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Estuary Assessment 2000: Queensland

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Queensland

Key findings

Key messages

• Queensland has unique near-shore, marine environments such as the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and Moreton Bay. These systems are at risk of ecological damage from the sediments and nutrients delivered from catchments through their adjoining estuaries.
• Queensland estuaries are diverse. They vary markedly as a result of catchment size, land use and climatic influences.
• Estuarine values need to be better recognised in State and local government planning instruments. Regional planning should seek to minimize the number and extent of estuaries impacted by coastal development.
• The links between catchment and estuarine health need to be understood and their management integrated, especially within water resource allocation and catchment management processes.

Key needs

• The information base on estuaries established through the Audit partnership needs to be maintained, updated and enhanced.
• There is a need for further research to understand processes in Queensland estuaries, the needs of estuarine fauna and flora and the impacts of sediments and nutrients, building on the Audit's assessment of sediment and nutrient loads to estuaries.
• A baseline understanding of the variability of natural estuary systems and the impacts of episodic, annual, cyclonic events and extreme weather is required. Baseline data for near-pristine estuaries and a long-term monitoring program could provide such information.
• Building on the Audit partnership's categorisation of estuary types, studies of estuaries that are representative of particular categories would enhance management for all Queensland estuaries.
• Recognising that systems such as Moreton Bay, Hervey Bay and the Great Barrier Reef lagoon are downstream of estuaries and are important ecological resources, further work is required to understand and demonstrate links between catchment, estuarine and near-shore processes, and from that basis set priorities for management.
• Further development of an 'index of estuary condition' building on the Audit's assessment process together with long term monitoring of changes in this index would be a useful management tool.
• Coordinated development of public and commercial coastal facilities (e.g. ports and tourist resorts) is essential to avoid duplication and unwanted reclamation of tidal and other estuarine wetlands.

Management arrangements

Although there is no formal coordination of estuarine management in Queensland, the State Coastal Management Plan provides direction to State agencies and local government through principles and policies, for the coordinated management of the coastal zone including estuaries.

Responsibility for different aspects of estuarine management reside with the following agencies:

• Department of Primary Industries (responsible for fisheries resources and fish habitat management, including fish habitat areas, and aquaculture).
• Environmental Protection Agency (responsible for coastal planning, coastal processes, water quality and marine parks).
• Department of Natural Resources and Mines (responsible for water resource planning and catchment management).
• Department of Local Government and Planning (responsible for integrated planning).

Policies

• Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld) and Environmental Protection Policy (Water)
• Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld)
• Marine Parks Act 1982 (Qld)
• Integrated Planning Act 1997 (Qld)
• Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld)
• Draft Rivers Policy 2001
• State Planning Policy on Acid Sulfate Soil Management 2000
• Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 (Qld)

The Queensland Environmental Protection Agency has responsibilities for coastal planning under the Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 (Qld). Under this legislation, a State Coastal Plan has been developed and came into force in February 2002. The plan contains principles and policies by which the coastal zone will be managed and which must be taken into account in all planning at State and local government level. More detailed regional coastal management plans are being prepared.

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld), the Queensland Environmental Protection Authority is responsible for maintaining water quality in estuaries and licenses all discharges to estuaries. Linked to this, the agency carries out routine water quality monitoring in estuaries as far north as Townsville and is involved, along with the Coastal Cooperative Research Centre, in intensive monitoring of estuaries in south-east Queensland.

The Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Fisheries Service is responsible under the Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld) for the management, monitoring and assessment of fisheries resources, including marine plants and other fish habitats. The Queensland Fisheries Service plays the key role in investigating and gazetting areas of key fish habitats in estuarine and coastal areas as declared fish habitat areas. More than 700 000 ha of fish habitats have been declared to ensure habitat protection and to underpin long-term coastal and estuarine fisheries production. The majority of the estuarine and inshore areas along the Queensland coast have been investigated for possible fisher habitat area status. Separately Queensland Fisheries Service plays a major role in assessment of proposed coastal developments in terms of the potential and real impacts of these on fisheries and habitat resources and mitigation of these impacts should development go ahead. Through the Queensland Fisheries Service's activities, key elements of fish habitat management are incorporated within local government planning schemes. Any approvals issued under the Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld) are conditional on minimising impact on estuarine fish habitats.

As part of State-wide fish habitat management within estuaries and inshore waters, the Queensland Fisheries Service has developed policies, codes of practice and specific guidelines for key stakeholders (including cane growers, local government officers and public infrastructure developers) with interests and responsibilities in coastal areas. Assessment of the condition and long-term monitoring of change in estuarine fisheries and key aquatic habitats continues to be an important management requirement.

Under the Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld), Queensland Fisheries Service manages aquaculture activity and contributes to the development of strategic policies to ensure the development of sustainable coastal aquaculture.

