picumnus (brown treecreeper), Grantiella picta (painted honeyeater), Dasyurus maculatus (spotted-tailed quoll), Daphoenositta chrysoptera (varied sitella), Lalage sueurii (whitewinged triller), Hieraaetus morphnoides (little eagle), Aprasia parapulchella (pink-tailed worm lizard)

 

Natural challenges

ACT Natural Resource Management Council program

NATURAL CHALLENGES

Meeting distinctive challenges to the recovery of threatened and endangered species and ecological communities

Natural challenges projects are addressing nature conservation issues and threats from pest plants and animals by:

• rehabilitating subalpine peat bogs
• monitoring urban bushfire interfaces
• improving feral pig management in conservation areas
• improving kangaroo management in lowland grasslands and woodlands
• delivering environmental flows to large biota
• measuring and monitoring urban ecological function
• breeding and releasing corroboree frogs and
• monitoring and researching ACT frogs and Macquarie perch.

Parks Conservation and Land, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

Kangaroos in Mt Majura woodlands.

Photo Sarah Ryan

Macquarie perch – native to the ACT and an endangered species.

Photo Environment ACT

 

Implementation strategy

The Council sees the plan as a blueprint for investment in natural resource management by a range of investors including: government, business, not-for-profit organisations, community organisations and individuals. All have a part to play in achieving the targets laid out in this plan. The ACT and Australian governments are major investors as are organisations such as ACTEW Corporation, ActewAGL and the National Capital Authority. Although there is no legal requirement for the ACT Government to implement this plan either in part or whole, the ACT NRM Council will continue to engage with the Minister and the Commissioner for Sustainability to increase take-up of this plan in statutory documents relating to natural resources in the ACT.

The Council will develop an investment strategy for implementing this plan over the next five years. This strategy will reflect the part played by all investors.

Government investment in the plan is through ongoing programs and specific initiatives, such as the recently announced Caring for our Country program. This Australian Government program will be delivered in the ACT in partnership with the ACT Government and the ACT NRM Council through a series of integrated programs that build on the existing Living Environment programs.

Caring for our Country and this plan will both address national priorities. With this in mind, The ACT and Australian governments, with advice from the ACT NRM Council, have agreed on the 2008/09 investments through Caring for our Country. Beyond 2008/09, Caring for our Country investment will depend on an annual business plan and bilateral agreements between the ACT and Australian governments.

Caring for our Country also provides the opportunity for collaborative partnerships that access a contestable funding component. This will allow the leveraging of investment from a variety of sources with multiple benefits.

Other strategies being developed to assist effective implementation of the plan are the:

• Communications Strategy
• Capacity Building Strategy and
• Knowledge management strategy
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy.

Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement

The implementation of the ACT natural resource management plan needs to be tracked through regular and consistent monitoring, evaluation, reporting and implementation (MERI) and regular reflection leading to improvements. MERI needs to occur in relation to the plan and the Investment Strategy. Resource condition monitoring and reporting also needs to occur at regular intervals.

Resource condition monitoring

The ACT has a wealth of data on the condition of the natural resources of the ACT. It is brought together and analysed on a regular basis for the ACT State of the Environment Report prepared by the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment. It is proposed that the State of the Environment Report, prepared once in the life of each Legislative Assembly provide periodic resource condition reporting to inform progress in addressing changes in resource condition. Specific asset-related monitoring and reporting activities also occur periodically to inform progress against targets in addition to territory-wide reporting through the State of the Environment Report.

Investment monitoring, evaluation and reporting

Funding stakeholders such as the Australian and ACT governments require their investments to be tracked and evaluated, and to receive reports on progress.

The Australian Government has prepared a draft national MERI framework and strategy that will seek endorsement from states and territories as the basis for the development of specific MERI strategies in each state and territory. It sets out the broad evaluation framework for natural resource management programs funded by Caring for Our Country and updates earlier approaches endorsed by the Australian Government, states and territories. This new framework will underpin future monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement. The framework incorporates five
important concepts:

• explicit links between planning processes, evaluation and adaptive management
• inclusion of community as an asset in addition to the biophysical assets – land, biodiversity and water
• reporting with an emphasis on outcomes
• participatory evaluation techniques and
• monitoring of program performance as well as the state and trend in the condition of assets.

This is against a minimum set of matters for target as reflected in this plan.

The Australian and ACT governments, in consultation with the Council, will be developing operational plans to implement the new framework.

Continuous improvement

Good natural resource management outcomes can only be achieved through adaptive management (i.e. planning, acting, reviewing, replanning and adapting and then acting again) but with the benefit of the previous experience and new knowledge. This builds collective knowledge about how to address local natural resource management issues and as long as this knowledge is shared, the capacity of the ACT community to act more effectively is enhanced.

The ACT natural resource management plan will be reviewed every five years to accommodate the evidence collected for state of environment and other reports and the outcomes achieved through the investments over the period. In addition, an annual review of investments will be undertaken to ensure that they are on track to achieve their identified outcomes.

