The current structure of regionalised community-based natural resource management in Queensland was initiated as a result of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the second stage of the Natural Heritage Trust, announced in November 2000 and May 2001 respectively.
Following a mid-term review of the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust program in 2000, it was recommended that future natural resource management funding programs include a greater emphasis on regional delivery and the achievement of well-targeted regional scale initiatives.
As a result, the NAPSWQ and NHT2 programs were developed on the basis of strategic targeted investment through accredited plans.
Regional plans set out the means for identifying and achieving the region’s natural resource management targets. They will be agreed by Australian and State Government and the community and, together with investment strategies for implementing the plan, will define the goals and contributions that all parties will undertake.
These regional plans will detail catchment-wide activities addressing a range of natural resource management issues including land and water management, biodiversity and agricultural practices.
The establishment of the Qld Regional NRM Groups Collective in 2002 was a formal culmination, following regular positive interaction by representatives of Regional Bodies and their predecessors over several years with support from the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water.
It also reflected the need expressed by Regional Bodies to work closer together in response to the new arrangements. Increasingly, Bodies are facing challenges that cross regional boundaries, such as relationships with industry and peak bodies, social and economic issues with their communities, and responses to international matters such as climate change.
The development of five year Strategic Plans in March 2002 and 2008 allowed the Regional Bodies to clearly identify the outcomes that were common across all regions, and formalise the strategic direction of a state-wide approach. See more information on the Strategic Plan below.
