Condition of aquatic ecosystem health

You are viewing an archived copy of the 2017 report.

View the current 2020 report.

Key finding

Queensland’s aquatic ecosystems vary significantly in condition. Some are in pristine condition while others do not meet standards for water quality.

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Queensland

Waterways in Queensland are in widely varying condition. Some rivers have high ecological function while others have been heavily impacted by historic land uses, development and poor land management practices. It is important that we protect and maintain pristine environments while working to rehabilitate and restore degraded areas.

Healthy Land and Water South East Queensland report card

The Healthy Land and Water report card reports on indicators of freshwater health across 18 major catchment areas in South East Queensland.

Queensland Government scientists collect data on fish, aquatic macroinvertebrates, ecosystem processes, and water quality indicators. Together these indicators help assess the overall condition of a waterway.

The 2017 report card used the methodology from 2015 to calculate environmental grades for each catchment as well as the impact from sediment entering waterways, the extent of habitats such as riparian vegetation and the social and economic benefits of waterways. It also highlighted management actions needed to improve waterway health.

Report card grades vary significantly across the catchments. Some are in good condition while others have been heavily affected by rural and urban land use.

The report card shows main causes of poor waterway health are:

sediment runoff from urban and rural areas
long-term loss of riparian or riverbank vegetation.

More information:

Great Barrier Reef report card

The Great Barrier Reef report cards document progress toward 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 report card documents the Reef’s inshore marine condition based on the results from monitoring and/or modelling indicators of ecosystem health and resilience; i.e. water quality, seagrass and coral health. Trends in these indicators are used to evaluate the overall health of the Reef, as well as assessing progress towards improving water quality through changes in land management practices.

With a baseline of inshore marine condition established in the 2009 report card, we can see change over time.

The most recent report cards (2015-2016) indicate:

moderate inshore marine water quality
improved inshore coral reefs from poor to moderate condition
signs of inshore seagrass habitat recovery in some regions, although remaining in poor condition overall.

Marine condition takes a long time to respond to changes in land management practices and is strongly influenced by severe weather, such as tropical cyclones and floods, which have impacted the region in recent years. Water quality improvements are expected in the long-term, provided land management practice reforms continue.

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Wet Tropics report card

The pilot Wet Tropics report card for 2015 was released in December 2016, and the first full report card was released in December 2017, providing detailed information on the health of the Wet Tropics waterways, including its major rivers, estuaries, inshore and offshore reefs. The 2015 report card graded most of the Wet Tropics waterways as moderate (C).

Grading methodology improvements and monitoring gaps from the pilot card were addressed for the 2017 report card with the following results:

offshore marine zone scored as very good (A) overall, comprised of A for water quality and B for coral
inshore areas scores were:
north inshore (C)
central inshore (C)
south inshore (C)
Palm Islands inshore (B)
freshwater and estuary areas all scored B’s and C’s apart from the Daintree freshwater area (A).

A further 4 estuaries were included in the 2017 report card.

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Mackay-Whitsunday report card

The Mackay–Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef report card reports on environmental and social indicators, as well as the region’s industry stewardship. It provides environmental grades for 5 basins, 8 estuaries, 5 inshore marine zones and 1 offshore marine zone.

The 2015 Report Card, released in October 2016, delivering mixed results for local waterways although results were generally consistent with the previous year. Some areas improved primarily due to lower than average rainfall.

The 2016 Report Card, released in October 2017, marked the second full report card for the region, using environmental condition data from the 2015-2016 period and stewardship data from 2016-2017.

Offshore marine area retained its B overall, with water quality in this area again scoring an A
Inshore marine areas (including north, central and Whitsunday area) scored a C overall
Water quality in the areas where data was available ranged from C to D.

Contaminants like pesticides continue to be an issue in freshwater streams.

Plane Creek and Sandy Creek received a low grade of E
Pioneer River received a D.

More comprehensive methods are being developed to determine the impact of herbicides and pesticides on aquatic species. The new methods were used in the 2016 report card and a more comprehensive suite of pesticides will be reported on in following report cards.

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Fitzroy Basin report card

The Fitzroy Partnership for River Health report card reports on freshwater and estuarine health of the catchments within the Fitzroy Basin, the largest on the east coast of Australia. The report card features results for ecosystem health, agriculture and drinking water suitability in Rockhampton Regional Council and Central Highlands Regional Council areas. The report card provides an assessment of freshwater and estuarine condition based on the monitoring of indicators such as fish and bugs or nutrients that help measure the overall condition of its waterways.

For the third successive year, ecosystem health received an overall grade of B (good) in the 2015-2016 report card.

Treated water for drinking water suitability received A grade (very good) for Rockhampton and Central Highlands’ townships.

