The purpose of this plan

Natural resources include everything that is not made, grown or bred by people – including soils, water, air, minerals, nutrients, animals, plants, biodiversity, plains, mountains, rivers, wetlands, reefs, coastlines and oceans. If we don’t protect and maintain our resource base, we risk losing the foundations on which our regional societies, communities and economies are built. The Burdekin Dry Tropics region is experiencing changes in climate, industry, technology, community and land use, all of which provide challenges for our natural resource base.

This community plan outlines high-level strategies to manage these challenges, by protecting the region’s rich biodiversity, including wetlands, beaches and the iconic Great Barrier Reef, while improving long-term productivity for graziers, sugarcane farmers and horticulturalists. It aims to help us understand how governments, land managers and the wider community can work together to make the most of our shared natural resources.

Effectively addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach, which is why we have chosen to identify problems and solutions across five closely interconnected themes: People Connections; Climate Change; Land; Water and Biodiversity. For each theme, we highlight key objectives, identify strategies to achieve these objectives, and outline the success indicators that will track our progress.

This plan updates the original Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM Plan (2005-2010) to incorporate new information, best practices and technologies. It differs from the original plan in that it is a strategic level document which is supported by action plans that have been developed since 2005.  It belongs to the Burdekin Dry Tropics community, and is complemented by a wealth of additional information on this website.

Planning methodology

We drew on the best available knowledge to develop the plan. Between March 2013 and May 2016, we consulted closely with the regional community, and 14 natural resource management (NRM) groups operating across Queensland. We considered international and national agreements, and Australian and Queensland Government legislation, programmes, strategies and plans.

A NRM Community Governance Group guided the planning process. We made every effort to represent the views of those who value and actively care for the region’s natural resources. The plan captures hundreds of community suggestions and requests. Contributions came from individuals and representatives from a range of groups, organisations, industries, social sectors and geographic areas. Suggestions were also provided by technical experts, NRM industry leaders, and researchers from within the region and across Australia.

The plan also draws on:

• the Indigenous Caring for Country Plan (2005);
• the original Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM Plan (2005);
• the Regional Pest Management Strategy (2014-2019); and
• the Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan (2016).

Our plan

This plan is an active document, which we will update as new information about the condition and management of natural resources becomes available. The plan identifies the priorities, challenges and opportunities faced by the community. It is delivered in three parts:

Part A: Regional Scene Setting – Provides an overview of our region and community priorities for each sub-region. These priorities have been reflected in our regional goals, objectives and strategies described in Part B: NRM Strategic Direction.

Part B: NRM Strategic Direction – Identifies the broad natural resource management priorities for our region, which have been grouped into five interconnected themes. Each theme includes a ‘snapshot’ (discussion of condition, management and issues) and ‘delivery section’ (objectives, strategies and success indicators).

Part C: NRM Planning Framework – Outlines the process to facilitate the delivery of the NRM plan, for updating the plan and celebrating the achievements.

Download PDF version or request hardcopy

This website is the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM Plan. You can download a pdf of the full NRM Plan from this website. Alternatively you can contact us via email at info@nqdrytropics.com.au or phone us on (07) 4799 3500 and we will send you a hardcopy via mail.

Feedback

NQ Dry Tropics welcomes and encourages ongoing feedback on the  Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM Plan. You are welcome to provide feedback via an email to info@nqdrytropics.com.au or phone us on (07) 4799 3500.