Who we are
The Brisbane Catchments Network (BCN) is a collaboration of all existing community-based volunteer catchment groups operating within the city of Brisbane. The Network provides opportunities for individual groups to share information and develop partnerships and projects to address citywide environmental issues.
By bringing together Brisbane’s many, but relatively small, catchments, BCN also provides them with a voice on a number of regional natural resource management bodies, including: the Moreton Bay Waterways & Catchments Partnership, Community and Industry Advisory Group, Moreton Bay Implementation Group, SEQ Catchments, SEQ Water and Land Carers.
BCN is supported by Brisbane City, Council, which provides secretariat and other support services, as well as opportunities for training and capacity building of member groups. Council also provides financial assistance to groups through its environmental and community grants programs. | |
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What we do
The Brisbane Catchments Network acts as a key group for:
Fostering partnerships, communication and information sharing between Brisbane City Council (BCC) and community-based catchment management and Landcare groups, including Habitat Brisbane/Bushcare, Coastcare and Waterwatch groups (and their affiliates) in the greater Brisbane area.
Coordinating activities and responsibilities, fostering of partnerships and relationships between BCC, the community and other key stakeholders and external organisations in ongoing waterway and catchment planning and management.
Developing strategic directions for Brisbane’s community-based catchment management and Landcare, Habitat Brisbane/Bushcare, Coastcare and Waterwatch groups and assisting in implementing plans.
Providing opportunities for integrated catchment and /or natural resource management, via membership of regional forums.
Providing advice to Brisbane City Council and the regional bodies on:
Identification of priority waterway and catchment issues, community education, awareness raising and engagement activitie, fair and equitable resource allocation issues across the city, strategic waterway and catchment issues both across the City and the SEQ region, seeking opportunities for development of relevant individual and joint grant applications from Council, regional and commonwealth funding sources on a strategic, city-wide basis. | |
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Catchment Kids
Each year over 400 primary school students from across Brisbane join forces for the environment at the annual ‘Catchment Kids’ event.
Catchment Kids is a year long environmental education program, where students engage in hands-on learning based around learning to care for their local waterways. The program culminates in a one-day forum designed to allow students to express their knowledge about the environment using a range of creative mediums. Students choose an environmental issue of importance to them then determine the best way to communicate this message to their peers, including interactive plays, dance, songs and multimedia presentations.
Catchment Kids schools for 2010 are:
- Aspley Special School
- Acacia Ridge State School
- Brookfield State School
- Fig Tree Pocket State School
- Jamboree Heights State School
- Lota State School
- Mansfield State School
- Moggill State School
- Nundah State School
- St Peter Chanel School
Past winners of the competition have included Mansfield State School in 2009 and Acacia Ridge State School in 2008.
Catchment Kids is an initiative of the Brisbane Catchments Network (BCN) and supported by the Brisbane City Council’s Creek Catchment Ranger program.
For more information, please contact us. | |
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Everyone lives in a catchment
A catchment is an area of land surrounded by natural features, such as hills, from which all water flows to a common low point, such as a creek, lake, river or bay.
Brisbane has 38 major creek catchments and more than 630 kilometres of waterways. As rain falls in a catchment, water flowing over the landscape can pick up and carry litter, soil, chemicals and other pollutants with it on its way to the local waterway.
The health of Brisbane’s waterways has been impacted by land use changes in their catchments, flood mitigation works and invasion by exotic plants and animals. Many now bear little resemblance to their ‘original’ state. Across Brisbane large numbers of community volunteers have formed groups committed to protect and restore the environmental values of their local catchments and creeks.
These groups, generally known as Catchment Groups, work with Brisbane City Council and others to improve the health, biodiversity and amenity of the city in which we live. | |
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