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Environment & Climate

Caring for Our Environment 

Fostering local land care networks

In recent times community land care groups have been reinvigorated, with the commencement of two Landcare Tasmania groups in Old Beach and Bridgewater (in August 2021 the Bridgewater group became the 300th Landcare Tasmania group). Both groups regularly meet to remove weeds, collect and propagate seeds and replant native habitat.

If you are interested in helping, everyone is welcome to join:

  • Bridgewater Landcare Group meet on the second Sunday of each month 10am-1pm.
  • Friends of Old Beach Foreshore meet on the third weekend each month alternating between Saturday and Sunday – find them on Facebook here

Brighton Council supports the groups through membership and insurance fees, expert advice, weed removal and promotion of key events, such as:

  • Clean Up Australia Day rubbish collection
  • National Plant a Tree Day

Brighton Council continues to support a community network for environmental care working together, such as Landcare Tasmania, the Material Institute (MONA) in Bridgewater, State Government and community groups such as the kutalayna collective and school initiatives.

Cherishing our environment

The Derwent Catchment Project (DCP), a grass roots community Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisation, were engaged by Brighton Council in November 2021 to develop a stakeholder supported strategy to best manage the municipality’s natural areas. The expertise and resources DCP provide have led to:

For more information or to find out how you can get involved email: mel.fazackerley@derwentcatchment.org

To view some videos of community tree planting and weed management visit: Resources – The Derwent Catchment Project

Acting sustainably

Brighton Council has a range of initiatives to reduce the impact on the environment from its own operations, including composting garden waste from outdoor maintenance works and weed management in parks and public spaces.

Managing Weeds

Recognising the serious threat weeds pose to Brighton’s natural resources, Brighton Council has been working with the Derwent Catchment Project to develop a Weed Management Strategy for Brighton. Brighton Council endorsed the Weed Management Strategy in April 2022.

Brighton Council – Weed Management Strategy

APPENDIX V Brighton Council Weed Action Table

The strategy provides a guiding framework for public land managers to work together to manage weeds and promote weed awareness across Brighton. It will guide priority weed management and investment into the region and is designed as a working document that can be adapted and updated as new information becomes available. This weed strategy considers climate change as a management issue as the increasing intensity of events such as fire and floods are creating reactive weed management issues.

Five eradication zones are proposed:

  • Estuary
  • Dromedary
  • Industrial hub
  • Foreshore and walking trails
  • Agriculture and horticulture

Should you have any questions regarding the strategy or land management in our municipality, please feel free to contact Council.

T: (03) 6268 7000
E: admin@brighton.tas.gov.au

 

Ducks of Brighton

Brighton Council rests against the Derwent River and is a part of the broader Derwent Estuary. There are some wonderful components of living beside our beautiful river but also some responsibilities we need to be aware of to continue to look after our land, water and the species that rely on a healthy environment.

Tasmania is home to 11 species of native ducks that are all very different from each other, with specialised diets and unique appearances. Many native ducks face different threats caused by humans. For some the main impact is habitat loss, such as the pollution of waterways. Others are more heavily impacted by introduced water birds like mallard ducks and geese through competition and cross-breeding. Many people also don’t realise that by feeding introduced ducks, they are impacting our native species.

How you can help

Please do not feed ducks. Most native ducks have highly specialised diets and rely on these diets to get the right nutrients. Ducks evolved to feed on these native diets thousands of years before humans first arrived in Tasmania. The best way to help them with food is to simply let them find it themselves.

Feeding ducks only serves to support introduced ducks that aren’t as specialised at finding food in the Australian environment and are more tolerant of humans, like mallards and Muscovy ducks. Supporting these ducks makes it harder for smaller native ducks to exist in the same areas and speeds up the rate that mallards and Pacific Black Ducks are cross-breeding.

Putting out water containers for ducks has the same impact. Most ducks need to forage for food in large bodies of water, and small tubs of drinking water only helps mallards that don’t simply fly to find fresh water sources elsewhere.

Instead of feeding ducks, enjoy them by watching them, learning about them and trying to find all our different native ducks!

