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Queensland Government
WetlandInfo   —   Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

Ecological values and levels of protection of Queensland estuaries

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Developer

 Queensland Environmental Protection Agency

Latest documentation

 2002

Designed for use in
Queensland, Australia

Ongoing

 No

Assessment purpose

 Values/Services

Assessment criteria

 Significance, Physical and chemical, Management and planning

Method type

 Desktop

Timescale

 Short-medium term – As existing datasets are used, the assessment can be done quickly.

Scale

 Landscape/Catchment

Wetland system

 Estuarine

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Description and method logic

Method purpose

This methodology brings together a number of disparate datasets on the physical and biological values of Queensland estuaries, assesses their ecological value, international and national significance and levels of protection.

Summary

This assessment makes use of available broadscales datasets and assignes ecological value based on the level of protection, representativeness, international and national significance, habitat diveristy and naturalness and water area.

Method logic

It uses the criteria identified by Dunn (2000) for high ecological value rivers and applies them to the 312 Queensland estuaries identified in OzCoasts. Data from OzCoasts and the Australian Natural Resources Atlas are then used to give a standardised score for each criterion. The criterion scores are not combined.

Criteria groupings of the method

The criteria used are:
  • water area;
  • naturalness;
  • representativeness;
  • habitat diversity;
  • international and national significance; and
  • level of protection.

Data required

State-wide spatial datasets for estuary location, water area, naturalness, habitat diversity, International/national significance, representativeness, level of protection.

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Resources required

Expertise required

GIS expertise and ecological knowledge.

Materials required

State-wide spatial datasets for estuary location, water area, naturalness, habitat diversity, International/national significance, representativeness, level of protection, GIS capability.

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Method outputs

Outputs

  • Database and report of ecological values and protection status of estuaries in Queensland

Uses

  • Marine protection planning

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Criteria by category

    Physical and chemical

    • Diversity
      • Principal communities
      • Shoreline types
    • Naturalness
      • Drainage basin naturalness
      • Estuary naturalness
      • Estuary representativeness based on type

    Management and planning

    • Level of protection
      • Protective status of estuary waters
      • Protective status of surrounding land

    Significance

    • Significance
      • International
      • National

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Review

Recommended user

Natural resource managers, environmental planners, marine planners.

Strengths

  • Only statewide datasets were used to ensure a uniform approach in assessment
  • Existing data is used.

Limitations

  • Dated methodology
  • No analysis or conclusions are made from the assessments presented in the report.

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Case studies

(not documented)

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Links

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References

  1. Page, AJ & Hoolihan, DW (2002), Ecological values and levels of protection of Queensland Estuaries.. [online], Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/ybugv5h5.

Last updated: 7 February 2019

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2019) Ecological values and levels of protection of Queensland estuaries, WetlandInfo website, accessed 14 March 2025. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/resources/tools/assessment-search-tool/ecological-values-and-levels-of-protection-of-queensland-estuaries/