Sustainable Land Management Field Days on Central Australian Rangelands– An outback success story

Over 60 attendees participated in the Sustainable Land Management Field Days held at the Aileron Racecourse and on Aileron Station, 130 km north of Alice Springs, NT, on the 12th and 13th of October. Land resource managers including pastoralists, experts from both government and industry, land council representatives and miners united to learn about sustainable land management in the central Australian rangelands.
Landcare NT and the Centralian Land Management Association (CLMA) partnered for the first time to deliver the two-day event, which had a mix of presentations, field demonstrations and a panel discussion. The demonstrations were a highlight for attendees, with catchment function and landscape rehydration techniques and principles demonstrated to attendees on Aileron Station.
Topics discussed at the event included: rehydrating central Australian landscapes for improved production and biodiversity, innovative technologies available to central Australian land managers and practice change which can lead to improved productivity, biodiversity, and landscape resilience.
Event attendees raised high priority issues, including the recent changes to land clearing regulations which have become barriers to undertaking landscape rehydration activities; the adoption of consistent land rehydration standards and land assessment processes across differing land tenures and securing long term funding for the North Australian Fire Information program.
The evening event, ‘Dinner Under the Stars’ was catered by the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association – NT Branch was a really valuable networking opportunity for attendees to discuss the presentations and demonstrations, connect with presenters, neighbours and industry experts.
Feedback received from attendees following the event included: ‘The field days presented us with a range of practical tools and information to draw upon to be proactive in land and animal management,’ ‘The practical examples were wonderful, and the diversity of speakers was great’ and ‘Let’s do it again’. ‘.
Landcare NT’s Executive Officer, Madonna Wuttke Stated that: “Landcare NT is the peak body for community Landcare in the NT. Delivery of this on-ground training to the land managers in Central Australia demonstrates Landcare NT’s and the Australian Government’s commitment to building capacity within the industry and we thank everyone involved for their contribution.”
Funding Acknowledgment: This event was funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program: Smart Farms Grants Program with additional support from the National Recovery and Resilience Agency , The Connellan Airways Trust, Meat & Livestock Australia, and Arafura Resources Ltd, with support from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade.
Landcare NT Media Enquiries:
Liz Bird
PH: 0409 670 887