Celebrating 25 Years of Regional NRM
The 9th National Natural Resource Management Knowledge Conference, held September 8–12 in Cairns, marked a significant milestone, 25 years since Australia adopted the regional natural&...

The Australian Government's Future Drought Fund (FDF) works with states and territories to support regions to develop drought resilience plans which enables stakeholders to identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies to reduce risks and potential regional impacts: building resilience across four key areas such as people, culture and community. The joint initiative is the Regional Drought Resilience Planning (RDRP).
Working in partnership with Far North Regional Organisation of Councils (FNQROC), Terrain and Gulf Savannah Natural Resources Management, Professors Hurriyet Babacan and Allan Dale have been conducting extensive consultations in the Wet Tropics and Gulf Hinterland regions about the impacts of drought and strategies for resilience.
The Regional Forum Wet Tropics & Gulf Hinterland took place November 23 last year and was hosted by the Development in the Tropics team, led by Professor Hurriyet Babacan. Over 25 stakeholders attended the forums and explored questions around the following:
• The economic, social and environmental impact of a major heatwave
• The economic, social and environmental impact precipitation deficit
• The impact of before or after incidents of cyclones, floods combined with heatwave/low precipitation
RDRP plans are being finalised and will be presented to FNQROC and the Australian Government by June 2024.
Image: The forum participants at The Cairns Institute. Credit: J. McHugh

The 9th National Natural Resource Management Knowledge Conference, held September 8–12 in Cairns, marked a significant milestone, 25 years since Australia adopted the regional natural&...
The Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Hub's Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise Program (SATSIE), in collaboration with the North Australian Indigeno...
A special visit for students from AFL Cape York House for Girls (AFLCYHG) to the Local Indigenous Food Enterprise Services (LIFES) garden was facilitated through The Tropical North Quee...
James Cook University (JCU) 2025 cohort of Master of Global Development (MGD) students visited Mossman recently to observe and engage with a community in transition from sugar to a mode...
Four members of the Far North Queensland (FNQ) Connect team embarked on an eventful journey around Cairns city - but this was no ordinary outing. The colleagues were taking part in Spi...
During a recent visit to Waibene (Thursday Island), Jen McHugh toured the community centre Buai Mudh, meaning Family House, and met with board members of the Mura Kosker Sorority who op...
James Cook University (JCU) researchers from Cairns and Townsville joined an in-person forum at the JCU's Bada-Jali campus on September 23 and 24 for a university-wide plan to progress ...
The Whitsundays provided a valuable platform for producers, industry and community to share knowledge, compare practice, and explore new approaches that support resilience to a more var...
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