Community initiatives

Waterwatch Queensland is working with the Department of Primary Industries, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, the Environmental Protection Agency (with support from the Natural Heritage Trust Coasts and Clean Seas Program and Coastal Cooperative Research Centre) to develop methods for community monitoring initiatives in the marine environment with a focus on estuarine and coastal areas. This project complements existing community-based monitoring activities such as the Seagrass-Watch program operating in Hervey Bay and the Whitsunday Islands.

Other community initiatives include: Waterwatch, Coastcare, Wader Birds, Sunfish and Surfrider Foundation groups and activities.

State priorities

• Aquaculture is an emerging priority use for Queensland's coastal areas and will need to be well-planned and managed. Appropriate siting of aquaculture proposals above the tidal influence will limit the exposure of acid sulfate soils and minimise impacts on estuarine wetlands.
• Coastal development and pressures are increasing in relatively intact undeveloped areas. Coordination, particularly of marina and port developments and general disturbance of acid sulfate soils is a key issue.
• River and catchment impacts on estuarine health and values need to be better understood and managed to reduce downstream impacts.
• Habitat loss was historically a big issue, particularly with land use expansion in the 1960s and 1970s. Legislation has limited further removal of mangroves and other marine plants. However this may be placing increased pressure on other habitats, particularly brackish wetlands (e.g. the already much reduced melaleuca wetlands) - important for fisheries and estuarine condition and while recognised under the Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld), processes to protect these habitats are not yet in place.

Around the State

Gulf estuaries

Estuaries from the Northern Territory border to the tip of Cape York are characterised by extreme wet/dry seasonality and large floodplains. Grazing is the main land use in the catchments, with indigenous, recreational and commercial fishing occurring in many estuaries. These estuaries are predominantly in near-pristine condition.

There is great diversity in the way that these estuaries function with tidal and river energy significant for most estuaries. In addition to their importance as habitats for commercial and recreational fish species, the estuaries are important habitat for crocodiles and estuarine elasmobranchs (including sawfish and some rare shark species). The Jardine River near the top of the western side of Cape York is a perennial river. Further south, rainfall is lower and freshwater input more intermittent.

Cape York and the Wet Tropics

Estuaries from the tip of Cape York to Ingham at the southern end of the Wet Tropics experience considerable variation in annual rainfall. There is great diversity in the way that these estuaries function with tidal and river energy significant for most estuaries. Northern Cape York experiences moderate though highly seasonal rainfall. Further south, a broad, low lying dry belt stretches across the bottom of the Cape York Peninsula, towards Cape Melville and Princess Charlotte Bay. South of Cooktown rainfall becomes much higher with steep catchments, fast flowing rivers, floodplains and short estuaries. In the Wet Tropics there is usually year round freshwater flow despite a strong wet-dry seasonality in rainfall.

Sugar cane farming and horticulture (e.g. pawpaws, bananas) are the main floodplain land uses south of the Daintree. Grazing and dairying with cropping on the better soils are the main land use in Tableland areas, above the steep gorge sections that are World Heritage Area listed rainforest/wet sclerophyll forest.

The estuaries north of Mossman are predominantly in near-pristine to largely unmodified condition. The estuaries within the Wet Tropics and their floodplains have been significantly modified for agriculture and urban development. Wetland habitat losses and changes to the ecological function of wetlands and riparian areas are major issues. Land use together with the high intensity monsoonal rainfall patterns leads to major sediment and nutrient loads instream and to significant change to fish habitat, including loss of deeper channels, seagrass beds and changes to algal communities in the estuaries.

Central coast

Catchments south of Ingham to Port Curtis are characterised by strongly seasonal rainfall but are much drier than those further north. Agriculture (e.g. grazing, sugar cane, cropping) is the main land use. These estuaries are predominantly in either largely unmodified condition (the smaller coastal catchments) or modified condition (the larger catchments with developed floodplains and land use). There is great diversity in the way that these estuaries function with tidal and river energy being significant for most estuaries. The floodplains of these systems are larger than in the tropics and there are several very large catchments in the region (e.g. the Fitzroy River catchment).

South-east coast

Estuaries from Port Curtis to the New South Wales border receive more consistent rainfall than the dry tropics and are characterised by less obvious rainfall seasonality than elsewhere in Queensland. From Noosa Heads south the estuary hinterland is generally highly urbanised and developed, and the estuaries experience the problems associated with intensive use where appropriate planning measures have not been implemented. These estuaries are predominantly in modified to extensively modified condition.

Further information

For further information about the Australia-wide assessment, please contact: National Land and Water Resources Audit Phone: 02 6263 6035 Email: info@nlwra.gov.au

CRC Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management

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