In early January this year the media carried horrific images and stories of the loss of life and damage caused by flooding in the southern Queensland towns of Toowoomba and Grantham and in the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich. Surprise was expressed at how such severe events could have happened. But the reality is that these floods have their predecessors.

The National Library of Australia Trove is a new discovery experience focused on Australia and Australians. It supplements what search engines provide. An amazing wealth of historical information can already be discovered through Trove. Further information resources are being progressively added, and improved access to information is being progressively facilitated through a tagging project. “Tags” are a non-hierarchical keywords or term assigned to a piece of information, helping to describe the item and allowing it to be found again by browsing or searching. Tags are generally chosen informally. This website uses tags (see bottom of this page), as do most blogs.

A Trove search reveals Toowoomba has previously suffered devastating floods, including three floods within a 22-year period in 1893, 1906 and 1915. The historical newspaper articles reporting these floods make for harrowing reading. For example, in 1915, “In one of these Russell street shops there were two women, and the force of the water eventually caused the back portion of the building to collapse. The women, terror-stricken, rushed into the flooded street. A man from the National Hotel assisted them to a cab, which a plucky driver drove into the swirling waters. In another case a man endeavoured to cross the flood when it was at its highest. He succeeded in getting halt way through, when he was overcome, and was dragged out in a half drowned condition.” An image from the 1906 flood shows the flood level in the Toowoomba city centre.

Historical newspaper articles accessed through Trove similarly reveal severe past flooding in Grantham, for example in 1893, 1931 and 1951. The 1893 article states that “the flood waters at Grantham were over the telegraph wires” which indicates a significant volume of floodwater, but it’s not clear from the articles if any of these floods involved a tsunami-like flash flood as occurred in January 2011. The Grantham flood articles also describe severe flooding elsewhere in south-east Queensland, as do further articles accessed through Trove, for example articles describing floods in the Nerang River area in 1929, 1933 and 1947.

The Bureau of Meteorology has chronicled the history of the known floods in the Brisbane and Bremer Basin of south-east Queensland since 1824. In this relatively short period of recorded history there have been a large number of floods, several of them major. The highest flood in Brisbane’s recorded history was in January 1841.

Can better use of such historical information overcome faded memories and lead to better knowledge and awareness about contemporary flood risk, and better planning to address that risk? This is explored in the ABC Radio National Rear Vision story Deluges that have gone before: floods in Australian history which puts forward some confronting perspectives about the shortcomings of current approaches. For example,  Richard Evans, a historian and writer who specialises in the history of natural disasters in Australia states:

“Reading the reports of various official inquiries which follow any sort of disaster event — cyclones, bushfires, floods — they are eerily similar. They will almost inevitably find very similar contributing factors to the severity of the disaster; they will make very similar recommendations, and they will, sad to say, usually be largely ignored in the longer term. In the short term there will be interesting commitment, but it doesn’t last more than a few years, certainly it doesn’t last decades. What really strikes me is how we have the disaster, we have the inquiry, we find out the same painful bitter lesson that too many of the people who live here don’t understand the nature of the place they’re living in, and then they forget it again. And then in the course of a generation or generation-and-a-half, the disaster recurs, and we have lives lost, property destroyed, inquiry, recriminations, report, recommendations, and then again, we forget.”

Fortunately the situation in regard to knowledge and awareness of Australia’s climate history is starting to change. The landmark South Eastern Australian Recent Climate History (SEARCH) project spans the sciences and the humanities and has drawn together a team of leading climate scientists, water managers and historians to better understand south-eastern Australian climate history over the past 200–500 years. It is the first study of its kind in Australia.

Knowledge for Regional NRM Phase 2 implemented three packages of products and services:

• Package 1 – Better practice in knowledge management
• Package 2 – NRM Navigator
• Package 3 – Supporting knowledge brokering in the NRM sector

I was the team leader for “Package 1 – Better practice in knowledge management” which developed three successful products for the NRM sector:

• Information and Knowledge Resource Kit (IKRK)
• Information and Knowledge Strategy process
• Knowledge Leaders training program

The report Knowledge for Regional Natural Resource Management – Achievements and options presents the significant achievements of Phase 2 of the Knowledge for Regional NRM Program. The report also introduces options for maintaining and evolving the important products and services of the program into the future, and for maintaining momentum for the continued improvement of information and knowledge management in the NRM sector. I collated the report material and wrote the report.

