1. Murchison River Restoration Project

In 2001 members of the Murchison LCDC decided to put forward a submission to the Natural Heritage Trust to request funds to help landholders fence the floodplain of the Murchison River within our LCDC in order to control grazing and thus restore degraded riparian and floodplain areas for future generations, as well as preserving those parts still in good condition. This has always been the aim of individual landholders on the river but the cost and extent of fencing needed meant that it would take many years to happen without some kind of financial help. After many smaller projects, it was felt we needed to do something on a much bigger scale and much faster to really make a difference.

Historically the Murchison River has been overgrazed as it was the first pastoral area to be taken up in the 1880s and for many years the river frontage was continuously grazed. Native vegetation and soils became degraded in places because the land was grazed at levels that were not sustainable.

This project aims to protect and conserve the fragile riparian zone and floodplain by reducing the grazing pressure. This will lead to:

• reduction in native plant degradation
• reduction in soil erosion
• less sediment load in the river
• improved litter accumulation and nutrient cycling
• improved water retention
• improved water quality
• improved biodiversity conservation through improved habitats
• improved riparian drought refugia for native animals
• recreation of landscape linkages and conservation corridor

The project aims to have fenced 334 km of the river through 8 pastoral stations over a period of 3-5 years. It will not finish there as this is a long term project. Monitoring will continue and new ways to achieve the aims will be continually assessed. The amount of new fencing required is approximately 420 km with 410 km of existing fence being incorporated. NHT has so far provided funds for materials at $660 per km with the landholders providing the balance up to $1700 per km. Pastoralists will then have the ability to restrict grazing to short periods, using rotational methods or opportunistic seasonal grazing, or to destock some areas completely. Due to the extent of the project it has to be understood that results will not necessarily be evident for many years.

PROGRESS SO FAR (June 2004) - 282 km new fence erected

As a direct result of being asked to help with this project, ecologists Hugh Pringle and Ken Tinley of the Ecosystem Management Understanding Project (Gascoyne/Murchison Strategy) have held workshops throughout the LCDC, with stations on and off the river, and pastoralists are looking at their landscapes through new eyes and with better understanding. The River Project is growing into a whole of catchment project and hopefully will extend to all pastoral stations on the river.

Monitoring methods have been discussed and demonstrated through EMU, using critical control points as identified by landholders, and new monitoring sites are being put in. This is in addition to the existing AGWA Pastoral Monitoring System (PMS) and WA Rangeland Monitoring Sites (WARMS). See separate page on Monitoring.

2. Roderick River Project

Coming soon.