Wetlands Australia National Wetlands Update 2012
Issue No. 20, February 2012
ISSN 1446-4843
Queensland Government Update
Managing some of Queensland's most sensitive and valuable environments has been made more effective throughout 2011 with the launch of several new and updated online tools for wetlands managers and decision makers.
The Queensland Wetlands Program, a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland governments, develops projects for the sustainable use, management, conservation and protection of Queensland wetlands, and continues to deliver quality outcomes which are available to all Queenslanders.
Many new products were delivered this year, including a Queensland Wetland Buffer Planning Guideline, which helps planners and managers design the most appropriate buffer to protect wetlands. The guideline assists in the assessment of the wetland values of the site and the pressures on these values. See:
- Queensland Government – Environment and Resource Management: Wetland Buffer Planning Guideline .
The Queensland Wetland Buffer Planning Guideline, the WetlandMaps tool, numerous databases, information sources and guidelines developed through the Queensland Wetlands Program are used directly or called up in State planning policy 4/11: protecting wetlands of high ecological significance in Great Barrier Reef catchments, which became permanent in late 2011.
Some other outcomes of the program in 2011 include the report Inventory of instream structures impacting on Ramsar wetlands, multiple site-specific conceptual model case studies, the Queensland's wonderful wetlands brochure and poster and aquatic conservation assessments of wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef, all available on the WetlandInfo website.
