Wetland Management
CMA Incentive Programs and Property Vegetation Plans - What are They?
August 2007
*Source: NSW Government Vegetation Management website: http://www.nativevegetation.nsw.gov.au/
CMA incentive programs provide funds to landholders to undertake environmental management works on their land. These programs fund works that are consistent with meeting the objectives of the Native Vegetation Management Act (NVM Act).
The objectives of the Native Vegetation Management Act are, in summary:
- to promote management of native vegetation,
- to protect high conservation value vegetation,
- to prevent broadscale clearing,
- to improve the condition of native vegetation, and,
- to rehabilitate land using the appropriate native vegetation.
Undertaking appropriate environmental management works is encouraged for all properties. In particular, where landholders are applying to clear land, environmental management works are required to be undertaken prior to the landholder gaining consent for the clearing. In either case Government funding is available to assist landholders to achieve certain aspects of the environmental works or requirements.
The Government funding is called native vegetation incentive funds. Incentive funds are applied for through Catchment Management Authorities. The types of activities likely to be funded include:
- revegetation and rehabilitation of land with native vegetation, such as
- rebuilding riparian vegetation along streams to improve water quality and create wildlife corridors
- managing stock to allow natural regeneration
- planting understorey species to improve biodiversity and
- large scale planting of trees as a means of salinity control
- conservation and management of existing native vegetation, such as
- control of grazing and fire to optimise biodiversity
- weed and feral animal control, and
- protection from pesticides and fertilisers.
- rewarding farmers for good land management, such as
- retaining dead trees for wildlife habitat
- retaining dead logs/timber on the ground, and
- retaining a proportion of mature vegetation on their properties for conservation purposes.
Generally prior to receiving funding, the landholder must create and sign a contract in the form of a Property Vegetation Plan or an alternative contractual arrangement that ensures protection of the important vegetation on site. A Property Vegetation Plan (PVP) is a document defined under the Native Vegetation Management Act.
CMAs have Catchment Action Plans and investment strategies which identify the natural resource priorities for their catchment. CMA officers are available to come out to properties to advise on sustainable farm management activities. The CMAs use a computer based decision support tool known as the PVP Developer to evaluate proposed activities against the benefits they will have on water quality, soils, salinity and biodiversity. CMA officers are available to come out to properties to advise on sustainable farm management activities.
For more information contact your local CMA. For contact details see:
http://www.cma.nsw.gov.au/
The Government has a website dedicated to Native Vegetation Management in NSW:
http://www.nativevegetation.nsw.gov.au/
The Native Vegetation Management website has easy to read fact sheets on aspects of the Native Vegetation Management Act, including:
What clearing requires approval: http://www.nativevegetation.nsw.gov.au/fs/fs_05.shtml
What funding is available to restore native vegetation on my property?
http://www.nativevegetation.nsw.gov.au/fs/fs_02.shtml
How do I get a Property Vegetation Plan?
http://www.nativevegetation.nsw.gov.au/fs/fs_03.shtml
What are the exemptions for routine agricultural management activities in the Western Division?
http://www.nativevegetation.nsw.gov.au/fs/fs_07_a.shtml
