Connecting Lowland Subtropical Rainforest in South Mooloolah: Carew

(not documented)

Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Australian Government (Caring for our County program)

Landholder

(not documented)

On-ground work

(none)

Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Australian Government (Caring for our County program)

Landholder

(not documented)

(not documented)

12 February 2013

31 May 2013

In November 2011 lowland subtropical rainforest (LSR) was listed as a critically endangered ecological community under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Within the Upper Stanley and Mooloolah catchments, LSR has been reduced in extent by 92% since European settlement as a result of clearing for agriculture, forestry and peri-urban development. The remaining patches often occur as narrow, broken riparian corridors.

This project aims to enable the restoration and reconnection of areas of LSR within the project area. With funding received through the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program, SEQ Catchments is providing support to landholders to help reduce the fragmentation of LSR. This will be achieved through promoting more ecological sustainable land management by reducing threats caused by weeds, unmanaged stock access and inappropriate fire regimes. In addition, natural regeneration of LSR community will be promoted and re-vegetation, where appropriate, of LSR species will be undertaken.

This property contains vegetation mapped as eucalyptus open forest (RE 12.9-10.17) and the project site is a small gully that contains lowland subtropical rainforest, which is listed as ‘endangered’. This gully is not mapped as lowland subtropical rainforest, although the vegetation community displays all characteristics (as described in the Commonwealth listing advice) to categorise it as such (this misclassification is likely due to the small, narrow extent of the vegetation). This project has also received funding from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council ($3500).

This project will enhance the condition of approximately 5ha of remnant and regrowth vegetation through strategic weed control to assist natural regeneration.

Proposed project monitoring and maintenance:

• establish four photo-points and take ‘before and after’ photographs.
• carry out ongoing selective weed control to maintain ecological values of the native vegetation communities.

This project will:

• improve biodiversity in the South Mooloolah catchment by improving the condition and connectivity of existing lowland subtropical rainforest through the control of weeds to assist natural regeneration weed control on 5ha.

(not documented)

SEQC1926