This project
develops and implements Rehabilitation Action Plans for 5 –
10 priority wetlands identified in the Lower Burdekin. The project
region is defined to include the catchments of Barratta,
Sheepstation, Morrisi, Plantation, Kalamia and Saltwater
Creeks. Sheepstation and Barratta Creeks will be the
primary focus.
On-ground
works may include:
·
weed
control
·
fencing
·
controlled
grazing
·
revegetation
·
controlled
burns
·
removal/modification
of fish passage barriers.
This project is a joint Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM and
WetlandCare Australia project.
Importance of
Lower Burdekin Wetlands
Wetlands are
highly biodiverse ecosystems, providing important habitat for fish,
waterbirds and other animals. Three wetland aggregations listed
in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (2003) are part
of the Lower Burdekin catchment: Jerona Aggregation, Barratta
Channels Aggregation and Haughton Water Storage
Aggregation.
These Lower Burdekin aggregations are in the Directory of Important
Wetlands because they are representative of their bioregion, play a
critical role in the function of their catchment, and/or they are
refuges during drought or for breeding for many fish and bird
species.
Wetlands play a role in reducing sediment, pesticide and nutrient
loads entering freshwater, coastal and marine
ecosystems. Lower
Burdekin wetlands also play a part in improving the quality of
surface water run-off before it enters the adjacent GBR inshore
lagoon. The benefits of these water quality improvement
‘services’ provided by healthy wetlands contribute to
tourism, commercial fisheries and a strong local
economy.
Background
The Burdekin River floodplain is one of the largest in Australia.
Whilst the wetland systems retain many natural values, they have
been affected by hydrological alteration, changes to catchment
land-use, loss of riparian vegetation, habitat fragmentation, hot
fires and weed invasion. As a result, the habitat values and water
quality of these wetland areas have deteriorated.
For example, the floodplain lagoons of the Burdekin River currently
have low fish species richness compared to other tropical systems;
particularly for fish that move between salt and fresh water, such
as barramundi. People who have been fishing in the region for
decades say that the situation was very different
historically.
In
an effort to improve the wetland condition of the region, a number
of weed control, revegetation, controlled grazing and water quality
monitoring projects have received funding from local, state and
federal governments. Lessons learnt from these projects have
informed the development of the Freshwater Wetlands of the Barratta
Creek Catchment Management Investment Strategy and the Sheepstation
Creek Management Plan. These
documents in collaboration with the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM Region
Fish Passage Study and Wetland Rehabilitation Guidelines for the
Great Barrier Reef Catchment (WetlandCare) form the basis of
prioritisation of wetlands for on-ground works in this
project.
In July 2004 the Coastal Wetlands
Protection Programme (CWPP)
Pilot Program was announced to fast track the protection of
priority wetlands that were identified in the Great Barrier Reef
Coastal Wetlands Protection Programme (GBRCWPP).
From early 2005 to mid 2007, Conservation Volunteers Australia
(CVA), WetlandCare Australia (WCA), Australian Centre for Tropical
Freshwater Research (ACTFR), Econcern, and CSIRO
formed
a consortium to run the CWPP Pilot Programme
.
Of the 22 wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment
selected for trials of integrated management strategies, 2 were on
the Burdekin floodplain.
The lessons learnt from these
trials, in conjunction with the Wetland Revegetation Guidelines for
the GBR catchment, will guide the selection of on-ground works at
each site.