Knowledge building strategy

Science needs to underpin all target setting and assessment of progress. With its key partners and stakeholders, the Council will develop a knowledge strategy that addresses the systematic management of data and its application to targets.

 

Keeping track

ACT Natural Resource Management Council program

KEEPING TRACK

Monitoring and reporting on natural resource management activities to guide future investment

The Sustainability Policy and Programs group of Department of Territory and Municipal Services is monitoring and reporting on natural resource management activities and their success – essential in determining the course of future work and funding possibilities.

Sustainability Policy and Programs, Department of Territory
and Municipal Services

Fish tracking at Cotter Dam.

Photo Urban Services

 

Outcomes, outputs, actions

Community targets

Ecological footprint is one way of expressing the integrated impact of human consumption and waste production on the Earth’s capacity to sustain human life. The average Canberra ecological footprint is very high by world standards and not sustainable. The ACT NRM Council is collaborating with the Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water to examine individual decision making towards sustainable living – particularly at ways to improve community-based social marketing to achieve better outcomes.

The measurable target

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Agreed ecological footprint measures established (2008) and progress reported publicly in the ACT State of Environment (SoE) report (from 2008) Achievement of a 15% reduction in the 2008 per capita footprint (2015) Long-term Achievement of a 30% reduction in the 2008 per capita footprint (2030)	SoE report in 2011 that includes ecological footprint measures A community in which 75% of individuals understand their ecological footprints Implementation of local actions that reduce the footprint (e.g. more local sustainable food production)	Foundation Agree on ecological footprint measures and headline sustainability indicators for ACT (SoE) Survey to establish baseline community understanding Assess local actions to provide the most leverage on reducing the footprint On-ground Collaboration, alliances, partnerships, liaison across all sectors to address issues Promotion of the ecological footprint and options for how it can be reduced Build on current sustainable schools initiatives (e.g. AuSSI)

2.Indigenous engagement

This target focuses on putting new arrangements in place to increase:

• the use of traditional knowledge and
• ongoing improvement in Indigenous participation in natural resource management projects so that traditional knowledge and culture are more broadly accepted and adopted within the broader community.

Projects will express Indigenous beliefs and values.

The measurable target

Some 4000 Indigenous people live in the ACT. If 5% are active in natural resource management now (the same for all ACT population or 11 000 people) doubling this to 10% by 2030, while the population also grows, would require another 10 to 15 people to become permanently involved every year. New initiatives could see some fast returns in this target but it is unrealistic to expect that more than 10% of the population will become engaged in the longer term.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Traditional knowledge has actively influenced significant decision making in Namadgi National Park (2015) Long-term The application of traditional knowledge and values has influenced the conservation and management of the ACT’s natural assets (2030) Indigenous employment and active participation in natural resource management activities has more than doubled from its 2008 base (2030) Indigenous communities are strengthened through their engagement in NRM (2030)	Increased Indigenous participation in NRM Guidelines for applying Indigenous knowledge and respecting Indigenous values in all NRM projects Joint plan of management for Namadgi National Park	Foundation Collect baseline data on Indigenous participation in NRM Work with Indigenous community groups to identify how best to engage Indigenous people in NRM On-ground Build strong relationships between ACT Indigenous community groups and the NRM Council Develop programs that integrate with Indigenous cultural events such as NAIDOC week Improve the Indigenous co-management arrangements for Namadgi National Park and other ACT public lands Work with Indigenous people to design opportunities for NRM engagement that are culturally appropriate and provide suitable training Develop and apply a protocol for Indigenous participation and engagement Provide training in Indigenous culture and values to non-Indigenous NRM facilitators and project managers Promote local Indigenous knowledge of the ACT in the wider community

 

3.Community capacity

Knowledge and awareness, plus a decision to act, will result in increased adoption of positive NRM attitudes, enhanced personal confidence, better skills and improved on-ground results. As well as individual capacity, this target addresses the organisational skills required to bring individuals and groups together and manage their NRM activities efficiently.

The measurable target

Assuming one in five of active participants in NRM (see next target) have skills that enable them to participate independently or manage others to deliver NRM, and this ratio needs to stay constant for effective delivery, then at least 200 new people need to be trained annually to keep up with the targeted growth in participation.

