As more regional resource planning devolves to community groups, two CRC projects have looked at ways of assisting land managers to implement sound management processes.

In collaboration with Queensland's Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) Taskforces’ Regional Arrangements Planning Team, the CRC projects looked at regional planning integration and taking a snapshot of pre-NAP regional plans.

The first project centred around evaluating regional plans in the tropical savannas asking the key question of how technically sound the existing set of voluntary and government plans are in the Region. The second project looked at improving regional planning integration in savanna regions. Involved in the project teams were  Bruce Taylor and Allan Dale from Department of Natural Resources and Mines (Bruce Taylor is now with CSIRO) and Geoff McDonald at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems (see "Integrated Planning" at left)

Evaluating regional plans

A third guideline was also developed aimed at helping planners and plan reviewers. The booklet Evaluating regional plans in tropical savanna regions provides a framework for reviewing and improving the technical content of regional plans based on landscape and social sustainability issues in northern Australia.

“The highlight for me has been seeing the research and development directly inform and influence the planning processes as they evolve in the regions,” Bruce said.

It is intended that the approach used for the two projects will contribute to the regional planning component of the State’s monitoring and evaluation framework aimed at tracking and improving the health of regional planning arrangements.

Available on this page (download at right):

Evaluating regional plans

• Benchmarking Regional Planning: Arrangements for Natural Resource Management Planning 2004-05 Geoff McDonald, Bruce Taylor, Jenny Bellamy, Cathy Robinson, Michelle Walker ,Tim Smith, Suzanne Hoverman, Clive McAlpine, Ann Peterson, Steven Dawson (2005) Regional policy frameworks are now widely promoted in Australia at the state, territory and federal levels. This report provides a benchmark of progress in regional planning for natural resource management in Queensland and the tropical savannas region of northern Australia during 2004. A 71 page full report and a 16 page stand-alone executive summary are available.

• Strategies to improve regional planning arrangements: Perspectives from the regional NRM groups collective Queensland Regional NRM Groups Collective Workshop, Brisbane, June 2, 2005, Facilitated by C. Robinson, B. Taylor, M. Walker and S. Hoverman This is a 14 page summary of perspectives and experiences offered by members of the Queensland Regional NRM Groups Collective who participated in a workshop to improve regional planning arrangements in Queensland.

•  Findings from a review of regional NRM plans Edited by Geoff McDonald, Bruce Taylor & Cathy Robinson (2005) This review of regional NRM plans in north Queensland is a discrete piece of work that forms part of a broader benchmarking of regional planning arrangements for natural resource management (See above). 100 pages.

•  Criteria and methods for evaluating regional plans in the tropical savannas - Full report and standalone executive summary Geoff McDonald, Clive McAlpine, Bruce Taylor, Adele Vagg (2003) This 123 page report provides a framework for reviewing and improving the technical content of regional plans based on landscape and social sustainability issues in northern Australia. Also available is a 33 page summary for practitioners.

•  Experiences and lessons: Regional NRM Planners Workshop Report  Various Authors (2005)
  Report on a workshop on regional NRM planning held as part of the Tropical Savannas CRC Healthy Savanna Planning Systems Project. The workshop involved key players in regional NRM from Queensland and the Northern Territory. 21 pages.

• Healthy Savanna Planning Systems: Project Overview 2005-06. Bruce Taylor, CSIRO Tim Smith, CSIRO Cathy Robinson, CSIRO Jenny Bellamy, University of Queensland Clive McAlpine, University of Queensland Suzanne Hoverman, CSIRO Sonja Heyenga, CSIRO  This 26 page report provides an overview of the entire NRM Planning for Healthy Savannas project.
  

All guidelines can be downloaded free at right in PDF format, or for hardcopy versions fill out the order form or contact the project manager, Bruce Taylor, details at right.