Summary
How will the plan be implemented?
The restoration plan provides a long-term strategic direction with medium-term targets for achievement of actions, and a three-year implementation program of prioritised actions.The Torbay Catchment Group (TCG) is the lead organisation for implementation of the plan. It provided the basis for development of the Watershed Torbay project, with sub-committee structures contributing over a four-year period to preparation of the restoration plan. The TCG executive committee is responsible for implementing actions according to the plan's targets, and reports to the TCG at general meetings.
The key roles of the executive committee are to:
- review priorities for implementation of actions
- prepare a three-year investment plan
- arrange investment funding for implementation
- develop project management arrangements for implementing high priority actions
- arrange appropriate service providers for implementation of actions
- develop 'best practice' information
- develop processes for information sharing and management
- engage the community and landholders
- initiate community-involvement projects.
The executive committee is supported by a paid full-time coordinator.
The restoration plan has 20 targets for resource condition change and 33 action targets. It provides the actions, priorities, estimated costs, and roles and responsibilities for achieving targets. While partner organisation contributions are to be arranged through a separate investment plan, the estimate of external funding required for the three-year implementation plan actions is $1.6 m.
The estimated cost (in dollars) to implement each theme within the plan is:
| Theme 1 | Algal blooms and water quality | 478,000 |
| Theme 2 | Water quantity | 95,000 |
| Theme 3 | Drainage management | 315,000 |
| Theme 4 | Habitat & biodiversity management | 244,000 |
| Theme 5 | Farming systems | 181,000 |
| Theme 6 | Landuse planning | 41,000 |
| Theme 7 | Community education & information | 255,000 |
| TOTAL | $1,600,000 |
Funding of $900,000 over three years has been secured through the regional natural resource management body SCRIPT, to implement high priority actions.
The Torbay Catchment Restoration Plan framework (after Koehn, J.D., Brierley, G.J., Cant, B.L. And Lucas, A.M. (2001) River Restoration Framework, Land and Water Australia Occasional Paper 01/01.