Project brief
Although the location, supporting data and positions noted are real, this a purely hypothetical scenario developed for educational purposes.
Regional
Director (Katherine)
NT Department of Business, Industry & Resource Development
Katherine. NT. 0851.
Natural Resource Consultancy
School of Science & Primary Industries
Faculty of Education, Health & Science
Charles Darwin University
Darwin. NT. 0909
28th July 2004
Dear Consultant,
Further to discussions between the Tropical Savannas CRC, Charles Darwin University and the NT Department of Business, Industry & Resource Development, Primary Industry Division (NT DBIRD), I invite you to proceed with the preparation of a scoping document that will inform the future preparation of a Natural Resource Management Plan for Kidman Springs, site of the Victoria River Research Station, Northern Territory, located in the Victoria River District.
Your brief is to address a proposal to review the boundaries of Kidman Springs to create a new property, New Kidman Downs. This property will include all of Kidman Springs and may include sections of Victoria River Downs, adjacent to Gregory National Park. The management of the property will remain with appropriate Northern Territory Government agencies.
Currently, Kidman Springs is small in comparison to other properties in the region, and in the long term may be required to become financially self-supporting. Proposed new boundaries would also allow increased research activities investigating ranagland management and other ventures.
The proposed property would also serve as an experimental venture in multiple land use. This multiple use may include the establishment of a trial cotton or fodder planting. Traditional owners in the catchment will seek access and rights for traditional use on the property, and may also be interested in taking part in trial enterprises on the property. Multiple land use has been negotiated in the form of a agreement between the management of Kidman Springs (NT DBIRD) and the Traditional Owners of the land, such that it does not breech the conditions of the current lease agreement between these parties. The management (NT Government agencies) and Traditional owners, in collaboration with partners in the Tropical Savannas CRC, envisage New Kidman Downs as a case study in "multiple use" and "best practice" natural resource management in the NT.
If this proposal were to proceed, the document you produce will serve as a guide to, and resource for, the preparation of a draft environmental/natural resource plan. Your document should identify natural resources and their values, discuss priorities for their management, describe the tenure and make recommendations further consultation, management strategies, actions and research.
A site visit has been arranged from 16-20 August 2004, as an opportunity for 'fact finding' in the region. This will comprise 5 days of on-site meetings with extension officers, researchers, pastoralists, rangers and Indigenous land managers, working and living in the vicinity of New Kidman Downs
The environmental management plan must be submitted through CDU by 29 October 2004. It will then be forwarded to a review panel of experts, comprised of TS CRC researchers and relevant agency representatives.
This panel will provide feed-back on the feasibility of the submitted environmental management plan during an online forum from 15-19 November 2004. The forum will include professions in rangeland management.
Based on your submission to this Forum, you may be invited to tender for the future preparation if an environmental/natural resource management plan.
Our staff look forward to working with you over the coming 13 weeks.
Yours sincerely,
Regional Driector
Katherine
Copyright
information
Last updated
18 August, 2004
by lrp@cdu.edu.au
