The North East Our Catchments Our Communities (OCOC) project is a flagship project of the North East CMA that seeks to promote and strengthen integrated catchment management across the region. It contributes to Integrated Catchment Management by undertaking two targeted area projects, one in the Lower Ovens Catchment area and the other in the Upper Mitta Catchment upstream of Dartmouth Dam.
Each of these projects is driven by a steering committee made up of local community representatives, NRM managers and other stakeholders to undertake Integrated Catchment Management on a local scale. The place-based projects achieve this through planning and prioritising key activities, engaging with and strengthening partnerships with stakeholders and the community, and delivering targeted waterway and catchment health programs to address the priority waterway and NRM threats and opportunities.
The OCOC project also achieves integrated catchment management by bringing together NRM managers and other stakeholders focused on planning, communicating and evaluating activities within the North East.
2019-20 was the fourth and final year of the OCOC project and thus the project was focused on completing existing activities and identifying priorities for the future to ensure longevity of the project outcomes.
The videos below highlight and demonstrate the achievements of the OCOC projects in the Lower Ovens and the Upper Mitta Mitta.
We thank all our organisation and community partners for their involvement in these projects.
Our Catchments Our Communities - Lower Ovens
Project Partners
Organisations
Parks Victoria
Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning
North East Water
Trust for Nature
Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems (La Trobe University)
Charles Sturt University
Murray-Darling Wetlands Working Group
Arthur Rylah Institute
Rural City of Wangaratta
Indigo Shire Council
Winton Wetlands
Community groups
Rutherglen Landcare Group
Warby Range Landcare Group
Ovens Landcare Network
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation
Wangaratta Landcare & Sustainability
Borinya Wangaratta Community Partnership
Boorhaman Landcare Group
Our Catchments Our Communities - Mitta Mitta
Upper Mitta Mitta Catchment Action Plan (CAP)
The Upper Mitta Mitta CAP is an example of a community led catchment action plan. Stakeholder engagement to derive values, threats and amanagement actions was a large component of the project.
Download a PDF version of the plan here
Project Partners
Organisations
Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning
Parks Victoria
East Gippsland Shire Council
Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
Omeo District Health
East Gippsland Water
Regional Roads Victoria
Omeo CFA
Community groups
Friends of the Mitta
Benambra Dinner Plain Omeo (BDPO) Landcare Group
Omeo Region Business & Tourism Association
Omeo Angling Club
Omeo Golf Club
Benambra Neighbourhood House
Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation