Participants at the Conservation Action Planning workshop.
Story from Jo Webb, Rangelands Natural Resource Management, Western Australia.
The next phase of the Pilbara Corridors’ Conservation Action Planning process is now underway. The process will identify priorities, establish working groups to implement management actions, and maintain a collaborative, long-term conservation strategy for the Pilbara Bioregion. This region in Western Australia is characterised by arid coastal plains and inland mountain ranges with cliffs and deep gorges. Key management issues include invasive weeds, grazing pressure, feral animals, and fire control.
Last year, more than 80 stakeholders took part in a series of workshops to develop a landscape-scale conservation strategy and action plan for the Pilbara Bioregion. Attendees included pastoralists, Traditional Owners, Aboriginal corporations, mining companies, environmental non-government organisations, local and state government, the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Land Conservation District Committees, environmental consultants, researchers, and members of the public with knowledge of the Pilbara.
The 2015 workshop findings were collated in a summary report. Piers Higgs and colleagues at Gaia Resources provided GIS mapping and data management for the plan, which is a significant achievement for a region as diverse and expansive as the Pilbara. Stakeholder feedback has now been incorporated in the summary document, which can be viewed here.
“The summary brought together significant input and knowledge from stakeholders, which will be used to prioritise and align work that is outlined in an agreed upon plan, “ said Dr. Blair Parsons, Greening Australia’s Director of Conservation and member of the Pilbara Corridors Executive Committee. “The task now is to establish working groups to refine and implement priority management actions on-the-ground.”
Key next steps in the conservation planning process include:
- prioritising conservation management targets;
- formulating and implementing actions to address these priorities; and
- measuring success to enable ‘learning by doing’ and increase effectiveness over time.
“Pilbara Corridors partners thank all contributors for their time and valued input to the planning so far and look forward to continued support into the action phase,” Dr. Parsons said.
For more information contact Jo Webb or Teresa Belcher at Rangelands NRM.
CCNet Coaches Barry Heydenrych and James McGregor (both from Greening Australia) led the workshops. They were assisted by Blair Parsons, Greening Australia’s Director of Conservation and member of the Pilbara Corridors Executive Committee.
Pilbara Corridors is a partnership between Greening Australia, the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife and Rangelands NRM, and is funded by the Australian Government.