The calculation does not allow for practitioners ageing or withdrawing, nor for their need to update their skills from time to time. If 10% do a refresher or new course every year, that adds some additional 500 training opportunities needed per year. It is unrealistic to expect that more than 10% of the population will become engaged in the longer term.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Training of 2200 adults to assist the delivery of natural resource management outcomes, through an annual program of targeted capacity building and learning opportunities (2015) Long-term Training of 5000 adults to assist the delivery of natural resource management outcomes, through an annual program of targeted capacity building and learning opportunities (2030)	Implementation of key recommendations of the 2007 needs analysis of the community’s capacity to deliver natural resource management outcomes and a further analysis undertaken to test additional needs	Foundation Conduct needs analysis Review subcatchment plans Ensure access to best practice Engage with education practitioners On-ground Community group capacity Develop needs analysis and engagement strategy Ensure best practice in NRM guidelines/information bank Improve funding delivery Ensure subcatchment planning reflects development and retention of skills and knowledge Appoint facilitators and coordinators Consider co-location Develop volunteer management system Conduct community group health checks Carry out gap analysis in terms of skills and knowledge Young peoples capacity Ensure school and other curricula are relevant to NRM outcomes Build on sustainable schools initiatives (e.g. AuSSI) Individual capacity Enhance volunteer skills by promoting better coordinated and targeted training

 

4.Community participation

The intention of this target is to increase the diversity of opportunities for and hence the levels of participation in activities that directly contribute to NRM outcomes in the ACT. Participation can include volunteer work on environmental projects, including ‘watch’ and ‘care’ programs, paid work in the NRM industry, business contributions, providing specialised advice, donating to ACT NRM projects, and engaging in local environmental activities that have an influence on other people (e.g. environmental arts).

The measurable target

Some 5% of people in the ACT are active in NRM now. Doubling this to 10% by 2030, while population also grows, would require more than 1100 new people becoming permanently involved every year. The rate is likely to grow faster at first as new opportunities pay off, then slow as the proportion reaches 10%. The calculation does not allow for people ageing or withdrawing. The target would be better expressed as person-days participation but no data is available yet to support this.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Community participation in natural resource management has grown by 11 000 people (from 2008 to 2015) Long-term Community participation in natural resource management has grown by 23 000 people (from 2008 to 2030)	A baseline data report Community events Engagement products Partnerships Volunteer ‘self-management’ systems Related plans Engaging People—The ACT Community Capacity Building Strategy	Foundation Collect baseline data on participation in NRM – to include a demographic and attitudes analysis to help better target opportunities for participation On-ground Facilitate and coordinate on-ground activities Introduce and trial new ways of raising the participation rate, including novel incentive schemes (e.g. NRM ‘fly-buys’) Conduct targeted promotion of opportunities using diverse media Develop new partnerships, especially with business, to sponsor or engage directly in NRM activities Develop relationships with groups not traditionally involved in NRM but where participation has a mutual benefit (e.g. new migrants, cultural groups, mental health) Develop recognition systems for volunteers

 

Land targets

Best practice urban development and management aims to mimic natural ecological and hydrological processes so that the ecosystem services they provide are minimally disrupted.

This target challenges the ACT to achieve and maintain a leading Australian standard for the health of urban land.

The measurable target

Water targets

The intention of this target is to protect and rehabilitate catchments that are used for potable water supply. Recovery of the catchments after the fires of 2003 is continuing and efforts to improve groundcover to reduce sediment run-off from erosion will continue to use natural processes in ensuring that relevant water quality standards are met. This work will complement efforts to enhance biodiversity in these catchments.

9.Water use

The intention of this target is to meet the challenges associated with increasing the efficient use of our water resources. In order to meet increasing demands on our system, active involvement of all sectors of the community in innovative and educated approaches is required.

The measurable target

The target is taken from existing government goals that project a linear decrease in per capita consumption over the period 2003 to 2025.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Reduction in per capita mains water use from 174 kL (2003) to 153 kL per year; and 20% of water use to be recycled, stormwater and rainwater (2015) Total net water use remains within the Cap agreed by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council and due for review in 2011 (2015) Long-term Stabilised per capita mains water use of 130 kL per year and a 20% increase in the use of recycled, stormwater and rainwater (2030) Total net water use remains within the Cap agreed by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council and due for review in 2011 (2030)	Related plans Think water, act water Water2Water Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks (Phase 1) Stormwater Harvesting and Re-use Draft Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks (Phase 2) Stormwater Harvesting and Re-use	On-ground The ACT Government has an active program of actions to support its target for reducing water consumption (see Think water, act water). NRM Council actions for this target will focus on promotion and public information, usually in conjunction with broader sustainability issues, such as ecological footprints (Target 1)

 

13.Groundwater

The basis of groundwater management in the ACT is to ensure that groundwater continues to be used in a sustainable manner. Pressure on the use of groundwater resources is recognised as the main threat and effective long-term management of its use is needed. This includes compliance, monitoring and investigative programs to ensure adequate quantification and characterisation of groundwater resources.

Groundwater quality also needs to be protected – particularly from pollution sources. This is done through legislation and policies of the Environmental Protection Authority.

The measurable target

This target aims to ensure that total licence volumes do not rise above the amount of water available in water sharing plans.

