Rivers of Carbon: Southern Tablelands Riparian Linkage Project
Funded through the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Fund
‘Rivers of Carbon’ will work in partnership with landholders, NRM Regional Bodies and other organisations in the Southern Tablelands region to link remnant vegetation and previously rehabilitated sites to form intact riparian corridors. The project will also extend riparian corridors into the wider terrestrial landscape to facilitate species movement in the face of climate change, as well as leveraging biodiverse Carbon Farming Initiatives in these highly productive areas. Science and local knowledge will be used to identify priority areas for on-ground works, and will focus on important threatened species habitat. The project is a collaboration between the Australian River Restoration Centre and Greening Australia Capital Region. Visit the Rivers of Carbon website.
Project Location
The project location is the upper Murrumbidgee and Lachlan catchments (important tributaries in the Murray Darling Basin), with priority given to areas with populations of threatened species (eg. Southern Pygmy Perch & Southern Bell Frog) that are reliant on riparian areas, as well as sites that are critical linkages between areas of threatened intact riparian vegetation. Another priority will be linking past projects such as Boorowa River Recovery, Bidgee Banks and ACT River Rescue (to name a few). Priorities will also encompass extensive riparian works undertaken by the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan CMA’s. This is in recognition that considerable works have been achieved, and significant inroads have been made into rehabilitating riparian condition in the past – the Rivers of Carbon initiative will enable these projects to be linked up.
Rivers of Carbon. Biodiversity Fund Project at property Yeumburra. Photo Andrew Tatnell
Larger sites will be given priority to maximise carbon yield, and we anticipate having a mix of prioritised riparian and wetland sites, with a few of these linking to remnant grassy box woodland or shrubby forest. We are currently undergoing the prioritisation process and once this is complete we will be able to provide details of each site.
ARRC and Greening Australia: A Great Partnership
The ARRC and Greening Australia also specialise in facilitating, coordinating and implementing initiatives across organisational and landscape boundaries. This project will capitalise on these previously established relationships and work with other organisations in the Southern Tablelands to link remnant vegetation, riparian areas and previously revegetated sites to form an extensive network of biodiversity corridors that will cross-cut a fragmented rural landscape.
Greening Australia has extensive experience in undertaking revegetation on-ground works, and in particular engaging with landholders to link and enhance vegetation across the landscape. The ARRC specialises in collaborative project management and knowledge sharing for the short and long-term, and has a well deserved reputation for high quality communications approaches. Working together, this team will engage with local communities, science, agencies and business (in high priority parts of the Murray-Darling Basin), to integrate biodiverse carbon into highly productive areas. The team already has strong local connections, trust networks and track records of success, which means the project can is already well underway.
Rivers of Carbon. Project Managers Lori Gould (left) and Siwan Lovett. Photo Andrew Tatnell
Key People
ARRC Rivers of Carbon Project Manager: Siwan Lovett
GA Rivers of Carbon Manager: Lori Gould
ARRC Rivers of Carbon Scientific Advisor: Phil Price
24 July 2012 2:04 pm
