Mallee Catchment Management Authority - Program Highlights

Program Highlights

A key focus for the Mallee CMA over the past decade has been helping communities to develop and increase their ability to engage in the process of protecting and improving the areas natural resources. Initiatives such as Landcare, Waterwatch, the Frontage Action Plan Project, Environmental Action Planning, and indigenous programs have all been instrumental in building community capacity and knowledge of regional natural resource management issues.

The voluntary involvement of over 150 local farmers in such programs as the Environmental Management Action Planning project signals a turning point in the direction of farming to include environmental considerations, while the voluntary contributions of Landcare groups, local schools and other community organisations in restoring frontages along the River Murray highlights the capacity of the community to implement environmental change.

Indigenous Cultural Heritage has become a key consideration of the Authority across all units, programs and projects. The Indigenous Cultural Heritage training program has boosted the capacity of the local indigenous community to identify key cultural heritage sites to ensure their ongoing protection. Undertaking research to inform future decisions in terms of natural resource management in the Mallee region has also been a key focus of the CMA over the past decade. With salinity one of the most significant threats to be faced by the Mallee region over the next 20 years, the aerial mapping of over 25,500 kilometres from Nyah to the South Australian border will provide data essential for future decision making in this area.