Wetlands and Biodiversity is the theme for World Wetlands Day 2020. Wetlands are rich with biodiversity and are a habitat for a dense variety of plant and animal species. Latest estimates show a global decline of biodiversity, while wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests. This year's theme is a unique opportunity to highlight wetland biodiversity, its status, why it matters and promote actions to reverse its loss.
To manage a catchment effectively, it is important to have a collective understanding of how the catchment works.Catchment stories use map journals, integrated spatial information, photographs, animations and an informative narrative to demonstrate the features of catchments.
This story describes the location, extent and values of the Plane catchment and demonstrates the key features which influence water flow, including geology, topography, rainfall and run-off, natural features, human modifications and land uses.
Waterholes are referred to by a range of different names (e.g. billabongs, lagoons and waterbodies) and are located throughout Queensland from the wet-dry tropics to the arid zone of far western Queensland. Waterholes provide important aquatic refugia during dry periods, allowing organisms to recolonize the broader landscape when favourable conditions return. They are important for agriculture, providing resources for irrigation and stock watering. Many waterholes are culturally significant and are important for tourism.
The Queensland Waterhole Classification Scheme was developed to provide a framework for classifying and typing Queensland waterholes. The scheme uses a biophysical framework of physical, environmental and climatic attributes. This information is critical for managing waterholes so that they continue to provide these important services.
Updates
WetlandSummary and species page updates
The WetlandSummary species and the flora and fauna indicator species links now go directly to the WildNet species profiles.
The WetlandUpdate is a regular bulletin sent to subscribers to provide them with the latest WetlandInfo resources and tools, as well as case studies, video information and new project fact sheets.
Our February feature animal is the endangered Dusky Hopping-mouse (Notomys fuscus). They inhabit arid areas of Australia with sand dunes or sand plains with hummocks and water nearby. Although the Dusky Hopping-mouse does not need to drink water, water and waterholes are important to them as they eat seed, green plants and some insects and small lizards which are often hard to find in arid areas. The Dusky Hopping-mouse has a patchy distribution in the arid areas of south-west Queensland, southern NT (historic), north-east SA and western NSW.
WetlandInfo updates this section regularly, so stay tuned for more!
Last updated: 29 January 2020
This page should be cited as:
Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2020) WetlandUpdate World Wetlands Day February 2020, WetlandInfo website, accessed 1 February 2025. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/resources/publications/latest-news/2020-02-02.html
— Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation