Murrumbidgee CMA Celebrates Healthy and Resilient Landscapes

The Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is celebrating its achievements in protecting and improving the health of the Murrumbidgee Catchment's natural landscapes, after the release of a report on CMA's achievements across NSW after only five years of operation.

Celebrating Five Years of Achievements was launched by the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, the Hon. John Robertson at NSW Parliament House recently and reports on the achievements made by NSW CMAs.

“The NSW Government established CMAs to empower local communities to address environmental challenges from the ground up,” Mr Robertson said. 

“CMAs in NSW have become integral and trusted partners in regional and rural communities – working with landholders to protect and repair the State’s natural environment,” he said.

Murrumbidgee CMA Chairperson, Mr Lee O’Brien, said the substantial on-ground achievements that have been made by the Murrumbidgee CMA are a result of strong community partnerships.

“The Murrumbidgee CMA has partnered with landholders in over 1000 management agreements to conserve and improve our rural landscapes, not to mention the numerous councils and community groups that have worked with us on various projects,” said Mr O’Brien.  

With funding from the Australian and NSW governments, and in-kind support from the catchment community, the Murrumbidgee CMA has:

• Planted 2.5 million trees
• Conserved 37,921 hectares of native vegetation
• Managed 42,628 ha of invasive plant species
• Protected 1099 hectares of wetland
• Managed 450,000 hectares of land for improved soil health
• Trained and empowered over 3,500 landholders to better manage natural resources
• Skilled over 60 Indigenous trainees in landscape conservation and cultural heritage

  The State’s 13 Authorities, working alongside their local communities, have protected and restored native vegetation equivalent to ten times the size of the Australian Capital Territory.

  The publication is available for download from the Murrumbidgee website: www.murrumbidgee.cma.nsw.gov.au 

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