Wetlands Australia 32: Restoring wetlands and stream banks in the lower Burdekin

Author: Laura Dunstan, Program Manager, Waterways, Wetlands and Coasts, NQ Dry Tropics

The NQ Dry Tropics Reducing Burdekin Sediment project is restoring the function of coastal ecosystems in the lower Burdekin by maintaining and improving the health of key wetlands, repairing an eroded stream bank, and supporting the local agricultural community to adopt improved practices.

The lower Burdekin area contains a wealth of biodiversity, and is also important culturally and economically. The area includes the Townsville-Burdekin wetland aggregation – a nationally-important waterway and wetland system and one of the largest clusters of wetlands on the east coast of Australia. It also includes the Bowling Green Bay Ramsar site, natural refuges, declared fish habitat areas, and declared dugong protection areas. The lower Burdekin also contributes large amounts of fine sediment and other pollutants to the Great Barrier Reef, affecting its coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and estuaries, as well as its resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The project, Reducing Fine Sediment by Maintaining and Restoring Burdekin Stream Banks and Coastal Wetlands 2018-2022, is funded by the Queensland Natural Resource Investment Program. This project is restoring wetlands that support commercial and recreational fisheries; host regional and migratory waterbirds; and benefit the local cane industry through storing and transporting irrigation water. They also act as a natural water quality treatment system that helps downstream environments including the reef. However, their ability to perform this function is reduced by impacts from agricultural development, altered hydrology, loss of seasonality and connectivity.  Continuous low flows throughout the year have resulted in the loss of seasonality in the wetland systems, increasing the prevalence of invasive aquatic weeds, reducing habitat and water quality for a diversity of wetland species.

To address this, the project is removing targeted aquatic and riparian weeds, removing sediment, improving flow regulation, revegetating creek banks, and supporting upstream cane growers to minimise impacts on wetlands by improving farm management at four priority wetland sites. By addressing threats and restoring the natural function and resilience of these wetlands, this project will improve their capacity to capture and retain sediments, prevent them travelling downstream and increase the wetlands biodiversity values.

Before and after aquatic weed removal in Saltwater creek, Lower Burdekin. Photo: Scott Fry

This project is building on the success of previous NQ Dry Tropics projects such as Systems Repair and Landscape Resilience, and involves close partnerships with Burdekin Shire Council, Lower Burdekin Water, Burdekin Shire Rivers Improvement Trust, industry groups, landholders, Traditional Owners and community groups. The project results will be shared with the scientific community to address knowledge gaps, such as the important role wetlands play in the Lower Burdekin Delta in trapping sediments and nutrients.

Further Information

Laura Dunstan - (07) 4799 3530 or 0402 480 534

Website: NQ Dry Tropics