Profile of Grassroots Environment Groups of Brisbane.

Bulimba Creek Coordinating Catchment Committee Inc. (B4C), is a grass roots group in Brisbane Queensland, Australia working to protect and enhance the urban environment.

South East Queensland and Brisbane is the fastest growing region in Australia and also is one of the most biodiversity rich areas of Australia. You can hop off a plane in Brisbane and within 20 minutes you could be discovering a remnant natural area with intact original ecosystems and wildlife. This is unique for a modern capital city in today’s world.

Brisbane city comprises the Brisbane River and over 30 creek catchments. Ten of these creek catchments have organised catchment committees and are assisted with paid coordinators by Brisbane City Council.

The creek catchments are small e.g. Bulimba Creek is only 122km2 and is the 2^nd largest. They are impacted by urban development, tree clearing, damaging land uses and weeds. Brisbane hasn’t been planned well and infrastructure, services and inappropriate land use, including filling and building on flood plains and waterway corridors are a problem.

Types of community Group Involvement

1. Catchment Committees: Seek whole of catchment solutions and network with other community groups, industries and government. All grassroots and volunteer run.
2. Bushcare Groups:  Supported by catchment and local council. Perform rehabilitation of bushlands and waterway corridors.
3. Natural area Groups: Are stewards of Brisbane’s small nature reserve network.
4. Brisbane Catchment Network: Brisbane Council coordinates and funds this umbrella group, which comprises all active catchment committees in the city. Advice on funding and policy for all aspects of catchment management are promoted.
5. Biodiversity Advisory Committee: Community representatives appointed by local government to provide strategic advice on policy direction on matters of Biodiversity and Environment. All are members of environmental groups and are volunteers.

Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee Inc. (B4C)

 Winners of the 2005 National River Prize at the International River Symposium.

B4C was started in 1997 by a small group of dedicated people who wanted to protect the natural integrity of our urban environment and the complex web of life it supports.

1. An incorporated catchment & landcare group working with all sectors of community.
2. Focuses on protection of the environment through community action and education.
3. Based on volunteers and is a not for profit grassroots group.

What We Do:

• Support over 20 bushcare groups and affiliated to 30 other groups
• Volunteer centre – caters for a wide variety of community and referred volunteers including community service, corporate and disability groups.
• Sustainability Centre – With corporate partner Powerlink are developing 2 hectare sustainable centre including a SALA sustainable home (Office), community nursery, Waterwise gardens and permaculture. Displays sustainable technologies. Will open in 2007.
• Environmental Services Unit – a small professional work team to perform sensitive ecological rehabilitation work on waterways, wetlands and bushlands. Works on a contractual basis.(4 Employees, self funded).
• Bulimba Creek Environment Fund – A foundation for the environment where donations and bequests can help restore nature and create awareness of environment and sustainability. Delivers small grants for community action. E.g. 2005 Indigenous Cultural Heritage Awareness and nature reserve management plans by a traditional Aboriginal Knowledge Holder.
• Strategic planning – Dealing with the impost of large infrastructure development in Brisbane. Seeking compensation for loss of vegetation and impact on natural assets through green infrastructure planning. Also working to develop plans and policies to retain and enhance environmental corridors and wildlife habitats through a local strategic plan.
• 1/3 for Nature Program – A service to private landholders on larger properties to restore native vegetation and habitat for native wildlife.
• Learning Network – a schools program to introduce nature based projects and native tree planing in schools. Developing an NGO delivered package that can be adapted to any school and catchment group.
• Twinning – Sharing and exchanging environmental and social resources and profiles with Southern Thailand, The Gregory River Catchment (North Qld.), and the Loire River, (France) and European Rivers Network.
• Rehabilitation Program – Working catchment-wide and also in other adjacent catchments.  Planting native vegetation in natural areas, creek corridors and wetlands.  Volunteers and Environmental Services Unit combined have achieved major successes since 1997 over 260,000 native plants have been established to restore corridors and habitat.
• Advocacy – Protecting native vegetation and natural areas from threatening processes and inappropriate land-use and development over 400 ha protected to date.  We lobby and negotiate with Governments and industries.

The Passion . . .

Australia faces major problems in managing our natural resources. Issues such as water, global warming, loss of habitat and fragmentation of green space need our urgent attention.

Our vision is to create a web of green across our catchment. We are promoting ecological sustainability and nature conservation and wise use of our natural resources.

B4C seeks to engage people and build community capacity to become actively involved in restoring natural landscapes, habitat and nature conservation values though on ground opportunities, education and advocacy.

              Oxbow – protection and rehabilitation of saline wetlands, a major scientific and educational site

                   Tingalpa Wetlands – restoring freshwater wetlands, creating local eco-tourism opportunity

                                              Salvin Park – rehabilitation of urban parkland – before

                                                        Salvin Park – rehabilitation of urban parkland – after

                                                              Mansfield – rehabilitation of bushland conservation zone

                                       Bulimba Creek – advocacy against development and creek line revegetation

Meetings

Every second Monday of the month alternatively at 10 am and 7:30 pm at Hon. Judy Spence's electoral office, 20 Creek Rd, Mt Gravatt (enter from carpark in supermarket complex). Call B4C on (07) 3420-4800 to confirm the next date. 

These web pages outline our activities and show where and how YOU can get involved. Links to other environmental web sites and resource materials are also provided, as well as extracts from our newsletter and late-breaking news relevant to the catchment. Use the site guide to visit the B4C pages. 

Welcome aboard! 

B4C's activities are made possible through the generous support of our sponsors: The Natural Heritage Trust and Boral

Our web pages are maintained as a community service by B4C volunteers.  Our thanks go to our ISP, PowerUp, and to our site sponsors,  Brisbane City Council and ourbrisbane.com, for on-going Internet support.