Happy new year from Terrain NRM!

It seems that so far we have had a quiet start to the wet season and I hope everyone enjoyed a break over Christmas.

The start of the year is always busy at Terrain, with mandatory reporting against the investment funds due early in the month. 

This work is important to communicate the breadth of project work completed by Terrain and partners and to celebrate the successes of the past six months.  Once the final reports are approved I hope to post these to the web site for members' information. You can read some of the impressive fact and figures on our disaster recovery project in the article below reflecting on the one year anniversay of Yasi.

The commonwealth government also announced the first year of its Biodiversity fund in December last year, with a submission date of 31 January.  With $946 million over six years, it presents an excellent opportunity to fund critical biodiversity projects in the region.  Terrain has been working with Wet Tropics Management Authority, DERM, QPWS, FNQ ROC and the Office of Climate Change to develop a large scale project which recognises the importance of corridor linkages to the world heritate area.  If successful this would bring funding into critical corridors across the region.  I note that a range of other projects will be submitted by groups and I wish you all luck and hope that Terrain staff have been able to help where ever possible.

This year also starts with a change in the Management Team of Terrain with a new Manager of Land and Water Program commencing on 30 January.  David Hinchley may be familiar to many of you, from his previous work with Terrain and more recently with the Carpentaria Land Council.  He will be working closely with the team to focus on the renewal of the region's NRM plan and to opportunties for funding beyond 2013 when the current CFOC draws to a close.  David will be working from our Atherton office.

February will also be the start of implementing our successful CFOC grant for Cassowary and Mahogany Glider habitat.  This project, being implemented with a range of partners and will run until July 2013.  Recruitment has recently commenced for Green Army work teams to help us deliver this project.

February will see the first rounds of meetings with community groups across the region to hear your views of Terrain, expectations of our working relationship and future arrrangements for NRM across the region.  Meetings will include myself and the Chair Mike Berwick and in some cases other Board members where available.  We look forward to the meetings, and for groups who have not replied to our letter from last year, it's not too late, so please let us know if you want to meet.

Looking forward to a great 2012

regards
Carole