Message from the ChairmanIt’s been a big year for the Pastoral Land Board and it’s shaping up to be another busy one in 2019! As you would have seen in our November newsletter, the Pastoral Land Act has gone through some changes but its business as usual for the Board. We are continuing to accept and assess a range of broad applications from across the Territory that reflect our Industry’s passion for innovation, diversification and sustainable development. To name a few, we have approved land clearing for Tanumbirini Station and a
non-pastoral use application for tourism for Conways Station, and agriculture and horticulture activities are currently being considered for Tipperary East Station.
We’ve also been busy advising the Minster for Environment and Natural Resources on requests made to convert (surrender) term pastoral leases in favour of perpetual pastoral leases. I am pleased to say, more than 200 of our 224 leases are now perpetual. This is about providing increased security of tenure and investment for lessees. I would strongly encourage remaining lessees to seek support in converting. The Board was fortunate this year to make it down to Alice Springs to visit some properties. Having been in the pastoral industry a long time, including as a pastoralist myself, I am familiar with the challenges faced and welcome opportunities to meet and discuss options to strengthen our industry. I have recently met with the
Minister and look forward to regular meetings, to talk about opportunities and current issues faced by the pastoral industry. As 2018 comes to a close, the Board would like to say thank you. There’s been a lot of change and we value your support. We’re excited to see what happens next year while we continue to support productivity and growth of the industry. On behalf of the Board, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. Paul Zlotkowski
Land and Water Program (2014–18)The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ four year Land and Water Program (2014-18) is winding up, but not before an extensive number of soil and land suitability mapping projects on 17 pastoral leases have been completed. Since the start of the initiative, the Program has delivered, for the first time, real agricultural economic development opportunities for pastoralists across a number of districts. Outcomes from the
program show how local pastoralists seeking to invest can be matched with suitable soil and water resources.
Land and water study areas
The work, underpinned by science, will help grow the Territory’s pastoral and irrigated agricultural industries. The ambitious four year plan has proved up a number of potential irrigated agricultural precincts where suitable soils are co-located with commercial scale water resources.
Field teams spent up to 14 weeks or more camped out in the bush. Detailed soil sampling was undertaken and subsequently analysed and published in the following wet season. Products from each study include detailed soil mapping, a comprehensive scientific report and industry accepted crop specific land suitability maps. From Alice Springs to Gunn Point and Wildman River in the north the Program is on track to deliver 17 high quality soil and land suitability studies. Eleven comprehensive scientific reports and maps have been published to date, with the remainder due for publication in the coming months. A package of information is now available online for each of the published studies. Some pastoralists, traditional owners, agricultural and pastoral corporations and government agencies are now taking initial steps to develop a number of these precincts. Strong industry support for the program over the past four years has largely driven continued investment in a broader program for 2018-2022. The new program, Mapping the Future, is a $9.6 million investment by the Territory Government in further water, soil suitability and flora and fauna studies.
Approved clearing applications
now publically available
Natural Resources Maps (NR Maps) is a free web mapping tool to help you discover, research and map natural and cultural information of the Northern Territory. Available information includes data relating to land, soil, water and vegetation resource surveys, flora and fauna species, weeds, bores, water management areas and now, permitted clearing areas. You can search for an approved clearing area in NR
Maps: - Select ‘Land Management’ folder and expand
- Select tick box for ‘Pastoral Clearing Permits’ to display this layer on the map screen
- Right mouse click on Pastoral Clearing Permits and select ‘Set Active’ to make this the active layer
- The ‘Search’ function can now be used to search by land parcel number or permit number
- You can also select ‘Basemaps’ (in Layers) and then Google Satellite to see aerial
imagery of the property
You can also view a list of approved pastoral permits. Click on the ‘View on NR Maps website’ link in the table to see the spatial extent of any permitted clearing. An NR Maps User Guide about permitted clearing data layers is available. Further information can be obtained by email to datarequests.denr@nt.gov.au or telephone 08 8999 4579.
The Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing
On 17 April 2018 the Government announced that the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing had been lifted, and that it would accept all 135 recommendations of the report on hydraulic fracturing, with implementation to be staged for completion by the end of 2021. Some of the recommendations are expected to have positive implications for pastoral lessees, these include recommendations that statutory land access agreements are required by legislation and that they must contain standard minimum protections for pastoralists in addition to any terms negotiated between the pastoralist
and the gas company. The full report is available online here.
An implementation plan has been developed in collaboration with relevant government departments that outlines responsible agencies, actions and stages of implementation.
Amendments to the Pastoral Land Clearing Guidelines for Hydraulic Fracturing
The Pastoral Land Board’s Northern Territory Pastoral Land Clearing Guidelines (the Guidelines) under the Pastoral Land Act outline the requirements for applications for clearing on pastoral leases. With the lifting of the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, this means that land clearing activities associated with hydraulic fracturing infrastructure are likely to start within the next year. In order to ensure that suitable and timely processes are in place, the Pastoral Land Board is currently examining options to amend the Guidelines to exempt assessment (by the Board) of land clearing applications for the purpose of gas pipeline construction, and for the undertaking of activities associated with on-shore shale gas projects.
Clearing for these activities is already assessed and managed under other environmental regulations, under legislation that consistently applies to all affected land tenures.
