Landclearing

Guidance for Submissions to the Living Rivers Strategy.

Submissions on the Territory Government’s Living Rivers Strategy close on 12 July 2009. Please use the information below to prepare your submission, which can be lodged by emailing living.rivers@nt.gov.au

1. maintains rivers and their catchments in natural or largely natural condition by stopping key threats, such as major land clearing, large scale irrigation development, in-stream mining and new dams;

2. establishes a stand-alone Living Rivers Act to ensure all sections of government are involved and supportive, rather than relying on a relatively weak Living Rivers Strategy that focuses mainly on water and land clearing laws. The Living Rivers Act needs to over-ride the Water Act and Native Vegetation Management Act to set strong standards. It must also over-ride planning, mining, weeds and environmental assessment laws;

3. provides a high level of protection for declared Living Rivers Catchments and their key ecosystem assets. This can be achieved through a designation process under the Living Rivers Act that allows for public nominations of Living Rivers;

4. focuses on river catchments with high conservation values and high threat levels for designation as Living Rivers Catchments, particularly the Daly, Adelaide, Roper, Mary, Victoria, McArthur and Finke Rivers;

5. places the maintenance of river health and ecosystem services as the core for all relevant laws and programs;

6. funds land management programs by Indigenous communities and pastoralists to avoid late dry season wildfires, prevent and reduce the negative impacts of invasive weeds and feral animals, and grazing by cattle on sensitive habitats or over-grazing;

7. establishes meaningful, culturally appropriate community engagement and consultation concerning the objective and scope of a Living Rivers Act, designation of individual rivers, and the needs and aspiration of catchment communities;

8. protects land rights and Native Title rights, ensures free prior and informed consent of Indigenous communities to the designation of Living Rivers Catchments, supports the aspirations of Indigenous communities to access and care for Country, and creates sustainable economic development opportunities to help close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage;

9. rewards good land stewardship, for example by creating new Indigenous Ranger jobs and Indigenous Protected Areas, and supporting pastoralists with the establishment of conservation covenants;

10. facilitates the conservation and cultural economy as an alternative to large scale damaging development, such as nature and culture-tourism, Indigenous Rangers, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge management, protected area management, carbon markets, fishing, fee-for-service contracts to manage Country, and contracted research.

For futher information or assistance with your submission please contact Environment Centre NT on 08 8981 1984

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