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Future challenges facing the Loddon Campaspe Irrigation Region
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The irrigation region is currently in the midst of modernising the |
People managing land and water in the Loddon Campaspe Irrigation Region are having to adjust quickly to recent changes in Government policy. Irrigation water entitlements are being bought and sold throughout the region, changes are being made to where and how farming occurs, people are moving from farms to live in towns and environmental values are changing as the population shifts. Against the backdrop of one of the worst droughts on record, the Loddon Campaspe Irrigation community is being challenged to reassess how it manages natural resources across the region.
The Loddon Campaspe Irrigation Region Land and Water Management Plan has been developed by the regional community to build on the success of previous salinity management and regional development plans; sets regional directions and targets that integrate our land, water, environmental and people assets to achieve a sustainable and viable future.
Future challenges facing the Loddon Campaspe Irrigation Region
The region contains some of the most complex and often competing resource management issues in Victoria. The Plan has been designed to assist the region's landholders and communities meet many of the challenges they are currently facing. However, as change occurs it invariably gives rise to additional unforseen challenges that have not been considered by the Plan.
Overcoming future challenges will require government agencies, landholders and communities to work in partnership. Some of these challenges may include:
- Understanding the risks and maximising opportunities of reconfiguration of the irrigation delivery system
- Linking on-farm reconfiguration with irrigation system delivery reconfiguration
- Unbundling of land and water entitlements - understanding how irrigators will manage their entitlements and their enterprises
- Future trends in water trade require an understanding of how these effect the region and the options available
- Balancing the increased demand for water resources for the environment, agricultural and urban use
- Implementing an effective monitoring, evaluation, reporting and learning program to enable the plan to adapt as required
- Implementing research and development programs that provide answers to the key issues facing the region
- Managing the ongoing impacts of salinity
- Adapting to the effects of climate change on the region
- Improving the economic returns and efficiency of irrigation
- Understanding the impacts of taking water off land that was intensively irrigated and the opportunities it may provide
- Encourage commercial enterprises to help manage salt and create salt disposal credits to support land and water works
- Refine priority actions for agricultural, environmental and social outcomes to guide public and private investment.
Rationale for developing a new land and water management plan
Like all strategic natural resource management in the North Central CMA catchment, the Plan is based around protecting the irrigation region's most important natural assets. The Plan provides for the best possible integration and coordination of the regional community's efforts to improve the region's land, water and environmental assets.
Importantly, the Plan allows the regional community to maximise the opportunities to integrate policy with on-ground change to achieve the best possible outcomes on both public and private land.
This Plan gives the region its best chance to integrate all its natural assets into one planning framework and for investment to achieve multiple outcomes across the landscape.
Achieving an increase in agricultural viability along with environmental improvements requires the community to choose from many varied and complex options. It takes a skilled community to make the choices that are in the best long-term interests of the region. Ongoing skilling of the community is required so that people can adjust cope and direct change.
Recent years of low rainfall and increasing competition for water resources have put Victoria's rural water sector under the microscope. Water reform requires sensible and efficient management of water resources. Environmental water to restore stressed rivers and protect healthy waterways and wetlands is being sought from current irrigation allocations.
This Plan recognises the many benefits of integrating changes to water supply infrastructure with on-farm efficiency improvements to generate the irrigation system savings. Such an approach will lead to improved service delivery (water available on demand), improved agricultural productivity and environmental benefits.
The outcomes of irrigation system change are expected to further influence landholder behaviours and decisions, as well as land use. Coordinated decision making is vital to ensure the full benefits of delivery system infrastructure changes occur.
The terrestrial and aquatic environment of the region is highly valued by the community, both within the region and beyond. Activities associated with change must actively protect, enhance and restore priority environmental values.
For this Plan to be successful, goals have been developed which are efficient, effective, innovative and adaptive. Achieving the goals of the Plan must generate improvements to regional assets. Plan activities will need to generate multiple benefits - e.g. water use efficiency, water savings and habitat enhancement - whilst mitigating the off-site impacts of irrigation.
