Freshwater wetland ecosystems
You are viewing an archived copy of the 2017 report.
Key messages
Key findings
State
- Extent and rate of change of freshwater wetland systems
More than 94% of the pre-European settlement extent of freshwater wetlands in Queensland remained in 2013. Changes in the extent of freshwater wetlands have been monitored in Queensland since 2001. Wetland loss peaked at a rate of 0.12% during 2001–2005. The rate of freshwater wetland loss reduced to 0.04% during 2005-2009 and 0.03% in 2009–2013.
Of the three freshwater wetland systems — lacustrine, palustrine, riverine — the greatest ongoing losses have occurred in palustrine and riverine systems in the Murray Darling and North East Coast Drainage divisions.
- Freshwater wetland systems within protected areas
8.7% of ‘natural’ or ‘low modified’ freshwater wetlands in Queensland are within protected areas. The majority are palustrine systems and are within national parks.
- Condition of riverine ecosystem health
Queensland’s freshwater aquatic ecosystems vary significantly in condition. Some are in good to very good condition while others do not meet standards for water quality.
Pressure
- Pressures affecting riverine ecosystems
Sediment, nutrients and chemicals, and the loss of riparian forests are the major catchment pressures that broadly impact Queensland’s freshwater rivers but vary in their relative importance between regions.
- Invasive non-native freshwater fauna species
Invasive non-native fauna species, particularly pest fish, are relatively widespread in some sections of Queensland’s freshwater ecosystems and have the potential to degrade and modify aquatic environments as well as displace native species.
- Invasive non-native freshwater flora species
Invasive non-native flora species can have significant impacts on freshwater ecosystems including smothering native vegetation, blocking creeks, reducing water quality by preventing light penetration, reducing oxygenation of water, and choking out fish and other aquatic wildlife.
Programs
| Healthy Land and Water South East Queensland report card | The Healthy Land and Water South East Queensland Report Card covers the 18 major river catchments from the Noosa River Catchment to the New South Wales Border, as well as the marine areas of Pumicestone Passage, Moreton Bay and the Broadwater. The report card is an annual commentary of the state of estuarine, marine and freshwater health with waterway monitoring from about 400 sites across the region. The 2015 report card introduced new indicators, including riparian vegetation, and combined indicators to calculate one overall grade per catchment. The 2017 report card added the impact from sediment entering waterways, the extent of habitats such as riparian vegetation, and waterways’ social and economic benefits ratings. It also explored management actions needed to improve waterways health. |
| Fitzroy Basin Report Card | The Fitzroy Basin Report Card reports on aquatic ecosystem health of freshwater and estuarine condition for the Fitzroy Basin, as well as drinking water results for Rockhampton and Central Highlands. The report card helps inform whether current management strategies are proving successful in maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems and helps guide and improve planning and investments towards improved aquatic ecosystem health by governments and all partner organisations. |
| Mackay-Whitsunday Report Card | The Mackay–Whitsunday Report Card, reports on the health of the region’s waterways, including the catchments of the Don, Proserpine, Pioneer, O’Connell and Plane basins, eight estuaries, and the inshore and offshore marine areas to the eastern boundary of the Great Barrier Reef. The report card helps community, industry, science, tourism and government to work together to determine what more can be done to look after our waterways. |
| Wet Tropics Report Card | The Wet Tropics Report Card assesses the health of the major rivers, estuaries, inshore and offshore reefs in the Wet Tropics region. The Daintree, Mossman, Barron, Mulgrave, Russell Johnstone, Tully, Murray and Herbert freshwater basins are assessed for water quality, habitat and hydrology, and fish. The report card communicates information on waterway health, enables long term trends to be identified and supports action to improve the health of Wet Tropics waterways. |
| Condamine Catchment Report Card | The Condamine Catchment Report Card 2013 is a one-off report card supported by technical reports. It reports on catchment condition (water, land and wildlife). The report card aims to raise awareness in the region, engage current and potential stakeholders and improve knowledge by summarising robust and detailed scientific studies in an easy-to-understand format. |
| Great Barrier Reef Report Card and Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program (Paddock to Reef Program) | The Great Barrier Reef Report Card measures progress towards meeting water quality and catchment indicator targets set through the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan from 2009 to 2017 and will subsequently be set through the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan in 2018. The Paddock to Reef program combines monitoring and modelling to assess reductions in sediment, nutrients and pesticides at the end of catchments that flow to the reef. The area of agricultural land managed using best practice systems is also assessed, along with key catchment health indicators such as groundcover, riparian extent and the extent and improvement in ecological processes and environmental values of natural wetlands. |
| QCatchments program | The QCatchments program can be scaled up or down from province to catchment level depending on information needs. The program moves across the state depending on priorities, with assessments generally undertaken to support water planning assessments. The QCatchments program identifies priority threats to aquatic ecosystems, reports on the condition of the ecosystem, improves understanding of ecosystem processes and the influence of threats, and guides natural resource decision-making processes. |
| Surface Water Quantity and Quality Networks and Groundwater Level and Quality Networks | The networks assess the state's water resource availability by providing data for hydrologic analysis, operation and management activities to ensure the productive and responsible use of natural resources. |
| Annual Pest Distribution Survey | Annual pest distribution surveys provide data on distribution of weed and pest animal species (does not include pest fish). |
| Wetlandinfo | Wetlandinfo provides detailed information of the state’s wetlands (including lakes, swamps, rivers, estuaries and oceans) based on an innovative mapping and classification methodology. It uses existing information including water body mapping derived from Landsat satellite imagery, regional ecosystem mapping, topographic data, and the Species Recovery Information Gateway (Spring) database to provide consistent, detailed and high resolution wetland mapping for the whole of Queensland. |