Delivering for land and soil
As Queensland’s agricultural output has expanded and intensified, so too has its impact on the condition of our landscapes.
Land degradation costs the state in excess of $2bn per year.
More than 88% of Queensland’s land is used for primary production. This means how we manage agriculture is intertwined with how we manage our environment.
Through the NRM Expansion Program, the Queensland Government is investing $64.6 million into 19 projects that deliver improvements to soil health, land condition, sustainable agriculture and food security through better land management.
How this outcome is measured
The regional NRM sector uses a range of tools which form part of our State-Wide Indicators Framework to monitor and report on our on-ground impact.
LCAT (Land Condition Assessment Tool) and VegCAT (Vegetation Condition Assessment Tool) are used across the NRM Expansion Program to monitor land and vegetation condition. Both of these methods are well established under the State-Wide Indicators Framework.
We’ve developed FireCAT, as a new approach to verify changes in the health of fire patterns across the landscape. This is due to be trialled across two projects from July 2026.
NRM Regions Queensland is currently working alongside regional NRM organisations and the Queensland Government to develop a suitable soil health monitoring method (SoilCAT).
We’ve also been in early discussions on methods that best track improvements in coastal zone condition – primarily focussed on tracking a reduction in the impact of threats such as motor vehicle access to dunes and saltmarsh areas.
Projects
19 Projects
NB: some projects deliver across multiple themes
$64.6 million
Cape York Wildfire Resilience
Cape York Wetlands and Native Vegetation Resilience
Cool Burn Squad: Protecting Agricultural Lands Through Proactive Fire Management
Fighting Invasive Species Together
Future Farms – Nature Repair for the Wet Tropics
Improving Condition of Native Riparian Vegetation by Tackling the Neem Threat in the Gilbert River Catchment
Invasive Biosecurity Outcomes for the Southern Gulf Region
Protecting Southern Queensland waterways through grazing management
Together for Country – Weed Management Program
Mackay Whitsunday Islands and Inshore Resilience
Climate Ready Coastlines in the Lower Burdekin
Climate Resilient Rangelands
Green Connections
Living Landscapes and Resilience
Improving Koala habitat and connectivity in the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region
Nature Positive Fitzroy Farms
Urban Rewilding
Cattle Creek – a reach-scale approach to riverine management
Stewardship of the rangelands
This project is funded by the Queensland Government’s Natural Resource Management Expansion Program
