Enhancing Biodiversity Hotspots Along Western Queensland Stock ...

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List of plates continued Plate 27. Northern quoll. 53 Plate 28. Squatter pigeon. 53 Plate 29. Steve Wilson holds up a Collett’s snake road fatality. 54 Plate 30. Lake Dartmouth. 58 Plate 31. Native liquorice flower. 59 Plate 32. Langlo Crossing on the Langlo River. 60 Plate 33. Ooline Park. 62 Plate 34. Harrisia cactus. 63 Plate 35. Ooline trees. 65 Plate 36. Overnight cattle stock camp after rain. 67 Plate 37. Womal. 69 Plate 38. Bundoona Springs. 70 Plate 39. The mistletoe Amyema quandang. 72 Plate 40. Lake Bindegolly with an approaching storm in the distance. 74 Plate 41. A juvenile Murray cod. 76 Plate 42. The CFRC releasing Murray cod fingerlings. 77 Plate 43. Erosion at Bakers Bend. 78 Plate 44. Tagging a mature Murray cod for release. 79 Plate 45. Koala at Boatman Station. 80 Plate 46. Water lettuce at Cunnamulla Weir. 81 Plate 47. Yakka skink. 82 Plate 48. Active rabbit warren with yakka skinks. 84 Plate 49. Yakka skink scats. 86 Plate 50. Yakka skink. 88 Plate 51. Major Mitchell’s cockatoo with crest extension. 92 Plate 52. Major Mitchell’s cockatoo road fatality. 52 Plate 53. Major Mitchell’s cockatoo feeding on a desert paddy melon on the road verge. 53 Plate 54. Oak Swamp. 96 Plate 55. Adavale Escarpment. 97 Plate 56. The pig-proof fencing around Tego Springs. 98 Plate 57. Barakula State Forest. 104 Plate 58. Womal trees. 106 Plate 59. Yakka skink. 108 Plate 60. Little red flying-fox colony on the Balonne River. 110 Plate 61. Beranga Reserve – “The Lilies”. 114 Plate 62. The daisy Rutidosis lanata. 116 Plate 63. Cobb & Co corduroy coach track. 118 Plate 64. Aboriginal well. 119 Plate 65. Parthenium weed. 120 6
Introduction Queensland’s Stock Route Network (SRN) is a web of stock routes, roads and reserves for travelling stock that covers most of the State. This network is a rich inherited legacy that has far greater benefits than just the movement of livestock, which was and still is their primary role. The stock routes were formally recognised between the 1860s and 1890s, although human usage of these routes goes back much earlier. Aboriginal trade routes had traditionally followed the best hunting trails and permanent watering sites, so it is little wonder that indigenous knowledge was sought to survey for pastoral settlement and movement of livestock when the stock routes were established. This pragmatic approach resulted in the retention of some of our best biodiversity sites throughout the SRN of western Queensland, including dry season water holes which are the refugia for aquatic life in a land of pulsing seasons. As this network stretches from the Queensland border with New South Wales to the Gulf of Carpentaria, it supports a diverse range of threatened species and habitats from springs of the Great Artesian Basin, to Brigalow woodlands, to the tropical rivers of the Gulf country. Further evidence of the biodiversity value of the stock routes, their connectivity, and remnant vegetation, is illustrated by the number of National Parks and Conservation Reserves that either have stock routes connecting with the park, or dissecting them completely (such as Diamantina National Park and Hell Hole Gorge). In total, this amounts to 28 National Parks and two Bush Heritage Conservation Reserves in the four Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions of Western Queensland. There are also 55 declared State Forests which are in some way connected to stock routes. Under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002, the administration of the SRN is shared between local Government and the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) (formerly the Department of Natural Resources and Water and the Environmental Protection Agency). Local government is responsible for day-to-day management, while DERM is responsible for providing the framework of legislation and policy for stock route management and support for local governments. As not all of the SRN is currently used to move stock, stock routes are classified into either active (primary, secondary and minor) and inactive. The values of the SRN of western Queensland are under threat from multiple pressures that include inappropriate grazing regimes, feral animals and weeds. Due to the vast scale of the area, and high costs of management, current management of the stock routes is highly fragmented. Additionally, a low appreciation of the multiple assets of the SRN has limited the willingness of managers to protect their values. It is not possible to manage this entire network equally due to its scale, nor would that be necessary because of the habitat fragmentation across the landscape from a history of human impacts. However, by identifying biodiversity hotspots, and recommendations for their management, it would be possible to direct management of the SRN to conserving the most significant biodiversity values while maintaining the primary purpose of the network, which is the movement of stock In order to achieve this, this project was initiated by a consortium consisting of DERM, the four Natural Resource Management bodies of Western Queensland – Southern Gulf Catchments (SGC), Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ), South West 7
Page 1 and 2: ENHANCING BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS ALO
Page 3 and 4: Executive summary The Stock Route N
Page 5: List of maps Map 1. The Stock Route
Page 9 and 10: Project methodology In order to ach
Page 11 and 12: 3. Selection of biodiversity hotspo
Page 13 and 14: Map 2. Biodiversity hotspots of the
Page 15 and 16: Plate 1. Charles Curry (SGC) by the
Page 17 and 18: Plate 3. Aboriginal art gallery at
Page 19 and 20: Plate 5. Cattle grazing damage to P
Page 21 and 22: RECOMMENDATIONS: The highest priori
Page 23 and 24: CURRENT MANAGEMENT: As with the Gre
Page 25 and 26: Plate 8. The buff-sided race of the
Page 27 and 28: Map 3. Biodiversity hotspots of the
Page 29 and 30: Plate 10. Bilby diggings (Photo: B.
