Habitat Monitoring and Species Identification
This project received funding during Round 6 of the Envirofund and is a joint project between Birds Australia Southern Queensland, Australian Cotton Growers Research Association and the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC.
A Cotton CRC project (Roth et al 2004) identified about 20-30% of the
area on cotton farms is native vegetation. Most of these vegetation areas
are not actively managed and are located along the riparian zone of the
major river systems in the Darling catchments. Cotton farms dominate
the properties along the riparian zone in the Macquarie, Namoi, Gwydir,
Macintyre, Balonne, Condamine Rivers in the western portion of their
catchments. There are a number of endangered species, ecological communities
and migratory birds within these catchments.
The condition of this vegetation is quite good, however some patches are small, fragmented and narrow and corridor linking could be improved. Many cotton farmers do not graze livestock in these remnant areas. Therefore, considerable potential exists to improve understorey condition and connectivity.
Aim:
The
project will provide education in the principles of habitat management
and training on techniques for monitoring declining woodland fauna
in cotton agricultural landscapes of the south western portion of the
Queensland section of the Murray-Darling basin and Northern NSW. It
will be delivered via a series of workshops and field-based practical
sessions with sub-catchment area wide management groups. The project
will assist land managers to better understand the ecological functions
of remnant vegetation and habitat requirements of declining fauna species
such as woodland birds, and will give land managers practical skills
in the implementation of biodiversity monitoring at the farm and sub-catchment
scales to improve remnant vegetation management.
Materials:
Birds
on Cotton Farms: a guide to common species and habitat management specifically
written by Greg Ford and Nicci Thompson for the project was launched
in Moree in June, 2006. Together with a revised workshop manual based
on that used in the Darling Downs project in 2005 the book ia available
for participants in workshops in the cotton communities. The
first of these workshops have been held in the Goondiwindi
and Namoi regions. Further workshops are plannedin the cotton communities
of the Macquarie, Namoi, Gwydir, Macintyre, Balonne and Condamine Rivers.
Opportunities for volunteers
There
are be opportunities to assist in the field component of the workshops
i.e helping landholders to identify bird species in the field following
an introduction to bird identification.
Contacts
Guy Roth, CEO Cotton Catchment Communities CRC
Evan Cleland and Nicci Thompson, Birds Australia Southern Queensland