De Moleyns Lagoon rehabilitation and monitoring project

Reef Catchments

Mackay Regional Council

Agriculture

On-ground work, Monitoring, Education extension

Queensland Wetlands Program (QWP) management case study

The Queensland Wetlands Program

(not documented)

(not documented)

(not documented)

(not documented)

The Queensland Wetlands Program (QWP) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) undertook a project on wetlands in agricultural production areas within the Mackay-Whitsunday region. De Moylens Lagoon was chosen for the project after consulting with local stakeholders, including the natural resource management group, Reef Catchments.

De Moleyns Lagoon is located in an existing reserve of approximately 60ha, near the township of Mirani and is part of the Sandy Creek sub-catchment (see maps).

The Sandy Creek sub-catchment hosts an existing Paddock to Reef program water quality monitoring project which has the support and involvement of the local cane industry.

Although the wetland is now a modified natural system due to development activities within the landscape, the site remains an important nature refuge within the broader catchment.

The catchment area above the wetland is dominated by sugar cane production and contains some existing urban areas including an old landfill (now a transfer station) and a number of proposed housing developments.

Rehabilation works carried out included:

• weed control and sediment removal
• revegetation
• water quality monitoring
• fire break management.

Spraying has been used to control weeds such as lantana and giant rats tail grass. Other areas dominated by para grass and guinea grass were slashed first and are be the focus of improved fire management to encourage increased regeneration of native vegetation species that will reduce the light and reduce weed infestation.

Some of the areas slashed and sprayed have been revegetated with local native species grown from seed and sourced from the region.

The project aimed to:

• plan and implement a range of rehabilitation

works to improve the role of the wetland in
improving water quality, and other important values
such as biodiversity

• monitor any improvement
• promote the outcomes to the surrounding

community and land owners.

In June 2013, DAFF visited De Moleyns Lagoon as part of a training workshop aimed at providing information on the benefits and management of wetlands within farming systems. The values and functions of the wetland were discussed along with maintenance and revegetation.

Significant time was spent discussing initiatives farmers could implement to reduce impacts on wetlands. Farmers learnt that wetlands such as De Moleyns Lagoon played an important role in improving water quality captured from many farms across the catchment and played a vital role in water quality improvement.

(none)