Partnerships
The Northern Rivers CMA continues to build strong partnerships in the community - partnerships that work to identify natural resource management priorities, develop solutions to natural resource management issues and deliver onground works.
Who are our partners ?
Our partners include:
- Local government
- Utilities and county councils
- State Government agencies
- Adjoining regional NRM bodies
- Australian Government agencies
- Aboriginal organisations and groups
- Peak industry and environmental organisations
- Community interest groups
- Industry production groups
- Individual landowners
- Education and research institutions
- Tourism industry
Local Government
Local Government is a key partner of the Northern Rivers CMA. Twenty local government bodies within the region, including the Lord Howe Island Board, play a role as major potential contributors to acheiving regional goals for a sustainable natural resource management. Statutory roles in land use planning and development, estuarine and coastal management, vegetation management, weed control, water management provide a broad range of opportunities for local government to participate in natural resource management projects and initiatives. The Northern Rivers CMA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 16 of the 18 Councils in the northern rivers region. The MoU is a written partnership agreement between the NRCMA and Local Councils which commits each party to a set of general principles for a coordinated and cooperative approach to managing natural resources in the Council area.
Utilities and County Councils
The Northern Rivers CMA has extensive partnerships with regional utilities and county councils including the Richmond River County Council, North Coast Water, Country Energy, North Coast Weeds Authority, Northern Tablelands Weeds Authority and the Rural Lands Protection Boards. These are often creative relationships that result in innovative projects.
State Government agencies
State Government agencies are often responsible for the protection and management large areas of estate and the implementation of NRM legislation and policy. The Northern Rivers CMA works with a range of State Government agencies to implement projects that are consistent with regional goals for sustainable natural resource management and the operational goals of partner agencies. The Northern Rivers CMA is also an active member of the Premier's Department Regional Coordination Managers Group and NRM Sub committee.
Adjoining regional NRM bodies
The Northern Rivers CMA region shares a common boundary with four similar natural resource management organisations: the Border Rivers-Gwydir CMA, Namoi CMA, Hunter-Central Rivers CMA, and the South East Queensland regional NRM body. Partnerships with these organsitions enable development of joint, cross-border projects and the sharing of knowlede, skills, resources and effort to achieve landscape-wide outcomes. Such initiatives also acknowledge the need to simplify arrangements in areas where communities span administrative boundaries.
Australian Government agencies
Aboriginal organisations and groups
Creating and maintaining links with our Aboriginal communities is a really important objective of the Northern Rivers CMA. Existing relationships with local Aboriginal organistaions and community groups has resulted in some great outcomes, including the establishment of several Indigenous Green Teams - an NRM employment and training opportunity for Aboriginal people - and the funding of Aboriginal NRM Extension Officers within local Aboriginal Corporations and Land Councils.
Peak industry and environmental organisations
Working with peak industry and environmental organisations, such as NSW Farmers Association, Total Environment Centre, North Coast Environment Centre, WWF, Landcare Australia and Dairy Australia, has helped the Northern Rivers CMA acheive a significant number of environmental outcomes in the past four years. Peak organisations play an important role in encouraging the active participation and collaboration of members and subcommittees in our projects.
Community interest groups
The Northern Rivers region has a large community of people who are passionate about the protection and restoration of the local environment. This interest translates into an active landcare and dune care mmovement, with over 400 groups operating in the region. The Northern Rivers CMA works to support such groups to restore degraded catchments, improve soil, water and vegetation health, and help maintain the biodiversity of the region.
'Care' groups are an important source of peer motivation and joint achievement - they provide a much-needed point of information exchange and acheive significant onground works. They are an important source of on-ground acheivement of sustainable natural environment management.
Industry production groups
Individual landowners
Not everyone wishing to care for the environment is part of an organised group. There are many individual landowners undertaking NRM works on their own initiative. Often, landowwners are already undertaking practices and implementing projects that support our regional goals for natural resource management. Under various programs, the Northern Rivers CMA can often help landowners with the NRM works in targeted areas.
Education and research institutions
Tourism industry
