“The eyes of the world are on us,” says Lake Eyre Basin Coordinating Group Chair, David Lord.

“They are watching us because of our inclusive process and responsible approach to natural resource management,” he says.

According to David Lord, the LEB process is a role model for community engagement in responsible rangelands management because it embraces a broad range of stakeholders (community, science, industry and government) and deals with all issues of land management from grazing pressure and water management to tourism and research.

“We’re not hobbled by state borders or parochial interests in either our geographic scope or the range of issues we deal with,” he says.

This community designed, owned and driven process that has built identity, capacity, networks and unity over the past 8 years was seen by the community, at the joint meeting in Longreach on 20th November, as too valuable and too vital to discard.

It was an unambiguous outcome; there were no dissenters.

The name will change to Lake Eyre Basin Catchments (LEBC) but the entity remains and will continue to provide leadership and pursue community aspirations. It will work to maintain cohesion and the all-important, grass-roots, community-based whole-of-basin perspective rather than rely solely on intergovernmental agreements, memoranda of understanding, cross-border goodwill and joint funding.

Representatives from the catchment committees will continue to provide the membership and as these same individuals also sit on the board of Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ), the executive of the LEBC will be able to meet on the back of DCQ meetings at no cost to anyone. There will be no additional members in the short term because it was felt necessary to have no overheads other than the fees to maintain incorporation. Community members have offered to dip into their own pockets to cover this cost.

Through common membership on various bodies, the LEBC is perfectly positioned to value-add to the regional process by ensuring the channels of communication and dialogue to facilitate cross-border cooperation.

By retaining the umbrella incorporation, Lake Eyre Basin Catchments retains the ability to seek corporate and philanthropic funds as well as non-NHT2 government funds.

Importantly, the LEBC will remain as a contact point for enquiries and knowledge broking and will continue to plug researchers, academics, students, governments, and others into comprehensive, far-reaching networks. The current contact details (see below) will transition to Desert Channels Queensland but will remain valid for any Lake Eyre Basin information-related enquiries.

Current Executive members remain keen for people to contact them on any matters relating to the Lake Eyre Basin process and its work (see below).

(all enquiry contact details will remain the same)