It will identify high risk management areas using active monitoring programs, and calculate sustainable yield from multiple methods and management recommendations drawn from program evaluation

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Monitoring and measurement methods of aquifers expanded in accordance with increases in demand and risk (2015) Sustainable yields evaluated in line with most recent information (2015) Long-term Ensure water management areas do not experience groundwater abstraction above sustainable yields (2030)	Related plans Think water, act water Draft Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managing Health and Environmental Risks: Managing Aquifer Recharge (Phase 2) Environmental Protection Act 1997 Environmental Protection Legislation 2005 Water quality Environment Protection Policy, April 2008 Environment Protection Guidelines for Construction and Land Development in the ACT, August 2007 Contaminated Site Environment Protection Policy, November 2000	Foundation Comprehensive assessment of groundwater reserves and sustainable yields Foundation documents include: Environment ACT annual water reports, Salient Solutions and Integrated Carchment Assessment and Management Centre (iCAM) 2001, Groundwater Assessment of Jerrabomberra Creek Catchment, Salient Solutions and iCAM On-ground Cap new entitlement applications based on current knowledge of sustainable yields Cancel or buyback licences where appropriate Field validation of aquifers For priority subcatchments, determine water balance that incorporates regional groundwater modelling Monitor activities to ascertain water quality in and extent of known aquifers Collate historical information into database

 

Biodiversity targets

Biodiversity decline is halted, then sustainably managed to ensure resilient ecosystem functioning

14. Communities and habitat

Healthy functioning ecosystems are a fundamental element of healthy functioning landscapes. They are valuable in themselves and provide ecosystem services such as air and water quality, carbon sequestration, habitat, amenity and cultural value. Continued loss of communities and habitat is absolutely incompatible with ACT aspirations to being sustainable.

The measurable target

The target relates to establishing 2008 as a baseline for condition of communities and habitat, reflecting the need to continue steady improvement in condition rather than deterioration. This means that threatening processes are being effectively controlled and the biodiversity of areas is being enhanced.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Fire hazard management is improved so that it is more compatible with protection of plant and animal species and communities (2015) A strategy is in place to guide management and conservation of ecological communities threatened by climate change (2015) Long-term The integrity, condition and resilience of native terrestrial and aquatic communities and related habitats is as good or better than it was in 2008 (2030)	Recognition of the conservation values of extant vegetation communities and their integration into planning processes and land management so that conservation improvement is a measurable outcome A strategy to guide management and conservation of ecological communities threatened by climate change is developed Restoration and rehabilitation of land and vegetation to provide improved biodiversity outcomes on disturbed lands Related plans Planning Framework for Natural Ecosystems—NSW Southern Tablelands and ACT (2002) Nature Conservation Strategy 1995	Foundation Develop revegetation guidelines and standards Review off-set and other no net loss mechanisms in other jurisdictions in order to recommend approaches applicable to the ACT On-ground Develop policy that requires loss of any habitat to be offset at a commensurate rate Develop principles for fire hazard management that ensure that any potential biodiversity loss is localised, not ACT-wide Recognise and manage modified remnants for their contribution to biodiversity conservation Develop and apply mechanisms for off-reserve protection, including incentives such as payments for ecosystem services, rates rebates, voluntary conservation agreements Conserve and rehabilitate riparian zones and wetlands Improve links between researchers and land managers Develop a publicly accessible flora and fauna database Develop better monitoring systems and apply them in an adaptive management framework Assess the combined impact of pest animals, weeds, drought, fire and climate change on biodiversity Establish guidelines to assess impacts of loss or high disturbance of vegetation or habitat to ensure cumulative impact is minimised Review biodiversity valuation approaches and their potential to contribute to decision making

 

15.Endangered species and communities

The ability of native species to be maintained in a landscape depends on the quality, quantity and connectivity of its preferred habitat. The intention of this target is to conserve endangered species and communities through recovery plans, action plans and mitigation of key threatening processes.

The measurable target

The target relates to the 2008 baseline of 17 endangered species, 14 vulnerable species and two endangered communities in the ACT. Real progress over the long term would see species and communities gradually becoming more secure and being taken off the list. If species (or communities) are allocated three points for extinct, two for endangered and one for vulnerable, the 2008 ‘conservation listing’ score for the ACT is 50. The target is to reduce this to 40 by 2030 through any combination of movement in conservation status.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Trajectories established that show that endangered species and communities are becoming less threatened (2015) Long-term The conservation listing status of endangered species and communities improves by 20% (2030)	Related plans Threatened species actions plans ACT Vertebrate Pest Management Strategy ACT Weeds Strategy ACT Lowland Woodland Conservation Strategy ACT Aquatic Species and Riparian Zone Conservation Strategy ACT Lowland Grassland Conservation Strategy	Foundation Assess the potential impact of climate change on endangered species and communities and the options for mitigation On-ground Identify and enhance priority habitat Establish species re-introductions or breeding programs if required Publicise the state and recovery of endangered species and communities Develop formal provisions that require any loss of endangered species habitat or communities to be fully offset Develop specific criteria that itemise prohibitions and restrictions on land use change in endangered species habitat Continue development, implementation and revision of threatened species action plans and conservation strategies Monitor the habitat of endangered species and communities to identify changes in condition Assess and address threats to species or communities that are in decline and in danger of becoming vulnerable Assess the combined impact of pest animals, weeds and climate change on biodiversity including the impact of extreme events such as drought, climate change and fire for inclusion in the next review of strategies and action plans for threatened species and communities

