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Caring for Country

Caring for Country - A sustainable land management guide for rural living in north central Victoria.

Crops, pastures, horses, salinity, revegetation...there are so many possibilities and potential obstacles associated with owning your own property that it can be overwhelming to know where to begin.

The latest edition of the Caring for Country land management guide aims to assist new and existing land managers, particularly those in the rural living zone, to protect the health of their land and the broader environment.  It provides a starting point for information on a variety of topics related to sustainable land management.

It will help you care for your land - your soil, biodiversity, waterways, plants and animal life - so that it will be in better shape for the next generation.

Hard copies of the guide are available free of charge to landholders in north central Victoria by contacting the North Central CMA on 03 5448 7124 or emailing info@nccma.vic.gov.au.  Copies are also available from the City of Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Mount Alexander Shire Council.

Caring for Country

Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Plan

Following months of community and stakeholder engagement the regionally endorsed 2015 North Central Region Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan is released.

The aim of the plan is to incorporate adaptation and mitigation approaches in future environmental planning.

Land managers and the wider community in the North Central region are no strangers to the effects of climate change and climate variability. In recent times they have experienced major climate events including the Millennium drought and the 2010/11 floods. While the floods caused major damage in some areas they also brought significant benefits to biodiversity, especially in our rivers and wetlands.

These events send a strong signal that we need to prepare now if the future climate change projections for the region are realised. Such events in the future will impact significantly on the region's environment, economy and community.

In order to better prepare for the future challenge of climate change the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA), with funding from the Australian Government, has worked with partner organisations to develop a regional climate change plan.

North Central Catchment Partners Forum Regional NRM Prospectus

Our Regional NRM Prospectus highlights the success our coordinated approach to natural resource management is having, and the Forum’s vision for even better results with help from new investment partners.

By coordinating our efforts, sharing knowledge,being open to all reasonable sources of funding,and helping each other with challenges and opportunities we have increased our impact and delivered projects with real benefits to water, land, biodiversity and communities.

This Prospectus also highlights 12 of our shared priorities which focus on healthy landscapes and resilient communities.

Our Forum has a diverse range of members from State Government agencies, water corporations,Traditional Owners, local government and the North Central Catchment Management Authority.

We look forward to working together with new partners to invest in our region.

Corporate plan

The North Central CMA Corporate Plans are prepared in accordance with Sections 19C and 19D of the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994.

The Corporate Plan, together with the North Central CMA Annual Report, provides the basis for:

North Central Waterway Strategy

The 2014-22 North Central Waterway Strategy is an integrated strategy for managing and improving the region’s waterways (rivers, streams and wetlands). The strategy sets priorities and outlines a regional work program to guide investment over the next eight years. The strategy also guides coordination of efforts by landholders, partner organisations and the wider community. 

The waterways of the North Central CMA region have economic, environmental, cultural and social importance. They provide the community with water for drinking, irrigation and industry, are a focal point for recreation and tourism, support unique environmental values and have strong cultural and historic significance.

The regional community highly values the region’s waterways and recognises that a coordinated and collaborative approach is required to improve their current condition.

Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan

Developing this new Galkangu, ‘we build together’ (Dja Dja Wurrung language) Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan, endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and our Board, was an important opportunity to reflect on our achievements to date,as well as the learnings and challenges in delivering our first 2018 RAP. 

We used these learnings to continue strengthening our relationships and partnerships,to improving two-way learning, trust and knowledge sharing,and to ensuring that reconciliation becomes ‘business as usual’ across our organisation. We are particularly proud to be stepping up in our reconciliation journey to the Stretch level that commits us to more ambitious targets, such as those around First Nations people employment and procurement.

We know that reconciliation is underpinned by strong relationships based on mutual trust, respect and dialogue, as well as a commitment to having open and honest conversations about truth-telling,equality and reconciliation.

While we have made progress through the 2018 Reconciliation Action Plan, we also recognise that our organisation still has work to do. Our 2021-27 North Central Regional Catchment Strategy includes Traditional Owners’ aspirations for Country and, together with this RAP, we have a clear pathway to keep pushing us in the right direction to collectively protect and enhance our natural resources.

 

North Central Victoria Regional Sustainable Agriculture Strategy

Agriculture in north central Victoria continues to undergo rapid change and to achieve greater agricultural sustainability there needs to be a balance
between achieving greater farming productivity whilst protecting the natural resource base and investing in the capacity of our agricultural community.

The North Central Victoria Regional Sustainable Agriculture Strategy sets the strategic direction to seize growth opportunities by increasing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, addressing changes faced by the agriculture industry while protecting the natural resource base on which agriculture depends.

Social Benchmarking Report for Natural Resource Management

The 2019 North Central Social Benchmarking Survey is part of a Southern Cross University (SCU) project jointly funded by the Soil CRC and the North Central CMA. 

North Central CMA and Soil CRC staff worked together to review and revise the 2014 survey.

Data gathered from the 2019 survey will contribute to the wider Soil CRC research portfolio and provide the CMA with valuable data regarding the region's social/farming structure and an understanding of landholder adoption of best-practice natural resource management.

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