NRM Regions Australia

Nature-based disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation and resilience are core business for regional NRM organisations. With regions facing increasing exposure to natural disasters like floods, fire, storms, and drought, it’s critical that we share lessons on best-practice planning and delivery of nature-based actions that can build resilience in ecosystems and communities. NRM Regions Australia’s Rachel Morgain will be highlighting the contribution regional NRM organisations have made both on the ground, and to our understanding, of how well-considered natural resource management actions can reduce risk of, and from, natural disasters, when she takes to the podium at the annual Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) conference in Naarm (Melbourne) next Tuesday. https://lnkd.in/d9TZA5uC

Last week NRM Regions Australia hosted a breakfast at Parliament House as part of our annual Chair's forum. Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek; Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator The Hon. Jonathon Duniam; Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator Nita Green; and The Hon. Warren Entsch MP all joined the conversation about the achievements and needs of the regional natural resource management sector. A number of other parliamentarians, industry representatives, conservation organisations, researchers and government officials also attended the event. Facilitated by NRM Regions Australia Chair Emma Jackson the breakfast conversation spanned a wide range of natural resource management areas, including biosecurity issues, threatened species loss, energy transition planning, and emergency preparedness for extreme events. Multiple participants in the discussion, including various parliamentarians, noted the critical role regional natural resource management organisations play as an essential service- including through their work to support resilience to emergencies and disaster management, where local knowledge and connections were seen as crucial to delivering timely and appropriate responses to threats like bushfires and floods. The meeting also included a warm welcome to Country by Ngunnawal Elder Warren Daly, and a thought-provoking address by Terrain NRM Chair and descendent of the Djabugay-speaking people, Barry J Hunter. Barry spoke about the importance of natural resource management and Indigenous land and sea management, particularly noting the need to address the underfunding of management of Indigenous Protected Areas, which currently receive less investment relative to other protected areas. We would like to thank all the parliamentarians for meeting with Chairs, staff, and guests from across the country in this busy final sitting period. The widespread support for the event across political parties reflected the critical role that regional NRM organisations are playing, and the increased role they can play in the future, for instance in climate adaptation, preparedness for extreme weather events, and nature-based solutions.

The remade Environmental Plantings method has been finalised and re-launched by Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme. This is great news for landholders, who can once again plan and deliver native planting projects to diversify their income, create natural capital to build business productivity, and contribute to biodiversity in the landscape. The new method includes several changes, including the ability to start site preparation and planting as soon as you submit your project application- a welcome change for many landholders and NRMs hoping to get projects up and running quickly when the conditions are right. Regional NRM organisations across Australia support landholders to participate in ACCU projects. The CFI Act requires carbon farming projects to be consistent with regional NRM plans - projects informed by regional NRM plans can be optimised to deliver for nature, for communities, and for regional economies. To learn more about the 2024 Environmental Plantings method visit the method page here: https://lnkd.in/gkpfQP8w. NRM Regions Australia runs a community of practice on environmental markets and carbon farming for interested regional NRM organisation staff. To get involved, send a message to connect with Rachel Clarke, the Knowledge Broker for Carbon and Environmental Markets.

Our latest ‘In the tent with NRM’ webinar with Nicole Yazbek-Martin, Head of Taxonomy and Natural Capital at the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute presented a briefing session to introduce, test and seek substantive feedback on the draft climate change mitigation criteria for the agriculture and land sector, as well as the taxonomy’s draft social safeguards and ‘Do No Significant Harm’ criteria. This financial classification system will be used to define sustainable economic activities in a credible and transparent manner, helping to accelerate the allocation of private capital towards activities that support Australia’s sustainability goals. Watch the recording in NRM Regions Australia’s ‘In the Tent with NRM’ YouTube playlist: https://lnkd.in/eWB4Gb9X.

Over thirty regional NRM organisation Chairs met in Canberra on Tuesday to kick off day one of their annual forum. The afternoon session included strategic discussions with guest speakers that included Carbon Market Institute (CMI) CEO John Connor, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists Acting Director Debbie Medaris (nee Rudd), Laura Higgins Biodiversity Markets from Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Andrew Petersen CEO of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (BCSDA) and Nicole Yazbek-Martin, Head of Taxonomy & Natural Capital of Australian Sustainable Finance Institute. NRM Regions Australia works closely with many of these organisations to progress the critical work of the NRM sector, including exploring diverse opportunities for investment in nature through carbon and environmental markets, and supporting alignment with science-based targets like those identified in the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientist's Blueprint to Restore Australia's Landscapes. Thanks to all of the speakers that participated in the discussions as we continue to work together to support regional NRM organisations in providing the essential services that contribute to healthy soil, clean water, vibrant natural ecosystems and resilient and productive landscapes. #NRM #NRMsector

From impounding pigs, to fish homes and highways, or better understanding the bonds between Aboriginal communities and Country, the September NRM snapshot covers an inspiring range of stories from regional NRM organisations across Australia. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eFqTj5fE #NRM #NRMsector #NatureBasedSolutions

