The NAP - National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality - targets 21 priority regions affeced by salinity and water quality problems across Australia including one in Tasmania.

The NAP region in Tasmania overlaps the northern and southern NRM regions. It stretches from Flinders Island in the north to Brighton in the south.

The Northern and Southern Tasmanian NRM regions obtain NAP investment to address high priority salinity and water quality issues identified in the two regional NRM strategies.

What is NAP?

The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality represents an evolution in Australian natural resource management because it builds on the success of initiatives like the first phase of the Natural Heritage Trust.

This process for enhancing the management of our natural resources started with the release of a discussion paper for four months from December 1999 to March 2000. Public responses to this paper were drawn together in a Steering Committee Report to Australian Governments.

After that, on 3 November 2000, the Council of Australian Governments endorsed the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality to target some of our worst affected areas.

Around Australia, 21 priority regions affected by salinity and water quality problems are targeted under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. After the introduction of an Intergovernmental Agreement in December 2000, Bilateral Agreements between the Commonwealth and State or Territory Governments pave the way for the development of action plans in the priority regions. In this way, governments and communities work together in planning how to tackle salinity and water quality problems.

How Does this Fit With NRM?

How natural resources are used and managed affects the whole community, because we all share in the benefits derived from their proper use, and the costs associated with their degradation.

As a State we need to set priorities that enable us to focus on making strategic improvements and ensure that what we do really makes a difference. To ensure a more regional strategic and integrated approach is taken to our natural resource management, regional committees have been formed.

Tasmania has been divided into 3 regions to develop localised approaches – northern, southern and north-west regions. The Regional Committees in consultation with the community, are developing strategies, targets and priorities for natural resource management in their regions. You need to be involved in the process of setting priorities, targets and strategies for regional NRM. Watch the newspapers for notices of community meetings.

Funding for the implementation of regional natural resource management and strategy will be provided through the National Heritage Trust, which is moving into its second phase, known as NHT2, the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality known as NAP, and the National Landcare Project, known as NLP.

The regional committees have a number of functions, including:

• Identifying the priorities for NRM in the region
• Preparing a draft regional strategy and facilitating its implementation
• Seeking, managing and allocating funds according to the regional strategy
• Monitoring and evaluating implementation of the regional strategy and
• Developing and implementing processes for appropriate education and training in NRM

How Does NAP Fit With NHT2?

Like other States and Territories, Tasmania is in transition between the old Natural Heritage Trust and new funding arrangements.

The Natural Heritage Trust extension (NHT2) will apply to all parts of Tasmania whereas the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) applies to a specific region in Tasmania, spanning from just north of Hobart to Brighton in the south to Flinders Island in the north, as far west as Deloraine and taking in some of the East Coast.

The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) represents an evolution in Australian natural resource management because it builds on the success of initiatives like the Natural Heritage Trust.

What is NAP Doing in Tasmania?

The Tasmanian NAP priority region spans both the Northern and Southern NRM regions. NAP funding will be allocated in line with a NAP Regional Investment Strategy, derived from the Northern and Southern regional strategies.

A working group to develop and deliver strategies that will address specific NAP issues has been created from members of the Northern and Southern Tasmanian Natural Resource Management Regional Committees.

Many activities that will make a difference will only require changes to the way we do things at present.
Some activities may require additional funding that will be allocated according to NAP and regional strategies and priorities. NAP funding may be provided for activities that are integrated and address water quality and salinity issues in the NAP region and are identified as priority actions within the NRM Regional Strategies.

Regional actions may include activities such as:

• Protection and rehabilitation of waterways, floodplains, and wetlands
• Engineered water quality improvements such as salt interception technologies
• Salinity prevention measures and drainage improvements
• Land use change strategies where current operations are no longer viable