Our Future

The Western Catchment Plan

The Western Catchment Plan is a ten-year plan for improving and managing natural resources in the Catchment. It specifies how the Western Catchment Management Authority (WCMA) will allocate the $19 million approved under the current three year investment strategy and direct future funding in order to manage the Catchment’s natural resources.

The Plan specifies Catchment and Management Targets, which are used to measure the health of the Catchment. The targets take into account other plans that may affect the catchment, for example, local government planning. The Plan has now been submitted to the Minister. Click here to view the Western Catchment Plan.

A summary of the draft Western Catchment Plan was mailed to every resident of the Catchment in 2005.

Summary of draft Western Catchment Plan 2005 (16 pages)

Summary of Catchment and Management Targets for Western CMA Catchment Plan 2005 (A3)

Didn’t the Catchment Management Committee develop a Blueprint?

The Plan builds on the Western Catchment Blueprint (2001) which was a wide-scale and long-term plan.

Given the extensive work, community consultation and government accreditation of the Western Catchment Blueprint (2003), the WCMA Board has drawn from this document (which was developed without an allocated budget) as much as possible.

New legislation requires a more refined and targeted Plan. Each Catchment Management Authority has been allocated a specific budget for on-ground works to improve natural resources. The Western Catchment Plan is the next step in catchment planning, by making the Blueprint directions match the actual budget.

Isn’t the Investment Strategy already approved and operating?

A current three year investment strategy has been agreed with the Australian Government, however, the Western Catchment Management Authority has flexibility in how some of the outcomes are delivered.

What’s in the Western Catchment Plan?

Catchment Targets are drawn from the Blueprint while Management Targets are derived from combining many of the Blueprint’s Management Targets. The targets give broad direction under which the Western Catchment Management Authority will coordinate funding for a range of activities.

Background to the Catchment Blueprint

Brief History of Total Catchment Management

Catchment Publications