Programs
Current Programs
The project aims to enable farmers in the Inland Burnett to confidently invest in soil testing regimes, appropriate to their production system, by demonstrating the tangible benefits and value.
This project is supported by Burnett Catchment Care Association, through funding from Smart Farms Small Grants – an Australian Government initiative.
This project is a region first and will develop a baseline dataset of koala population dynamics and health via the DNA testing of scats, non-invasively collected by the community.
This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.
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Producers in the Upper Burnett have the opportunity to receive on-ground support and extension activities to improve their knowledge and skills in areas of land management practices, soil health, regenerative agriculture and erosion rehabilitation.
This project is funded by Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Recovery Program.
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Project aims to create a long-term and sustainable management of Cat’s Claw Creeper and Parthenium in the Burnett region via the ongoing production and use of effective biocontrol agents.
This project is supported by Burnett Catchment Care Association, through funding from Smart Farms Small Grants – an Australian Government initiative.
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A community education and enhancing habitat and nesting sites project, to assist the recovery of the endangered Greater Glider (Petauroides volans).
This project is funded through WIRES National Wildlife Grant Program.
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The CAP identifies may assets and threats in the Region with impacts on the Great Barrier Reef and aims to develop strategies to address these threats to provide benefit to the marine and coastal environments.
The Burnett/Baffle Reef Community Action Plan (formerly Burnett Mary) is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
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BCCA are contracted through The State of Queensland as represented by the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI), for the ongoing monitoring of water quality at the Burnett River at Mount Lawless. Mount Lawless is one of the 43 sites involved in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment Loads Monitoring Program.
This project aims to establish community led producer groups which aid in peer-to-peer learning and support.
This project is funded by the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) though the Future Drought Fund’s Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Program – Community Impact Program.
Past Programs
Burnett Koala Program
The Burnett Koala Program was a citizen scientist-based project aimed at raising awareness regarding the significance of regional koala populations and habitat health, in addition to contributing to understanding koala distribution, presence, activity and habitat health in the Burnett catchment region.
Future Drought Fund
This project aimed to further the group cohesion of Monto Graziers via social connectedness while also building their capacity and drought resilience. Monto Graziers is a group of like-minded graziers who provide support to each other to improve their grazing practices via capacity building and peer-to-peer influence. Under the guise of education, the group also provides a social outlet and mental health support for drought stricken graziers.
This project was supported by the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal, through funding from the Australia Government’s Future Drought Fund.
Natural Resources Investment Program
The Reef Water Quality- Burnett Grazing Project was an initiative of the Burnett Mary Regional Group and was supported by funding from the Queensland Government. The project is coordinated locally by Burnett Catchment Care Association.
PLANNING FOR IMPROVED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Project aimed to develop Property Management Plans (PMP’s) with Inland Burnett graziers to increase landholder capacity and skill development via the open access online mapping tool – Queensland Globe.
AGRICULTURAL STRATEGY FOR THE WESTERN BURNETT
Develop an Agricultural Strategy for the Western Burnett District (Eidsvold & Mundubbera Districts, QLD). The project aimed to help build the capacity of agriculturalists in the Eidsvold and Mundubbera districts and support the development of meaningful and long-lasting resilience by addressing the fundamental economic and NRM foundations of the region.
INLAND BURNETT: SMART AUDIT AND STRATEGIC GAP ANALYSIS
The ‘SMART’ – Hub (Sustainable Management & Agricultural Resources & Tools) website was designed to enhance Inland Burnett landholders accessibility and connection to regionally relevant, smart farming resources.
Natural Disaster Resilience Program
Building Resilience in the North Burnett project aimed to build and enhance the natural disaster resilience of agricultural North Burnett regional communities. This is was project jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Natural Disaster Resilience Program (NDRP). This funding was very timely for the region following seven declared natural flooding disasters and two drought declarations in the past eight years.
Invasive Weeds Control in the Barambah and Boonara Catchments
The project aimed to monitor current infestation levels of Rubber Vine, Parthenium Weed and Honey Locust in the Barambah, Boonara Creek and sections of the Moonda Waamba Creek located in the Gympie Regional Council (GRC) area.
Reef Alliance – Burnett Grazing
Reef Alliance – Growing a Great Barrier Reef was a partnership between agricultural industry and regional NRM bodies which was facilitated by the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) with the goal of securing the future health of the Great Barrier Reef.
To read more click here.
Monto Agricultural Strategy
The $481.6 million Building Better Regions Fund supports the Australian Government’s commitment to create jobs, drive economic growth and build stronger regional communities into the future.
