Natural Resource Management
Managing our natural resources
Achieving Balance
Renowned for its tranquillity and natural beauty, over 16,000 people call the Huon Valley home.
The region is the hub of Tasmania’s fish farming industry. Rock lobster, scale fish and abalone are caught here; salmon, apples, cherries, grapes and berries are grown here; timber is grown and harvested here; and each year over 130,000 visitors are attracted to the region. Aquaculture, agriculture, tourism and forestry are key economic drivers in the Huon Valley and all industries are reliant on the sustainable management of our natural resources.
All this activity puts pressure on our land and waterways and, as with any human activity, can damage the environment on which we all depend.
One of the Huon Valley Council’s roles is to work with residents, industries and businesses to ensure that our natural assets are managed wisely now and into the future.
NRM at HVC
Natural Resource Management (NRM) is about looking after natural values – such as our soils, rivers, plants and animals – so they stay healthy and productive into the future.
At its heart NRM in the Huon Valley is about protecting the land and river systems that are home to our rare wedge-tailed eagles and swift parrots, our land-dwelling and aquatic wildlife and all of the plant and animal life that makes this part of Tasmania so special. Our region has a complex Aboriginal cultural heritage, with important and ongoing spiritual connections, as well as artefacts of ancient human habitation scattered around the area, that need protection too.
There is more to NRM than protecting the environment and cultural heritage. We work closely with farmers on sustainable practices, we revegetate degraded areas and control weeds, and we arrange events to encourage people to build community capacity in NRM. We also support local Landcare groups and provide grant funding to assist them with their own projects.
Maintaining a healthy landscape is the key to ensuring the Huon Valley will continue to thrive. With help from neighbouring councils and groups such as NRM South and Landcare Tasmania we’re looking after our Huon Valley.
To learn more see our Huon Valley Council Natural Resource Management Strategy and the annual reports against the delivery of the strategy (2016/17 and 2017/18).
Our Services
The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Unit of Council delivers a number of services to local communities, providing advice on NRM-related matters including managing weeds, pests and diseases; supporting local volunteer environmental care groups and other community groups; supporting Council in best practice land management methods; and supporting landholders with land management advice.
Weed Management
The NRM Unit plays a vital role in keeping significant weed species from being introduced and spreading throughout the Huon Valley region. The NRM Unit delivers a weed management program in alignment with the regional Huon Valley Weed Management Strategy. Please report potential weed infestations to the Huon Valley Council’s NRM Unit. Familiarise yourself with the highest priority weeds in the area and what we’re doing about them as well as some helpful tools, including a weed management template to complete for your property and some helpful links on weed identification and treatment methods here.
Volunteer Environmental Care Groups
The NRM Unit supports Landcare groups in the Huon Valley region. If you’d like to join one of these groups, or start one of your own, contact the HVC NRM Unit for advice and assistance. The NRM Unit provides financial support for membership fees, professional advice, equipment use and grant funding opportunities to these groups.
Schools Nature Program
The NRM Unit delivers an education program on environmental science topics to primary schools throughout the Huon Valley region. This program provides schools with access to a qualified environmental science professional and lets students explore science topics from an environmental angle with a Huon Valley focus.
Landholder Support and Advice
We provide NRM advice and resources to individuals, industry, and developers. If you would like to know more about land management in the Huon Valley we run regular workshops – see the Events page for the latest workshop details.
Workshops are offered on a range of land management topics, including Managing Your Weeds, Revegetation of Waterways, Planning for Land Management Success for new property owners and others. These workshops are usually free or have a nominal charge and are available to Huon Valley residents.
The Huon Valley Council have partnered with NRM South in the past to provide additional land management support to landholders in the Huon Valley. A short video has been developed describing the outcomes of a Small Farm Planning Program run over a number of years here in the Huon Valley. Find more information on the program here. For other land management support visit NRM South’s website.
Much of the Council’s NRM service is provided free of charge, however specific project development, significant advice or the development of strategies or reports may incur a service fee.
Other NRM Initiatives
- D’Entrecasteaux and Huon Collaboration – The Huon Valley Council is a member of this initiative to integrate community awareness activities, waterways management, and aquaculture industry sustainability programs. Initiatives by this group include the production of a Report Card on the waterway.
- Garden Island Creek Coastal Adaptation Pathways Report – In 2015 the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Tasmanian Climate Change Office and the Huon Valley Council funded a report on Coastal Adaptation Decision Pathways for the Garden Island Creek community in response to climate change impacts.
Want to get involved?
Contact the NRM Unit for more information, to register for the next free NRM Services Workshop or to get in touch with a Landcare volunteer group in your area.