The Mary River Catchment Coordination Association is a very active Integrated Catchment Management organisation overseen by the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC), which comprises interest sector representatives from 25 community, industry and government sectors with interests in sustainable natural resource management. Today the group reaches out to thousands of catchment residents through our stakeholder delegates and associated networks throughout the catchment.
The MRCCC provides technical advice and in some cases modest financial incentives to rural land managers to help them undertake actions that improve water quality and aquatic biodiversity, and improve their productivity and sustainability. Managing stock access to waterways, installing off-stream watering points, removing weeds and revegetating with local native species are key projects for the MRCCC and landholders we assist.
In recent years the Mary River catchment has been recognised as the southern-most catchment which impacts upon the Great Barrier Reef. As a result, the MRCCC receives funding from Federal Government Reef Programs which enables this work with landholders to be carried out. The Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Seqwater, the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Noosa and Fraser Coast Councils and HQPlantations also support the work of the MRCCC.
In 2005 the MRCCC established a Public Fund to enable tax deductible donations to be raised towards funding a permanent home for the MRCCC and staff at 25 Stewart Terrace, Gympie. During business hours, the MRCCC offers an information service and a basic water testing facility for dam, bore or creek water. The Public Fund is also used to support research and a range of other projects in the Mary River catchment.
Since 1999, the MRCCC has facilitated the investment of over $27 million into the Mary catchment economy, for the purpose of sustainable land and water management. Landholders undertaking MRCCC project work invariably multiply this investment significantly.
Our Role
The Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee has determined key roles to guide actions:
- Education and awareness
- Planning, particularly in assisting local government
- Assisting interest sectors to improve practices, e.g. best management practices, code of conduct
- Supporting Landcare
- Consultation
- Overview of policy, plans related to the Mary Catchment
- Working with Government
Key Strategies
The following critical strategies are being pursued by the MRCCC:
- Support the adoption of best management practices in farming systems
- Encourage property management planning to achieve sustainable agricultural production
- Improve information delivery to landholders and industry on farm management within our variable climate
- Establish credible information on water quality in the catchment as a basis for decision-making
- Make water quality an issue – raise its profile
- Identify & reduce diffuse sources of pollution in the catchment
- Develop broad scale awareness of riparian areas in the catchment, and seek community participation in developing solutions to prevent further degradation
- Reduce negative impacts of grazing and other activities on riverbanks, with landholder participation
- Provide support for those attempting to address riverbank erosion
- Understand the extent and condition of habitat for threatened species
- Improve the habitat condition for threatened species
- Eliminate, reduce or control weed impacts to the catchment
- Educate and encourage rural and urban users to be responsible for weed impacts.