The agricultural industry is the largest land use in the Fitzroy Basin and a major consumer of the Basin’s water assets. For the third year in a row, A and B grades were awarded across the Basin for stock and cropping water use.

The index of ecological health of the waterways of the Fitzroy Basin remained stable overall in 2015-16 compared to 2014-15. During the same period, the condition of these rivers improved:

Callide
Comet
Fitzroy
Lower Isaac
Mackenzie
Upper Isaac.

The condition of some rivers decreased:

Connors
Estuary Zone
Lower Dawson
Nogoa
Theresa
Upper Dawson.

More information:

Gladstone Harbour report card

The Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership report card reports on the environmental, social, economic and cultural health of the Gladstone Harbour. The report card provides an overall grade for these elements as well as environmental grades for 8 estuaries and 5 zones within Gladstone Harbour.

The 2016 report card returned a consistent overall grade of C (satisfactory). It was informed by 95 measures of the 4 components of harbour health: environmental, social, cultural and economic.

The environmental component overall rated C with scores for different geographic zones ranging from D to B. The environment score aggregates the detailed scores for: water and sediment (B); habitat (D); and fish and crabs (D).
The social component overall scored B. Harbour access, liveability/wellbeing and harbour useability all scored B.
The cultural component resulted in an overall C result. While cultural heritage scored C, a sense of place rated B.
The economic component achieved an overall B based on performance (A), value (B) and stimulus (B).

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Condamine Catchment report card

The Condamine Catchment Report Card 2013 rated the overall condition of the catchment as ‘good’ (B), with most indicators meeting guidelines or benchmark values. Water, Land and Wildlife were all ranked as ‘Good’, and progress to targets (People) was ranked as ‘Fair’.

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QCatchment Bulloo

Conceptual models are used to determine catchment specific condition indicators based on the relevant pressures in the catchment.

Key threats identified for the Bulloo catchment were:

introduced aquatic fauna
deposited sediment
introduced riparian vegetation.

Indicators of ecosystem condition relevant to these threats were assessed where possible.
Overall the condition of riverine ecosystems in the Bulloo in 2012 was ranked as ‘slightly disturbed’.

Introduced aquatic fauna was ranked as 'good condition' with no exotic fish or crayfish found during monitoring.

Deposited sediment was ranked as 'good condition' with no loss of waterhole persistence from sediment deposition (sediment settling to the bottom of waterholes) in the waterholes surveyed.

Introduced riparian fauna was ranked as 'slightly disturbed' with some physical damage to waterhole banks observed from feral pigs and cattle.

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Paroo

Conceptual models are used to determine catchment specific condition indicators based on the relevant pressures in the catchment.

Key threats identified for Paroo catchment were:

introduced aquatic fauna
deposited sediment
introduced riparian vegetation.

Indicators of ecosystem condition relevant to these threats were assessed where possible.

Overall the condition of riverine ecosystems in the Paroo in 2012 was ranked as ‘moderately disturbed’.

Introduced aquatic fauna was ranked as in 'severe condition' with European carp caught at all assessment sites and goldfish at most assessment sites.

Deposited sediment was ranked as in 'good condition' with no loss of waterhole persistence from sediment deposition (sediment settling to the bottom of waterholes) in waterholes surveyed.

Introduced riparian fauna was ranked as in 'slightly disturbed' condition with some physical damage to waterhole banks observed from feral pigs and cattle.

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Warrego

Conceptual models are used to determine catchment specific condition indicators based on the relevant pressures in the catchment.

Key threats identified for Warrego catchment were:

introduced aquatic fauna
deposited sediment
introduced riparian vegetation.

Indicators of ecosystem condition relevant to these threats were assessed where possible.

Overall the condition of riverine ecosystems in the Warrego in 2012 was ranked as ‘moderately disturbed’.

Introduced aquatic fauna was ranked as in 'moderate condition' with high carp biomass (weight) recorded at many sites.

Deposited sediment was ranked as in 'moderate condition', the persistence of waterholes over time was impacted at two sites by deposited sediment (sediment settling to the bottom of waterholes).

Introduced riparian fauna was ranked as in 'slightly disturbed' condition with some physical damage to water banks from feral pigs and cattle.

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Nebine

Conceptual models are used to determine catchment specific indicators based on the relevant pressures in the catchment.

Key threats identified for Nebine catchment were:

introduced aquatic fauna
deposited sediment
introduced riparian vegetation.

Overall the condition of riverine ecosystems in the Nebine in 2012 was ranked as ‘moderately disturbed’.

Introduced aquatic fauna was ranked as in 'moderate condition', bordering on ‘severe condition’, with a high proportion of exotic fish (mostly European carp) caught at most assessment sites.