Page 31 and 32: Site 2. Birdsville/Bedourie STOCK R
Page 33 and 34: Site 3. Hell Hole Gorge National Pa
Page 35 and 36: Site 4. Elizabeth Springs STOCK ROU
Page 37 and 38: Site 5. “Big Red” Sand Dune STO
Page 39 and 40: Site 6. Lake Galilee (Hazelmere Sta
Page 41 and 42: Site 7. Lake Dunn (The Lake Station
Page 43 and 44: Site 8. The Big Spring (Myross Stat
Page 45 and 46: Site 9. Old Cork Waterhole (Winton
Page 47 and 48: CURRENT MANAGEMENT: Desert Channels
Page 49 and 50: Windorah but their presence at this
Page 51 and 52: THREATS: Unknown. Plate 25. Black-f
Page 53 and 54: Plate 27. Northern quoll (Photo: T.
Page 55 and 56: The South West NRM Region Introduct
Page 57 and 58:
Map 4. Biodiversity hotspots of the
Page 59 and 60:
Plate 31. Native liquorice flower (
Page 61 and 62:
CURRENT MANAGEMENT: In conjunction
Page 63 and 64:
THREATS: The major threats to Oolin
Page 65 and 66:
Site 4. Morven - Tregole Road (oppo
Page 67 and 68:
Site 6. Mungalala - Mitchell Road (
Page 69 and 70:
Site 7. Morven - Tregonning Road ST
Page 71 and 72:
established on part of the spring t
Page 73 and 74:
RECOMMENDATIONS: It is recommended
Page 75 and 76:
RECOMMENDATIONS: It is recommended
Page 77 and 78:
THREATS: The major threats to this
Page 79 and 80:
Plate 44. Tagging a mature Murray c
Page 81 and 82:
Plate 46. Water lettuce at Cunnamul
Page 83 and 84:
RECOMMENDATIONS: Yakka skinks are d
Page 85 and 86:
For any future controlled fires at
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Site 19. Riversleigh Road (Boatman
Page 93 and 94:
Plate 52. Major Mitchell’s cockat
Page 95 and 96:
Site 21. Charleville - Augathella R
Page 97 and 98:
Site 23. Adavale Escarpment (Adaval
Page 99 and 100:
25. Yowah Creek (Eulo - Thargominda
Page 101 and 102:
Additional findings The majority of
Page 103 and 104:
Map 5. Biodiversity hotspots of the
Page 105 and 106:
CURRENT MANAGEMENT: This stock rout
Page 107 and 108:
Site 3. Mitchell - Bollon Road STOC
Page 109 and 110:
Site 5. Womalilla Creek (Off the Wa
Page 111 and 112:
Reports of past snag removal south
Page 113 and 114:
Site 8. Wylara Hole (Surat - St. Ge
Page 115 and 116:
Site 10. Surat - Glenmorgan Road ST
Page 117 and 118:
It is also recommended that conside
Page 119 and 120:
Plate 64. Aboriginal well (Photo: B
Page 121 and 122:
Conclusions The Stock Route Network
Page 123 and 124:
Acronyms BRMB Border Rivers Maranoa
Page 125 and 126:
Appendix 1b: Priority animal specie
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