Focus on remote Cape York wetlands for clues on GBR health

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch today (Wednesday) praised the cooperation and assistance of traditional owners, who worked alongside scientific officers from the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation (DSITI) and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) carrying out the survey.

“This vital monitoring operation is part of a suite of measures the Queensland Government has put in place to track long-term trends in the pressures on and changes in the environmental values of natural freshwater wetlands”, Ms Enoch said.

“The wetland monitoring program focuses on the vegetated swamps and lakes that are within floodplain systems connected to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by surface waters.

“Wetlands are vital for the protection of the Great Barrier Reef as they reduce the impacts of sediment run-off from our river and creek systems.

“These aquatic habitats are also intrinsically invaluable in their own right, recharging ground water, providing important habitat for a diversity of wildlife, including commercially important species of fish,” Ms Enoch said.

The study was undertaken as part of the Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program.

Four aspects of wetlands are monitored using an index of indicators to determine biological health (including water quality), physical naturalness, the naturalness of the hydrology, and connectivity to nearby wetlands and native vegetation.

The results of these individual assessments are combined to give an overall score card for Great Barrier Reef catchment wetlands.

Recent monitoring was done on wetlands on CYPAL national parks and grazing properties in southern Cape York. 

This is the second year of monitoring Cape York wetlands in field work that has involved DSITI staff, QPWS staff, Buubugujin and Rinyirru Land Trust trainee rangers and Cape York NRM.

DSITI Principal Environmental Scientist Maria Vandergragt said DSITI was grateful for the help of landholders and traditional owners from across the region, who had facilitated access to wetlands and provided additional information to the scientific team.

Under the program, freshwater wetlands across the GBR catchments are being assessed annually.

The wetland baseline condition report will be released as part of the upcoming Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Report Card. The GBR catchments wetland monitoring is an ongoing program funded by the Queensland Government.