Coastal Wetlands of South East Queensland - Survey and Assessment

East Queensland Volume 1 Mapping and survey

The first stage of the project, Coastal Wetlands of South East Queensland Volume 1 Mapping and survey, involved coastal wetland mapping at 1:25,000 of vegetated coastal wetlands below the 2.5 metre contour (i.e. sites that are subject to tidal influence) between Maroochy Shire and the Queensland-New South Wales border. This covered the local council areas of Maroochy, Caloundra, Caboolture, Redcliffe, Pine Rivers, Brisbane, Redland, Logan and the Gold Coast and was undertaken by the Queensland Herbarium.

From this information, a report and database was produced containing information on the characteristics of coastal wetland vegetation in south-east Queensland, including a full species list for each site.

Coastal Wetlands of South East Queensland Volume 2 Conservation assessment

The second part, Coastal Wetlands of South East Queensland Volume 2 Conservation assessment, involved the development of a methodology for assessing conservation significance of coastal wetlands and the application of this methodology to the coastal wetlands mapped by the Queensland Herbarium. This was undertaken by Chenoweth Environmental Planning and Landscape Architect consultants.

This study assessed the regional value of the coastal wetlands. The conservation value of the wetlands was assessed against criteria such as: representativeness, size of wetlands, and diversity of vegetation communities.

The assessment results were reviewed by a panel of experts.

What did the studies find?

More than 37,000 hectares of vegetation were mapped by the Queensland Herbarium, comprising:

• mangrove
• samphire
• claypan
• Sporobolus virginicus grassland associations
• Casuarina glauca associations
• sedgeland
• Melaleuca quinquenervia associations
• heathland.

Vegetation units not included in the scope of this project, but which may fall below the 2.5m contour, include:

• littoral rainforest
• dunal headland communities
• remnant riverine communities
• coastal heathland.

A methodology to assess the conservation significance of coastal wetlands on the basis of transparent and repeatable criteria using available data was developed and applied to the mapped areas. The criteria used in the methodology included size, representativeness, vegetation diversity and boundaries, connectivity, significant species and wader bird habitat. Criteria were each rated on a four-point scale from low to very high. The assessment criteria were subject to an expert panel and Agency review.

The study area was broken down to 31 wetland complexes, 206 wetland units, and 45,000 vegetation communities. Application of the methodology and review by the expert panel resulted in the 206 wetland units being rated for their conservation significance as State significance, regional significance, valuable habitat and local significance.

Of the 206 wetlands in the study area (covering 36,800 hectares):

• 63 are of State significance (82% of the total coastal wetland area)
• 91 are regional significance (11.4% of wetland area).

The size of the wetland and the size of the mapped vegetation communities within each wetland are major factors in determining significance. These generally correlated with diversity and representativeness.

The Queensland Herbarium mapped 11 discrete wetland units, which the conservation assessment study rated highly representative of the communities for the region. Seven of these represent the only occurrence of that community across the study area.

The study gave high priority to conserving as much as possible of the remaining areas of Casuarina glauca and Melaleuca quinquenervia communities within areas classified as ‘of concern’ in regional ecosystems.

The Geographic Information System coverage produced by the study displays the relative conservation significance for wetlands within the study area.

How will the results of the studies be used?

Information from the two studies will be used to:

• provide general information about coastal wetlands to local government planners, conservation groups and the general public
• provide information about the size and nature of wetlands in the region, including the types and diversity of the vegetation communities, the presence of significant wetland species and the area’s connectivity to different types of waterbodies and ecosystems such as mudflats and sandflats
• derive information such as which vegetation communities are within wetland units, the size of these vegetation communities, and the degree to which these communities represent the overall occurrence of the vegetation across the region
• focus the application of relevant policies and mechanisms of the south-east Queensland Regional Coastal Management Plan
• contribute to achieving the objectives of the Strategy for the Conservation and Management of Queensland Wetlands (1999)
• guide development assessment decisions
• assist local government and other planning processes by providing protection and management objectives and guidelines for wetlands
• provide Integrated Planning Act (IPA) referral agencies with information on which to support development assessment decisions
• add to previous work such as Characteristics of Important Wetlands by providing smaller scale information for the Moreton Bay wetlands and other surrounding wetland areas.

Where is this information available?

The DERM has produced a CD containing the reports:

• Coastal Wetlands of South East Queensland Volume 1 Mapping and survey, Queensland Herbarium
• Coastal Wetlands of South East Queensland Volume 2 Conservation assessment, Chenoweth Environmental Planning and Landscape Architecture.

The CD also contains maps and data associated with Volume 2.

To obtain a copy of the CD, or for more information on coastal wetlands in south-east Queensland, please contact:

Environmental Information Systems Unit, Environmental Sciences Division,
Telephone: (07) 3227 6459 or email: data.coordinator♲derm.qld.gov.au