Protecting NATURAL ASSETS

Improving the health of land and water ecosystems in our beautiful region, so current and future generations can enjoy the benefits they provide.

Our natural assets and natural capital

The Burdekin river catchment in which we operate, covering 146,000km² of land and sea, is rich in natural assets, including two World Heritage areas, an internationally-recognised wetland system, forests, creeks, and rangelands.

These assets combine to create our natural capital, which is the services they provide that benefit humans, such as clean air, water, and food.

Protecting natural capital benefits humanity in many ways, including:

food security and agricultural productivity;
economic stability and job creation;
climate and natural disaster resilience;
clean water and air;
wellbeing derived from access to healthy environments;
reduced costs for governments in disaster recovery; and
Cultural benefits for Traditional Owners.

Our work is driven by the understanding that today’s efforts will shape tomorrow’s landscapes.

We are committed to protecting our natural assets, ensuring that future generations will inherit healthy ecosystems, productive lands, and resilient communities.

Our region's natural assets

2 World Heritage areas

1
Internationally recognised Ramsar-listed site

25
National parks

2
Marine parks

1,621km²
of Nature Refuges and Voluntary Conservation Agreements

34
Nationally important wetlands

How NQ Dry Tropics protects natural assets

We work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders to protect our region’s precious natural assets by combining practical on-ground remediation with extension, training, strategic planning, and educational events such as workshops and field days.

We take a whole-of-landscape approach to protecting endangered species, and rehabilitating threatened ecological communities and aquatic ecosystems, through actions that include:

controlling weeds and feral animals;
planting native species to improve biodiversity and reduce erosion;
driving community participation through events and other awareness raising activities;
constructing fishways to remove barriers to fish migration; and
providing planning direction and connecting industry, government, Traditional Owners, community groups, and science bodies to align efforts and deliver coordinated outcomes.

Our projects are based on the best available science, and incorporate ongoing monitoring to ensure long-term results.

Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It’s the only living structure visible from space and is home to thousands of reef systems, coral cays, tropical islands, and marine species.

Our commitment to safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef starts on the ground. By working closely with the people who live and work in our landscapes, we implement practical solutions to improve profitability and climate resilience for primary producers, while benefiting the broader environment. This balanced, science-backed approach enhances local economies and fosters thriving communities.

Improving the quality of water flowing into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is a key focus for our work. We do this by:

repairing priority gullies and streambanks to reduce sediment erosion;
supporting graziers to adopt more sustainable practices that keep soil on the land, reducing runoff while improving productivity;
supporting growers to adopt more sustainable, innovative farming methods that reduce levels of nutrient and pesticide runoff, while saving money on input costs; and
improving the health and function of coastal wetlands so they can better filter and trap pollutants.

Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area

The Burdekin Dry Tropics region encompasses the southern extent of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, an ancient and stunning landscape that is home to three threatened ecological communities inhabited by endangered southern cassowaries and mahogany gliders:

broad leaf tea-tree woodlands;
littoral rainforest and coastal vine thickets (aka beach scrub); and
lowland tropical rainforest.

Find out how we are protecting these important habitats here.

Click here to learn more about broad leaf tea-tree woodlands.

Bowling Green Bay wetlands — a haven for birds

Bowling Green Bay, south of Townsville, is home to a diverse array of coastal wetlands. It is one of only five wetland sites in Queensland listed as internationally important under the Ramsar convention due to the habitat it provides for waterfowl and migratory birds.

For more than 20 years, NQ Dry Tropics has worked to improve the health and resilience of Bowling Green Bay, and other regional wetlands.

Healthy coastal waterways support commercial and recreational fishing, tourism and other popular activities including boating and bird watching.

They also perform many key ecosystem functions, which include:

providing food and refuge for species including fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and birds;
increasing diversity by dispersing seeds, spores and propagules;
transporting vital nutrients across landscapes;
storing water, recharging groundwater, and preventing saltwater intruding into groundwater, which is crucial for agriculture and horticulture; and
reducing erosion and preventing loss of agricultural soils during floods and providing protection during cyclones.

By working together, we can help ensure these beautiful habitats are resilient, healthy, sustainably managed, and enjoyed by communities into the future.

Find out more about wetlands and why they matter

Threatened species of the Burdekin Dry Tropics region

Key threatened species found in the region include the Mahogany glider, Black-throated finch, Southern cassowary, Eastern curlew, Northern quoll, and Northern hairy-nose wombat.

The region’s threatened ecological communities include Brigalow grasslands, Broad leaf tea-tree woodlands, Beach scrubs, Littoral rainforests and Lowland tropical rainforests.

These native animal and plant communities face many threats including:

Habitat loss and fragmentation due to clearing for agriculture, grazing, and urban development;
Invasive weeds and feral animals that can outcompete native species and degrade habitats;
unsustainable land management including poor grazing practices and fire regimes; and
climate change leading to altered rainfall patterns, increased temperatures, and more frequent extreme weather events.

NQ Dry Tropics’ Living Landscapes program aims to protect biodiversity through projects that repair and rehabilitate critical landscapes, habitats and species. Partnerships are critical to achieving lasting impact.