Queensland catchment use

To provide an indication of the health and condition of vegetation at a catchment level (the context within which wetlands are situated), detail is provided by catchment of:

• The proportion of native vegetation cleared (where native vegetation has been removed or replaced by non-native vegetation);
• The proportion of each catchment comprising dams (where native vegetation has been removed and replaced by artificial and highly modified wetlands including dams, weirs, ring tanks, canals, floodplain levee bank storages and aquaculture ponds);
• The proportion of each catchment under irrigation (where native vegetation has been replaced by irrigated non-native vegetation).
• Click map to enlarge

Figure 1: Details of the 7 drainage divisions and 137 catchments used for reporting purposes.

Proportion remnant native vegetation within a catchment

The proportion of remnant native vegetation within a catchment is an important indicator of catchment health.

• The removal of native vegetation has been distributed unevenly across the state’s 137 catchments.
• As an indication of general catchment health the proportion of native vegetation cleared by catchment is presented graphically in Figure 2.
• Moonie catchment recorded the highest proportion cleared (75%).
• 19 catchments had a proportion cleared greater than or equal to 50%.
• 4 of the 5 catchments with the highest proportion cleared (> 65%) are from the Murray-Darling division (Moonie, Condamine, Balonne, Weir).
• 55 catchments (40.1%) recorded a proportion cleared of less than or equal to 1%.

Proportion of the catchment comprising dams

A second indicator of catchment health is the proportion of the catchment comprising dams.

• Dams are distributed unevenly across the state’s 137 catchments, (see Figure 3). 
• 15 catchments had no measurable proportion of dams
• North Pine catchment had the highest proportion (4.9%).
• 123 of the 137 catchments (89.8%), dams comprised less than 1% of the catchment,
• 109 catchments (79.6 %) where dams comprised less than 0.5%
• 72 catchments (52.9%) where dams comprised less than 0.1% of the catchment area.
• 14 catchments (10.3%) had a proportion of the catchment comprising dams greater than 1%

Proportion of the catchment under irrigation

• Another indicator of catchment health is the proportion of the catchment under irrigation.
• The area under irrigation is highly concentrated within a handful of catchments;
• Figure 4 provides a graphical representation of the proportion of catchment comprising irrigated non-native vegetation.
• Barratta Creek catchment recorded the highest proportion irrigated (34.1%),
• three other catchments recorded proportions greater than 20% (Pioneer, Plane Creek and Elliot).
• 37 catchments (27%) recorded proportions irrigated of greater than 1%.
• 68 of the 137 catchments (49.6%) recorded proportions of less than or equal to 0.01%