Archive for June, 2015

Photo: Peel-Harvey Catchment Council Project Officer Jo Garvey with the river action plan which establishes priorities for the mid Murray River reaches.

22 June 2015:   Key natural resource management issues for the Murray River are under careful consideration thanks to a major review of the river’s action plans. The river action plans (RAPS) are significant documents which set priority Landcare works for the mid reaches of the Murray. They have been developed by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC) in partnership with the Shire of Murray with the support of the Department of Water and the local community.

PHCC chair, Jan Star A.M. said the two newly released RAPs for the lower and middle reaches of the Murray River assessed and quantified results of previous river action plans prepared in 2003 and 2008, and had identified improvements.

“The Murray River’s health needs our focus and attention. Bank degradation has been attributed to boat wash, lack of native vegetation and stock access. These 2014/15 RAPs show an increase in vegetation and a decrease in bank erosion in some sections of the riverbanks where Landcare restoration works such as river bank stabilisation, fencing and revegetation have been undertaken,” said Jan Star.

The Peel-Harvey Catchment Council is continuing to work on priority natural resource management issues along the Murray River, most recently in repairing riparian corridors to provide habitats and food for native wildlife under their large Rivers 2 Ramsar biodiversity project.

The Shire of Murray is supportive of the Peel Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC) and its extensive restoration efforts as part of the Rivers 2 Ramsar Project.

“The Shire has had significant involvement with the PHCC in implementing the Lower Murray River Action Plan, undertaking tree planting efforts, weed management measures and cockatoo workshops,” said Chief Executive Officer Dean Unsworth.

This project is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government.

MORE ON RIVERS 2 RAMSAR…

The Australian Government has committed over $3.5 million to restore ecological corridors across the Peel-Harvey catchment to re-establish habitats for native fauna. The project, named Rivers 2 Ramsar to reflect the linkage between the region’s rivers and Ramsar-listed wetlands, is occurring concurrently across six priority sites in the 11,940km catchment.

Community-based natural resource management (NRM) organisation, The Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, is managing the delivery of the over-arching project with no less than seven key partners, numerous stakeholders and community members.

The large scale biodiversity project is on schedule to finish in 2017 and is having significant social, economic and environmental benefits.
ENDS
Media Contact: Jane O’Malley, Chief Executive Officer, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Jane.Omalley@peel-harvey.org.au , (08) 6369 8800

Community members, together with Bridging the Gap’s Green Army team and the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, are achieving major revegetation works at Wilgie Creek.

10 June 2015 – Momentum continues this month with major Landcare works on the region’s largest biodiversity project, Rivers 2 Ramsar, being rolled out along the Murray River by members of the Bridging the Gap Green Army, community volunteers and the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC).

The teamwork is creating large scale improvements like this section of revegetation at Wilgie Creek where over 900 seedlings were planted over a hectare of land. This project is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme. PHCC Chair, Jan Star A.M. said the Wilgie Creek revegetation was an excellent example of community Landcare actions.
“The Rivers 2 Ramsar project is about improving the connections between local bushland and rivers like the Murray and repairing these riparian corridors to provide habitats and food for native wildlife. By working with our project partners, community members and the Bridging the Gap Green Army, we have been able to achieve and even surpass the project’s revegetation benchmarks,” said Jan Star.

Mr Don Randall, MP for Canning, said it was great to see this level of cooperation, support and commitment from the local community, Green Army teams and Landcare sector.

“The new relationship between Bridging the Gap and Peel-Harvey Catchment Council will ensure ongoing environmental benefits for my electorate of Canning. The Coalition Government’s commitment of over $3.5 million to the Peel-Harvey region will ensure that the unique environment is protected for future generations,” he said.

Through the engagement of partners such as the Shire of Murray and support from the Department of Water and community groups like the North Yunderup Community Association and Friends of Rivers Peel, over 37 hectares of weed control and 20 hectares of revegetation has been undertaken around the Murray River, which is one of six sites throughout the Peel-Harvey catchment where the Rivers 2 Ramsar project is creating large scale landscape improvements.

MORE ON RIVERS 2 RAMSAR…

The Australian Government has committed over $3.5 million to restore ecological corridors across the Peel-Harvey catchment to re-establish habitats for native fauna. The project, named Rivers 2 Ramsar to reflect the linkage between the region’s rivers and Ramsar-listed wetlands, is occurring concurrently across six priority sites in the 11,940km catchment.

Landscape linkages such as this are significant not only for resident fauna but here in the Peel-Harvey our rivers flow into the Ramsar-listed wetlands which are an important feeding and roosting site for many of the migratory birds that visit from Siberia, Japan, Korea and China.

Community-based natural resource management (NRM) organisation, The Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, is managing the delivery of the over-arching project with no less than seven key partners, numerous stakeholders and community members.

The large scale biodiversity project is on schedule to finish in 2017 and is having significant social, economic and environmental benefits. This project is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
ENDS
Media Contact: Jane O’Malley, Chief Executive Officer, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Jane.Omalley@peel-harvey.org.au , (08) 6369 8800