PREFACE

It is with great pleasure that I present this natural resource management strategy to the community. Our strategy is the culmination of the efforts of many people. We have asked for a huge effort and commitment from the NACC team. This has been forthcoming throughout the preparation of the strategy. We commend them for their professionalism and their willingness to assist the management team along
the way.

We are fortunate that the Northern Agricultural Region has not only economic strength, but also many beautiful and valuable environmental assets.  In the past, natural resource management in the region has tended to focus on broadacre farming and salinity control.  While these are still paramount, this strategy demonstrates that there are many other issues we now recognise as important.  I am delighted that a wide cross section of the community has contributed to this document and that issues such as water quality, river, coastal and marine management, farm forestry and Indigenous values are now also gaining prominence.

My own definition of natural resource management covers three broad components:

• a ‘green’ component about protection of our natural assets of water quality and biodiversity on land and sea;
• a ‘brown’ component about sustainable production and encouraging changed management practices in response to changing circumstances;  and
• a ‘business’ component about encouraging investment by the region in order to attract investment in the region from the State and the Australian Governments.

To convince our investors of the benefits of their continued involvement we need to demonstrate our capacity for on-ground delivery and support. Such demonstration will include monitoring and evaluation of projects in substantial ways, as well as promoting our successes to the public.

We all have ideas of what we want for our future. Throughout our strategy development we have heard the many people who attended our workshops voice their desire for more investment in the region. People want more social capital, the best available advice, improved management of water, biodiversity, and other natural resources, good science and many other management actions, as this document demonstrates. Your input through the workshops provided the actions and targets presented here. We are indebted to you and look forward to your continued involvement.

Many more of you will become involved with NACC through development and implementation of subsequent on-ground activities in a variety of ways. We look forward to you joining with us to achieve real improvements to natural resource management.

Elizabeth Eaton
Chair
Northern Agricultural Catchments Council