rivers

The Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan aims to reduce the sediment and agricultural chemicals going into creeks, rivers and the ocean.

The Plan is detailed in a comprehensive book for landholders and stakeholders interested in water quality in the Burdekin. It looks at the current condition of the region’s 48 sub-catchments and the best management practices for grazing and sugar lands within these.

It also lists targets and priorities such as by 2018, 80% of sugar land has best practice herbicide management.

Removing fish barriers

Barriers to fish movement represent a key threat to fish populations in our region.

Many of Australia's native freshwater fishes need to move in order to breed and survive.  Structures such as dams, weirs, causeways and road culverts can act like road blocks, preventing fishes from moving upstream. Even a small drop of 20cm over a causeway can stop fishes moving upstream.

Many animals have adapted easily to this region. Some of the pest animals identified by NQ Dry Tropics are significant because they are threats to agriculture. According to local governments in our region rabbits, wild dogs and feral pigs are most concerning.  Foxes, feral cats and locusts follow closely behind. 

The Suttor basin is a medium-sized basin, comprising just over 18,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing with a small proportion used for broad acre cereal cropping. Less than 1 per cent is used for conservation purposes.

The Cape Campaspe Basin is a medium sized basin and covers just over 20,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing, with just under a fifth set aside for conservation and minimal use – mostly as native vegetation.

Cape Campaspe Basin waterways are generally dry and sandy, with few permanent water bodies.

The Bowen Broken Bogie Basin is relatively small, covering just under 12,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing, with about a quarter used for conservation and minimal use. Most of this lies in the Broken River subcatchment.

In this Basin, waterways vary between largely sandy, dry short-lived creek systems to permanently flowing clear-water rivers and creeks that originate in mountain rainforest.

The Belyando basin is very large, covering just over 35,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing and broad acre cereal cropping. A small part of the land used for conservation purposes.

The Lower Burdekin Basin is relatively small, covering just under 10,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing with about 12 per cent used for intensive agriculture such as irrigated sugar production. Another 9 per cent is used for conservation purposes.

The Upper Burdekin Basin is the largest in the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM region. It comprises over 40,000 square kilometres.

The land is mostly used for grazing with just over ten per cent used for conservation purposes. There are many abandoned and operational mines in this basin.

Waterways vary between largely sandy, dry short-lived creek systems to permanently flowing clear-water rivers and creeks that originate in mountain rainforest.