Mitigating Natural Hazards and Riparian Restoration
Mitigating Natural Hazards and Riparian Restoration
Learning how to undertake farm planning for natural hazards and how to begin landscape restoration after natural disasters
Capacity to Deliver -
LEP23-005-Weddin-02_LLC_003
The issue
The Weddin district has faced a series of challenging natural disasters in recent years that have impacted the landscape. These challenges include drought, followed by flooding and severe storms. Other natural hazards, including heightened impacts from weeds and pest animals, have also put landholders under strain. With the unpredictability of natural hazards, there is a need for landholders to be better informed about not only the services available to help respond to natural disasters but also ways that people can work towards lessening the impact on themselves, their property, livestock, and business.
The solution
With funding from Landcare NSW’s People Led Prevention Project, Weddin Landcare partnered with Central West Local Land Services to deliver a dual workshop to address farm planning for natural hazards and how to begin landscape restoration after natural disasters, particularly flooding.
The local SES were engaged to present practical ways to protect your farm from flooding. Following this, David Brown from David Brown Consulting facilitated a workshop with help from the Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW. David ran activities on how to identify risks and hazards on your property before recommending considerations for planning to help mitigate future risk from a business perspective.
Local Land Services took over the second part of the day with the district vet presenting on how to best protect and care for livestock when faced with natural disasters. Following this, Alison Elvin, a rural training specialist and farmer, educated the group on the restoration of riparian areas following natural disasters.
The impact
Participants received a broad range of information and learnt practical ways to apply them to their business. The dual-workshop format allowed cross over into different interest groups.
Group activities allowed for information sharing and it highlighted some other issues that were being experienced in the region including the troubles farmers were facing with feral pigs. After more analysis, this discussion resulted in Weddin Landcare purchasing more pig traps to loan to our members.
Feedback on the day was positive, with participants particularly interested in hearing more from Alison Elvin and her experience with natural resource management.
Key facts
- 9 landholders learnt how to mitigate risk on their property and ways to help restore the landscape after a natural disaster.
- Relationships between local emergency services and rural agencies were strengthened.
- The workshop uncovered other issues in the district, which resulted in Weddin Landcare being able to support our members with a new project.