 

16.Urban biodiversity

Canberra enjoys the benefits of a rich and diverse urban ‘forest’, realising the vision of its original planners. Fundamental to this ‘bush capital’ vision is the interconnectedness of Canberra’s hills and open space that provides a valued ecological resource including for some endangered species and communities, as well as contributing to the community’s wellbeing and sense of place. Canberra’s urban forest also provides a rich ecological resource and refuge. This constructed landscape requires continued management and rejuvenation.

The measurable target

Defining and setting a measurable target depends on more foundational work. It is likely to be a type of urban habitat–hectare measure that combines biodiversity area, value and condition.

OUTCOMES	OUTPUTS	ACTIONS
Intermediate Provision for enhancing urban biodiversity values and functions is incorporated into development decisions, management plans and local neighbourhood actions (2015) Long-term Healthy and resilient urban biodiversity, at local and landscape scale (2030) Canberra has established a strong international reputation as a ‘bush’ capital and is widely used as a best practice case study (2030)		Foundation Develop targets and indicators for urban biodiversity Map Canberra’s urban biodiversity On-ground Rehabilitate and enhance urban biodiversity in open spaces and backyards Enhance connected habitats and corridors across Canberra Construct wetlands Collaborate with stakeholders on incorporating urban biodiversity into new greenfields developments Develop provisions for urban biodiversity to be considered in planning and land management Raise the profile of urban biodiversity in the community Involve schoolchildren through the Sustainable Schools Initiative Review development of East O’Malley in terms of success of biodiversity and tree protection in relation to the original proposal, and use any results for informing other greenfields developments Review potential threats to urban biodiversity, such as prescribed burning, due to fuel management requirements in the urban fringe Develop a biosphere reserve proposal for the ACT

 

Glossary

Acid soils

soil with a pH <7 in a soil–water suspension; acid soils can occur as a consequence of both natural processes and management actions

Adaptive management

management approach using planning, action, monitoring and evaluation to provide a continuing source of knowledge about management actions and their effect

Algal bloom

a proliferation of microscopic algae in waterways, occurring when excessive amounts nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen enter waterways

Aquatic macroinvertebrates

aquatic animals that do not have a backbone but are large enough to be seen without magnification

Aquifer

porous underground rock layer that can store water (groundwater) and from which groundwater can be extracted

AUSRIVAS (Australian River Assessment System)

a rapid prediction system used to assess the biological health of Australian rivers from 1997 through to 2000

Baseline

the starting point from which to assess future measurements

Best practice

the most effective way to conduct an activity

Biodiversity

the variety of life – includes plants, animals and microorganisms, their genes and ecosystems

Bush

the forests, woodlands and grasslands that originally covered the ACT; includes soils, waterways and biodiversity

Canberra Plan (March 2004)

plan for the future of the ACT; includes spatial, social and economic aspects

Carbon economy

a way of gauging the amount of greenhouse gases produced by a community: a low carbon economy means that fewer gases are produced

Carbon sequestration

retaining and storing carbon in the landscape rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere (e.g. by retaining it in vegetation or the soil)

Carbon trading

a possible way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by creating a market for both the emissions and emissions reductions, through trading permits to emit greenhouse gases

Carp

large freshwater fish native to central Asia and considered a significant pest in Australian waters due to its invasive and destructive characteristics

Catchment

area of land that drains all rain falling on it to a single point; may be just one creek or river, or a larger catchment will consist of a number of subcatchments

Chlorophyll ‘a’

the green pigment found in plants; used as an indicator of abundance and biomass of phytoplankton in waterways and to measure water quality; levels vary with run-off, light and temperature

Climate change

change in long-term weather patterns probably caused by the increase in greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere; in the ACT is likely to manifest as increasing temperatures and frequency of heatwaves, decreased number of cold days and frosts, and altered rainfall patterns

Community (1)

a natural aggregate of different species living in the same environment that do not generally interact with species in other communities

Community (2)

the people who are part of the landscapes and who, even while they are the main source of pressure on other assets, also have capacity to reduce and repair damage

Conservation

protection, maintenance, management, sustainable use, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment

Conservation reserves

areas of land and water that have covenants placed on them to protect some or all aspects of their natural state

Decade of Landcare Program

Australian Government initiative (initially proposed by the National Farmers’ Federation and Australian Conservation Foundation and launched in 1989) to increase adoption of sustainable land management practices through self help and local community groups

Ecological community

all the interacting organisms living in a particular habitat

Ecological footprint

measure of resource use sustainability and pollution expressed as the total amount of land needed to support a community’s lifestyle (expressed in hectares per person/jurisdiction)

