2007 Wetland Inventory for the Eyre Peninsula

18.0 DEGRADATION AND DISTURBANCE18.1 BackgroundDisturbances or threats are defined as any direct or indirect human activities at the site or in the site or inthe catchment area that may have a detrimental effect on the ecological character of the wetland. The effectmay be a low level disturbance such as low stocking rates or major threats from water diversion schemes.18.2 AnalysisWetland disturbance66 118Access tracksFence linesRubbishAltered flows18329Cleared landGrazing damageDrainsBorrowpits/quarryFigure 8. Wetland disturbanceMany wetlands were found to have a number of disturbances at the one site, the two most frequentdisturbances recorded were access tracks and cleared land. The majority of wetlands are located on privateproperty where cleared land for cropping and access tracks are a necessity. Many of the tracks are locatedadjacent to wetlands and clearance for cropping occurs to the wetland edges. Drains, grazing and fencelines are also common disturbances. Rubbish dumping occurred within two wetlands, both on privateproperty. Altered flows commonly involved extracting water for irrigation or the construction of levy banksfor vehicle access and drainage.Plate 5. Flinders HighwayFlinders Highwaydissecting the centraland northern lagoonsof Big Swamp.24