2016-12-12 General Committee - Attachment 1 to Item 6 - Biodiversity Assessment Report

                                                   Noosa Biodiversity Plan – Biodiversity Assessment Report



3.6   W et l and s
The Noosa Shire is well-known for its high quality and diverse wetlands that provide critical ecosystem
services and functions as well as significant ecological values. The extent of wetland areas within the
Noosa Shire is 16,890 ha, which comprises 19.4% of the total shire area (EHP, 2016). Compared to the
SEQ region and other coastal LGA’s, Noosa has the second highest percentage of natural wetland areas
after factoring in the extent of artificial wetlands (Table 4).

Table 4: Proportion of wetland areas across SEQ region and coastal LGAs

                     LGA / region           Wetland area (%)    Artificial wetland area (%)

                 Redland                          20.4                     3.0

                 Noosa                            19.4                     2.7

                 Sunshine Coast                   11.3                     9.8

                 Gold Coast                       11.9                     25.6

                 Moreton Bay                      10.8                     17.5

                 Brisbane                         6.8                      15.5

                 SEQ region                       4.5                      22.2
                Source: WetlandInfo, 2016

Palustrine and lacustrine wetland systems are the predominant systems within the Noosa area with
approximately 195 wetlands identified in the low coastal region of the shire (EHP, 2016) (Figure 16 and
Figure 17). Lacustrine wetlands are large, open, water-dominated systems such as lakes whereas
Palustrine wetlands are primarily vegetation non-channel environments such as billabongs, swamps and
springs. Both wetland types are associated with the Cooloola sand mass, a highly significant area
containing the oldest and largest number of independent coastal dune systems recorded in the world.

Within the palustrine and lacustrine wetland systems, the coastal and sub-coastal floodplain tree swamp
– Melaleuca spp. and Eucalyptus spp. is the dominant wetland habitat type. This palustrine wetland type
is usually ephemeral in nature and typically has a low pH; however numerous fauna species including
birds, bats and reptiles utilise the habitat. This includes threatened species such as the Ground Parrot,
Glossy Black Cockatoos and a number of threatened acid frog species that are adapted to the unique
conditions (EHP, 2016). This wetland habitat type often receives water from a variety of sources
(overbank stream flow, direct stream flow, rainfall, groundwater flow) and can play a role in groundwater
recharge and discharge if water table levels and substrate permeability permit (EHP, 2016). Other
important roles and functions include buffering of waterways for land based nutrient loads.

Other wetland systems in the Noosa Shire that add to the high diversity of wetland habitat types include
estuarine and riverine wetlands, which are associated with the Noosa River system (Figure 16 and Figure
17). This spectacular and extensive system of freshwater, brackish and saline lakes, marshes,
heathlands and estuarine wetlands is one of few such complex wetland systems on the entire Eastern
Australian seaboard (Lewis et al., 2007). It is particularly unique among Queensland estuaries with a
transition from fresh water to hypersaline waters in the lakes and contains the largest riverine seagrass
beds in SEQ (Lewis et al., 2007). It is also a rare subtropical example of a coastal lagoon system
developed entirely on sand.

Noosa’s unique, diverse and high quality wetlands are recognised at national and state levels. The
following sections describe wetland areas of particular significance.



  © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD                                                                       47