2016-17 Manning Great Lakes Land Management Grants ProgramGuidelines for Applicants
Program Information
Funding available in 2016/17
Total funding available is $120,823
$78,963 National Landcare Program - Australian Government
$41,860 Catchment Action NSW
Individual grants are available to a maximum of $50,000
Applications open
1st August 2016
Closing date for applications
16th September 2016
Final date for completion of approved projects
31st May 2017
Eligibility
Landholders and/or land managers currently engaged with the Hunter LLS through beef, poultry or dairy industry programs in the Manning, Karuah and Great Lakes catchment areas.
Landholders and/or land managers who have riparian areas in the Karuah and Manning Rivers, and Myall and Wallis Lakes tributaries (see Page 4)
Eligible activities
See Page 4
Minimum outputs to be delivered by the Funding Program
8 ha - Improve the condition and connectivity of riparian vegetation, in the Karuah and Manning Rivers, and Myall and Wallis Lakes tributaries.
912 ha of land on which improved management practices have been implemented. (Beef, Dairy and Poultry)
Priority Areas
Manning, Karuah and Great Lakes catchments - beef and dairy grazing and riparian lands.
Karuah catchment - poultry production lands.
Lodging applications
Electronically: [email protected]
or
Written: Manning Great Lakes Land Management Program
Hunter Local Land Services
PO Box 440
Taree, NSW, 2430
Conditions of Funding
Standard LLS Grant funding terms and conditions apply (see Page 8)
LLS on-ground works minimum standards apply (see Page 10)
Where to get assistance?
Website: www.hunter.lls.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 02 65518994
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Office: Hunter Local Land Services, 98 Victoria Street, Taree NSW 2430.
Note: Requests for assistance from Hunter LLS staff must be received by 2nd September to guarantee assistance with your funding application.
About Hunter LLS
The Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) region covers the following Local Government Areas: Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Cessnock, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Dungog and MidCoast.
The Hunter LLS Local Strategic Plan 2016-2021 prioritises and directs Hunter LLS customer services, partnerships and investment across the region.
It sets the following goals:
1. Communities Resilient, self-reliant and prepared local communities
2. Industries Biosecure, profitable, productive and sustainable
3. Natural Environments Healthy, diverse, connected natural environments
4. Our Organisation - Innovative, commercially focused and collaborative people delivering best practice business management and reducing red tape.
The plan identifies priorities and strategies for addressing these goals. Those relevant to this grants program are identified in the next section.
The Hunter LLS approach to delivering on this plan involves local people, delivering high quality, integrated services for healthy productive landscapes.
We will work with landholders and land managers to develop measures of productivity, profitability and sustainability, to help improve primary production within healthy landscapes and assist communities in the region to be profitable and sustainable into the future.
About the Program
The Manning Great Lakes Land Management Program is a component of the Manning Great Lakes District Service Delivery Plan, which covers the Mid Coast Local Government Area. This plan details the priorities, programs and projects to be delivered in the Manning Great Lakes District for the 2016/17 financial year.
Objectives
The objectives of Manning Great Lakes Land Management Program are to:
Build landholder capacity to undertake sustainable grazing, land and riparian management practice change.
Support and increase adoption of sustainable grazing and land management practices by beef, dairy and poultry industries.
Strengthen local industry partnerships and networks to facilitate adoption and innovation in sustainable grazing practices.
Develop and deliver extension products and services tailored to local client needs for improved triple bottom line outcomes at a whole-farm scale.
This program delivers on the following Hunter Local Strategic Plan regional priorities:
Encouraging and promoting sustainable agricultural practices, increasing the productivity of primary production, and identifying areas of highly productive agricultural land across the region.
Managing land to deal with the impacts of soil degradation almost all soils in the region are at high risk of some form of soil degradation, and some high value soils are at risk of irreversibly losing soil health and function.
Improving the water quality and condition of priority rivers, estuaries and nationally and internationally important wetlands such as the Myall Lakes and Hunter estuary wetland Ramsar sites.
Building the capacity of the community to engage in improving primary production and natural resource management and participate in decision making.
Being responsive and accountable to a diverse range of customers, investors and stakeholders, including maintaining highly skilled and capable staff that are responsive to customers needs.
Ensuring investment decision-making is transparent and objective.
This program also delivers on the following Hunter Local Strategic Plan strategy and outcome:
Strategy 2: Deliver Integrated Services
Outcome 2: By 2021, integrated services have helped primary producers and land managers in priority industries or landscapes implement practices for economic, social and environmental outcomes.
Investors
Hunter LLS is delivering National Landcare Programme (NLP) funding on behalf of the Australian Government. The NLP priorities that this program will deliver include:
1. Maintain and improve ecosystem services through sustainable management of local and regional landscapes.
2. Increase the numbers of farmers and fishers adopting practices that improve the quality of the natural resource base, and the area of land over which those practices are applied.
3. Increase engagement and participation of the community, including landcare, farmers and indigenous people in sustainable natural resource management.
4. Increase restoration and rehabilitation of the natural environment, including protecting and conserving nationally and internationally significant species, ecosystems, ecological communities, places and values.
Hunter LLS is also delivering Catchment Action NSW funding on behalf of the NSW Government. The Catchment Action NSW priorities this program will deliver include:
Improve the condition and connectivity of riparian vegetation, in the Karuah and Manning Rivers, and Myall and Wallis Lakes tributaries.
Eligibility
General
Eligibility of all applications is subject to:
The project being located in the identified priority area
The applicants completing works for any previously funded projects.
The proposed works must be able to be completed by 31st May 2017
LLS minimum standards for on-ground works being met
The proposed activities must abide by NSW State and Australian Commonwealth laws e.g. Native Vegetation Act 2003, Work Health and Safety Act 2011
All current Hunter LLS financial obligations are paid.
Specific
1. Riparian Management
All landholders and/or land managers in the Karuah and Manning Rivers (catchments), and Myall and Wallis Lakes tributaries are eligible where they are improving/enhancing riparian native vegetation through stock exclusion, weeding, regeneration or revegetation activities.
2. Improved Management Practices
Eligibility of applications for adoption of improved management practices is also subject to the following, by industry:
Sustainable Beef:
Landholders and/or land managers are currently engaged with the Hunter LLS through grazing industry groups or other Hunter LLS training, extension or advisory programs in the Manning, Karuah and Great Lakes catchments.
Sustainable Poultry:
Producers are currently engaged with the Hunter LLS and Great Lakes Council through poultry industry groups and the Karuah Catchment Plan.
Sustainable Dairy:
Landholders and/or land managers are currently engaged with the Hunter LLS through Dairy NSW and the Mid North Coast Dairy Advancement Group programs such as Pastures for Profit (P4P), Mid North Coast Dairy Discussion Group, Focus Farm, and Turning Milk into Money (TMIM) in the Manning, Karuah and Great Lakes catchments.
Priority Areas
Manning, Karuah and Great Lakes catchments - beef and dairy grazing and riparian lands.
Karuah catchment - poultry production and riparian lands.
Types of Activities
The types of activities that can be funded under this Program include (but are not limited to):
Changes to grazing practices, including sustainable* grazing practices that improve groundcover, perenniality, composition, herbage mass retention and regenerative rest;
Land management practices that improve soil retention, health, biota, infiltration, structure, organic matter and plant root depth;
Managing stock impacts on sensitive areas through st