Ecosystem

system of organisms (including people) interacting with each other, the environment in which they live, and the physical, chemical and biological processes inherent in that interaction and the environment

Ecosystem health

desired ecosystem conditions; perception of health will vary depending on goals (e.g. production versus biodiversity)

Edge pressures

pressures that occur along the boundaries of developed areas – can include incursions of weeds, fire, damage from pets and vehicles

Endangered

a specific term adopted under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (ACT) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) for declaring that a species, population or ecological community is likely to become extinct or in immediate danger of extinction

Environmental flows

water released from dams to mimic the natural flow of a river; volumes generally consist of a base flow, smaller and larger floods, and special purpose flows; quality has comparable temperature and chemical characteristics to a natural flow

Erosion

loss of soil and other material from the landscape through natural or artificial processes

Fragmentation

division of remaining ‘bush’ into smaller areas often to the extent that they are not viable

Geology

structure and composition of the Earth

Grasslands

native vegetation dominated by grasses and herbs, and with less than 2% crown cover density; naturally include a huge variety of species; in natural grassland tree establishment is constrained by environmental factors such as temperature; derived grasslands occur when tree cover is removed; grasslands of the ACT and region have been cleared and replaced with exotic species or subject to intense grazing and weed invasion

Greenfield developments

new urban development on land that is either bush or farmland

Greenhouse gas

gases (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide) that potentially increase the temperature of the atmosphere (and Earth) by preventing loss of excess heat to space; greenhouse gases are emitted from some land uses and clearing, the energy sector, agricultural activities and forestry

Greenhouse gas (or carbon) offsets

a way to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions by paying others to undertake emission reduction programs

Greywater

waste water from washing machine, shower, bath or basin Gross pollutant traps traps placed across or in waterways to catchlarger rubbish particles (e.g. trash racks and concrete-lined pits into which water and rubbish flow)

Herbicides

chemicals used to kill plants

Hydrocarbon

oil-based product (e.g. oil, petrol, diesel) that forms a part of the pollutant load in rivers and streams

Hydrological connectivity

movement of water, plants and animals, and other material up or down a river, or across the floodplain; reservoirs and dams disrupt the natural flow

Hydrologic regime

water movement in a given area – includes rainfall, surface and groundwater flows, evaporation and transpiration

Integration

looking at the whole rather than the component parts

Intergenerational benefits

benefits that endure for succeeding generations of people

Key threatening process

a process that threatens or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community

Land tenure

terms under which land is held (e.g. freehold, leasehold)

Land

the substrate on which communities (natural and built) are supported

Landscape function

ability of a landscape to use and conserve water and nutrients

Leasehold

land tenure where land is occupied under a lease agreement with a state or territory government – all land in the ACT is leasehold

Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and implementation (MERI)

a logical way of approaching assessment of natural resources using program logic

Murray–Darling Basin

one of Australia’s largest catchments; important for its biodiversity, rural production and water

Murrumbidgee catchment

land and waterways draining into the Murrumbidgee River (occupies 84 000 square kilometres)

NAIDOC week

a celebration of history culture and achievements of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

National Capital Plan (1990)

sets out land-use policies for special areas in the ACT, including open spaces such as Lake Burley Griffin and river corridors, and the hills, ridges and bushland; also provides an overall planning framework

National Reserve System

a network of protected areas across Australia that conserves examples of natural landscapes, and native plants and animals for future generations; includes national parks, Indigenous lands, reserves run by not-for-profit conservation organisations, and ecosystems protected by landowners on private properties

Natural Heritage Trust (terminated in 2008)

Australian Government organisation set up to help restore and conserve Australia’s environment and natural resources; provided funding for environmental activities at community, regional, state/territory and national levels

Natural resources management

management of land, water and biodiversity

Naturalised (plants and animals)

plants and animals not naturally found in an area but now accepted as part of the natural environment

Non-renewable energy

energy (gas/electricity) that comes from nonrenewable sources such as oil, gas or coal rather than renewable sources such as the sun or wind

Permeability of soil

ability of soil to allow moisture to enter

Pesticides

chemicals used to kill animals (usually invertebrates) and plants

pH

measure of acidity and alkalinity using a scale of 1 to 14 (7 is neutral; <7 indicates acidity; >7 indicates alkalinity); soil pH occurs typically between 3.5 and 8.5

Point source pollution

pollution that originates from a single defined point (e.g. a building site) rather than from a larger area (e.g. run-off from roads)

Pollutants

material that would not normally be found in a particular place – in waterways pollutants can be gross, fine or nutrient

Pressures

in state of environment reporting, causes of decline arising from human activity

Program logic

systematic, visual way to present a planned program with its underlying assumptions and theoretical framework

Recharge

rainfall that drains through the soil, beyond the roots of plants into the groundwater; recharge areas where water can enter and move downward to the groundwater are usually permeable in the upper slopes and are often on shallow soils

