Community Engagement

The scale of NRM across our catchment requires a respectful and inclusive approach. Our stakeholders and our project partners are wide and varied, and how we interact, share and learn from them will greatly contribute to achieving the PHCC’s strategic outcomes.

The Mission of the PHCC forms the backbone our planning processes:

Building community education and capacity
Influencing and leading critical thought and environmental pride
Exemplifying and implementing best practice

To guide our community participation and engagement, we have prepared a Community Participation Plan and a Communications Plan.

Strategic Directions

Our Goal for Community Engagement is:

Goal 6: Engage and Enable Individuals and Communities

We will empower our community to be effective catchment managers and instill confidence and courage to be champions for our environment.

Our Community Engagement Approach

Just as the health of the Peel-Harvey catchment inspires and guides the work that we do, so too does our community and their aspirations to restore and protect our natural environment.

As the bridging organisation between community and governments in natural resource management (NRM), we are committed to building local capacity to protect our soils, rivers, estuary and wetlands, Ramsar assets and biodiversity.

We will use activities to inform, consult, involve, collaborate or empower others.

To achieve our vision for the protection and enhancement of the catchment’s natural assets, we are committed to working in partnership with all sectors of our community.

The objectives of our community engagement are to –

RAISE AWARENESS	SHARE KNOWLEDGE	DRIVE AND INSPIRE BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE	PROMOTE INCLUSIVENESS	BUILD CAPACITY
Increase knowledge of the pressures facing our catchment and lift the ability of the PHCC to lead positive change	Learn from each other’s experiences and build, preserve and share a hub of knowledge about our catchment	Lift pride, performance and participation, teach skills, and guide our community to become champions of the catchment	Respectfully work with others to strengthen project partnerships and community relationships. Build cultural respect into the foundations of our work	Provide support to increase knowledge, opportunities and skills that help our community do great things in caring for the environment

When we engage with our community, our roles are wide and varied. We can be leaders of change, advocators, coordinators, educators, project partners, supporters, advisors, connectors, facilitators, sponsors and funders.

Our Communications Approach

The function of the Communications Plan is to raise awareness of the PHCC and its role in natural resource management (NRM) and encourage engagement and participation by all sectors of our community in protecting and improving our natural resources.

The PHCC Communications Toolkit offers a series of approaches for consideration when planning a project’s communications strategy.

Identifying the audience, key message and the best way to deliver that message will play an important role in choosing the right formats to ensure a good return on communications investment.

Media

The PHCC have an active social media presence with over 2,000 followers on Facebook and relevant staff are active on Twitter. Our audiences on social media continue to grow. Media releases are provided to local, regional, state and national media on a regular basis to advise of project outcomes, activities and events. Traditional media is complemented with Radio. We regularly submit articles to various magazines and newsletters, e.g. The Department of Parks and Wildlife’s Bushland News and the Western Australian Local Government Associations WALGA News. We are consistently publishing articles in the Peel Development Commissions quarterly magazine and have a monthly “Landcare Matters” newsletter. We also have a series of Youtube videos that have been prepared and are regularly shared with community.
An Annual Report is prepared and distributed to our community, as well as being made available on our website and promoted via social media (refer picture below). PHCC meeting minutes are publicly available and these include financial statements relevant to project delivery. Onground activities, educational and engagement events and opportunities are regularly distributed in a variety of communication forms, as summarised below.

Facebook

We currently have 2321 Facebook followers and this is the preferred medium for our community members and community groups.

Twitter

All project staff have organisational Twitter accounts to continuously promote their project delivery, in virtually real time. The PHCC also has a Twitter account, currently with 514 followers. Twitter is a preferred medium for our professional partners (universities/practitioners/industry).

Newspaper Articles

Traditional Media is a method we use to send news about PHCC activities/events/grant opportunities etc. We have a robust circulation list across the Catchment, with the main community newspapers listed below (along with their readership and circulation)

Mandurah Mail: 55,948 readership and 37,380 circulation
Harvey Reporter: 6,000 readership and 4,105 circulation
Community News: 39,000 readership and 37,303 circulation

Radio Interviews

Radio interviews are popular in the Peel-Harvey and the PHCC are active in engaging with our community, via a local radio.

