Working on Gumbaynggirr Country in the Clarence Catchment
Working on Gumbaynggirr Country in the Clarence Catchment
Clarence Landcare working with Grafton Ngerrie Local Aboriginal Land Council and the North Coast Local Lands Services to implement change on Aboriginal land with Aboriginal people.
Local Links - Stronger Communities -
LLCI033-053
The issue
The Grafton Ngerrie Local Aboriginal Land Council (GNLALC) has many blocks of land in the mid Clarence Catchment and very little resources to manage them. Clarence Landcare identified many years ago that the land council didn’t have management plans or even mapping for most of their parcels of land. There was the will to manage their natural areas but not the time or money with the daily pressures of running the Land Council.
The solution
Clarence Landcare worked with GNLALC and (the then) Catchment Management Authority to gain some seed funding to start the process of mapping and to start building management plan documents for their blocks of land. This was the foundation for gaining funding for a number of on ground works projects and to continue to develop management plans. This funding has been from North Coast Local Lands Services and the NSW Environmental Trust Protecting our Places programme.
The impact
We now have mapping and draft management plans for about 7 blocks of GNLALC land and templates for the remainder which will increase chances of further funding. Information collected from site visits to many of the blocks has included GIS mapping, both rapid assessment and detailed plant lists and weed percentage mapping. We have documented some very impressive parcels of land with threatened species and Endangered Ecological Communities. The projects have led to training and mentoring of local Aboriginal people in bush regeneration skills, plant ID and site assessment which has been a great outcome. We all have a long way to go but the way forward is now a bit clearer.
Key facts
- Training and employment for local Aboriginal people in land management techniques
- Seven Draft Management Plans for Grafton Ngerrie LALC land have been done.
- The discovery and documentation of threatened species and Endangered Ecological Communities on Aboriginal land.