Phase 2 of the Knowledge for Regional NRM Program won a Platinum Award in the actKM Forum 2008 Knowledge Management Awards. ‘Platinum’ is the highest award category and awards at this level are rarely made.

	Information and Knowledge Resource Kit (IKRK)
	Knowledge for Regional Natural Resource Management – Achievements and options (PDF 8.17 MB)
	actKM Forum Platinum Knowledge Management Award for Knowledge for Regional NRM Program (PDF 0.3 MB)

I delivered an introductory keynote presentation at the Forum and facilitated the wrap-up session.

Forum Program (PDF 0.5 MB)

I coordinated Scientific Advisory Panel advice to compile, edit and publish the two major project reports Determining and managing environmental flows for the Shoalhaven River, Report 1 – Environmental Flows Knowledge Review and Determining and managing environmental flows for the Shoalhaven River, Report 2 – Environmental Flows Investigations. I also coordinated the estuary investigation component of the project including the preparation of the Discussion Paper Environmental water requirements for the Shoalhaven River estuary.

	Shoalhaven Environmental Flows – Knowledge Review (PDF 5.3 MB)
	Shoalhaven Environmental Flows – Investigations (PDF 2.1 MB)
	Environmental water requirements for the Shoalhaven River estuary (PDF 1.5 MB)

I developed the Recovery Plan as an outcome of the Gatton Shire Biodiversity Strategy. Notable aspects of both the Gatton Shire Biodiversity Strategy and the Biodiversity Recovery Plan for Gatton and Laidley Shires are their linkages to local government planning, as shown in the Biodiversity Code and Policy in the Gatton Planning Scheme (below) and in the paper ‘Managing Biodiversity Through the Gatton Shire IPA Planning Scheme’ on pages 125-130 of the 2001 Southern Queensland Biodiversity Recovery Conference Proceedings. Gatton and Laidley Shire Councils have since been amalgamated to form the Lockyer Valley Regional Council.

	Biodiversity Recovery Plan for Gatton and Laidley Shires (PDF 1.3 MB)
	Recovery Plan Appendix A – Regional Ecosystem Management Principles (PDF 0.5 MB)
	Recovery Plan Appendix B – Significant Species & Ecological Communities (PDF 1.0 MB)
	Gatton Planning Scheme Draft Biodiversity Code & Policy March 2004 (PDF 0.3 MB)
	Gatton Planning Scheme 2007 (PDF 2.5 MB)

I organised and convened the conference to follow the earlier 2000 South-East Queensland Biodiversity Recovery Conference and 2001 Southern Queensland Biodiversity Recovery Conference.

	Conference Overview (PDF 0.1 MB)
	Conference Proceedings (PDF 4.7 MB)
	Media article – “Green focus at four-day biodiversity conference”, Gatton Star (PDF 0.2 MB)

Project Green Nest was acclaimed for its innovative strategies and the way in which it engaged the community, receiving a Commendation Award in the ‘Environment – Natural Resource Management: Partnerships for Biodiversity Conservation’ category in the 2002 National Awards for Local Government, and the Landcare Australia Local Government Award in the 2003 Queensland Landcare Awards. Crows Nest Shire has since been amalgamated into the new Toowoomba Regional Council.

The leading work of Rick Galbraith and Nigel Kimball underpinned the success of Project Green Nest. Rick Galbraith had a long association with Crows Nest Shire, including many years working as an environmental officer for Council. He was instrumental in the development of the conservation strategies implemented through Project Green Nest, as discussed in the Remnant Vegetation Corridor Management Strategy. Nigel Kimball worked on Project Green Nest while studying at The University of Queensland, and explored the critical role of human values and attitudes in NRM through the preparation of Striking That Happy Medium, Community Attitudes to Natural Resource Management in Crows Nest Shire, Qld. Nigel has since established Yarramine Environmental, a professional services provider assisting clients from the agribusiness, landcare and non-government, small business, domestic, corporate and government sectors to achieve their goals and overcome their problems in the environmental and natural resource management fields.

The Remnant Vegetation Corridor Management Strategy was informed by the Gatton Shire Biodiversity Strategy and Striking That Happy Medium, Community Attitudes to Natural Resource Management in Crows Nest Shire, Qld was informed by the Gatton Shire Biodiversity Strategy and the Sustainable Management of the Helidon Hills Project.

