The Sustainable Practices in the Western Burnett project which completed in 20112, 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 Sustainable Practices project was an initiative of the Burnett Mary Regional Group, funded by the Australian Government through the Caring for Our Country program and is coordinated by the Burnett Catchment Care Association in the Burnett.
The grazing component of the Sustainable Practices project provided graziers located in the priority sub-catchments of Lower Burnett River and Reid’s Creek the opportunity to improve sustainable land management practices and increase landscape scale conservation by providing property planning assistance and funding for eligible activities on your property.
Examples of the types of activities that might be funded under the grazing component include but are not limited to:
- Fencing different landtypes to improve grazing or protect remnant timber
- Fencing to allow for paddock rotations and resting
- Actions to enhance remnant vegetation
- Fencing of waterways to improve stream bank stability
- Erosion remediation activities
- Installation of watering points to improve grazing distribution and reduce impact on waterways
- Revegetation of remnant vegetation and timbered areas with native species
The grains component of the Sustainable Practices project was aimed at improving and enhancing grains management practices, particularly in relation to soil management practices. The priority area for the grains component, involves grain growers in the Coalstoun Lakes, Gayndah, Binjour and Mundubbera areas.
Examples of the types of activities that might be funded under the grains component include but are not limited to; soil tests, cropping software programs, equipment modifications and GPS upgrades
Extension Officer, Fiona Morris engaged over 70 landholders both within the prioritised catchments and wider Western Burnett area. From this engagement 37 on-ground incentive projects were established. 5 grain growers and 32 graziers were given financial incentives of up to $3000 to improve over 5000ha of land management practices and over 3700ha of landscape scale conservation. 15 of these on-ground projects were also involved in Property Management Plans (PMP), which aim to establish the landholder’s vision for the property. It allows the landholder to affirm the future direction of the property by setting goals and identifying available natural, financial and human resources to determine the properties potential capabilities.
To top this off over 45 landholders were also able to attend two training workshops in grains and grazing management. Therefore this project was able to assist over 70 landholders with on-ground works, PMP’s or knowledge from training workshops, to achieve improved land management in the Western Burnett area.