The Community Investments Stream funded the following community activities: new or expanded local events, strategic regional plans, and leadership and capability strengthening activities. These projects will deliver economic and social benefits to regional and remote communities.
To read more click here.
Reef Alliance – Burnett Cropping
Reef Alliance – Growing a Great Barrier Reef was a partnership between agricultural industry groups and regional NRM bodies which wass facilitated by the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) with the goal of securing the future health of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Australian Government invested $45M towards the Reef Alliance “Growing a Great Barrier Reef” project. The project was funded through the Australian Government’s $140 million investment in Reef Trust, which focused on improving water quality and protecting coastal habitats and the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef. $3.6M had been specifically allocated to the Cropping/Grains industry to deliver training, extension and targeted on-ground support to land managers until 30 June 2019.
To read more click here.
20 Million Trees – Restoring Riparian Habitat in the Inland Burnett
The 20 Million Trees Programme was part of the national stream of the National Landcare Programme. The Australian Government worked with the community to plant 20 million trees by 2020, to re-establish green corridors and urban forests.
To read more click here.
Better Catchments
The Better Catchments project was an initiative of the Burnett Mary Regional Group, and was coordinated locally by BCCA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme. The Better Catchments program supported landholders to implement on-farm management practices to improve soil health and enhance sustainability.
To read more click here
Baffle Reef Systems Repair
BCCA has been contracted with the Burnett Mary Regional Group to manage the final two years of the Baffle Reef Systems Repair program. The Baffle Creek catchment covers an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometres.
To read more click here
CARBON FARMING – GRAZING & HORTICULTURE
This project provides relevant Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI), carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation information and tools to land managers in the Burnett Mary region.
ACTION ON THE GROUND – BURNETT CROPPERS
This project is a three and a half year project aiming to trial, measure and demonstrate farm technologies that reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (in this case nitrous oxide or N2O), while maintaining and hopefully improving cropping productivity and soil health.
WATER QUALITY MONITORING
One of the best ways of checking on what is happening in the natural environment is to measure water quality.
Burrum Reef System Repair
In 2016, through BMRG, BCCA implemented an Australian Government funded project to repair and protect river and creek banks in the Burrum River catchment, south of Bundaberg.
Reef Water Quality Grazing
From 2013 to 2016 BCCA implemented a project on behalf of the Burnett Mary Regional Group, the Reef Water Quality Grants (grazing) and Partnerships program. This 3-year project was funded through the Australian Government Reef Program, and funding was made available to eligible landholders in the coastal section of the Burnett to assist with on-ground activities with the objective of reducing sediment flow to the reef from grazing properties.
North Burnett Flood Recovery Program
The On-farm Productivity and Riparian Recovery Program was a disaster recovery package for flood impacted areas following Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald in early 2013 jointly funded by the Queensland and Australian Government.
There are 4 key areas to the program that BCCA delivered in the North Burnett Regional Council area:
1. Riparian Stabilisation & Management program
2. Weeds-Post Flood Invasive Species Mitigation program
3. Increasing Land productivity in the Burnett Catchment
4. Floodplain Stabilisation & Management
Healthy Habitats
Healthy Habitats was an initiative of the Burnett Mary Regional Group to protect and enhance the region’s significant biodiversity assets throughout the Burnett Mary Region in Queensland, which includes the Burnett, Baffle, Isis, Kolan and Mary Catchment areas.
Healthy Habitats was funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the ‘Caring for our Country’ Program. There were three core components of the Healthy Habitats program:
- On-ground investment in terrestrial and coastal biodiversity priority areas
- Priority species and ecosystems research and monitoring
- Biodiversity education and awareness raising
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
The Sustainable Practices in the Western Burnett project aimed at working with graziers and grain growers in priority areas of the inland Burnett to improve management practices and increase landscape scale conservation. The priority area for the grains component, involves grain growers in the Coalstoun Lakes, Gayndah, Binjour and Mundubbera areas.
Better Beef Program
Better Beef funded 31 on ground projects in the subcatchments of Auburn River, Cadarga Creek and Baywulla Creek that enhanced sustainable grazing on farm.
Project types included;
- Fencing to improve pasture utilisation,
- Fencing of high value remnant vegetation,
- Installation of off stream watering points.
The project established a number of important industry partnerships with industry groups such as;
- AgForward,
- local AgForce chapters,
- Beefplan and Landcare Groups,
- Resource Consulting Services and
- Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.