Russell/Mulgrave (Bonso) wetland rehabilitation

Queensland Wetlands Program

Local Indigenous work crew

Cane farming

On-ground work

Queensland Wetlands Program (QWP) management case study

Australian Government

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The Bonso property borders Eubenangee Swamp National Park and has the Russell River, Lennons Creek and the Alice River running through it. This property had infestations of Singapore daisy and other weeds such as para grass and pond apple. Past clearing resulted in loss of riparain vegetation, and consequently connectivity, as well as some bank instability and erosion. On-ground works included spraying weeds along the riparian zone and re-vegetation to improve connectivity to Eubanangee National Park down Lennons Creek along the Russell River and back along Alice River to the national park. 2000 seedlings were planted.

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Spot spraying herbicide on the Singapore daisy around naturally emerging native seedlings that were struggling through the weed mat gave the seedlings space to grow. This long-term, cheap and time-flexible (though slow) re-vegetation strategy has been very successful on almost inaccessible creek banks and has great potential as a mainstream approach in the Wet Tropics. Wetland rehabilitation is very challenging in areas with a prolonged wet season such as the Wet Tropics. Short timeframes cannot cater for unforeseen events such as cyclones. It is very important to take into consideration the climatic and other characteristics of the individual wetland and region when planning rehabilitation. In the Wet Tropics, it has been suggested that projects utilising heavy machinery need to incorporate at least two dry seasons to achieve a successful result. The provision of paid labour was essential for this project.

Russell/Mulgrave (Bonso) wetland rehabilitation