Planning & Resource Access

Lachlan CMA engages in community planning on farm and catchment scales. This includes the more strategic big picture items like the preparation and review of the Catchment Action Plan (CAP) which prioritises the allocation of human and financial resources, through to farm-level activity like the development and approval of a Property Vegetation Plan.

Catchment and Investment Planning

We provide analysis of the environmental asset and its investment needs based on social and biophysical themes and geographical location. Lachlan CMA contributes, facilitates, and coordinates technical analysis and information about where the assets are, and what they represent in the broader catchment scheme; what their threatening processes are; and what actions need to be invested in to achieve the desired NRM outcome for our client and the community.
Catchment Action Plan

The CAP is developed as a strategic plan in consultation with the Lachlan community including farmers, Landcare members, industry groups, local Aboriginal reference groups, federal, state and local government representatives and other stakeholders. It is a transparent and methodical way of prioritising what the Lachlan community values and what they believe should be protected and invested in.

The CAP sets the long-term direction and strategic framework for NRM activities and investment through a series of catchment and management targets. This process ensures that effort and resources are directed where they are most needed: into the projects, planning and research necessary to achieve sustainable and productive landscapes across the catchment. The CAP also allows the Lachlan CMA to set achievable targets, measure and monitor progress against these, and evaluate whether catchment management activities can be improved.

Lachlan CMA is not a regulatory agency, however we recognise that as well as voluntary based planning, some of our natural resources are allocated and governed by state and federal acts and regulations. In such cases, the Lachlan CMA provides the following services:

Water Sharing Plans

Lachlan CMA has played a signifi cant role in the development of groundwater sharing plans for the Lower Lachlan region. This includes identifying the environmental, social and economic impacts of regulating water use between consumptive and environmental needs, undertaking investigations to determine the effects of these impacts, and from this information providing planning options to government to mitigate these effects. The Lachlan CMA is working with the state and federal governments to determine the best planning and community consultative process for future water sharing plans predominantly in the Upper Lachlan region and the review of existing Water Sharing Plans in the Lachlan regulated system.
PVPs

A Property Vegetation Plan (PVP) is a landholder initiated process in collaboration with the Lachlan CMA to create a plan of management for native vegetation on the landholder’s property. Local Lachlan CMA staff help landholders to develop plans for their property, and assist with information and advice on native vegetation management.

A PVP gives certainty and long-term security so that native vegetation can be better managed for both financial and environmental outcomes. A PVP is an agreement that lasts for fifteen years, providing security to the landholder.

Our Planning and Resource Access service is about ensuring that the use of our natural resources is planned and regulated to deliver the best social, economic and environmental outcomes for our catchment.