Brisbane Catchments Network Inc (BCN), was advised on the 28th January that the group was successful in receiving funding from the Federal Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water as part of the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program 2023. The total amount of the grant is $1,196,127 (plus GST) delivers on the Australian Government’s election commitment to restore the health of urban, outer urban/peri-urban and regional waterways for native plants and animals, and local communities. The project will take two years to complete and cover suburbs in eastern and western areas of Brisbane covering eight catchments.
The project is aptly named “Nature Positive Brisbane Catchments” and will be undertaken by eight catchment groups, Bulimba Creek, Cubberla Witton Creek, Kedron Brook, Kholo Creek, Norman Creek, Oxley Creek, Pullen Pullen Creek, and Save our Waterways. The project will rehabilitate riparian habitat across eight creek catchments throughout Brisbane,
Brisbane describes itself as a “Clean Green City” and the actions of this city-wide project are directly applicable to:
- Increasing shading to help reduce urban heat-related impacts due to climate change. Encouraging people into the parks in summer depends on the shade and amenity available. Canopy is critical to make sure riparian outer buffers and parklands are protected this way.
- Improving waterway and riparian conditions. Our waterways and their future will depend how the community and authorities value them. If left in steadily degrading conditions, they will gradually erode the support we have in waterway rehabilitation. The result of a healthy bay and fisheries and the economic flow-on effect depends on the source in which the creek catchments play a major part. If creeks are systematically improved through revegetation and rehabilitation investments, the benefits will flow on.
- Improving systems with downstream links to freshwater wetlands, brackish estuarine systems and saline systems like saltmarshes, mangroves because these systems eventually link to the aquatic system of seagrass areas of the Moreton Bay.
The objective of the program is to improve the ecological health of waterways in urban, outer urban/peri-urban and regional area. The intended outcomes of the program are:
- restored and/or improved riparian areas, stream banks or aquatic habitats, to benefit native species including threatened species, or aquatic areas of significance
- improved water quality, water in the landscape, and waterway connectivity to benefit native aquatic species including threatened aquatic species, or aquatic areas of significance
- improved urban green and blue space, including improved community access to nature, improved water quality to benefit public health, and increased shading to help reduce urban heat-related impacts due to climate change
- removing weeds and reinstating native vegetation to benefit several threatened species and remnant areas of subtropical eucalypt floodplain forest and woodland.
Project outcomes
The focus of project outcomes is weed removal, revegetation of riparian habitat and community engagement.
By June 2028, habitat-transforming weeds will be removed from 64.2 ha of riparian habitat, spanning 7.3 km of waterway across 8 Brisbane catchments including in threatened ecosystems.
The removal of weeds will facilitate the survival, fruiting, flowering and germination of native plants, including threatened flora, and provide food and shelter for threatened fauna. Tree weeds present in some sites are occupying a large space and it is worth removing them to allow native species to flourish.
Projects in each catchment are tailored to the site they have chosen strategically, and to the group’s capacity, while still achieving best outcomes in riparian revegetation and habitat restoration for threatened species.
Experience has shown that the establishment and survival of native plants to form a functional native ecological community depends on suppression of problem weed species combined with planting as needed. In the most urbanised areas, native riparian vegetation was historically cleared, and regrowth is almost entirely of weeds. Ongoing maintenance over several years is needed to ensure that the vegetation can transition to sustainable dominance by native species.
The project will restore riparian areas and stream banks, to benefit native plants and animals, including threatened species. The sites include excellent potential habitat areas for those species, and riparian areas are some of the few remaining spaces in Brisbane where such animals can continue to feed, nest and roost. Rehabilitation of riparian vegetation will improve the quality of urban green and blue space; most sites are on public land and are used by the community, who will be invited to get involved in plantings and other project activities across the city.
Planting native species will provide food and usable habitat for threatened fauna. A range of ecological communities will be re-established or rehabilitated, improving their condition, extent and connectivity. These are largely types of floodplain woodland and include several threatened regional ecosystems.
By June 2028, feeding and nesting/roosting habitat for several significant native fauna, including; the Koala, Grey-Headed Flying Fox, Glossy Black Cockatoo and Latham Snipe, will be improved by planting 9.3 ha of native flora.
Long-term maintenance plans for sites will assist in ensuring the vegetation, including tree species, grow to a sufficient size to be used by the target wildlife species. Target species will be able to access the habitat areas created.
Educating the local community about the impacts of invasive species and the importance of threatened species will increase awareness of the threats facing Riparian areas and may increase engagement with other habitat restoration projects. Community engagement will occur through weeding and planting events which will involve a range of volunteers from the local community. By June 2028, at least one community engagement event will be held at each of the sites to increase community knowledge on the importance of conserving and rehabilitating riparian zones.
Other outcomes identified in the project plan include:
Carbon sequestration and air purification, through the increase in revegetation and canopy establishment.
The projects being undertaken by each catchment group are provided below:
Bulimba Creek, Corondale Park, Eight Mile Plains
• Completing weed control over 2000 sqm and maintenance.
• Planting native species in 500 sqm through community planting events.
• Conducting water quality monitoring at site in years 2 and 4.
Cubberla Creek, Fig Tree Pocket
• Completing weed control over 5500 sqm and maintenance.
• Planting advanced tree stock of shrub and ground layer in a community planting; across 5500 sqm.
• A range of community engagement activities will be held such as, planting events and conducting three butterfly surveys.
• Water quality monitoring will be conducted and include sampling macroinvertebrates.
Kedron Brook, Grange
• Completing weed control and maintenance.
• Planting advanced tree stock across 1600 sqm through community planting events.
• Community engagement events will be undertaken.
Kholo Creek and tributaries, Mt Crosby, Kholo and Karana Downs
• Weed control including of weed trees across 55 hectares and planting native species over 10 field days, in 0.25 hectares
• Community outreach to private property owners and publicity campaigns on social media.
• Community engagement events will be conducted and 20 Nest boxes installed.
Norman Creek, Greenslopes
• Removing weeds from over 1800 sq m including shrub and vine weeds and 10 weed trees.
• Site treatment will be undertaken with mulch and erosion control measures put in place.
• Community engagement activities and a publicity campaign will be conducted.
• Native species will be planted during five community planting events across 1800 sqm with the remainder being done by contractors.
Oxley Creek, Rocklea
• Completing weed removal including of weed trees 2.55 hectares and maintenance.
• Native species will be planted by local Indigenous Ranger group and community volunteers, over a total 2.55 ha.
• Community engagement will involve six community planting events and three bird surveys.
Pullen Creek and Pullen Pullen Creek, Pullenvale
• Weeds to be removed from, over 4.46 ha and walking tracks will be established.
• Native species will be planted across 4.46 hectares.
• Water quality monitoring will be undertaken at both creeks.
Wattle Creek, The Gap
- Removing weeds, including several weed trees across 1.06 ha and maintenance of the site.
- Native species will be planted in 1.06 hectares.
- Community engagement will be undertaken at several community planting events.
The Nature Positive Project will provide Brisbane residents with healthier ecosystems and cleaner and greener riparian zones, for everyone to enjoy and creating a lasting legacy for future generations to connect with nature.