	Natural Resource Management Strategy for Crow’s Nest Shire (PDF 0.3 MB)
	Crow’s Nest Shire Council Pest Management Plan (PDF 1.6 MB)
	Crows Nest Remnant Vegetation Corridor Management Strategy (PDF 1.0 MB)
	Striking That Happy Medium – Community Attitudes to NRM (PDF 2.0 MB)
	Commendation Award for Crows Nest Shire Project Green Nest (PDF 0.1 MB)
	Media article – “Trail helps preserve Highfields bushland”, Toowoomba Chronicle (PDF 0.2 MB)
	Media article – “Councils combine to improve water quality”, Toowoomba Chronicle (PDF 0.2 MB)
	Media article – “Trainees clean up Crows Nest park water course”, Toowoomba Chronicle (PDF 0.2 MB)
	Media article – “Signs to help protect Crows Nest’s wildlife”, Toowoomba Chronicle (PDF 0.2 MB)
	Media article – “Pretty plant is a robber in disguise”, Toowoomba Chronicle (PDF 0.2 MB)

While designed for use with the Living in the Lockyer guidebook, the Property Management Planning Kit has also be used with other similar resources in other areas.

I also prepared a Property Management Planning (PMP) Technical Note from the Land Use Planning Handbook for the Lockyer Catchment for use with both the ‘Futureprofit’ program and the Living in the Lockyer Property Management Planning Kit.

	Living in the Lockyer Property Management Planning Kit (PDF 0.7 MB)
	Technical Note – Lockyer Catchment PMP (PDF 1.8 MB)

These recommendations have been reflected in local government planning schemes, resulting in the promotion of sustainable land use and the improved conservation of native vegetation and other natural resources.

The Land Use Planning Handbook also informed my preparation of a Technical Note for use in property management planning processes (see Living in the Lockyer Property Management Planning Kit).

Land Use Planning Handbook for the Lockyer Catchment (PDF 1.7 MB)

I organised and convened the conference to follow the earlier 2000 South East Queensland Biodiversity Recovery Conference.

	Conference Overview (PDF 0.1 MB)
	Conference Proceedings (PDF 4.3 MB)
	Congratulations letter from Lockyer Catchment Coordinating Committee (PDF 0.2 MB)

In 1981 Lockyer Valley farmer Fred From had a vision. A vision to bring people together to care for their catchment. The Fred From vision became reality with the formation of Queensland’s very first Catchment Care/Landcare Group and one of the first in Australia. The Lockyer Watershed Management Association (LWMA) Inc. – Lockyer Landcare Group emerged as an action-orientated group, and has gone on to take many successful projects “From Vision to Reality”.

LWMA’s successes have been built on people – people at all levels working together to understand the issues of the Lockyer Catchment and foster workable, cooperative solutions. By organising the 2000 South-East Queensland Biodiversity Recovery Conference, LWMA sought to foster similar success at a regional level – a desire to take biodiversity conservation in South-East Queensland “From Vision to Reality”.

	Conference Overview (PDF 0.1 MB)
	Conference Proceedings (PDF 1.4 MB)

The Strategy built on the foundations of the land systems planning approach in the Lockyer Catchment as discussed in the Land Use Planning Handbook for the Lockyer Catchment. An outcome of the Strategy was the development of the Biodiversity Recovery Plan for Gatton and Laidley Shires, South-East Queensland 2003-2008.

Gatton Shire Biodiversity Strategy (PDF 1.3 MB)

The preferred management approach was to develop a cooperative and coordinated strategy involving all affected stakeholders including landholders, industries, Local, State and Commonwealth Governments, and other interest groups. This management approach represents a different challenge for governments. The implementation of strategies identified in the project are largely the responsibility of the community, especially landholders and community groups. It was recognised that achieving these outcomes requires a different approach to traditional land use planning. The challenge was to develop a methodology that found common ground between a wider community desire for environmental and cultural heritage preservation on the one hand and the aspirations of the local community, particularly landholders, on the other. The ‘win-win’ approach adopted included involving landholders and the community from day one and researching and developing innovative win-win solutions to complex and competing issues.

	Helidon Hills Management Plan (PDF 0.5 MB)
	Media article at commencement of project – “Tension at Helidon meeting”, Toowoomba Chronicle (PDF 0.3 MB)
	Media article at completion of project – “Helidon Hills project co-ordinator unties cord”, Gatton Star (PDF 0.2 MB)

The conference was a unique event, with the purpose of advancing recovery plans for whole ecosystems, rather than just individual plant and animal species. One of Australia’s first multi-species recovery planning projects, the South-East Queensland Rainforest Recovery Project, was subsequently initiated.

Conference Proceedings (PDF 3.5 MB)