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New Strategic Directions Statement
Our Catchments, Our Communities: Building on the Legacy for Better Stewardship
The Victorian Government has released a new strategic directions statement for catchment stewardship. Our Catchments, Our Communities: Building on the Legacy for Better Stewardship supports catchment stewardship through:
- 10 new regional catchment strategies
- on-ground place-based projects which deliver environmental, cultural, social, and economic outcomes
- enhanced catchment partnerships
- aligning with Traditional Owners' aspirations for Country.
The statement builds on the successes of the first state-wide integrated catchment strategy for Victoria.
It maintains the commitment to invest in integrated catchment management under Water for Victoria with a further $21.75 million committed between 2021 and 2024.
Our Catchments, Our Communities Strategy
2016 to 2019
Our Catchments, our Communities is a partnership with catchment management authorities (CMAs).
The strategy demonstrates our commitment to managing catchments to benefit:
- our environment
- our community
- our economy.
It focuses on how we manage our natural resources by ensuring catchment management partners work better together. It also complements Victoria’s directions for biodiversity and climate change.
The vision and goals of the strategy
The strategy's aim:
Healthy, sustainable and productive land, water and biodiversity maintained through integrated catchment management that is strongly community based, regionally focused and collaborative.
Through the strategy, we are building:
- effective community engagement in catchment management
- better connections between state, regional and local planning
- strengthened implementation of regional catchment strategies
- clearer roles, strengthened accountability and coordination
- improved monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
Implementation of the strategy
The Victorian Government provided $22 million over 4 years to implement Our Catchments, Our Communities. Our approach to catchment management ensures we are ready for future environmental and economic challenges and opportunities.
Groups involved in implementing the strategy included:
- state and regional partners
- the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA)
- CMAs.
The strategy strengthens partnerships by coordinating planning, investment and on-ground activities.
Strategy successes
The strategy has achieved several significant outcomes, including:
- creating 175 integrated catchment management partnerships
- having 74 landowners agree to improve property management
- planting 553 hectares of native vegetation
- controlling weeds on 4,485 hectares of land
- controlling pest animals on 36,427 hectares of land
- improving management practices on 1,905 hectares of land
- conducting 252 ecological, cultural and soil assessments
- engaging with the community through various events.
Progress reports
Page last updated: 28/02/24