As some of you might already know, a parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus) incursion has been identified in the Katherine region. Information about where the parthenium weed could have spread to, indicates there is a risk to pastoral properties in the Katherine and Barkly regions. The Weed Management Branch needs your help. Weed management officers will be in contact with individual properties which may be at risk of parthenium weed exposure to conduct a survey. This will help lessees and managers to understand the areas at greatest risk. It is important that land managers contact the Weed Management Branch on 8973 8857 if they think they might have parthenium weed. Did you know?Parthenium weed easily spreads by water, vehicles and machinery, livestock, feral animals, humans and hay and readily establishes in disturbed areas. It’s also toxic to livestock and can cause health problems for humans.
Where to look for parthenium weed: - Homestead complex
- Cattle yards
- Fence lines
- Watering points
- Areas where hay is cultivated, stored and fed
- Vehicle and machinery storage and wash down areas
- Any other disturbed sites
Remember to protect your property with good biosecurity practices. Parthenium weed has tiny seeds that can hide easily in vehicles, machinery, equipment, socks and boots!
The Rangeland Monitoring team (left to right) Cameron Wallace, Dan McIntyre, Laurence Tait,
David Hooper, Jason Barnetson, John Targett, Eloise Kippers, Henry Brink
The Pastoral Land Act facilitates the sustainable use of land for pastoral purposes. Rangeland monitoring is a requirement under the Act to detect and assess any changes to land condition.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Rangeland Monitoring Branch implements a monitoring program on pastoral leases in the Territory on behalf of the Pastoral Land Board (the Board). Monitoring visits, which are also used to map new infrastructure on a property, are conducted approximately every four to five years. On-ground data and photos for some sites extends back to 1992, when the initial ‘Tier 1’ monitoring commenced. A new monitoring method was initiated in 2013 to integrate on-ground measurements and observations including pasture species composition, ground cover, weeds, erosion and woody thickening with satellite data to assess changes in land condition. Satellite imagery is used to assess changes in vegetation dynamics on pastoral leases over large
areas, over time, providing information across seasons; not just when the Rangeland Monitoring officers are ‘on-ground’. The 2018 monitoring program was endorsed by the Board in May. The Rangeland Monitoring officers recently completed their field season, visiting 44 pastoral leases. This means that all pastoral leases have been visited by Rangeland Monitoring officers since the new method commenced in 2013, and nearly all the properties in the 2018 program were the first round of repeat visits. This has provided the opportunity for rigorous assessment of land condition change over this period.
It is important that the Rangeland Monitoring officers and each station manager take the opportunity to have robust discussions at the time of the visit to ensure the Land Condition Report for that property is accurate. The final Report will be included in the Pastoral Lease Monitoring File (‘Blue book’) which is provided to the Board for their consideration and action if required. It can also help the lessee inform land management practices. The Rangeland Monitoring officers made a concerted effort this season to explain how satellite imagery products could assist land managers, generally while standing around the bonnet of a car looking at a map with fractional cover images (bare ground, green and brown vegetation)
to show grazing patterns and the influence of season. The Rangeland Monitoring team is currently collating the Land Condition Reports, and other associated data, to inform on changes to land condition on the 44 pastoral properties visited in 2018. This equated to nearly 400 individual sites, each with 300 individual data points. It also equated to nearly 55,000 kilometres travelled, and 350 ‘person-days’ in the field; that’s a lot of hours in a Toyota and nights in a swag.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently undertook a review of the Northern Territory Planning Scheme (NTPS) Land Clearing Guidelines 2010 which are referenced in the NT Pastoral Land Clearing Guidelines established under the Pastoral Land Act. These guidelines state that in determining a clearing application the Pastoral Land Board must also consider the NTPS Land Clearing Guidelines. The Department reviewed the technical component of the guidelines to ensure they are contemporary and will meet the changing needs of the Northern Territory. The Department sought feedback over eight weeks. The key stakeholders included government and non-government organisations such as the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s
Association, NT Farmers, the Pastoral Land Board, Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority, environmental consultants, environmental organisations and the Minerals Industry.
Consultation on the draft guidelines closed at the end of September. Comments are now being reviewed and the draft guidelines are being amended accordingly. The guidelines will be sent to the Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics for her endorsement once finalised.
Christmas Closure The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will be closed from
Tuesday, 25 December 2018 and will reopen on Wednesday, 2 January 2018.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Do you have a great photo from your pastoral property? Feel free to email it to us for inclusion in our newsletters or Annual Reports!
For further information relating to the Pastoral Land Board
Phone: 08 8999 4667 | Email: pastorallandboard@nt.gov.au
Useful Contacts: Pastoral Lease Administration
Darwin - 08 8999 4754 Weed Management
Alice Springs - 08 8951 9263
Tennant Creek - 08 8962 4313
Katherine - 08 8973 8857
Darwin - 08 8999 4567
Rangeland Monitoring
Alice Springs - 08 8951 9248
Katherine - 08 8973 8842
Darwin - 08 8999 4820 Land Assessment
Darwin - 08 8999 4443 Land Development Coordination
(Erosion & Sediment Control)
Darwin - 08 8999 4572
Bushfires NT
Alice Springs - 08 8952 3066
Tennant Creek - 08 8962 4577
Katherine - 08 8973 8871
Darwin - 08 8922 0844 Digital Data Requests
datarequests.denr@nt.gov.au
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