Regional NRM organisations are being showcased on the world stage at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 29) which commenced in Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday. The series of three videos demonstrate how regional NRM organisations are contributing to understanding climate change impacts to inform investment; addressing climate change impacts and biodiversity loss through integrated solutions; and building climate resilience and reducing risk from extreme events. Thank you to the Australian Government for funding these videos and promoting them at COP 29. The need to rapidly reduce emissions and find ways to manage the increasing impacts of climate change has never been more urgent, and we know the work of regional NRM organisations across the country can support action to minimise the worst impacts of the changing climate. Many thanks to regional NRM organisations NRM North, Riverina Local Land Services (NRM North, Riverina Local Land Services, Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, Healthy Land & Water, NRM South, OceanWatch Australia Ltd., Murraylands and Riverlands and Terrain NRM) for both participating in these videos, and for your critical work in addressing the climate change crisis. View the videos here: https://lnkd.in/er6cmkfn #NRM #ClimateAction #ClimateChange

NRM Regions Australia's 23/24 Annual Report is out now! Take a look to meet our Board and team and explore the great projects we've worked on at the national level. You can also follow up on some of the national events, activities and initiatives we are leading and participating in to support the objectives of regional NRM organisations. Thank you to our members for your support and engagement over the year, and to the Australian Government for funding key projects that have helped build capacity among regional NRM organisations and increased and expanded the reach and impact of NRM. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/e7ZUssfZ #NRM #NRMsector

NRM Regions Australia warmly welcomed the Environmental Markets Participation Initiative (EMPI) Advisory Committee at its inaugural meeting for NRM RA's newest project last week in Canberra. The EMPI project, which is funded by the Australian Government, will explore and trial ways to improve extension and outreach for landholders navigating the complex space of environmental markets. Findings from the work will be used to inform future engagement, outreach, and extension approaches to support land managers in their decision-making on environmental market opportunities, including the government's Nature Repair market. EMPI Project Lead Mat Hardy has welcomed the advisory committee members to the project. "It was great to meet all the members of the committee in person last week. Everyone was really enthusiastic about the work and it's exciting to have such a diverse range of expertise in the room to help inform and guide the project" Mat said. The advisory committee includes Kate Andrews, Laura Higgins, Dave Johnson, Katie McRobert (MBA, GAICD), Gareth Catt, Nicole Yazbek-Martin, Katherine Allen, Chris Pitfield, Lucinda Corrigan, Chris Cosgrove, and Helen Martin who hold a wide range of skills and expertise in financial markets, biodiversity program delivery, natural resource management, and landholder extension and engagement best practice. The committee will meet quarterly to provide feedback and guidance on the development and implementation of the two-year project. The EMPI project will draw on the knowledge and experience of regional NRM organisations. NRM staff are experts in planning and delivering landholder extension programs that enable peer learning, support knowledge development, and improve confidence in land management decision-making. The project will also provide opportunities for regional NRM organisations to deliver outreach and extension trials for environmental markets to inform future policy development. #NatureMarkets #NatureRepairMarket Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Thanks to the Carbon Market Institute (CMI) for the opportunity to talk about the valuable role regional NRM organisations can play to integrate and align emissions reduction and nature positive actions at the Australasian Emissions Reduction Summit last week. In a plenary panel session on Scaling Nature Positive CEO Kate Andrews was invited to imagine she was in 2030 and we had achieved our emissions reduction and nature positive goals. Kate suggested we can achieve this by imagining "the environment is a shareholder sitting at the board room table." Kate was joined by North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance CEO Barry J Hunter, Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Kelly O'Shanassy, Sensand CEO Peter Moulton and Silva Capital Co-Managing Director Raphael Wood. In a panel session on integrating Net Zero & Nature Positive, Knowledge Broker for Carbon Farming and Environmental Markets Rachel Clarke discussed the Carbon for Nature report that NRM Regions Australia is partnering with CMI to deliver. Rachel emphasised that nature outcomes from carbon farming projects need to planned for, and also cost more to deliver. "Good biodiversity outcomes from carbon farming projects are not a free service provided through carbon investment. Increasing species diversity, and other actions to boost the benefits of projects can be costly - but investment in this sort of carbon project can deliver much more value for the environment and people,." she said. "More active consideration of regional NRM plans by carbon farming project proponents can help optimise projects to efficiently deliver multiple benefits for regional economies, communities and landscapes." Rachel said. Also on Rachel's panel were Carl Binning, Executive General Manager Clean Energy Regulator; Heather Campbell, CEO Greening Australia; Elizabeth Rose, Climate Change & Sustainability Services, EY and Cuong Tran, Chief Executive Covalent Land Australia. #AERSummit2024 #NetZero #ClimateAction #NatureBasedSolutions #CarbonMarkets #EmissionsReduction #NaturePositive