Local Government and NRM

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Local Government and NRM

• Angela Shepherd

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• Roles and responsibilities of LG
• Case studies
• Options for future NRM programs
• Sydney Coastal Councils

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Local Governments Role in Coastal Management

• Recreation facilities, including public access
• Beach management
• Waste management
• Water cycle provision and management - water
  quality
• Pest/weed management
• Biodiversity conservation and management
• Marinas and ports
• Support community groups and volunteers

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Key Points

• Planning
• Infrastructure provision
• Land Manager
• Significant investor
• Legislative responsibilities
• Broader community engagement

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LG NRM Spending

• 2.6bn environmental activities
• Activities that prevent, reduce or eliminate
  pressures on the environment and repairing and
  restoring activities.
• Includes waste management and sewerage treatment
• 1.9bn NRM activities
• Include management, allocation and efficient use
  of natural resources eg management of parks,
  beaches and reserves, trees, land and water
• Includes water supply and land management
• ABS stats from 2002-03

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LG Engagement in Regional NRM

• Diversity of LG and Regions
• Improving initiatives include
• MoU, reference groups, advisory boards, technical
  advice
• Liaison officers
• Joint projects, shared officers
• Planning initiatives
• Further work needed

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LG, Regional NRM and Coasts

• Significant hurdles - Funding
• bilateral
• Hang over of CCS program
• Lack priority given to coasts in regional plans
  (in land focus of plans, NAP funds)
• Seen as a council responsibility, given limited
  NRM dollars
• Lack leverage for council expenditure

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LG, Regional NRM and Coasts

• Significant hurdles - Institutionally
• legislation
• Development and tourism pressure on council
  officers unproportional burden
• Issues with state vs LG planning and DA approval
• No one state agency responsible for coasts
  conflicting advice to LG

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Case Studies

• Gold Coast City Council, QLD
• Queensland Coastal Management Forum
• Eurobodalla Shire NSW
• Denmark Shire, WA

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Gold Coast City Council

• Huge development and tourism
• 78 000 visitors on any one day
• 3.4 population growth pa
• Economic value of natural environment
• Many coastal management issues, council needed to
  increase their capacity to address these

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GCCC - Response

• Undertaken multiple planning activities
• Floodplain, bushfire, ASS, biodiversity, water,
  coastal processes, pests/weeds
• Have built capacity and knowledge of council of
  the issues and responses needed
• Embedded goal of ecological sustainability in
  corporate plan
• Supported with a budget and a levy
• 130m pa for environmental management

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GCCC Challenges of Regional NRM

• Significant capacity and resources compared to
  region
• Difficult to focus on regional processes
• Significant resources required to address issues
• Need to get local priorities addressed in
  regional NRM plans
• Many new residents
• Understand, manage and appreciate their
  environment

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Queensland Coastal Management Forum

• Meet three times a year
• Broad Participation
• LG and SG participate
• Information sharing and capacity building
• LG Officers discuss problems facing LG in
  managing coastal environments
• Topics include
• Beach access, State Coastal Plan, methods and
  processes of erosion control, canal management
  infrastructure maintenance, stormwater, coastal
  monitoring etc.

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Eurobodalla Shire

• 110km coastline
• 80 parklands not rateable
• 39 population not residents
• Rural shire, great natural resources, close to
  three large population centres
• Strong history of environmental management and
  strategic planning
• Water management critical

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Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy

• First developed in state
• Aims to improve security and optimal use of water
  resources
• Investigated options, including building new dam,
  efficiency measures, do nothing
• Undertook Demand Strategy, cost 75m less than a
  dam, improved enviro outcomes
• Incentives, retrofits, audits and education
• Savings used to improve water quality

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Denmark Shire WA

• 84km coastline, 73km estuaries
• Rate revenue just 2.7m
• Small rural shire, limited resources
• Community values natural resources
• Mapped vegetation, soils, geography
• Leader in regional NRM planning and action
• Significant contributor to regional NRM

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Denmark and SCRIPT

• Significant Councillor involvement in regional
  NRM
• Years of planning ability to ensure CEM issues
  adequately addressed in regional plan
• Joint investments made

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Future of NRM How to Increase Local Government
Participation and Improve Environmental Outcomes
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FutureNational Level

• Recognise LG as a sphere of govt and not another
  stakeholder in NRM
• Recognise and build on current LG NRM and
  environment spending
• Expand regional plans to account for all council
  NRM activities
• Include LG in high level decision making on
  regional NRM
• Overarching framework/policy statement

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FutureRegional Level

• Incorporation of regional and local planning
• Understanding of priorities fund joint programs
• Shared use of resources, eg staff, knowledge,
  data, science
• Capacity building community, Council,
  Councillor education

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NRM3

• CEM, climate change, urban and peri urban
  emerging issues
• One program
• Adequate LT funding for NRM
• Budget line item
• Promote priority CEM issues
• Specific funding
• Priority in bilaterals