MIP leaders visit LDC trials in the BBB

 

MAJOR Integrated Projects (MIPs) Steering Committee chair Bob Speirs and grazier representative Roger Landsberg toured the BBB for two days in June, visiting properties that are trialling cost-effective and innovative approaches to improve landscape function, soil health and water quality.

Many of these activities are from the LDC’s BBB Grazier Support program that aims to provide graziers with education, training, technical support and incentives to help them adopt improved land management practices.

Bob and Roger also visited small scale and large scale gully remediation sites across the catchment.

The Landscape Remediation Activity Area aims to develop effective and economical solutions for gully remediation that can be rolled out across the BBB catchment – and across other reef catchments.

They also attended a dinner in Collinsville where the first analysis results of samples taken during and after the New Year rain were delivered to members of the LDC Water Quality Monitoring Group.  

Pictured inspecting one of the trial sites at Graham Gordon’s Two Mile Station are (from left): CEO NQ Dry Tropics Scott Crawford, Mr Gordon, Steering Committee member Roger Landsberg and MIPs Steering Committee chair Bob Speirs.

LDC one of two GBR Water Science Taskforce projects

 

LANDHOLDERS Driving Change is one of two Major Integrated projects (MIPs) recommended by the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce.

The other MIP aims to reduce nutrient and pesticide runoff from cane and banana farms in the Wet Tropics region.  

The Queensland Government has committed a total of $33 million to fund the MIPs, which aim to concentrate efforts at a catchment scale, and evaluate how effective they are.

A Steering Committe performs a progress oversight and endorsement role, providing advice to the Department of Envrionment and Science and the MIP project managers on matters that impact program implementation, success, and delivery of products and outputs.

As collaborative approaches are encouraged, the Steering Committee also guides the implementation of a program of works that explores opportunities to build on and value add to activities already being, or scheduled to be delivered, in the project areas.  

This includes advising on opportunities for collaborating or coordinating with other programs, and avoidance of duplication of works or investment.

Mt Wickham is the first demonstration site that has been established to showcase different methods of treating large-scale features, according to erosion and soil type. Other sites will be established and the LDC team will investigate a framework to record and compare cost-effectiveness of the various trial treatments.