Coastal Priorities
The Threatened Ecological Communities (TECs) Project is a sub-component of the overarching ‘High priority coastal and island restoration for the protection of significant ecological communities and species project’ informally known as the Coastal Priorities Project. The project is funded through the Australian Government’s Reef Trust Program.
Reef Trust is the Australian Government’s flagship investment program to support the delivery of the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan). This is the Australian and Queensland Government’s long-term framework for protecting and managing the Great Barrier Reef.
The objectives of the Reef Catchments Threatened Ecological Communities Project is to:
- Improve region knowledge through strategic ecosystem assessment
- Prioritise patches for management activities based on BioCondition reports (including cultural heritage recommendations)
- Address threats to priority patches through targeted community engagement to build awareness of values and management of TECs
- Improve the condition, extent and connectivity of key patches through improved land management practice activities such as revegetation, targeted weed control and access management
- Promote the long-term protection of key patches through the development of four site management plans
What is a Threatened Ecological Community (TEC)?
An ecological community is a unique and naturally occurring group of plants and animals. Their presence and distribution are determined by environmental factors such as soil type, position in the landscape, climate, and water availability. The plants and animals within each ecological community have different roles and relationships that contribute to the healthy functioning of the environment. Species within such communities interact and depend on each other - for example, for food or shelter.
Threatened ecological communities are exactly what their name suggests; groups of plants and animals which are at risk of extinction if left unprotected.
Examples of these communities are:
- Grasslands
- Woodlands
- Shrublands
- Forests
- Wetlands
- Ground springs
- Cave communities
Why are TECs important?
Threatened Ecological Communities provide a range of ecosystem services, including:
- Natural management of air, water and soil nutrients
- Reduction of erosion and salinity
- Provision of carbon storage
- Providing vital connections for wildlife corridors
- Habitat refuge for many threatened plant and animal species
- Contributions to tourism, recreation and farm productivity
There are 84 Endangered Communities in Australia, 17 in Queensland and three in the Mackay Whitsunday Isaac region. There are two nationally protected Threatened Ecological Communities in our region - littoral rainforests and coastal vine thickets of Eastern Australia (beach scrub) and broad leaf tea-tree woodland on high rainfall sites in North Queensland.
This project focuses upon two nationally protected Threatened Ecological Communities in our region:
Littoral Rainforests and Coastal Vine Thickets of Eastern Australia (colloquially known as beach scrub)
- Highly fragmented, critically endangered ecological community
- Appears as a complex of rainforest and vine thickets
- Occurs on landforms such as dunes, flats, headlands, sea cliffs, bluffs and island
- Provides habitat for over 70 threatened plants and animals
- Provides important stepping stones along eastern Australian coast for various migratory and marine birds
- Provides an important buffer against coastal erosion and wind damage
Common species:
Burdekin Plum (Pleiogynium timoriense)
Native Cherry (Exocarpus latifolius)
Wild Prune (Sersalisia sericea)
Current Damage
Patches have been reduced and fragmented primarily by coastal development, sand mining and agriculture
Similarly, weeds are highly invasive with the potential to seriously alter the structure and function of the ecological community
- In the central Queensland coast, less than 30% of the original extent of beach scrub now remains
- More than 75% of remnant patches in QLD are less than 10 hectares
- The resulting fragmented patches are more vulnerable to other threats
Broad leaf tea-tree woodland on high rainfall sites in North Queensland
- Endangered ecological community
- Represents occurrences of woodland where M. viridiflora (broad leaf tea-tree) is dominant in the canopy and a diversity of grasses, sedges and forbs occupy the ground layer
- Occurs in high rainfall floodplain areas in the Wet Tropics and Central Mackay Coast bioregions of Queensland
- Most occurrences lie within 20 km of the east coast
Common species:
Broad leaf tea-tree (Melaleuca viridiflora)
Brown tea-tree orchid (Dendrobium canaliculatum)
Grass tree (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii):
Current Damage
Since colonization, a large amount of community has been cleared, or degraded due to agriculture and the incursion of weeds
- The relatively small amount that remains in good condition is now protected
- Can be impacted by cattle and feral horse grazing
- Inappropriate fire regimes can cause biodiversity losses
- Changes to hydrological regimes can limit necessary nutrient requirements for the community
First step: Assessing the condition
To enable the identification of sites that could benefit from on-ground management, we completed 30 BioCondition assessments for each TEC. BioCondition assessments are a site-based, quantitative and repeatable assessment procedure that provides a numeric score to reflect the vegetation condition state for biodiversity, from functional through to dysfunctional. The higher the numeric value, the more species of plants and animals that will be supported.
Patches for on-ground management works were then identified through the scoring, consultation with a range of stakeholders, previous projects and feasibility.
On-ground works: Carmila Beach revegetation
In partnership with Isaac Regional Council and Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Association Inc.
Carmila Beach is a popular camping site managed by Isaac Regional Council (IRC). Over recent years, IRC has initiated some bollarding and fencing throughout the site to reduce the number of access points throughout the remnant vegetation and protect it from further fragmentation. Unfortunately, the beach scrub at this site is highly disturbed and contains many isolated pockets of vegetation. The smaller these pockets become, the less its able to maintain the ecosystem function. As a result, we have planted targeted areas behind existing fencing (to help their protection) to re-establish native beach scrub vegetation.
As part of this project, weed control and 2050 locally sourced, native tubestock were planted to rejoin pockets of beach throughout the Carmila Beach Campgrounds area.
Seven sites along the area were targeted (see below image). All seven sites were areas where no canopy existed and had been heavily colonised by weeds.
On-ground works: Dingo Beach
In partnership with Whitsunday Regional Council and Whitsunday Catchment Landcare Inc.
Dingo Beach is a popular recreational site managed by Whitsunday Regional Council (WRC). Weed control in this area built upon previous foundational weed management activities designed to protect this TEC. Our continued efforts to reduce the number of weeds in the area (with a focus on transformer weeds), will encourage the natural regeneration of native species, complement previous revegetation efforts undertaken by Whitsunday Catchment Landcare Inc. and help to reduce the risk of further degradation and fragmentation of the site.
We hope to secure future investment so that this work can continue, and extend further along the beach scrub patch at Dingo Beach.
On-ground works: Nelly Bay and Frog Rock
In partnership with Whitsunday Regional Council and Strathdickie Plant Hire
Nelly Bay is a popular recreational site managed by Whitsunday Regional Council (WRC) but is at risk and being degraded by unauthorised access tracks throughout the native vegetation. Fencing and the placement of large boulders within these council-managed blocks was installed to complement previous activities (weed control and revegetation) designed to help protect this patch of TEC. These works are intended to close unofficial access points and limit access by motorbikes, 4WD cars and other vehicles to these delicate ecosystems.
Unofficial access tracks damage TECs in a number of ways, including:
- Causing soil compaction and erosion
- Introduction of pests and weeds from outside areas
- Direct damage to native vegetation
- Opening pathways through vegetation patches, creating edges and therefore edge effects
Want to get involved and learn more? Look out for one of our community events!
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Check out some great shots from past community events, including weed control activities, walk and talks and spotlighting!