Resilience

ability to maintain a healthy state under adverse conditions, or to recover from these conditions

Revegetation

planting of native plants in areas that have been cleared or highly modified

Riparian zone

area between land and water along waterways; plants growing in the riparian zone provide a range of ecosystem services including filtering pollutants, stabilising stream banks and providing animal habitat

Run-off

rainfall not immediately absorbed by the soil and thus able to flow across the surface to waterways; also water flowing into waterways after evaporation and transpiration have occurred; includes water that soaks into the earth and is available as groundwater. Surface run-off does not include groundwater

Salinisation

process that causes soluble salts to accumulate in the soil due to a change in the water balance; may be natural or anthropogenic; salinity caused by people generally occurs
when rising watertables mobilise salt in the soil

Sediment

small particles mainly of sand, silt, rock and plant material that have been transported by water and deposited or settled out of suspension

Sedimentary rocks

rock formed by compaction of sediments

SMART (targets)

natural resource planning targets developed to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound to maximise success rates

Soil fertility

ability of a soil to supply the nutrients essential to plant growth

Soil organic matter

organic content of the soil; does not include undecayed plant and animal residues

Species

group of organisms that are biologically capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring

Territory Plan

provides the policy framework for administrative planning, and directs management of land-use change and development so that it is consistent with strategic directions set by the government and community of the ACT

Threatening processes

limiting factors that threaten, or may threaten, the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community

Triple bottom line

a way of measuring or reporting success using social, economic and environmental indicators

Urban footprint

area of land that the urban infrastructure occupies (distinct from the ecological footprint)

Utility easements

area to be kept free of obstructions on either side of above or below ground infrastructure (e.g. power lines, waste water pipes)

Vulnerable

a specific term adopted under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (ACT) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) for declaration of species, population or ecological community that is likely to become endangered

Water-sensitive urban design

development of urban areas so that changes imposed on the natural water cycle are minimised

Waterway

any flowing or dry stream, river or watercourse (includes artificial canals and channels)

Weathering

decomposition of rocks that eventually results in formation of soil

Weeds

plants that require some action to reduce their economic, environmental or social impact; many are invasive; can be native or non-native

Weed of national significance

weeds identified because of their invasiveness, socioeconomic and environmental impact, and their potential to spread

Woodlands

scattered trees with 10 – 30 % projective foliage cover (crown density of 20 – 50%); open woodland has less than 10% projective foliage

Y Plan

plan for general layout of freeway-linked town centres based on the shape of the letter ‘Y’ – Tuggeranong is located at its base, Belconnen and Gungahlin are at the ends of its arms

Bibliography

ACT Commissioner for the Environment 2003,

2003 State of the Environment Report, ACT
Government, Canberra.

ACT Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

2008, Water Quality Environment Protection
Policy, April 2008, ACT EPA, Canberra.

– – 2007a, Environment Protection Guidelines for

Construction and Land Development in the
ACT, August 2007, ACT EPA, Canberra.

– – 1997b, Environmental Protection Act 1997, ACT

EPA, Canberra.

– – 2005, Environmental Protection Legislation 2005,

ACT EPA, Canberra.

– – 2000, Contaminated Site Environment Protection

Policy, November 2000, ACT EPA, Canberra.

ACT Government 2004, Woodlands for Wildlife:

ACT Lowland Woodland Conservation Strategy,
Action Plan No. 27, Environment ACT,
Canberra.

– – 2007, Ribbons of Life: ACT aquatic species and

riparian zone conservation strategy, Action Plan
29, Department of Territory and Municipal
Services, Canberra.

– – 2001, Canberra’s Urban Lakes and Ponds Plan of

Management, ACT Government, Canberra.

ACT Natural Resources Management Board 2004,

ACT Natural Resource Management Plan,
2004 – 2014, ACT Government, Canberra.

– – 2004, ACT Natural Resource Management Plan,

2004 – 2014: technical addendum, ACT
Government, Canberra.

ACT Office of Sustainability, Chief Minister’s

Department 2004, Measuring our progress:
Canberra’s journey to sustainability, Volumes 1
– 3, ACT Government, Canberra.

ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA)

2006, Water Sensitive Urban Design.
Guidelines for sustainable development in
Canberra, (draft), ACT Government,
Canberra.

– – 2007, WaterWays: water sensitive urban design

general code, ACT Government, Canberra.

ACTEW Corporation 2005, Future Water Options

for the ACT Region - implementation plan,
ACTEW, Canberra.

– – 2007, Water Security for the ACT and Region:

recommendations to ACT Government,
ACTEW Corporation, Canberra.

ActewAGL 2007, Annual Report, ActewAGL,

Canberra.

Allan C 2007, ‘Adaptive management of natural

resources’, in AL Wilson, RL Dehaan, RJ
Watts, KJ Page, KH Bowmer & A Curtis,
Proceedings of the 5th Australian Stream
Management Conference. Australian rivers:
making a difference, Charles Sturt University,
Thurgoona, New South Wales.

