South West Development Commision

Environment

Australia's South West has a rich and varied natural environment, which has considerable ecological and landscape value.

It is well-known for its magnificent karri, jarrah and tuart forests, unique underground cave systems, rivers and wetlands and its spectacular coastlines and estuaries.

It boasts landscapes including fertile agricultural and farmland, coastal plains and mountain ranges along the Darling Scarp.

The Commission works with a number of groups to conserve and manage our natural environment including:

South West Catchments Council Inc.

The South West Catchments Council covers an area extending from Serpentine in the north to Walpole in the south, and east to Dumbleyung - over five million hectares.

The council is made up of 17 members and is chaired by Jan Star, Acting Chairman.

The Council produced the South West Regional Strategy for Natural Resource Management in April 2005 aimed at balancing conservation, sustainable land and water use and community development and has been accredited by the Commonwealth Government.

The strategy is the result of an unprecedented level of cooperation between community and catchment groups, local government, State agencies and federal bodies involved in natural resource management.

The Commission has supported the South West Catchments Council in the following ways:

• been represented on SWCC since July 1999;
• through the South West Regional Development Scheme 2001/02 provided $10,000 for a SWCC website to be developed;
• provided $10,000 funding to SWCC for development of a Business Plan in 2002; and
• provided information, promotion and advice to South West Catchments Council.

During January 2005 the South West Catchments Council submitted a funding bid to secure $15.4 million which was allocated under the Natural Heritage Trust and National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. This funding has been allocated in the 2005/06 financial year.

View further information on the South West Catchments Council.

South West and Peel Coastal Management Group Inc. (CoastSWAP)

The South West and Peel Coastal Management Group has representation from the following organisations:

• coastal local governments (Capel, Harvey, Busselton, Manjimup, Waroona, City of Mandurah, City of Bunbury, Augusta-Margaret River, Nannup);
• State Government (South West Development Commission, Department for Planning and Infrastructure);
• Australian Government (Depatment of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of the Environment and Heritage); and
• community (Preston Beach Progress Association, Leschenault Community Nursery, Myalup Community Association, Busselton Dunsborough Envirnonment Centre, Cape to Cape Catchment Group, GeoCatch Catment Council, Prevally Wilderness Progress Association, Tangara Blue, Recfishwest, Capel LCDC).

The objectives of the group are to:

• raise awareness of coastal and marine environments;
• foster a sense of ownership of coastal and marine environments;
• influence coastal policy development within the Sate and local governments;
• streamline decision making relating to coastal zone management;
• foster cooperation between groups and agencies involved in coastal zone management; and
• lobby for appropriate resources for coastal zone planning in the South West and Peel region.

Tuart Response Group

Since the mid 1990s there has been growing community concern about the noticeable decline in the health of tuart trees south of Mandurah.

In November 2001 the Tuart Response Group was established by the Minister for the Environment and Heritage to improve tuart management.

The South West Development Commission is a member of the Tuart Response Group, which has used its combined resources and knowledge, including public workshops and consultation to develop the draft Tuart Conservation and Management Strategy.

Gayle Gray, Policy and Research Officer, represents the Commission on the Tuart Response Group.

To date the group has:

• prepared the Status Report on Tuart Conservation and Protection for public release;
• prepared the Conserving our tuarts brochure;
• completed the Tuart Communications and Public Involvement Plan;
• evaluated future research needs with key stakeholders at a Tuart Science Workshop in Perth;
• developed a Tuart Atlas that maps and describes the extent and condition of tuart trees and understorey;
• provided partner investigator support for Murdoch University's tuart research funding application to the Australian Research Council;
• conducted stakeholder workshops during September and October 2002 in Bunbury and Busselton to assist the development of the draft strategy; and
• released for public comment the draft Tuart Conservation and Management Strategy.

Public submissions on the draft strategy are currently being assessed.