Content uploaded :13/ 9/ 2004                                                                                       ICM:Learning from Australian experience

Integrated Catchment Management Policy [ ICM ]

Basin-wide planning

The Integrated Catchment Management Policy (ICM Policy) was released by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council and its Community Advisory Committee in June 2001 following wide consultation within and outside the Basin with governments, communities and industries.

The ICM Policy outlines a framework for natural resources management in the Murray-Darling Basin for the period 2001-2010. It includes goals, values and principles to guide community, industry and government partnerships aimed at improving the health of the Basin, and commits the Commission to setting and achieving resource condition targets that will limit the stresses placed on the Basin's natural resources. The policy includes a timeframe for setting Basin and catchment targets for water quality, water sharing, river ecosystem health and terrestrial biodiversity. Other key aspects of the policy include capacity building for all partners to play their part, knowledge generation and sharing, strengthening catchment approaches to planning, implementing and evaluating actions directed at achieving targets, linking catchment planning with land use planning, and articulating clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for the MDB Council and Commission, through all levels of Government, catchment and regional organisations, to land holders and managers.

Individual strategies will be developed under the 'umbrella' of the ICM Policy to develop targets addressing particular resource issues. The first of these was the Basin Salinity Management Strategy which was released in August 2001. Following this were the Native Fish Strategy (May 2003), Murray-Darling Basin Flood Plain Management Strategy (August 2003).

The Commission is also developing a system of 'core signals' for the Basin to assess trends in the health of the catchment and pressures on the water, land and other environmental resources. These core signals will incorporate the targets for water quality, water sharing, river ecosystem health and terrestrial biodiversity.