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Catchment Stewardship Framework Paper 2024

Our Catchments, Our Communities: Strengthening the Catchment Stewardship Framework in Victoria

The Strengthening the Catchment Stewardship Framework in Victoria paper updates and describes contemporary catchment stewardship as involving both individual and collective efforts in managing catchments to generate intergenerational benefits for the environment, people and place.

The paper builds on work by thought leaders and practitioners (including Traditional Owner representatives, academics, and policy and program leads) to create a current understanding of catchment stewardship that recognises that people are connected to important places.

Connection is critical to deliver catchment stewardship outcomes including empowered Aboriginal custodianship; community empowerment; multiple benefits for people and places; intergenerational equity; protected achievements; raised standards for natural resource management; and resilient communities and landscapes.

Guiding principles shape the way catchment stewardship is understood and implemented. These include collective planning and delivery, support for Aboriginal self-determination, and valuing different perspectives and knowledge.

Strategic Directions Statement 2021

Our Catchments, Our Communities: Building on the Legacy for Better Stewardship

The Victorian Government’s strategic directions statement for catchment stewardship was released in 2021. 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.

Our Catchments, Our Communities Strategy
2016-19

The Our Catchments, Our Communities Strategy was developed in partnership with catchment management authorities (CMAs).

The strategy demonstrated our commitment to managing catchments to benefit:

  • our environment,
  • our community, and
  • our economy.

It focused on how we manage our natural resources by ensuring catchment management partners work better together. It also complemented Victoria’s directions for biodiversity and climate change.

The vision, which remains today, is:

Healthy, sustainable and productive land, water and biodiversity maintained through integrated catchment management that is strongly community based, regionally focused and collaborative.

Implementation

The Victorian Government continues to support the Our Catchments, Our Communities Program. Our approach to catchment management ensures we are ready for future environmental and economic challenges and opportunities.

Groups involved in implementation include:

  • state and regional partners
  • the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA)
  • CMAs.

The program strengthens partnerships by coordinating planning, investment and on-ground activities.

For 2024-28 the program aims to:

  • Increase the area of catchment stewardship aligned to priorities in Regional Catchment Strategies
  • Increase Aboriginal self-determination and Traditional Owner and First Nations voices in planning, decision making and on-ground actions
  • Have more regional stakeholders connected, capable, empowered, and self-directed to act to improve catchment stewardship

Successes

The program achieved several significant outcomes in 2020-2024, including:

  • creating 436 integrated catchment management partnerships
  • completing 114 plans to support landholders to improve property management
  • planting 859 hectares of native vegetation
  • controlling weeds on 4,319 hectares of land
  • controlling pest animals on 17,445 hectares of land
  • improving management practices on 21,740 hectares of land
  • conducting 1,030 ecological, cultural and land assessments
  • engaging with 10,830 people who attended field days, training, workshop and presentations.

Page last updated: 28/05/25