TV Interviews

On occasion the PHCC are sought to represent our Community via television. Here our previous Chairman, Andy Gulliver, is interviewed, discussing the urgent need for collaborative action to protect the health of our Ramsar listed wetlands.

Hotham-Williams Newsletter

Our upper catchment community prefer to receive information via the 4 local newsletters. The PHCC have annual arrangements to purchase space in these newsletters, for advertisements of grant or event opportunities, when applicable, and for our regular monthly “Landcare Matters” newsletter. Landcare Matters commenced in July 2016, and 54 editions have been published in the 4 local newsletters since then. The circulation of each of the newsletters is detailed below:

Boddington News: 400
Cuballing News: 370
Wandering Echo: 145
The Williams: 450

Magazine / Newsletter Articles

To engage with a wider audience, in a more in-depth manner, the PHCC is active in submitting media articles in relevant magazines/enewsletters and similar. Examples are shown below:

Peel Development Commission Magazine
Bushland News
Western Australian Local Government Association E-Newsletter
Wetlands Australia

K4	IDENTIFY AND CAPITALISE ON MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
The Peel-Harvey has competitive advantages that should enable market opportunities to be capitalized on, including its close proximity to an international airport, emerging support facilities, comparatively affordable land as metropolitan areas become more urbanized, and its natural capital including a very productive area of the Wheatbelt. Capitalising on these opportunities will assist in employment and the social issues being experienced as a result of high unemployment. The Peel-Harvey is well placed to capitalize on market opportunities and land managers need support to identify and match production to markets, promoting the Region’s clean, green production by implementing sustainable practices that protect and restore the Region’s natural capital.
K4.1	Undertake Analysis of competitive markets for sustainable production
K4.1.1	Support grower groups and similar to identify competitive advantages and provide support to match land managers to markets
K4.1.2	Prepare and communicate an analysis of strengths, assets and potential new markets
K4.1.3	Identify and facilitate network opportunities to improve local knowledge and opportunities
K4.1.4	Identify constraints and areas for development and advocate to remove identified barriers
K4.2	Provide community access to, and awareness of new technologies and information
K4.2.1	Share new technologies and information, including local successes and peer to peer learning
K4.2.2	Support next generation farming, including education and career development

K3	LAND MANAGERS TO USE BEST KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY
Land managers use a wealth of knowledge and experience to inform the way they manage their paddock, patch or park. They may need support to access new information that has become available through research and field trials. Strategies to achieve this goal aim at information sharing between landholders, through field days, extension support, and field-based research trials.
K3.1	Relevant information/knowledge is provided to land managers
K3.1.1	Develop targeted land management extension programs responding to community needs
K3.1.2	Support and assist land managers to access relevant and contemporary information
K3.1.3	Develop, promote and support implementation of best practice management for NRM
K3.2	Use science to inform land manager programs
K3.2.1	Implement targeted extension programs to support NRM for productive environments
K3.2.2	Support relevant research trials and promote findings to land managers
K3.2.3	Demonstrate economics benefits of productivity improvements, to influence greater uptake

K2	INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NRM practices must continue to evolve and adapt to the best available information. To enable this adaptive management and continuous improvement to occur, information must be collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes, science should be used to address knowledge gaps and innovation must be encouraged. The strategies to address this goal cover each of these aspects as well as incorporating the knowledge of Aboriginal people to improve the effectiveness of NRM activities.
K2.1	Maintain effective information collection, storage and analysis processes
K2.1.1	Establish and maintain an effective information collection and storage process
K2.2	Use scientific methods to develop, inform and improve natural resource management programs
K2.2.1	Assist in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of NRM activities
K2.2.2	Help educate and support land holders to improve decision making
K2.3	Incorporate Aboriginal knowledge to improve natural resource management
K2.3.1	Collaboratively document and use Aboriginal knowledge/practice in NRM programs
K2.4	Encourage Innovation in natural resource management programs
K2.4.1	Identify, assess and facilitate sharing of new techniques, particularly for agriculture and restoration
K2.4.2	Communicate and support innovation in NRM and agricultural programs and Practices

