Dryland summary
The northern Brigalow Belt remnant vegetation project has been part of an ongoing biogeographically based approach to biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use in Queensland. The project study area covers about 46,000 sq. km and lies roughly between Townsville, Charters Towers, Rockhampton and Emerald. The project has had two major goals. The first has been to locate areas of remnant vegetation and assess their values and vulnerabilities. The second goal has been to work with landholders and community groups to encourage awareness and appreciation of the values of remnant vegetation and to provide guidance to future natural resource management on ground works that will maintain those values.
The foundation of the project has been the assumption that it is beneficial to conserve the natural values of remnant areas of natural vegetation. The term 'biological diversity', now commonly contracted to 'biodiversity', is used to refer to these values. Maintaining the biological diversity of a region is central to ecologically sustainable development. As grazing is the major land use in the study area, sustainable grazing practices have a major role in conserving the region's pastoral resources and maintaining its biodiversity.
It is widely accepted that that the conservation of biodiversity must be approached nationwide on a consistent regional basis if it is to be effective. The principle of representation has developed with the recognition of the need to maintain biodiversity. A relatively small proportion of the continent is attractive to human settlement and enterprise. Highly productive areas have been more heavily impacted than less productive areas. If we are to maintain current levels of biodiversity in Australia, it is essential that we conserve viable representative examples of all types of country.
Maintaining the biological diversity of a region requires that the land be managed in such a way that the needs of living things continue to be met across their range of occurrences. Clearly this requires knowledge of the flora and fauna of a region and its requirements. Our knowledge is however very limited. The precautionary principle is applicable in circumstances of incomplete knowledge; this is an approach to environmental planning in which policy makers proceed cautiously when making interventions in the natural environment so as to safeguard against unexpected future costs.
Two approaches have been used during this study to formulate a conservation strategy for the study area; the first is focussed and the second is broad.
The focussed approach has been a criteria-driven selection of priority areas for remnant vegetation protection. An unintentional consequence of identifying priority areas for remnant vegetation protection is that land outside these areas might be regarded as not of significance for protection. This is not the case; to be effective sustainable land use management must apply to a region as a whole, not just selected parts of it. The key benefit in identifying priority areas is that it is in these areas that limited funds for on ground conservation works will be most effectively applied.
The first step undertaken in the focussed approach was a systematic assessment of natural resources within the six subregions, using a collation of existing data. Sites were selected and assessed in the field, resource inventories were compiled and, following consultation with landholders and other interested parties, specific conservation measures were considered. The final phase of this exercise was expected to extend well beyond the period of operation of the project itself. This has proven to be the case. The QPWS Extension Unit and Greening Australia have played the major role in this continuation by maintaining contact with landholders, suggesting on-ground works and facilitating the acquisition of funds for on-ground works.
Reliable regional ecosystem mapping was not available at the start of the project as had been expected and therefore it could not be used, as had been planned, as the means for selection of areas of conservation value. It was therefore necessary to rapidly develop a surrogate for land zone mapping and the decision was made to map the study area into geomorphic units to provide the integrated landscape context required. The geomorphic units are based on the characteristics of geological substrate and landform. They are similar in principle to land systems. This work then advised the completion of the regional ecosystem mapping for the northern Brigalow Belt.
To select priority areas it was necessary to adopt a recognised method of rapid assessment based on available information. A review of tested methods for selecting priority areas for biodiversity conservation was carried out. Which established that the criteria of rareness, representativeness and ecological service were paramount.
Fifty-seven areas of regional significance for nature conservation, covering a total area of 17 000 square kilometres were selected using the criteria. This selection was based largely on data gathered during fieldwork for this project. The original data were supplemented by data from soil and geological surveys and from Queensland Herbarium site records. As priority areas were identified landholders in these areas were contacted and informed that their land had been identified as a priority area for biodiversity conservation and that this made them eligible to receive funds for strategic on ground works through the Natural Heritage Trust devolved grant scheme. As a result 31 projects have received and successfully utilised devolved grant funding through the NHT devolved grant project 'Advancing Onground Nature Conservation in the Bowen Burdekin Region'. The total area covered by the project was about 7360 ha. One hundred and thirty kilometres of riparian zone were fenced and 29 watering points were moved to more resilient locations. This work is ongoing and the priorities of this project will direct funding in NHT2 and a major regional project under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality.
The broad approach aims to maximise the extent of land to be managed conservatively. In general, this approach means that the less economically productive landscapes, and landscapes that have a low capability for intensive use, remain largely undeveloped and are managed conservatively for a variety of outcomes, including biological conservation. An important part of this approach is to ensure that regional connectivity across habitats is maintained or enhanced. Lands to be managed conservatively and areas important for habitat connectivity are identified geographically by a detailed landscape analysis.
After fieldwork for this project was completed, a draft regional ecosystem map for the study area became available. This enabled the broad approach to developing a conservation strategy to be applied as a supplement to the focussed approach. The outcomes of the two approaches are complementary, strongly suggesting that the conservation strategy presented in these volumes will facilitate the sustainable use and development of the study area.
Last updated: 15 December 2006