New funds target gully erosion

Posted on July 7th, 2016

Actively eroding gullies on grazing properties in the Mackenzie, Theresa, Isaac and Fitzroy catchments are the focus for new repair works aimed at reducing the amount of sediment reaching the Great Barrier Reef.
Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) chief executive officer Paul Birch said gully density mapping combined with the Fitzroy Water Quality Improvement Plan had identified areas that were a significant source of sediment and would be the focus of the repair work.
“Actively eroding gullies cause significant problems to the region’s graziers through loss of grazing land, damage to property infrastructure and the additional costs of repairing the gully,” Mr Birch said.
“The effects of losing large amounts of soil also extend beyond the farm gate, down the catchment and onto the Reef, and can be a huge problem that graziers cannot solve without help.”
Mr Birch said grants up to $46,000 would be available to help individual landholders complete on-ground repair work such as installing exclusion fencing, building physical barriers to slow water movement down, and revegetating areas at risk of further erosion.
The assistance for repair works is highly targeted to areas that have a high density of eroding gullies, ensuring the best use of available funds to stop sediments at their source.
“FBA is coordinating the gully restoration program, which is funded by the Australian Government and delivered through the Reef Trust,” Mr Birch said.
Graziers in the target areas of the Mackenzie, Theresa, Isaac and Fitzroy catchments are encouraged to express their interest in participating in the program by contacting Rachel Bryan via email Rachel.bryan@fba.org.au or call (07) 4975 6555.
Full details of the funding program and applications will commence in the next two months. An application kit will be forwarded to people who express interest, once it is available.