LEADING THE WAY WITH ECOSYSTEM SERVICES Cradle Coast NRM is leading the nation in its use of ecosystem services as a model for defining natural resource management priorities, incentives for works and measurements for success. Ecosystem services reflect the way living things and environments are naturally connected and how they interact to deliver a wide range of benefits to the region. These benefits underpin the economy and the quality of life enjoyed by people living in and visiting the area.
Ecosystems can be attributed with quantifiable economic, social and environmental values so that works can be targeted to important areas. Cradle Coast NRM mapped the benefits that ecosystem services make to water supply; soil fertility and land capability; carbon sequestration; pollination; flood control; salinity mitigation; agricultural and forestry production; fisheries; tourism and lifestyle; recreation and energy. The ecosystem project identified contributions across eight broad themes: Biodiversity Conservation; Food P r o d u c t io n and Security; Water Security; Coastal Stability; Carbon Storage; Resilience to Climate Change; Tourism and Recreation; and Quality of Life. The identification of these benefits lead to the creation of the Natural Connections Incentive Program with a focus on Biodiversity Conservation.
The Biodiversity Conservation grants program was promoted to land managers in the Cradle Coast region offering funding of up to $25,000 per project for works that protect threatened species and/or enhance habitats in marine, coastal and inland environments. Fifteen grants have been provided for on-ground works that will help protect species such as the Orange Bellied Parrot, Giant Freshwater Lobster, King Island Scrub-tit, and Tasmanian Devil and habitats including lowland grasslands, swamp forests and wetlands. As a result of the grants program, 25 kilometres of protective fencing will be installed to protect riverbanks, remnant vegetation and vegetation corridors throughout the region and 4,500 hectares of land will be featured in the protective works.
Image: Alice Ryder
Image: Raelee Turner
INFORMATION SHEET
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The project was delivered by NRM Insights, supported by Cradle Coast Natural Resource Management (NRM) through funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country
Image: Matt Rose
NRM Insights PO Box 338 30 Marine Terrace Burnie Tasmania 7320 Phone: 03 6431 6285 Fax: 03 6431 7014 E-mail: nrm@cradlecoast.com www.cradlecoastnrm.com.