The Hotham-Williams River catchment and the community will be the beneficiaries of a continued partnership between the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC) and Newmont Australia. PHCC and Newmont Australia recently renewed a long-term environmental partnership known as the Hotham-Williams Rivers and Tributaries’ Natural Resource Management and Conservation Project.
The partnership will enable the great work of the last 5 years to continue. Highlights of the partnership include the employment of a River Restoration Co-ordinator (Kristy Gregory), exciting designs for 8 restoration and recreation nodes along the River, engagement with the local Wilman mob and a range of other community projects.
The original 5 year partnership commenced in 2018, and will now continue to June 2027.
This extension will see the implementation of works that have been determined, by the community, for the community. Planning, design and approvals have taken a long time but works have commenced and 2024 will see the aspirations of the community come to fruition.
Furthermore, the partnership will contribute to the ongoing delivery of projects and activities in the upper catchment including Threatened Species recovery, restoration of natural areas, and support to local environmental groups and landholders to develop NRM skills and knowledge and carry out environmental projects.
The partnership continues to value add to an existing partnership the PHCC has with the four Local Governments in the upper catchment (Shires of Boddington, Cuballing, Wandering and Williams) and a partnership with South32 Worsley Alumina, known as the Hotham-Williams Warlang Boodja (Hotham-Williams Healthy Country) Project Partnership (2021 – 2025).
PHCC has been working with Newmont Australia since 2018, largely through the development of the Hotham-Williams River Action Plan. Prior to 2018, Newmont Australia and PHCC collaborated through a local community group and developed a Business Case to re-invigorate NRM officer/s in the Hotham-Williams subcatchment. PHCC’s successful Rivers 2 Ramsar project, funded by the Australia Government, lead to PHCC having a presence in the upper catchment from 2014 and enabled the development of the Hotham-Williams NRM plan which identified community priorities which continues to be implemented as funding is sought.
Implementation of the RAP is the current and ongoing next step in the process. River restoration and rehabilitation is the main focus of the project. This is not just important but essential to plant and animal species survival, particularly in the context of a modified landscape in a changing climate.
Rivers provide habitat and refuge for plants and animals reliant on river environments to survive. Pools are particularly precious, and will become more so as surface water depletes over time, leaving stepping stones of water refuges in the landscape. The continuous nature of rivers means that they also provide connections in the landscape, and restoration and protection of the vegetation is therefore essential to its ongoing resilience. The presence of riverine vegetation moderates micro-climate, provides shade and shelter (including for people, livestock, crops and pastures), stores carbon, controls erosion and provides many more ecosystem services.
Newmont Australia’s General Manager, Chris Dark says “Newmont is pleased to renew the agreement with PHCC recognising water as a shared, precious resource fundamental to the economic, environmental and social well-being of communities within the Hotham-Williams Catchment. The partnership will not only allow for the next phase of on-the-ground River Action Plan activities and continued development of community capacity to improve the catchment, but will also honour Newmont’s own global strategies to recognise cultural heritage, improved biodiversity outcomes and exercise sound water stewardship.”
Under this continued partnership, PHCC will undertake various sustainable natural resource management activities, including but not limited to:
- Focussing on commencing restoration on four of the eight priority sites and undertaking key actions in the Hotham-Williams River Action Plan (RAP).
- Contributing to broader ongoing environmental projects that align with the PHCC Hotham-Williams NRM Plan 2015-2025 and the NRM Strategy “Bindjareb Boodja Landscapes”.
- Working with Traditional Owners and other relevant cultural knowledge holders to support and capture Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, knowledge and ecological practices in relation to waterways, catchments and sites identified in the Hotham-Williams River Action Plan (RAP).
- The funding also supports the employment of a River Restoration Coordinator to manage the Hotham-Williams Rivers and Tributaries’ Natural Resource Management and Conservation Project, as well as contributing to the employment of other staff in the PHCC Boddington office.
Four of the eight priority sites on the Hotham and Williams Rivers identified in the Hotham-Williams River Action Plan are earmarked for restoration and rehabilitation. The broader project is long term, but over the next 5 years it is planned to commence restoration on 4 of the 8 priority sites to enhance environmental, cultural and social values.
PHCC Chairperson, Caroline Knight says “PHCC projects that focus on waterways is more important than ever, and the continued support from Newmont through this partnership will enable such projects to be implemented in the upper catchment. There is a shared vision set by our community for the catchment, and on-ground projects such as this one will take us closer to achieving it in terms of environmental restoration and rehabilitation. These projects also provide opportunities to grow the skills of local community members in land management in the Hotham-Williams.”
ENDS
Media Contact: Jane O’Malley, Chief Executive Officer, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Jane.Omalley@peel-harvey.org.au, (08) 6369 8800