Period: 2008-09

Funding Body: Caring for Our Country, South Coast NRM

Funds: $108,000

Project Officers: Megan Jones

Summary

Across the two sub-regional areas, North Stirling Pallinup and the Kent-Frankland North the Gillamii Centre was contracted to deliver the capacity engagement project with the key aims;

• Implement a number of community engagement activities throughout the project area to increase the understanding and involvement of individual and groups from various sectors of our community in natural resource management.

• Evaluate how the engagement of the community can translate into meaningful long-term practice change.
  

Outcome

Recommendations;

• Long term funding commitment for a project officer role be applied in the project area to ensure that future projects be developed, implemented and seen through to their conclusion.

• Annual audit of community interests, identifying both physical and social characteristics, demographic information, land uses, known NRM engagement and critical issues and change drivers. However, in order to create ownership within the community for future projects an annual audit of the community interest is highly recommended. This information could then be used to target specific area of interest for future programs and project development within the project area.

• Focus on sustainable farming programs, As noted the largest industry in the project area is the agricultural industry covering approximately 86% of land use area. Therefore by far the largest impact on NRM values stems from unsustainable farming practices. It is therefore recommended that future investment in the project area focus on the implementation of sustainable farming practices through the development of sustainable farming projects/programs such as the ‘Increasing Saltland Pasture Adoption in the Gillamii area’, and ‘Sustainable Grazing of Saline Land’.

• Partnership with local government authorities, Gillamii Centre currently shares a long-term partnership with the Shire of Cranbrook. This partnership has been developed over the past 15 years with numerous projects assisting to the long-term sustainability of the Cranbrook farming community. This partnership has continued throughout the Capacity Engagement Project with the specific projects; updates to the Cranbrook Federation Wildflower Walk and supporting the Lake Poorarecup upgrade management plan. It is recommended that this partnership e mirrored with the Shire of Broomehill/Tambellup by identifying possible projects of interest the Gillamii Centre can work on in collaboration.

• Continued engagement of local schools, following on from the success in engaging the local primary schools with the on-ground activity of the Dept of Water ‘River Model’ educational tool and the development of the biodiversity themed booklet “Handle with Care: Biodiversity in the Frankland Gordon & North Stirlings Region”, it is recommended that the Gillamii Centre continue to engage with the local primary schools. E.g. guided tour of the Cranbrook federation Wildflower Walk.

• Continue to support the sustainable living group, possible future engagement activities could include a focus on linking peri-urban/urban land managers and farming. An example is the program linking environment and farming (LEF) currently running in Europe.

Report