NRM Regions Australia

NRM Regions Australia's 23/24 Annual Report is out now! Take a look to meet our Board and team and explore the great projects we've worked on at the national level. You can also follow up on some of the national events, activities and initiatives we are leading and participating in to support the objectives of regional NRM organisations. Thank you to our members for your support and engagement over the year, and to the Australian Government for funding key projects that have helped build capacity among regional NRM organisations and increased and expanded the reach and impact of NRM. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e7ZUssfZ #NRM #NRMsector

NRM Regions Australia warmly welcomed the Environmental Markets Participation Initiative (EMPI) Advisory Committee at its inaugural meeting for NRM RA's newest project last week in Canberra. The EMPI project, which is funded by the Australian Government, will explore and trial ways to improve extension and outreach for landholders navigating the complex space of environmental markets. Findings from the work will be used to inform future engagement, outreach, and extension approaches to support land managers in their decision-making on environmental market opportunities, including the government's Nature Repair market. EMPI Project Lead Mat Hardy has welcomed the advisory committee members to the project. "It was great to meet all the members of the committee in person last week. Everyone was really enthusiastic about the work and it's exciting to have such a diverse range of expertise in the room to help inform and guide the project" Mat said. The advisory committee includes Kate Andrews, Laura Higgins, Dave Johnson, Katie McRobert (MBA, GAICD), Gareth Catt, Nicole Yazbek-Martin, Katherine Allen, Chris Pitfield, Lucinda Corrigan, Chris Cosgrove, and Helen Martin who hold a wide range of skills and expertise in financial markets, biodiversity program delivery, natural resource management, and landholder extension and engagement best practice. The committee will meet quarterly to provide feedback and guidance on the development and implementation of the two-year project. The EMPI project will draw on the knowledge and experience of regional NRM organisations. NRM staff are experts in planning and delivering landholder extension programs that enable peer learning, support knowledge development, and improve confidence in land management decision-making. The project will also provide opportunities for regional NRM organisations to deliver outreach and extension trials for environmental markets to inform future policy development. #NatureMarkets #NatureRepairMarket Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Thanks to the Carbon Market Institute (CMI) for the opportunity to talk about the valuable role regional NRM organisations can play to integrate and align emissions reduction and nature positive actions at the Australasian Emissions Reduction Summit last week. In a plenary panel session on Scaling Nature Positive CEO Kate Andrews was invited to imagine she was in 2030 and we had achieved our emissions reduction and nature positive goals. Kate suggested we can achieve this by imagining "the environment is a shareholder sitting at the board room table." Kate was joined by North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance CEO Barry J Hunter, Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Kelly O'Shanassy, Sensand CEO Peter Moulton and Silva Capital Co-Managing Director Raphael Wood. In a panel session on integrating Net Zero & Nature Positive, Knowledge Broker for Carbon Farming and Environmental Markets Rachel Clarke discussed the Carbon for Nature report that NRM Regions Australia is partnering with CMI to deliver. Rachel emphasised that nature outcomes from carbon farming projects need to planned for, and also cost more to deliver. "Good biodiversity outcomes from carbon farming projects are not a free service provided through carbon investment. Increasing species diversity, and other actions to boost the benefits of projects can be costly - but investment in this sort of carbon project can deliver much more value for the environment and people,." she said. "More active consideration of regional NRM plans by carbon farming project proponents can help optimise projects to efficiently deliver multiple benefits for regional economies, communities and landscapes." Rachel said. Also on Rachel's panel were Carl Binning, Executive General Manager Clean Energy Regulator; Heather Campbell, CEO Greening Australia; Elizabeth Rose, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, EY and Cuong Tran, Chief Executive Covalent Land Australia. #AERSummit2024 #NetZero #ClimateAction #NatureBasedSolutions #CarbonMarkets #EmissionsReduction #NaturePositive

Congratulations to Reef Catchments on their 21st birthday! As one of the first regional NRM organisations formed across Australia in the early 2000s, Reef Catchments has grown by working with their community to identify and respond to key environmental issues like water quality affecting the Great Barrier Reef, loss of natural habitats due to development, invasive species harming local wildlife, and the effects of climate change, including extreme events like Cyclone Debbie in 2017. Starting out as a small team under the Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group (MWNRMG) banner, Reef Catchments now has 36 staff and two offices in Mackay & Proserpine. We wish you all the best for many more years to come - and thank you for your wonderful contribution to natural resource management in Queensland. Read more about Reef Catchments achievements from page 23-30 in Core Life Magazine https://lnkd.in/g7HCrvG8 #NRM #NRMsector #GBR #GreatBarrierReef

NRM Regions Australia Carbon Farming and Environmental Markets Knowledge Broker Rachel Clarke is looking forward to joining a panel on integrating Net Zero & Nature Positive at the Carbon Market Institute (CMI)'s Australasian Emissions Reduction Summit, which begins tomorrow in Melbourne. "It's great to have the opportunity to talk about the work we have been doing with CMI to explore how carbon farming projects can deliver more benefits for nature. We know that carefully planned carbon farming projects can contribute to measurable biodiversity outcomes - more active use and consideration of regional NRM planning is part of the solution to deliver more landscape-scale benefits from carbon investment." Rachel said. The panel, which also includes Carl Binning, Executive General Manager Clean Energy Regulator; Heather Campbell, CEO Greening Australia; Elizabeth Rose, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, EY and Cuong Tran, Chief Executive Covalent Land Australia will explore how decarbonisation initiatives and net zero sector plans can be leveraged to simultaneously deliver benefits for both the climate and natural environment.   #AERSummit2024 #NetZero #ClimateAction #NatureBasedSolutions #CarbonMarkets #EmissionsReduction #NaturePositive