Justification for the Plan
In assessing the soundness of the Plan consideration has been given to the potential economic, environmental and social impacts, and the perceived risks under the 'with' and 'without' plan scenarios. The Plan has a 30-year timeframe and is justified as follows:
- The Plan is financially attractive with a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.94 and a Net Present Value of over $271 million
- Landowners will contribute nearly 70% of the total incremental cost to implement the Plan, being $287 million
- The total economic benefit of the implementation of the Plan is estimated to be $4.2 billion
- The economic benefits are considered a conservative estimate and do not include the expected financial benefits attributed to salt mitigation works and the volume of water to be saved through improvements in farm and water service delivery efficiencies
- Government investment in the Plan will lead to an increase in landowner investment in the Loddon Campaspe Irrigation Region and achieve significant environmental benefits
- Taking into consideration both the economic and environmental benefits to be delivered through the implementation of the Plan, the projected incremental Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) from a Government perspective is 4:1 (i.e. there will be a return of $4 for every dollar invested). From the landowners' perspective, the financial BCR is 1.9:1 (i.e. there will be a return of $1.90 for every dollar invested).
A strategic approach to regional land and water management
The strategic approach to achieving a sustainable future for our natural resources and community viability will always require us to adapt to changing circumstances. Government policy will change, people will adjust, and the landscape will alter when put under stress such as drought and flood.
This Plan has been structured so that the base elements are consistent for the longer-term. It takes into account that the natural resources of land, water and the environment will always be an important asset, and that the influence of people on these assets will continue to be a priority. All base assets require strategic planning and target development to ensure sustainability and viability across the region.
The Plan is built on five recurring themes. Each theme has 30-year aspirational goals to improve the condition of natural resources. Each goal is associated with a resource condition target (RCT). Resource condition targets have 20-year timeframes and are more specific than aspirational goals.
In order to improve the condition of a resource, specific actions must be undertaken. Each action has a target and these targets are grouped into projects. Management action targets (MATs) have five year timeframes and generally relate to specific on-ground works.
Five themes for achieving sustainable natural resource management
The Plan is built upon five recurring themes sourced from information provided by the community and Government.
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| Linking the priority projects with the Plan's vision. |
For sustainable natural asset management to occur it is essential that land, water and the environment are managed competently into the future. It is therefore vital that the local community has the skills and capacity to carry out such management. All issues must be translated into planned actions for the future wellbeing of the Region.
While each theme can be viewed as a stand alone element of the Plan, there is clear overlap and integration in their delivery. Only by taking a holistic approach to addressing the five themes can the success of the Plan be realised.
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| The interrelationship between the five themes |
1. Land Management
Sustainable land management seeks to ensure healthy soils, water and vegetation. Land use is matched to its capability, long-term agricultural and environmental productivity is enhanced; regional communities are resilient and prosperous.
2. Water Management
Water management is a key issue in the Loddon Campaspe Irrigation Region. Determining and managing the competing needs of the beneficiaries of the region's limited water resources is a difficult and complex task. The drought has heightened the complexity of this issue and has driven the state and federal water reform agenda.
3. Biodiversity Enhancement
The future protection and enhancement of the region's biodiversity values depend on the strategic management of native vegetation, wetland, stream and riparian environments. The flora and fauna depends on the health of these systems to survive.
4. Community Capacity
Building community capacity provides the community with the appropriate skills and tools to manage its land and water resources, influence management decisions and to adapt to an ever changing environment.
5. Planning and Development
Strategic planning and development of efficient, productive and coordinated management of land and water resources in the region is vital in delivering an adaptive Plan. Attracting investment to realise opportunities to redevelop land and water resources for improving environmental, social and economic outcomes is vital.
Priority Projects
The five themes are supported by eight priority projects designed to address issues of primary importance across the region. These are:
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Habitat Management
- Wetland Management
- Surface Water Management
- Social Capacity
- Salt Disposal Management
- Research Development and Knowledge
- Plan Development, Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting & Learning (MERL).
A priority project integrates one or more components and targets from the themes and provides strong linkages throughout the plan and a holistic approach to asset management.
Find out more:
Loddon and Campaspe Irrigation Region - Land and Water Management Plan Summary
Loddon Campaspe Irrigated Region Cost-share incentives.