Authorities warn the Hopkins River is in poor health and declining with agriculture largely to blame. But as Ted O'Connor reports, farmers are seen as a crucial part of the solution.
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00:00Jane O'Byrne is doing what she loves best, planting new trees among others she planted
00:08two decades ago.
00:09My happiest place is being on the river and planting trees and just being amongst nature
00:16and having those moments when you hear a splash in the water and there's a platypus looking
00:20at you.
00:21This is the riparian zone, the strip of vegetation between the paddocks and the Hopkins River.
00:27It's a buffer stopping cattle getting in the water and filtering out fertilisers while
00:32boosting biodiversity.
00:34But this is a bright spot amid a grim picture.
00:38The river is not in great shape, its water quality is poor and has been declining over
00:45time.
00:46Farming fertilisers are largely to blame.
00:48Since the 1990s nitrogen has increased by about fourfold, whereas phosphorus has increased
00:54maybe twice or two or three times as bad as it was.
00:59And these are actually over the EPA's environmental quality objectives.
01:03To address the issue, the Catchment Management Authority wants farmers to revegetate all the
01:08banks of the Hopkins and its tributaries.
01:11It estimates the job is just over half done.
01:13It's up to farmers whether they want to do the work.
01:17There are grants available, but landholders often need to shoulder a good chunk of the
01:22cost themselves, stretching into the tens of thousands of dollars.
01:27And right now, primary producers are struggling.
01:31Waterholes here that are normally, they'd be right up higher.
01:37Drought has gripped the region.
01:39On Brendan O'Brien's dairy farm, the river is the lowest he's seen it.
01:43He warns drought-stricken farmers are unlikely to prioritise river revegetation.
01:48At the moment, they're probably too tired and long days feeding.
01:52It would not be on their radar at the moment.
01:55But there is now a new way for farmers to make money out of revegetating riverbanks.
02:00They can sell these works on a commonwealth market.
02:03And corporations can buy them to show they're looking after the environment.
02:08We're looking at companies, particularly those that are in the food, fibre and beverage
02:11industry, who rely on agricultural products that have a requirement to their shareholders
02:17under their environmental, social and government's reporting obligations.
02:21Some landholders believe those with river frontage also have a social responsibility.
02:26Being as stewards of our land, we should be caring for it.
02:30So it can be enjoyed by future generations.
02:38Welcome back.
02:40Let's go.
02:42Thanks, Scott Fulmon.
02:43I'm simply watching.
02:45Let's watch.
02:46Here we go.
02:49Let's talk about policy…
02:52Make two decisions.
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03:00It's very important to them.
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03:04Correct.