Deposited sediment was ranked as in 'good condition' with no loss of waterhole persistence from sediment deposition (sediment settling to the bottom of waterholes) in waterholes surveyed.

Introduced riparian fauna was ranked as in 'slightly disturbed' condition with some physical damage to water banks from feral pigs and cattle.

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Lake Eyre

Conceptual models are used to determine catchment specific condition indicators based on the relevant pressures in the catchment.

Key threats in the Lake Eyre area and Bulloo catchment were:

introduced riparian fauna
introduced aquatic fauna
introduced riparian weeds.

* Riparian zone is the vegetation on the banks of the river.

Indicators of ecosystem condition relevant to these threats were assessed where possible.

No overall condition score was provided for the Lake Eyre and Bulloo Province and no condition indicators were measured for introduced riparian fauna.

Both feral pig and cattle damage to waterhole banks and riparian zones was found to be widespread in 2013. Few sites were unaffected.

Despite the spread of introduced aquatic fauna in the Georgina and Cooper (ranked as ‘slightly disturbed’), the Bulloo and Diamantina rivers were in good condition with 100% native species.

A diverse and abundant native fish community is in place across the province.

No condition indicators were measured for introduced riparian weeds, however all catchments in the Lake Eyre and Bulloo Province were assessed as being at moderate risk of riparian weed disturbance, based on the types of land use surrounding waterholes.

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Archer

Field-collected data from 4 sites was used to measure ecosystem response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Archer was ‘good condition’.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of impacts from feral pigs and cattle at all sites suggests some expected change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Introduced riparian flora condition was ranked as ‘minor disturbance’, given light infestations of rubbervine and sicklepod at most assessment sites. The threat of introduced riparian flora was however, severe: only 1 of the 4 sites was free of weeds.

Introduced aquatic fauna condition was ranked as ‘good’ with no pest fish species detected in this assessment, or in any previous surveys. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted at any sites but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Coleman

Field-collected data at 5 sites measured Coleman riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Coleman catchment was ‘minor disturbance’.

While the condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of impacts from pigs and cattle at all sites suggests some change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Introduced aquatic flora condition was assessed as being in ‘good’ condition (no infestations at assessment sites).

Introduced aquatic fauna condition was ranked as ‘good’, with no pest fish species detected at assessment sites. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

Introduced riparian flora condition was ranked as ‘minor disturbance’, given light infestations of rubbervine and sicklepod at some sites.

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Ducie

Field-collected data from 4 sites was used to measure ecosystem response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Ducie catchment was ‘good condition’.

While the condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of impacts at sites suggests some change in instream flora and fauna community structure is expected.

Introduced riparian flora condition was assessed as being in ‘good’ condition (no infestations of weed species at assessment sites).

Introduced aquatic flora condition was assessed as being in ‘good’ condition (no infestations at assessment sites).

Introduced aquatic fauna condition was ranked as ‘good’ condition with no pest fish species detected at assessment sites. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted at any sites but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Endeavour

Field-collected data from 4 sites was used to measure Endeavour catchment’s ecosystem response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Endeavour catchment was ‘moderate disturbance’.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of impacts (ranging from severe to almost pristine) at sites, suggests some change in instream flora and fauna community structure is to be expected.

Riparian flora condition was assessed as having ‘moderate disturbance’ (with various introduced weed species identified at assessment sites, e.g. lantana, rubber vine, sicklepod).

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good’ condition with no pest fish species detected at assessment sites. Tilapia have been sampled in the Endeavour previously: confirmation of continued existence would impact on condition. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted at any sites but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

Aquatic flora was assessed as being in ‘good’ condition (no introduced aquatic flora infestations at assessment sites).

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QCatchment Holroyd

Field-collected data from 3 sites was used to assess Holroyd riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Holroyd catchment was ‘minor disturbance’.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of impacts from feral pigs and cattle at all sites suggests an expectation of some change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Riparian flora condition was assessed as having ‘minor disturbance’, with low level infestation of sicklepod identified at 2 assessment sites, however threat from weeds was severe.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good’ condition with no pest fish species detected at assessment sites in this assessment, or previous surveys. Cane toads were sighted and are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

The assessment also identified apparent impacts on water clarity (turbidity) downstream of a road crossing, and noted the role played by groundwater inputs to streams during dry flow conditions (refuge values).

