Murrumbidgee Landcare (MLi) has appointed two new part-time Landcare Facilitators for the Murrumbidgee catchment. This has been made possible through the Australian Government's Regional Landcare Facilitator (RLF) Initiative, part of Caring for our Country.

About Regional Landcare Facilitators
Background
Steering Committee
Our new RLFs
Roles and activities of RLFs

About Regional Landcare Facilitators

The Regional Landcare Facilitator Network across NSW promotes sustainable farm and land management practices, and contributes to and supports the uptake of sustainable practices and landscape scale conservation in rural and regional landscapes in a changing climate.

Regional Landcare Facilitators work primarily with community groups in rural landscapes. However, this work can also extend into urban areas where this will achieve better landscape scale natural resource management.

Regional Landcare Facilitators:

1. deliver an integrated approach to projects that help achieve sustainable food and fibre production, address climate change and protect the environment at the regional and local level.
2. serve as an accessible contact point and knowledge broker for local communities within the natural resource region on natural resource management issues.
3. facilitate effective community feedback to the Australian Government.
4. promote opportunities for groups and networks to access public and private funds to undertake their projects.
5. facilitate an effective relationship between the regional natural resource management bodies and community Landcare and production groups.
6. communicate and translate relevant Australian Government policy and programs to stakeholders.

Regional Landcare Facilitators work with a range of key stakeholders. They work to establish adaptable, self reliant and appropriately informed networks in their region.

Contracted host organisations employ individual Regional Landcare Facilitators, however the positions form a national network of Regional Landcare Facilitators who work collaboratively to further the Landcare program as a whole.

Background

The reintroduction of RLF funding by the Australian Government followed an admission in 2009 by the then Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, that "Canberra had got it wrong" when it axed the RLF program. The overwhelming feedback from Landcare groups, farmers and land managers in all their shapes and sizes, was that if you want people to take environmental action, to do the work necessary to render our land and natural resource management more sustainable, then you have to provide some infrastructure to support the community. The RLFs and the state and National RLF networks are part of the support infrastructure.

A welcome feature of the reintroduced RLF initiative was the invitation to community organisations to bid to host the RLF positions. The Australian Government recognised that the skills, local knowledge and determination of community based organisations and networks are essential to achieving the outcomes and targets of Caring for Our Country.

MLi, the umbrella organisation representing community Landcare in the M'bidgee catchment, was successful in its bid to host the RLF. With the aim of achieving broad community reach and support, MLi has partnered with Rice Growers Association Inc to position two part-time employees strategically in the mid and lower parts of the catchment. MLi is continuing its strong relationship with the ACT and upper catchment groups and is working collaboratively with the ACT RLF to extend support to the upper catchment groups also.

Steering Committee

MLi is in the process of establishing a Steering Committee to provide strategic direction for this project and to ensure that relevant industry and community groups are involved. Members will include representatives from the Murrumbidgee Landcare Networks, Rice Growers Association Inc, EH Graham Centre (an alliance between Charles Sturt University and Industry & Investment NSW), Murrumbidgee CMA, Farmlink Research Inc and Elders.

Our new RLFs

Nicole Maher has qualifications in both Environmental Science and Sustainable Agriculture and broad knowledge and experience in natural resource management. Her most recent employment has been with the Charles Sturt University Green Office as an education and communications officer. Other work experience, in agriculture and sustainable water use has been with Industry & Investment NSW and Sydney Water.

Nicole will be begin work on 28th February and will be based in Wagga Wagga. She will work three days a week.
» nmaher@murrumbidgeelandcare.asn.au [1]

Kimberley Beattie has qualifications in Environmental Science and Ecotourism. She is currently working as a Community Woodlands Officer with the Communities in Landscapes project. There she is working directly with Landcare and land manager groups with the aim of integrating conservation and production across Grassy Box Gum Woodlands. Kimberley has also worked as an education officer at the Fivebough & Tuckerbil Wetlands.

Kimberley is based in Leeton, hosted by Rice Growers Association. She is working two days per week.
» kbeattie@murrumbidgeelandcare.asn.au [2]

Regional Landcare Facilitators' Roles and Activities

• Work with community Landcare and production groups to promote sustainable farm and land management practices and contribute to and support the uptake of land management practices in rural and related landscapes in a changing climate.
• Establish, link, support and develop community Landcare and production groups participating in sustainable and land management practices, on and off-farm, in rural and related landscapes to support the adoption of practices to deliver improved ecosystem services and landscape scale conservation.
• Provide an effective interface between the regional natural resource management bodies and community Landcare and production groups.
• Promote opportunities for groups and networks to access public and private funds to address public benefit sustainable farm and land management practices and contribute to and support the uptake of land management practices in rural and related landscapes including Caring for our Country targets.
• Provide feedback to the Australian Government and the National Landcare Facilitator on emerging issues.