K1	INFLUENCE DECISION MAKING FOR BETTER NRM
Decision makers in government and the private sector need access to the best available research findings and information to ensure that land is managed wisely. New development and land uses should not create new NRM challenges for the future but provide for new opportunities for good stewards of the environment. A number of landmark strategies and activities will achieve this goal including the preparation of regular State of the Region reports, implementation of the Science Strategy for the Estuary (and pending Strategy for the Catchment) and establishing the first stages of a Peel Waterways Institute.
K1.1	Science is undertaken to address current and emerging environmental, economic and production issues
K1.1.1	Establish and implement a Science Program for the Peel-Harvey
K1.1.2	Prepare and implement contemporary Science Strategy’s for the Peel-Harvey
K1.1.3	Collaborate with stakeholders to target and enable priority research
K1.2	Communicate State of the Catchment and relevant science to decision makers/community
K1.2.1	Prepare and communicate a State of the Catchment Report Card/s (every 2 years)
K1.2.2	Communicate science and knowledge relevant to health of the catchment
K1.3	Establish a Peel Waterways Institute / Waterways Centre of Excellence
K1.3.1	Establish first stages of a Peel Waterways Institute to support collaborative research
K1.3.2	Advocate for a National Centre for Waterways Excellence in the Peel-Harvey

K1	INFLUENCE DECISION MAKING FOR BETTER NRM
Decision makers in government and the private sector need access to the best available research findings and information to ensure that land is managed wisely. New development and land uses should not create new NRM challenges for the future but provide for new opportunities for good stewards of the environment. A number of landmark strategies and activities will achieve this goal including the preparation of regular State of the Region reports, implementation of the Science Strategy for the Estuary (and pending Strategy for the Catchment) and establishing the first stages of a Peel Waterways Institute.
K1.1	Science is undertaken to address current and emerging environmental, economic and production issues
K1.1.1	Establish and implement a Science Program for the Peel-Harvey
K1.1.2	Prepare and implement contemporary Science Strategy’s for the Peel-Harvey
K1.1.3	Collaborate with stakeholders to target and enable priority research
K1.2	Communicate State of the Catchment and relevant science to decision makers/community
K1.2.1	Prepare and communicate a State of the Catchment Report Card/s (every 2 years)
K1.2.2	Communicate science and knowledge relevant to health of the catchment
K1.3	Establish a Peel Waterways Institute / Waterways Centre of Excellence
K1.3.1	Establish first stages of a Peel Waterways Institute to support collaborative research
K1.3.2	Advocate for a National Centre for Waterways Excellence in the Peel-Harvey
K2	INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NRM practices must continue to evolve and adapt to the best available information. To enable this adaptive management and continuous improvement to occur, information must be collected for monitoring and evaluation purposes, science should be used to address knowledge gaps and innovation must be encouraged. The strategies to address this goal cover each of these aspects as well as incorporating the knowledge of Aboriginal people to improve the effectiveness of NRM activities.
K2.1	Maintain effective information collection, storage and analysis processes
K2.1.1	Establish and maintain an effective information collection and storage process
K2.2	Use scientific methods to develop, inform and improve natural resource management programs
K2.2.1	Assist in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of NRM activities
K2.2.2	Help educate and support land holders to improve decision making
K2.3	Incorporate Aboriginal knowledge to improve natural resource management
K2.3.1	Collaboratively document and use Aboriginal knowledge/practice in NRM programs
K2.4	Encourage Innovation in natural resource management programs
K2.4.1	Identify, assess and facilitate sharing of new techniques, particularly for agriculture and restoration
K2.4.2	Communicate and support innovation in NRM and agricultural programs and Practices
K3	LAND MANAGERS TO USE BEST KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY
Land managers use a wealth of knowledge and experience to inform the way they manage their paddock, patch or park. They may need support to access new information that has become available through research and field trials. Strategies to achieve this goal aim at information sharing between landholders, through field days, extension support, and field-based research trials.
K3.1	Relevant information/knowledge is provided to land managers
K3.1.1	Develop targeted land management extension programs responding to community needs
K3.1.2	Support and assist land managers to access relevant and contemporary information
K3.1.3	Develop, promote and support implementation of best practice management for NRM
K3.2	Use science to inform land manager programs
K3.2.1	Implement targeted extension programs to support NRM for productive environments
K3.2.2	Support relevant research trials and promote findings to land managers
K3.2.3	Demonstrate economics benefits of productivity improvements, to influence greater uptake
K4	IDENTIFY AND CAPITALISE ON MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
The Peel-Harvey has competitive advantages that should enable market opportunities to be capitalized on, including its close proximity to an international airport, emerging support facilities, comparatively affordable land as metropolitan areas become more urbanized, and its natural capital including a very productive area of the Wheatbelt. Capitalising on these opportunities will assist in employment and the social issues being experienced as a result of high unemployment. The Peel-Harvey is well placed to capitalize on market opportunities and land managers need support to identify and match production to markets, promoting the Region’s clean, green production by implementing sustainable practices that protect and restore the Region’s natural capital.
K4.1	Undertake Analysis of competitive markets for sustainable production
K4.1.1	Support grower groups and similar to identify competitive advantages and provide support to match land managers to markets
K4.1.2	Prepare and communicate an analysis of strengths, assets and potential new markets
K4.1.3	Identify and facilitate network opportunities to improve local knowledge and opportunities
K4.1.4	Identify constraints and areas for development and advocate to remove identified barriers
K4.2	Provide community access to, and awareness of new technologies and information
K4.2.1	Share new technologies and information, including local successes and peer to peer learning
K4.2.2	Support next generation farming, including education and career development

