Publications
Biodiversity Report
| Little River Biodiversity |  (3.04mb) |
| Comparison-Weddin Survey | (2.0mb) |
Sustainability Profile for the Little River Catchment
| Little River Sustainability | 787k |
Catchment Management Plan Booklet
| Little River Catchment Management Plan Booklet part 1 | 962kb |
| Little River Catchment Management Plan Booklet part 2 | 928kb |
| Little River Catchment Management Plan Booklet part 3 | 700kb |
Catchment Management
Little River Landcare Group Inc., from the Macquarie Valley in Central West of NSW (see map) has developed a Catchment Management Plan with funding from the Natural Heritage Trust and the TARGET project.
The plan will help landholders take action together, in a coordinated manner, to make efficient and effective use of funds, time and effort. Although some problems can be fixed individually, many such as dryland salinity require coordinated action.
In addition we have had two surveys done. One for the Biodiversity Assessment and the other survey, the Sustainability Profile looking at socioeconomic aspects of the catchment management process.
The plan involves three separate stages:
- Stage 1 - An introduction, and information on Physical Data.
- Stage 2 - "Best Management Options".
- Stage 3
- Covers the costs and benefits of putting the plan into practice.
Stage 1 - Physical Data
This stage introduces the plan, the Landcare Group's vision and the goals for improving the health of our catchment.
It goes on to describe the current condition of our catchment in terms of climate, soils, geology, land capability, hydrogeology, vegetation and fauna, biodeversity, land use and socioeconomic information.
The "Physical Data" Reports are listed below, split into downloadable files sizes to ensure that those without a fast internet connection can access them.
Open / print the files below:
1. Introduction |
2. Catchment Description |
||
| Table of Contents | 127k |
Climate | 61k |
| Introduction | 62k |
Geology | 43k |
| Local History | 445k |
Land Capacity | 332k |
| Local Government | 22k |
Soils | 970k |
| Vegetation | 209k |
||
| Surface Water | 67k |
||
| Hydrogeology | 516k |
||
| Land Use | 308k |
||
3. Situation Statements |
4. Appendix |
||
| Land Holder Survey Results | 31k |
CWCMC Issues | 133k |
| Soil Acidity | 317k |
Local Govt Zoning | 25k |
| Dryland Salinity | 340k |
Local Govt Legislation | 10k |
| Soil Degradation | 657k |
Local Govt Activities | 27k |
| Surface Water Quality / Quantity | 78k |
Climate |  49k |
| Riverine Environment | 70k |
Geology Units | 49k |
| Groundwater Quality Availability | 49k |
Threatened Species | 23k |
| Tree Decline | 45k |
Hydrogeology Case Studies | 28k |
| Pasture Degradation / Weeds | 48k |
Land Degradation Survey | 41k |
| Pest / Animals | 48k |
Catchment Goals Issues | 34k |
| Acidity Appendix | 26k |
||
5. References |
|||
| References | 19k |
Stage 2 - Management Options
Stage 2 prioritises the issues to target and covers 20 "Best Management Options" (BMOs) for our catchment and what actions to take.
The BMOs are on-farm management strategies to help landholder stop or reverse land degradation in our catchment. Not all BMOs are relevant to all situations, but each landholder can make selection depending on their individual situation, location, goals, land use and limitations.
The BMOs can be grouped into different areas:
- Land Management
- Native vegetation
- Water
- Pest animals
- Farming systems
- Social
Open / print the files below:
1. Overview |
2. Planning Framework |
||
| Table of Contents | 64k |
Prioritising the issues | 42k |
| Introduction | 83k |
Vision Goals & Objectives | 47k |
| Operating Environment | 47k |
Land Management Units | 1.4m |
3. Management Plan |
4. Attachments |
||
| Best Management Options | 114k |
Stage 2 Terms and Reference | 34k |
| Landuse Recommendations | 57k |
Prioritise Issues | 42k |
| Implementation Plan | 119k |
Stats Analysis by Soil Type | 909k |
| Recommendations | 31k |
Applying BMOs | 211k |
| Biodiversity Planning | 42k |
Stage 3 - Costs & Benefits
Stage 3 covers the costs and benefits of putting the Plan into practice over the 10 year period of the Plan. Costs and benefits area calculated for a list of 14 BMOs (prioritised from the list of 20 in Stage 2).
Each BMO is analysed based on whether it is achievable, affordable, whether there are tangible benefits and whether it is consistent with the Central West Catchment Blueprint priorities.
The results of this analysis concluded that the following 7 BMOs were the most suitable:
- Use of soil ameliorants (e.g. lime)
- Strategic / rotational grazing
- Native vegetation conservation
- Conservation farming
- Perennial mixed pastures
- Strategic tree planting
- Buffer strips for riverside zones
The cost of implementing these BMOs is estimated at $46 million over the 10 year period of the Plan, however the estimated benefits are $59 million, leaving an estimated 10 year profit for $13 million, excluding the less tangible environmental practice.
Open / print the files below:
Costs & Benefits documents |
|
| Evaluation Spreadsheet | 368k |
| Final Report Stage III | 390k |
| Report Summary Stage III | 56k |