Unique Natural Capital Opportunities
When it comes to biodiversity and habitat, size matters. For example, higher value is placed on the reconnection of wetlands and forested areas through biolinks which are more attractive to investment than ‘islands’ of biodiversity or carbon plantations on marginal land distant from water sources.
Recent Government invention has made the buying of agricultural land for the sole purpose of carbon plantations in prime farming districts prohibitive.
The Murray Inland Delta region has a diversity of farming families with a long history of involvement in agricultural co-operatives, farming systems groups and on-farm stewardship of their natural assets.
We are geographically located in a unique position, surrounded
by natural assets of world importance. These assets include
both Ramsar-listed wetlands and 4 of the 8 Living Murray Icon
Sites.
Our private landscape interventions will enhance the biodiversity and
ecological function of these significant sites by providing essential
connectivity and places of refugia.
We have deep, collective, generational knowledge of how water works
in these landscapes. Water for landscape restoration and growing
food and fibre sustainably is deliverable via the key existing
infrastructure of the largest gravity fed irrigation system in the
world.
As a perverse result of changes to the water market and water trading
structure, more water has been removed from our Murray Inland
Delta landscape than any other in the Murray Darling basin. Major
physical and operational constraints to deliver environmental water
means water often does not get to where it needs to go to replenish
the inland delta.
Our aggregated landscape impact program presents an opportunity to restore and create hydrated biolinks returning water to country. Positive outcomes of delivery of environmental water to the Living Murray/Ramsar sites will only be achieved with the connectivity to the outer floodplain that initiatives such as the Murray Inland Delta project will provide.
We have passionate and skilful farmers who wish to leave a collective legacy in this landscape. An articulated, published community vision for restoring our public landscapes already exists. Our Regen Farmers Mutual aggregated project will extend this vision of healthy, working landscapes to private landholdings right across the delta footprint.
Our delta is rich with First Nations cultural heritage which is closely linked to significant biodiversity. Our community is working closely and collaboratively with local Traditional Owners to rehabilitate sites of significance. The knowledge, respect and understanding resulting from this work will be able to be applied to the implementation of on-farm projects.