Traditional Owner groups learn monitoring and assessment techniques
NQ Dry Tropics hosted Vegetation Condition Assessment Tool (VegCAT) and Photo Point monitoring training for Traditional Owners and Indigenous groups of the Burdekin Dry Tropics region at Mt Pleasant Station, near Bowen.
Fifteen participants from five different Indigenous Ranger and Traditional Owner groups took part in the two-day training which included theoretical and practical components of the widely used Queensland vegetation condition assessment tool, VegCAT and photo point monitoring. Mt Pleasant station provided the ideal ‘outside classroom’, to practice.
The training will enable participants to use the VegCAT tool and undertake effective photo point monitoring for natural resource management (NRM) projects across the NQ Dry Tropics region.
The group was treated to a visit to ‘Scrubby Top’, a beautiful vista with stunning views at the end of the first day. The more adventurous scrambled up the rocky sides to take in the views, a beautiful finish to the day.
The event was funded by the Regional Coordination and Evaluation project, with the aim to improve community capacity to implement consistent methods and tools for collecting data for natural resource management (NRM) projects.
Specifically, the project supports staff, stakeholders and Traditional Owners to undertake monitoring, and apply the State-wide Indicators Framework and methodologies.
The Regional Coordination and Evaluation project is funded by the Queensland Government Department of Resources’ Natural Resources Recovery Program (NRRP).
Michael Backo, with the help from NQ Dry Tropics’ Jaymie Rains, marked out VegCAT plots for the group to undertake an exercise in capturing data for specific attributes including canopy cover, ground cover, shrub cover, species and animal soil disturbance.
This event was also supported by the Landholders Driving Change Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. It was also supported by the Landholders Driving Change – Phase 2 (LDC2) project, funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.
