Board celebrates ten years
03 July 2015
The Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management (EP NRM) Board has celebrated ten years of service to the local community.
Since its first meeting on 9 June 2005 at Wudinna Community Centre, the Board has seen significant achievements by landholders, community members, school groups, businesses and volunteers in the protection and restoration of the Eyre Peninsula landscape.
Presiding Member Di Laube, said the region has much to be proud of with the community getting involved to improve the management of natural resources.
“Whether it is farmers controlling weeds of national significance, Friends groups caring for our national parks, or local progress associations working on coastal erosion, we all have a role to play,” Ms Laube said.
“Significant achievements during the last ten years include supporting sustainable agriculture through 52 agreements to cover more than 1,600 ha of high risk soils, investigating the potential climate change impacts on prescribed water resources, engaging with the community on the development of our Water Allocation Plan, initiating six partnerships with Aboriginal and homeland organisations, employing three Aboriginal staff as NRM authorised officers, training over 100 people in a citizen science bird project and controlling rabbits and foxes through a landholder network.
“The Board currently attracts $3.3 million from the Australian Government and $90,000 from the State Government to complement regional levy funding to deliver natural resource management objectives and priorities.”
Volunteers and landholders have contributed hundreds of hours and are a major component of many projects delivered by the Board.
“I am pleased to have met so many committed people and groups as the Board’s Presiding Member, and to work directly with the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, the Eyre Peninsula Local Government Association, Regional Development Australia, and Primary Industries and Regions SA in bringing big picture policy down to on-ground local action,” Ms Laube said.