Beavis S 2009, Water, Change and Sustainability in

the Australian Capital Territory, ACT Planning
and Land Authority, Canberra.

Bessen Consulting Services 2006, Community

Forum: review of progress report, ACT NRM
Council, Canberra.

Butz M 2007, Community-based Natural

Resource Management in the ACT: review of
accommodation and resource needs, Report of
findings – 1 March 2007, Futures by Design
Aranda, ACT.

Canberra Ornithologists Group 2008, Canberra Bird

Notes March 2008, vol. 33 no. 1, Canberra
Ornithologists Group, Canberra.

Environment ACT (EACT) 1997, The A.C.T.

Nature Conservation Strategy, Department of
Urban Services, ACT.

– – 2001, Working together for the ACT’s

environment: a support strategy for volunteers,
Interim strategy, EACT, Canberra.

– – 2001, Ginini Flats Wetlands Ramsar Site: plan

of management 2001, Department of Urban
Services Conservation Series No. 18, ACT
Government, Canberra.

– – 2003a, Namadgi National Park Management

Plan Review 2003, ACT Government,
Canberra.

– – 2003b, Think water, act water, volumes

1–3, Department of Urban Services, ACT
Government, Canberra.

– – 2005, A Vision Splendid of the Grassy Plains

Extended: ACT lowland native grassland
conservation strategy, Action Plan no. 2, Arts,
Heritage and Environment, Canberra.

– – 2006a, 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines,

ACT Government, Canberra.

– – 2006b, Draft ACT Wetlands Policy: a strategy

for the management and conservation of ACT
wetlands, Arts, Heritage and Environment,
Canberra.

– – 2006c, Lower Cotter Catchment Draft Strategic

Management Plan, Environment ACT,
Canberra.

Environment Australia (EA) 2001, A Directory of

Important Wetlands, Australian Government,
Canberra.

Fallding M 2002, A Planning Framework for Natural

Ecosystems of the ACT and NSW Southern
Tablelands, Natural Heritage Trust, NSW
National Parks and Wildlife Service and Land
& Environment Planning, ACT.

Ginninderra Catchment Group 2000, Strategy 2000,

Ginninderra Catchment Group, ACT.

Jenkins BR, 2000, Soil Landscapes of the Canberra

1:100 000 Sheet, Department of Land and
Water Conservation, Sydney.

Molonglo Catchment Group 2005, Molonglo

Catchment Strategy Executive Summary July
2005, Molonglo Catchment Group, ACT.

Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) 2004,

Native Fish Strategy, MDBC, Canberra.

National Health and Medical Research Council

(NHMRC) 2004, em>Australian Drinking
Water Guidelines, Australian Government,
Canberra.

National Resource Management Ministerial

Council; Environment Protection and
Heritage Council & National Health
and Medical Research Council 2008,
Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling:
Managing Health and Environmental Risks
(Phase 1) Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse,
Environment Protection and Heritage
Council, Australia.

National Resource Management Ministerial

Council; Environment Protection and
Heritage Council & National Health and
Medical Research Council 2008, Draft
Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling:
Managing Health and Environmental Risks
(Phase 2) Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse,
Environment Protection and Heritage
Council, Australia.

Rustomji PK & Hairsine PB 2006, Revegetation of

water supply catchments following bushfire:
A review of the scientific literature relevant to
the Lower Cotter catchment, CSIRO Land
and Water Science Report 9/06, CSIRO,
Canberra.

Sharp S, Macdonald T, Kitchin M & Dunford

M 2007, Setting Conservation Targets
for Vegetation Communities in the ACT,
Department of Territory and Municipal
Services, ACT.

Southern ACT Catchment Group Inc (SACTCG)

2007, Draft Catchment Management Strategy,
SACTCG, ACT.

Sustainability Policy and Programs Department

of Territory and Municipal Services 2007,
Weathering the Change. The ACT Climate
Change Strategy 2007 – 2025, ACT
Government, Canberra.

– – 2007, Weathering the Change. Action Plan 1

2007 – 2011, ACT Government, Canberra.

Data

2002 ACT Landcare Group survey

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006/07 Census

of Population and Housing. Available at:
www.abs.gov.au

Territory and Municipal Services , Territory and

Municipal Services – Threatened Species
Action Plans, ACT Government, Canberra.

Conservation reserves

Canberra Nature Park

Jerrabomberra Wetlands (part of Canberra Nature Park)

Googong Foreshores

Murrumbidgee River Corridor

Namadgi National Park

Ginini Flats Wetlands (part of Namadgi National Park)

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Legislation, plans and strategies

ACT Legislation

Target working groups

The Council appreciates the contribution of members of the ACT community who worked with the Council to develop the targets in this plan. The contribution of those who attended forums to discuss the targets is also appreciated.

Community