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Jacky Jacky

Field-collected data from 3 sites was used to assess Jacky Jacky riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible). was assessed using

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Jacky Jacky catchment was ‘good condition’. Other than moderate levels of feral pig damage, excellent scores were recorded in all other field measurements.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of feral pig impacts suggests some change in instream flora and fauna community structure is to be expected.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘good condition’, with no infestations of priority weed species present at any of the assessment sites.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good condition’ with no previous record of pest fish species, and none detected at sites in this assessment. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

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QCatchment Jardine

Field-collected data from 4 sites was used to assess Jardine riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Jardine catchment was ‘good condition’.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of feral pig impacts at all sites suggests some change in instream flora and fauna community structure is to be expected.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘good condition’, with no infestations of priority weed species present at any of the assessment sites.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good condition’ with no pest fish species detected at assessment sites in this assessment, or in previous surveys. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

QCatchment Jeannie

Field-collected data from 1 site was used to assess Jeannie riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Jeannie catchment was ‘good condition’.

Condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed. With no evidence of cattle damage and only minor evidence of feral pig impacts, little change in instream flora and fauna community structure is expected.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘good condition’, with no infestations of priority weed species present at the assessment site.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good’ condition with no pest fish species detected in this assessment. Cane toad eggs were, however, found at the site. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

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QCatchment Lockhart

Field-collected data from 3 sites was used to assess Lockhart riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Lockhart catchment was ‘good condition’.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of feral pig impacts at 2 site suggests some change in instream flora and fauna community structure is to be expected.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘good condition’, with no infestations of priority weed species present at the assessment sites. However, there are known to be weeds (e.g. sicklepod, grader grass, giant rat’s tail grass, pond apple) in the catchment.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good’ condition with no pest fish species detected in this assessment, or in previous surveys. A cane toad was sighted at one of the sites. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

QCatchment Normanby

Field-collected data from 6 sites was used at assess Normanby riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Normanby catchment was ‘moderate disturbance’.

While condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed, evidence of cattle and feral pig impacts at sites suggests expectation of some change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘moderate disturbance’, with significant and widespread infestations of lantana, rubbervine and sicklepod weed species at assessment sites.

Aquatic flora was assessed as being in ‘good’ condition (no introduced aquatic flora infestations at assessment sites).

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘minor disturbance’ to condition, with goldfish in the upper east Normanby, and cane toads or their tadpoles at most assessment sites. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.) This area is a high risk for other introductions, including tilapia.

The QCatchments review also provides comments on water quality (suspended sediments) and changes in flow regime.

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QCatchment Olive–Pascoe

Field-collected data from 4 sites was used to assess Olive-Pascoe riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Olive-Pascoe catchment was ‘minor disturbance’.

Condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed. Evidence of low level cattle and feral pig impacts at some sites suggests little change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘minor disturbance’. Weeds (including rubbervine and sicklepod) were found at light levels of infestation at three sites monitored. Current threat of introduced riparian flora to the Olive-Pascoe was assessed as severe, given widespread presence and potential for quick change in condition.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good condition’, with no pest fish species identified in this assessment, or in previous surveys. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

QCatchment Stewart

Field-collected data from 2 sites was used to assess Stewart riverine ecosystems response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Stewart catchment was ‘good condition’.

Condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed. Evidence of minor impacts at sites (mainly from pigs) suggests little change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘good condition’, with no infestations of priority weeds evident at the monitoring sites.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good condition’, with no pest fish species identified in this assessment, or in previous surveys. Cane toad adults were sighted in very high numbers at one of the sites. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

QCatchment Wenlock

Field-collected data from 8 sites was used to assess Wenlock riverine ecosystems’ response to identified threats (where possible).

The QCatchments overall rating of riverine ecosystems in the Wenlock catchment was ‘good condition’.

Condition of river systems associated with introduced riparian fauna was not assessed. Evidence of minor impacts at sites suggests little change in instream flora and fauna community structure.

Riparian flora was assessed as having ‘minor disturbance’, due to localised infestations of rubbervine and sicklepod at the monitoring sites, however riparian weeds are the main threat to riverine ecology in the Wenlock.

Aquatic flora was assessed as being in ‘good’ condition (no introduced aquatic flora infestations at assessment sites), however there are anecdotal reports of water hyacinth in this catchment, and water lettuce has been identified in adjoining catchments.

Aquatic fauna was ranked as ‘good condition’, with no pest fish species identified in this assessment. Cane toads or their tadpoles were not sighted at any of the sites but are known to occur in the catchment. (The presence of cane toads is not reflected in the condition scores because of their extensive presence across Cape York.)

More information:

Condition of ecosystem report

Indicator: Condition of aquatic ecosystem health

Condition of aquatic ecosystem health identified in various water quality report card areas across Queensland.

Great Barrier Reef report card

Overall grade applies to marine ecosystem health only.

Healthy Land and Water South East Queensland report card

Report card does not provide an overall grade.

Fitzroy Basin report card

Overall grade applies to freshwater and estuarine ecosystem health only.