NatureAssist is for rural Queensland landholders to help sustainably manage their land, conditional upon them entering into a nature refuge agreement. NatureAssist is a competitive market-based incentive scheme that gives landholders throughout rural Queensland the opportunity to tender for financial assistance to carry out on-ground management actions that will maintain or enhance their property’s conservation values.  Expressions of interest must be submitted by 16 March 2009 (5pm AEST). Landholders can express their interest by completing a simple one-page expression of interest form available at www.epa.qld.gov.au/naturerefuges or by calling the EPA Customer Service Centre on 1300 130 372.
 

The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) in conjunction with Southern Gulf Catchments and Burke Shire Council have completed three Fish Passage projects on the lower reaches of the Nicholson and Gregory Rivers.

The completion of these fishways means the natural migration of fish in the lower reaches of the rivers is enhanced. Tim Marsden (Senior Fisheries Biologist - Northern Fish Community and Fishway Monitoring Team) of DPI&F explained.

Southern Gulf Catchments is a community-based organisation tasked with strategic and sustainable natural resource management (NRM) planning and implementation in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland. This area covers 195,000 square kilometres and comprises the catchments of the Flinders-Cloncurry, Leichhardt and Gregory-Nicholson Rivers, Settlement Creek and Morning Inlet, plus the Wellesley Islands group. Seven directors from a cross-section of sectors represent stakeholders on the Board of Southern Gulf. With funds sourced from the Commonwealth Government's Natural Heritage Trust and State Government in-kind support Southern Gulf Catchments coordinates NRM activities throughout the region, including:Weed Control, On-ground conservation projects, Riparian fencing & Pasture monitoring. Southern Gulf aims to: Protect and restore biodiversity values, Arrest land degradation, Improve water quality through decreased sedimentation, Facilitate coastal and marine management. SGC is also the Commonwealth and State accredited body preparing an integrated natural resource management plan and investment strategy for the region.