A new strategy funded by the Australian Government launched today to target crucial conservation and environmental management efforts in the South West region over the coming decade.
The South West Region Natural Resource Management Strategy was developed by South West Catchments Council (SWCC), following extensive consultation with stakeholders including environmental, Aboriginal and farming groups in the region.
The Strategy, which aligns with the United Nations’ Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, recognises the urgency of coordinated action to scale up restoration efforts and breathe new life into our degraded ecosystems.
It sets out a clear, straightforward framework for those working within the sector to focus on priorities that have the most significant impact on the threats facing the region, such as climate change, drought, salinity and loss of biodiversity.
The Strategy will align actions through increased collaboration across the sector and help to secure vital funding for key initiatives. Crucially, it also recognises that Noongar people must be involved in all natural resource management endeavours in our region and that we have a great deal to learn from traditional knowledge.
South West Catchments Council Chief Executive Officer, Sally Wilkinson, said: “SWCC is proud to play a unique role across the region, facilitating the development of this Strategy and helping to connect the stakeholders who will make it a success.
“No single organisation can do this alone. The more we all work together, the stronger our region will be.”
South West Catchments Council is one of 54 regional bodies around the country delivering national priorities of the Australian Government’s $450 million Regional Land Partnerships Program at the regional and local scale. Each peak body is tasked with developing and monitoring a regional natural resource management strategy to guide the efforts of all stakeholders.
For more information and to download the Strategy, click here.
