Successful pilot project grows opportunities for rehabilitation and monitoring of vegetation along Townsville’s waterways

Wildlife Surrounds is excited to announce the successful completion of a pilot project that utilised an innovative site assessment tool, VegCAT, to evaluate and monitor the health of vegetation along Townsville’s waterways.

Managing Director of Wildlife Surrounds, Shakira Todd, said the riparian vegetation condition assessment tool has proven to be effective in monitoring restoration sites by tracking improvements in riparian condition following remediation efforts.

The project, which began in April last year, established monitoring plots along Stuart Creek, Alligator Creek and the Bohle River. These key waterways were identified as needing native rehabilitation based on data in the annual Townsville Dry Tropics Waterways Report Card, which grades the health of riparian habitats.

“Protecting and restoring waterside vegetation is crucial, not only for the health of our waterways but also for the protection of our homes and communities, especially in times of floods, cyclones and coastal storms,” Shakira said.

“The tool, developed by NRM Regions Queensland, ensures consistent and reliable data that integrates into a state-wide analysis, providing an invaluable resource to guide decision-making and boost conservation efforts for the rehabilitation of riparian zones.”

Shakira Todd (left) and Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins (right) setup a VegCAT assessment. Photo: Jo Hurford

Executive Officer of the Healthy Waters Partnership, Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins, praised the project’s broader impact saying, the success of this pilot project shows promising results to refine data in the annual Waterways Report Card.

“Currently, health data for riparian vegetation is gathered from satellite imagery, but this tool enables valuable on-ground assessment to verify and supplement the satellite data, with the potential of making the Waterways Report Card habitat score even more robust,” Kara-Mae said.

The findings in last year’s Report Card revealed that riparian extent in the Ross freshwater and estuarine environment remained unchanged, with grades of ‘moderate’ and ‘good,’ respectively.

The Black Basin, however, experienced a reduction in riparian vegetation in the estuarine zone, which led to the grade dropping from ‘good’ to ‘very poor’. An on-ground assessment tool could offer insights into what caused the reduction, which satellite data is unable to provide.

“The pilot study is only the first step in a long-term strategy aimed at improving vegetation health along Townsville’s waterways to enhance soil stability, increase native plants, and ultimately improve the quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef,” Kara-Mae said.

The project received initial funding from the Townsville Community Action Plan (CAP) for Rivers and Reef, which addresses waterway priorities, such as stormwater runoff and climate change impacts. The initiative is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and is co-led by the Healthy Waters Partnership for the Dry Tropics and Reef Ecologic.

“The success of this pilot study would not have been possible without the seed funding from CAP, and continued investment is essential to maintain its momentum and expand rehabilitation and monitoring efforts that improve the health of waterways across the Townsville Dry Tropics region,” concluded Kara-Mae.

Armed with tape measures, pickets and smiles, Shakira Todd and James Cook University placement students Jade and Hikari, are ready to survey riparian health using VegCAT.