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PDF files

• Natural Heritage Trust Annual Report 2000-2001 - Main Report (PDF - 576 KB)
• Appendix 1: Natural Heritage Trust and Related Projects Approved in 2000-2001 (PDF - 431 KB)
• Appendix 2: Financial Statements (PDF - 601 KB)

About this document

The goal of the Natural Heritage Trust is to stimulate activities in the national interest to achieve the conservation, sustainable use and repair of Australia's natural environment.

The Natural Heritage Trust has progressively moved Australia's management of natural resources to a more integrated and cohesive approach. Continued sustainable management of Australia's unique and ancient environment requires cooperative input by the whole community to mitigate existing problems and improve our land use now and for future generations.

The success of the Natural Heritage Trust depends heavily on strong community involvement in identifying local and regional environmental and natural resource management problems and developing local solutions.

The Commonwealth's efforts under the Natural Heritage Trust have continued the close cooperation established with the State and Territories. This has resulted in greater community involvement in natural resource management than ever before with at least 370 000 volunteer and other workers being involved in on-ground Natural Heritage Trust project implementation. Progress by programs towards achieving the Trust's goal and objectives is described in this report under the following headings:

• Integration and institutional change outputs and outcomes: integrated, cooperative and strategic approaches to investment in ecologically sustainable management of land, water and marine resources and environments;
  
• Environmental outputs and outcomes: biodiversity conservation and improved long-term protection and management of environmental resources, including native vegetation, representative ecosystems and World Heritage values;
  
• Sustainable production outputs and outcomes: maintenance of and improvement to the sustainable productive capacity of Australia's environmental and natural resource base; and
  
• People outputs and outcomes: a community empowered to invest in, and take responsibility for, ecologically sustainable management.

The goal of the Natural Heritage Trust is to stimulate activities in the national interest to achieve the conservation, sustainable use and repair of Australia's natural environment. The objectives of the Trust are to:

• provide a framework for strategic capital investment to stimulate additional investment in the natural environment;
  
• achieve complementary environment protection, natural resource management and sustainable agriculture outcomes consistent with agreed national strategies; and
  
• provide a framework for cooperative partnerships between communities, industry and all levels of government.

To achieve these objectives the Trust has focused on five major areas, under which it provides funding for a range of natural environment and sustainable land and water programs. These areas are:

• land: serious land and water degradation affects much of Australia and the Trust supports sustainable land and water management activities with an emphasis on community participation;
• vegetation: the Trust aims to reverse the long-term decline in the extent and quality of Australia's vegetation cover through funding projects such as community involvement in large-scale and small-scale tree plantings;
• rivers: a decline in the health of Australia's river systems requires the Trust to focus on community activities and large-scale projects that address the causes of poor water quality in rivers and wetlands;
• biodiversity: a comprehensive approach is being implemented to protect Australia's biodiversity; and
• coasts and marine: the Trust is supporting strategic planning and management activities and community participation to address environmental problems of Australia's coasts and oceans.

The Trust complements other Commonwealth programs such as the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative, and research and development through Land and Water Australia.