B5	WATER RESOURCES ARE MANAGED AND USED WISELY
Water resources are essential to life. They shape our wetlands, waterways and biodiversity and influence the type and location of agricultural production. Water resources include both surface waters and groundwater, and the aquifer systems that link them both. Most of the forested areas of the Forest and Scarp Subsystem are proclaimed water supply catchments (Land Assessment, 2005). Water resources are managed under a regime which recognises both public and private use values as well as environmental water requirements. The strategies to achieve this goal support water allocation planning and other activities to ensure the wise use of resources for protection of ecosystems in the long term. These strategies complement the Department of Water’s role in water allocation planning.
B5.1	Support water allocation planning and management for wise use
B5.1.1	Undertake a water audit across the catchment to assist in water management in the long term
B5.1.2	Encourage adequate environment water allocations in and for all priority systems
B5.1.3	Support measuring and assessment of water supply systems, for environment and agriculture
B5.1.4	Support the development of water storage facilities for fire management
B5.2	Support land managers to manage water resources—for multiple benefits
B5.2.1	Support resource and land managers to assess and implement water capture, harvesting and storage facilities
B5.2.2	Support resource users to implement water efficiencies
B5.2.3	Support adaptive management systems to respond to reduced rainfall

B4	BIODIVERSITY IS CONSERVED
Biodiversity is the term used to describe the natural diversity of life. This diversity exists at the ecosystem, species and genetic levels. The Region is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot because of its mega-diverse and unique biodiversity and the level of threat this biodiversity is under. Biodiversity is most effectively and efficiently conserved by protecting natural areas, these being areas of bushland, forest, woodland, waterway, wetland, dune, rock outcrop, foreshore and any other area in a near-nature state. The Region is home to many globally significant natural areas, notable examples being Dryandra Woodland, our Northern Jarrah forest, and the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar System. The strategies to achieve this goal are focused on protecting priority natural areas, managing and reducing threats to biodiversity assets, and restoring ecological linkages between significant natural areas. Assisting local governments to implement local biodiversity strategies will be one of a number of ways of achieving this goal.
B4.1	Protect priority terrestrial and aquatic natural areas
B4.1.1	Influence land-use planning to afford protection to priority natural areas
B4.1.2	Undertake assessments of biodiversity status
B4.1.3	Assist land managers to protect priority terrestrial natural areas
B4.1.4	Assist land managers to protect priority aquatic natural areas
B4.1.5	Assist land managers to improve biodiversity through regenerative agricultural practices
B4.1.6	Incorporate knowledge of impacts of changing weather patterns into biodiversity programs
B4.2	Manage and reduce threats
B4.2.1	Identify, monitor and communicate threats and threatening processes
B4.2.2	Implement and support threat reduction activities in priority areas, including managing feral animals, weeds and disease, fire, extreme events and drought
B4.2.3	Implement and support management and response planning for extreme natural events
B4.3	Restore ecological linkages
B4.3.1	Facilitate and/or support collaborative landscape scale restoration for multiple benefits
B4.3.2	Encourage restoration processes being identified and embedded into the land-use planning system

B3	COASTAL AND NEARSHORE AREAS AND PROCESSES ARE RESILIENT AND VALUED
Coastal foreshores, beaches and near-shore areas have significant social, ecological and economic values. They support commercial and recreational fisheries, protect coastal residential areas and provide a diversity of habitat for flora and fauna. A key aspect of coastal management in the Region is the network of community groups, local governments and state agencies that manage coastal foreshores and maintain public access to beaches and nearshore waterways. Strategies to achieve this goal are aimed at supporting the groups and organisations who are undertaking coastal area and near-shore management.
B3.1	Protect foreshores for their ecological and recreational values
B3.1.1	Encourage/support foreshore management that enables natural process and resilience to a changing climate
B3.1.2	Support the community to value and manage coastal areas
B3.1.3	Support recreational uses consistent with environmental protection
B3.2	Protect near-shore habitats for productivity and biodiversity
B3.2.1	Support actions/activities to protect near-shore habitats for ecological, recreational and commercial productivity

B1	WETLANDS AND WATERWAYS ARE HEALTHY AND PRODUCTIVE
Wetlands and waterways have a special place, with all major townsites and communities living in proximity to a local waterway or wetland. Major waterway assets include the Hotham, Williams, Murray, Serpentine, North and South Dandalup and Harvey rivers. Major wetland assets include the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System and the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar System. Key threats include poorly planned development, changing hydroperiods, reduced flow, eutrophication, ASS and MBO. Strategies to achieve this goal are designed to support coordinated management of the Estuary and Ramsar System, implement management actions to improve waterway and wetland condition, and protect groundwater quality and flows into wetlands and waterways.
B1.1	Support the establishment and operations of coordinated governance frameworks for the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar System
B1.1.1	Work with key stakeholders to establish and operate a coordinated framework for the Peel-Harvey Estuarine System
B1.1.2	Continue to work with key stakeholders to operate a coordinated framework for the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar System, including but not limited to the Ramsar and subsidiary TAG’s
B1.2	Improve the condition of wetlands and watercourses
B1.2.1	Prepare and implement action plans to restore the natural function of wetlands and watercourses
B1.2.2	Prepare and implement action plans to manage drains for multiple benefits, including water availability to assist with impacts of reduced rainfall and drying climate
B1.2.3	Manage issues such as erosion, sediment, nutrients and monosulphidic black ooze to improve/protect condition of wetlands and watercourses
B1.3	Protect wetlands and watercourses
B1.3.1	Influence land-use planning to afford protection to wetland and watercourse values
B1.3.2	Encourage implementation of management plans and ongoing maintenance in accordance with planning conditions and/or best management practice
B1.4	Protect groundwater quality and quantity as hydrological inputs to wetlands and watercourses
B1.4.1	Ensure environmental water provisions are adequate for maintenance or improvement of ecosystem health
B1.4.2	Ensure groundwater monitoring is sufficient to measure and assess environmental water provision adequacy and to influence regulatory change, where required