69 BURDEKIN DRY TROPICS NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2016-2026
BIODIVERSITY
Figure 19- Marine Park Zoning, Fish Habitat Areas & Dugong Protection Areas within the BDT region
Partnerships to protect biodiversity
WetlandCare Australia, with support from the Australian Government’ s funding, is working with multiple stakeholders to protect, manage and enhance the high ecological functional values of Barratta Creek Catchment. The catchment forms the main artery of the Bowling Green Bay wetlands, the only Ramsar site in North Queensland. Some key highlights in the past four years include:
• 21,500 native plants planted;
• Six Land Management Agreements with landholders focusing on native tree plantings and fencing to exclude feral animals;
• a constructed wetland established on a Sunwater drain to filter and treat nutrients and pesticides; and
• worked with a landholder to manage fire to meet hazard reduction targets that protect crops and infrastructure, while reducing impacts on native plants and animals.
2. Wetlands and coastal diversity
The Burdekin Dry Tropics’ rivers and associated wetlands are significant features, with 34 wetlands listed in the National Directory of Important Wetlands( see Appendix C, p 89). The Bowling Green Bay wetlands host regionally-significant populations of breeding waterfowl and waterbirds and are an internationally significant migratory wader bird habitat. Up to 50 per cent of the migratory species listed under the Japan-Australian Migratory Bird Agreement( JAMBA) and China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement( CAMBA) occur in these wetlands. These are agreements between the Australian, Japanese and Chinese governments for the protection of migratory birds in danger of extinction, and their environment. Coastal wetlands are also important links to adjacent coastal waters and seagrass meadows that provide regionallysignificant fish habitat and nursery areas, and are recognised as a productivity hotspot that supports major commercial and recreational fisheries.
Our region contains approximately 280km 2 of estuarine systems( mangroves, saltmarsh / saltflats and intertidal flats); 26 of these were assessed as near pristine( 30 %), largely unmodified( 40 %) or modified( 30 %)( Australian Government, 2015c). The modified estuaries are Barratta Creek, Burdekin River, Don River, Haughton River, Ross River, Bohle River and Sandfly Creek. Catchment modifying factors include altered catchment hydrology, effluent pollution, irrigation tailwater, groundwater extraction, sand extraction in estuaries and floodplains, sewage treatment plants, dams, floodplain barrages and tidal weirs. Information on wetlands, including their
values and management requirements, is contained in the WQIP and is are available on a number of tools via Queensland Government’ s WetlandInfo- Wetland Summary Tool, Aquatic Conservation Assessment and Walking the Landscape.
3. Offshore diversity
Our region’ s marine environment is within the GBR World Heritage Area, the world’ s largest and most complex reef system. Our region’ s near-shore reefs include fringing reefs such as those around the Palm Islands, and Magnetic Island. Nearshore reefs have close connections with coastal habitats( such as mangroves and wetlands), and are exposed to greater impacts from coastal and catchment activities than the outer reefs in the adjacent Oceans NRM regional area. Our region’ s reefs are centrally located among the 3,000 coral reefs stretching 2,300 kilometres along the Queensland coast. Reefs create critical habitat for countless marine organisms, and also provide essential ecological processes. The reef is a centre of species richness and endemism and its structure buffers the coast from waves and storms, its organisms support commercial fisheries and tourism, and it is strongly linked to Indigenous and broader Australian cultural identity.
The coastal bays of the World Heritage Area provide significant habitat for many iconic marine species and are covered by four declared Fish Habitat Areas( Bohle River, Cleveland Bay, Bowling Green Bay and Burdekin) and four Dugong Protection Areas( Cleveland Bay, Bowling Green Bay, Upstart Bay and Edgecumbe Bay)( see Figure 19).
The coastal waters within our region include seagrass-dominated, shallow marine environments of the GBR Lagoon and provide important fish habitat and nursery areas. The meadows are frequented by dugongs and turtles as witnessed by feeding trails and scars. Sediments within this habitat are mud and sand that have been discharged into the marine environment in flood plumes following large storm events, in particular from the Burdekin River.
As mentioned in previous sections of the plan, major pressures and threats, particularly to Burdekin wetlands, coasts