In 2000, the City of Wodonga and the North East CMA jointly developed the Wodonga Waterway Action Plan. The original plan is now out of date with many of its objectives met and new issues arising from a change in social, environmental and economic factors in recent years.
The Wodonga Urban Landcare Network (WULN) were tasked with the development of a new Wodonga Regional Water Action Plan with support of the City of Wodonga and North East CMA. The project area encompasses all the waterways across the City of Wodonga. Each of these waterways have a unique range of values including ecological values, passive recreation uses and aesthetic values and threats including urban encroachment, stock grazing, historic mining, channel instabilities and weed dominance.
The new Regional Waterway Action Plan aimed to develop sustainable restoration and management strategies for the waterways across the project region, accounting for the community and waterway values, aspirations and priorities as they relate to the waterways of Wodonga. Importantly, the implementation of the Regional Waterway Action Plan shall be managed by the Wodonga Urban Landcare Network who work with 14 different community groups, including regional Landcare groups, school groups, TAFE, Universities, Wodonga City Council, the North East CMA, individual landholders and other land managers.
This paper discusses the approach and key lessons learnt from the development of a community led strategic waterway action plan.