For more information, see the “Ducks of Tasmania” booklet.

Don’t forget:

  • Don’t feed ducks any food or water.
  • If you have free-ranging pet ducks, consider containing them, switching to Muscovy ducks or not getting more in the future.
  • Enjoy ducks by finding  and identifying them, learning about and simply watching them go about their business!

 

About climate change 

Greenhouse gas emissions are created when we burn fossil fuels, like gas, petrol, oil and coal. When these gases enter the atmosphere, they act like a blanket trapping the sun’s heat and increasing temperatures. This warming effect is causing our climate to change, resulting in more frequent and severe weather events like bushfires, floods and storms as well as longer-term changes to weather patterns. Climate change threatens human health and wellbeing, as well as the critical ecosystems we rely on.    

Brighton’s Climate Change and Resilience Strategy 

Brighton Council has been acting on climate change for over a decade now. In this time, the council has worked to reduce its emissions through waste, energy efficiency and renewable energy actions. This work and future initiatives are guided by Brighton’s Climate Change and Resilience Strategy that outlines a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. The strategy includes 55 Key Actions for the council to take in relation to climate change leadership as well as council and community emissions reduction, risk reduction and resilience. 

See the Climate Change and Resilience Strategy 

 

Reducing emissions 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is critical for slowing global warming and ensuring a stable climate. For this reason, Brighton Council has set an ambitious corporate emissions reduction target of 85% by 2030 on 2021 levels, and net zero emissions by 2035. Meeting these targets requires measuring council’s emissions over time and monitoring emissions reduction initiatives to track progress to net zero emissions.  

Great progress has already been made towards the 2030 target, with significant emissions reductions resulting from changes to landfill arrangements and the introduction of FOGO bin collection in 2022. However, there are further opportunities for emissions reductions, which have been outlined in the latest Corporate Carbon and Energy Footprint report.  

See Brighton’s Corporate Carbon and Energy Footprint 

 

Households and businesses within the Brighton municipality also have a role in reducing emissions. A Community Carbon and Energy Footprint report shows the sources of emissions in the community and describes the opportunities for reducing these. Having clear evidence regarding source emissions helps plan and guide decision-making for the transition to a low carbon economy.  

See Brighton’s Community Carbon and Energy Footprint 

 

Adapting to climate change 

Due to climate change, extreme weather events are only becoming more frequent and intense. That’s why it is important to start preparing and adapting to climate impacts now. Brighton Council has a newly updated Adaptation Plan that identifies climate risks and adaptation actions for the municipality. This plan will guide work to keep the community safe and future-proof public assets and infrastructure. Actions from the plan will be implemented over time as resources become available. 

See Brighton’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2024

 

In addition to the Adaptation Plan, Brighton Council is looking more deeply at specific climate hazards, including bushfires and coastal hazards.  

Brighton Council engaged SGS Economics & Planning to produce a report on the impact of coastal hazards, including erosion, inundation, and stormwater hazards, at three sites across the municipality. The report shows that coastal hazards have current and future potential to impact private property, Aboriginal heritage sites, natural values, and public infrastructure. In response to this report, Brighton Council has committed to developing a Coastal Hazards Policy, communicating the risk to the community, and conducting further engagement with key stakeholders.  

See the Derwent River Foreshore Coastal Hazards report 

 

Brighton Council is also invested in reducing bushfire risk and has engaged Fire Risk Consultants to produce a Bushfire Strategy for the municipality and a Bushfire Mitigation Plan for Dromedary. This project is expected to be completed by March 2025.  

Dispersive Soils

Dispersive soils separate into particles when exposed to fresh water. They can be difficult to manage and are an important consideration in land use. Activities such as overgrazing, removal of top soil or excavation in dispersive soils areas can lead to dramatic erosion. The map below details areas of the Brighton Municipality where dispersive soils have been identified.

East Baskerville Land Capability Map

Information on the management of dispersive soils can be found at the DPIPWE website through the following link.

https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/agriculture/land-management-and-soils/soil-management/soil-publications/dispersive-soils-and-their-management-technical-reference-manual