The conversation on nature restoration is gaining momentum worldwide, from the recent #globalnaturepositivesummit in Sydney to the #Cop16Colombia Biodiversity Summit underway in Colombia. There is a global shift towards "nature positive" outcomes, particularly as big businesses are increasingly aligning with biodiversity protection. NRM South CEO, Nepelle Crane, recently attended the Global Nature Positive Summit, and heard resounding support for NRM as a major part of Australia’s solution to the climate and biodiversity crisis. From investing in nature-based solutions to cross-sector collaboration and integrating Indigenous knowledge, it’s clear Tasmania’s NRM organisations are well-positioned to lead in nature restoration. (NRM North, Cradle Coast Authority) The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and NRM Regions Australia have called for urgent recognition and funding of Australia’s NRM framework as the most effective tool for healing our lands and waterways. This, combined with an increasing shift in corporate strategy towards the "nature positive" trend, highlights the need for Tasmanian NRMs to partner with businesses and scale up efforts to protect our unique ecosystems. With more than 50% of global GDP tied to nature, the risks are clear – Tasmania’s economy, which is centred around food and nature (agriculture, tourism, fisheries, forestry, mining), depends on caring for and future proofing our natural assets. Our NRM sector plays a critical role in helping businesses to embrace nature positive practices, and demonstrate real outcomes for nature, society and the economy. NRM South is working to keep the conversation and momentum going – the future of Tasmania's environment and economy are intertwined. https://lnkd.in/gQmBhTp2 https://lnkd.in/g8P5uUYP #NRM #Tasmania #NaturePositive #COP16 #ClimateAction #Biodiversity #SustainableEconomy

NRM Regions Australia CEO Kate Andrews will focus on elevating the role of regional NRM organisations and NRM planning in a plenary discussion on 'Scaling Nature Positive' at the Australasian Emissions Reduction Summit in Melbourne next Wednesday. "Regional NRM organisations have existed for over two decades, and regional NRM planning can be used- right now - to inform actions to optimise investment in nature and achieve landscape-scale outcomes." Kate said. Kate joins North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance CEO Barry J Hunter, Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Kelly O'Shanassy, Sensand CEO Peter Moulton and Silva Capital Co-Managing Director Raphael Wood. Kate emphasised the need for organisations to work collaboratively to address the joint climate and biodiversity crises. "Using the people, planning, and tools we already have in place is critical if we are to restore Australia's landscapes and waterways at the scale, and in the timeframe, that is needed." Kate said. Carbon Market Institute (CMI) #AERSummit2024 #NetZero #ClimateAction #NatureBasedSolutions #CarbonMarkets #EmissionsReduction #NaturePositive

Over the next two weeks, Australia will join other nations at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) #COP16 in Cali, Columbia. COP16 provides a critical opportunity for countries to unite to protect nature - and to affirm their commitment to implementing the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Australia submitted its 6th national report to the #CBD in 2020 and is due to submit a new national report this year. This national report offers an opportunity to commit to the following key actions, as described in our joint response to the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists' Blueprint to Repair Australia's Landscapes: 1. Recognise that the work done in our regions and their communities to care for Country and heal our land and waterscapes is an essential service. 2. Invest to establish a national Indigenous environmental voice that empowers place-based Indigenous-led decision making. 3. Support Australia’s existing regional natural resource management framework as the most effective mechanism to plan, implement and scale nature repair. 4. Establish a national financing mechanism to fund the scaling and strengthening of achievements. NRM Regions Australia's Nature-Based Solutions Lead Sarah Hoyal attended #COP15 in Montreal in 2022, and is hopeful of a productive outcome from this year's event. "We know what action is needed, and we know we need to act now to protect our unique and irreplaceable #biodiversity. We look forward to good news emerging from COP16 that reflects this," Sarah said. See https://lnkd.in/eNR_vSa4 Image: Terrain NRM

Recording now available – Our call to heal Australia’s lands, seas and waterways – webinar statement launch! NRM Regions Australia, the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), and Indigenous leaders are calling for urgent recognition and greater funding of the critical work being done to restore the health of Australia’s environment. Developed in response to the Blueprint to Repair Australia’s Landscapes by the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, our Statement identifies four essential actions: 1. Recognise that the work done in our regions and their communities to care for Country and heal our land and waterscapes is an essential service 2. Invest to establish a national Indigenous environmental voice that empowers place-based Indigenous-led decision making 3. Support Australia’s existing regional natural resource management framework as the most effective mechanism to plan, implement and scale nature repair. 4. Establish a national financing mechanism to fund the scaling and strengthening of achievements to date The statement was launched on 2nd October 2024. Our webinar launch saw Kate Andrews, CEO NRM Regions Australia, Teagan Shields, Arabana Woman and Research Fellow at Curtin University and Mike Grundy, Member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists in conversation with Jo Sanson from Climateworks Centre. Recognising the immense good will and efforts already underway across the country, we know we can do what needs to be done to heal our lands, seas and waterways, creating a resilient, prosperous future for generations to come. Please share the webinar and the statement with your networks and join our call! https://lnkd.in/eAJmHhss

NRM Regions Australia CEO Kate Andrews has welcomed the announcement of the Australian Government’s $100 million investment in preparation for the arrival of the deadly Avian Influenza (bird flu) - HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b - with $35.9 million earmarked for threatened species and priority biodiversity. “With regional NRM organisations covering the Australian continent and with their strong community partnerships they are keen to support the rollout." said Kate. Read the full story on our website: https://lnkd.in/eBAPmwcy Wildlife Health Australia Biodiversity Council Invasive Species Council BirdLife Australia Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care Australian Department of Home Affairs - Emergency Management Image - Whiskered terns at Lake Murphy provided by North Central Catchment Management Authority