Torbay Catchment Group

Situated on the south coast of Western Australia, the greater Torbay catchment covers approximately 45,000 hectares. It is located between the towns of Albany and Denmark and includes over a thousand landholdings.

About the Group

The Torbay Catchment Group is a non-profit community run corporation committed to promoting sustainable land use and reducing nutrient loading of waterways, lakes and inlets; to encourage biodiversity and conservation of our natural environment with community involvement and understanding.

Land use in the catchment is predominantly agricultural, except for the south west and south east coastal areas which contain the West Cape Howe and Torndirrup National Parks. Located within a world recognised biodiversity hotspot, significant conservation values are found here.

You can find out more about us on our website.

Key Priorities for the Group

We have a strong focus on implementing good environmental practise through community engagement and education. While our vision is broader than climate action, some of our projects address climate mitigation as a priority.

Protecting and creating EPBC habitat in a climate refugia

As a result of climate change, the Torbay catchment, with its mild climate, has become increasingly important as a refuge from extended extreme temperatures and drought occurring elsewhere in the south-west. This project focusses on addressing the threats of habitat loss, fragmentation and climate change and their impacts on 4 EPBC-listed species, Western Ringtail Possums, Carnaby’s, Baudin’s and Forest Red-tailed Black cockatoos. Works include: 24ha of revegetation; 23km of fencing, 76ha of remnant vegetation protected; 15 cockatubes installed; and offering 16 educational opportunities.

Joining the dots – collaborative feral management at landscape scale

Feral animals are recognised as major predators of small livestock and native animals, including critically endangered Western Ringtail Possums and Australasian Bittern. They all occur in the 594,437ha south coast WA project area. Feral animal management is mostly undertaken on one land tenure leaving pests in adjacent areas which act as feral refuges.

This 4-partner project collaborates with other community based organisations, government departments and land managers and strengthens the partner organisations and empowers the community by assisting landholders to undertake feral works.

The sharing, understanding and valuing of Australian Indigenous knowledge is crucial to building a cohesive, diverse and sustainable community and environment. This project will run events that will increase knowledge of, and interaction with our local Minang people and will work towards that goal.

Healthy Estuaries WA

HEWA coordinates and implements common actions across at-risk estuaries, building regional capability, promoting whole-of-industry engagement, and strengthening cooperative networks to share resources and knowledge.

The program will include work to reduce nutrient inputs from priority catchments, use the latest science to monitor and effectively manage waterways, and continue to build collaboration between community, scientists, government and industry.

Torbay Catchment Group has partnered with Healthy Estuaries WA and is delivering on-ground actions for Torbay farmers as a part of the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy.

Through the fertiliser management program, farmers have access to soil testing, pasture tissue testing and one-on-one agronomic advice across their whole farm.