Nature Positive NRM
Our natural places and our precious biodiversity are at risk. Without recognising the value of nature and helping it recover, the future is bleak.
Climate change, biodiversity decline and economic challenges are inextricably linked. The protection and restoration of nature is needed to sustain life and our economy.
That’s one of the reasons why the world is coming together to support a global goal for nature. That goal is for the world to become nature positive.
What does nature positive mean?
Nature positive is a term used to describe situations where nature is being repaired and is regenerating instead of in decline. It reflects the need to foster regeneration rather than the depletion of nature.
Globally, governments, corporations and NGOs are joining forces to commit to the Nature Positive Initiative which ensures “more nature in the world in 2030 than in 2020 and continued recovery after that.”
Nature Positive Plan
To support Australia’s nature positive goals, in 2022, the Australian Government released its Nature Positive Plan. The plan acknowledges that Australia’s natural environment is deteriorating and is not resilient enough to withstand current and emerging threats.
“Native extinction, habitat loss and cultural heritage destruction are all accelerating,” according to The Hon Tayna Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water.
The Australian Government has committed to protect 30% of Australia’s land and seas by 2030, create a nature repair market, establish an independent EPA and work in partnership with First Nations people to develop standalone cultural heritage legislation.
The role of NRM in the Nature Repair Market
Queensland’s regional NRM organisations have been doing this work for decades.
Nearly everything we do, as a sector is about working towards a nature positive outcome. We are Queensland’s largest, hands-on professional conservation network with more than 340 staff on the ground where it matters most – in the regions, working face-to-face with people who manage the land. In fact, since we started operating, more than 20 years ago, we’ve engaged more than 10,000 land managers year-on-year in creating more resilient landscapes.
It’s because of this work that we are trusted from paddock to parliament, driving positive landscape change over more than 20 million hectares of Queensland every year.
Much of that trust has been built through a process of developing regional NRM plans in collaboration with our communities. These plans prioritise on-ground works and cover every inch of the state. And our strategic approach to land and water management means we focus on whole-of-landscape solutions.
We’re working hands-on with communities, First Nations people, farmers and all levels of government in Queensland’s most iconic landscapes.
Our impact on the ground
Enhancing remnant native vegetation in the Burnett
Burnett Mary Regional Group has helped landowners to enhance native vegetation with on-ground measures including fencing, weed and pest removal, and habitat restoration.
Reducing the impact of fire on endangered Carpentarian Grasswren – Southern Gulf NRM
A Mount Isa based NRM organisation is leading the charge to protect Carpentaria Grasswren from wildfires in North West Queensland.
Sandringham Wetlands Complex – Reef Catchments
Improving the ecological function and condition of the Sandringham Wetland Complex and threatened ecological communities within the region.
Regional NRM organisations in Queensland
