Northern Tablelands Local Land Services continued to deliver quality services to primary producers and land managers across our region throughout 2024.
This year, I was privileged to take on the role of Chair of the Northern Tablelands local board and have been joined by a new team of board members from across the region that are excited by the opportunities that are emerging.
I would like to thank the outgoing Chair Grahame Marriott, and previous board members for their contributions to governance and strategic insights for this region as well as their contribution to ensuring service delivery is maintained for our ratepayers, customers and stakeholders.
In 2024, we continued to provide agricultural extension and advisory services, particularly focused on livestock producers.
Coordinated feral pig control was in high demand, with our investments in wild dog management and biosecurity being extremely important to maintaining industry prosperity and market access within the region.
The appointment of dedicated staff to assist with understanding of natural capital is particularly welcomed.
We continued to invest in capital infrastructure improvements and weed control on our almost 50,000 ha Travelling Stock Reserve network and notably we have formed the first Aboriginal Community Engagement team for Local Land Services.
Dr Alex Ball
Chair, Northern Tablelands local board
Northern Tablelands Local Land Services, in partnership with the University of New England and funding from the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust, have been hard at work catching adult Bell’s Turtle (Wollumbinia belli) females before the start of the breeding season in a significant effort to save the endangered species from fox predation.
Bell’s Turtles are only found in the Northern Tablelands of NSW, but the species is facing an immense threat, with foxes eating 90-100% of eggs laid each year. While the cohort of adult Bell’s turtles over 50 years old is strong, the number of juvenile turtles in local waterways has been diminishing due to this predation.
Eggs were collected from gravid (pregnant) females captured locally, by inducing the females with oxytocin and incubating the collected eggs in a laboratory at the University of New England.
As a result, a record number of baby Bell’s turtle hatchlings will be released into the MacDonald River near Walcha, marking a major milestone in local turtle conservation. Around 1,200 hatchlings will join the river’s ecosystem, reflecting the success of a multi-year conservation project aimed at restoring the endangered population.
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