As part of the Burdekin CCI’s commitment to develop a
Water Quality Improvement Plan for the region it is necessary to
document the extent and current condition of our water bodies. This
includes rivers, creeks and wetlands.
Prior to commencing this project there was scarce published
information of the wetlands within the Burdekin region. The
Burdekin CCI commissioned a review which includes the
following:
- Mapping and description of the water bodies of the region
- An assessment of the extent and condition of wetlands and
riparian areas
The review found that wetland condition is poorest on the
coastal sub-divisions (Burdekin Delta, Barattas and Haughton). This
is due to the changes in land use that have taken place in these
areas, including modified hydrology for irrigation, loss of
riparian habitat, weeds and inappropriate fire regimes.
Wetlands showing the best condition were those that drained
rainforest covered mountains and those associated with spring-fed
wetlands.
Read the Report
By Mirjam Maughan, Damien Burrows, Barry Butler, Leo Lymburner
and George Lukacs (2006).
Assessing the condition of wetlands in the Burdekin
Catchment.
Read about individual catchments (in alphabetical order)
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Wetlands near the Valley of Lagoons in the Upper
Burdekin.
Photo: S.Connor
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