Ningy Ningy
Environment
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HERITAGE
HISTORY
CULTURE
NINGY NINGY
PHOTOS
LINKS
YARI
The environment of the Ningy Ningy land has gone through the same problems
of other lands taken by Europeans, in that European land management practices
were imposed on an environment vastly different. From introduced species (flora
and fauna) to the clear felling of forests for farming and housing, the
environment has changed dramatically.
Some of the topics covered below
are Pine River & Bramble Bay, Moreton Bay, De-silting, Impacts of modifying
catchment flow.
Pine
River
and
Bramble
Bay
environment
“
Bramble
Bay
is the most degraded embayment of
Moreton
Bay
. This is primarily a result of the
high levels of nutrients and sediments that are transported into
Bramble
Bay
from the
Brisbane
and
Pine
Rivers
. Approximately 63% of the total
sediment load and 51% of the nitrogen load into
Moreton
Bay
is predicted to enter via the
Brisbane
River
alone. Significant proportions of
nutrients are also transported into
Bramble
Bay
from Hays Inlet and Cabbage Tree
Creek. Also contributing to
Bramble
Bay
’s poor condition is poor flushing,
the area possessing the longest residence time of
Moreton
Bay
(59 to 62 days).
Bramble
Bay
is within a General Use Zone of
Moreton Bay Marine Park and contains areas within the Moreton Bay Ramsar
site” (Angela Grice, Paul Maxwell and Ivan Holland, p.11-12 chapter 15 in State
of
South-east Queensland Waterways Report
2001).
Water quality
Nutrients
“Nutrient
concentrations in
Bramble
Bay
, including inorganic and total
nitrogen and phosphorus, are the highest in
Moreton
Bay
. As in the other embayments within
Moreton
Bay
, levels of inorganic nitrogen remain
low during dry periods. However, during wet periods both ammonium and nitrate
levels increase considerably For example, in February 2001 ammonium and nitrate
concentrations were recorded at 10µM and 40µM N, respectively. These levels
are extremely high for coastal embayments, and have considerable ecological
implications. The high nutrient concentrations in Bramble Bay are largely
attributable to inputs from the Brisbane and Pine Rivers, though isolated
nutrient plumes containing ammonium and nitrate also extend from Cabbage Tree
Creek” (Angela Grice, Paul Maxwell and Ivan Holland, p.11-12 chapter 15 in State
of South-east Queensland Waterways Report 2001).
Sewage
plumes
“The
most prominent sewage plumes of
Moreton
Bay
occur in
Bramble
Bay
. The extent of these plumes varies
with season. In summer, two distinct sewage plumes emanate from the
Brisbane
and
Pine
Rivers
, extending up to 20km away from the
point sources. In winter, the sewage plume is considerably reduced, probably
due to reduced flows from the river estuaries into the Bay” (Angela Grice,
Paul Maxwell and Ivan Holland, p.11-12 chapter 15 in State
of
South-east Queensland Waterways Report
2001).
Water
clarity
“
Bramble
Bay
also contains the highest levels of
suspended particles, based on high turbidity and low secchi disc values. This
is caused by the deposition of new sediments from the catchment in combination
with continual resuspension of existing muddy sediments. Studies on sediment
patterns in Bramble Bay have shown that wind and tidal current provide
sufficient energy to resuspend fine muddy sediments from the shallow sea floor
on a daily basis” (Angela Grice, Paul Maxwell and Ivan Holland, p.11-12
chapter 15 in State of South-east
Queensland Waterways Report 2001).
Seagrass
loss
“
Historically,
dugongs and turtles grazed on seagrass beds within
Bramble
Bay
, but high turbidity and nutrients
eliminated these beds at least 30 years ago. Current water quality conditions
of
Bramble
Bay
are unsuitable for the
re-establishment of seagrass meadows” (Angela Grice, Paul Maxwell and Ivan
Holland, p.11-12 chapter 15 in State
of
South-east Queensland Waterways Report
2001).
Moreton Bay & the environment
“Description of the waterways
Moreton
Bay
is a semi-enclosed embayment 80km in length, ranging in width from 35km in the
north to 5km in the south. Many of the major rivers and creeks in south-east
Queensland
flow into the Bay; these include the Caboolture, Pine, Brisbane, Bremer and
Logan
Rivers. The combined catchment area of rivers and creeks discharging into
Moreton
Bay
is approximately 22 000km2, while the area of the Bay itself is (1523km2).
Moreton
Bay
was declared a Marine
Park
in 1993 and has been listed as a wetland of international significance under
the Ramsar Convention” (p. 98 Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of
South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001.
Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
“Flora
and fauna
Moreton
Bay
is home to a very diverse range of flora and fauna, largely due to the
biogeographical overlap of tropical and subtropical taxa. Ecosystems occurring
within this region include rocky and coral reefs, seagrass meadows, saltmarshes,
mangroves and ocean beaches” (p. 99 Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of
South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001. Moreton
Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
"Fringing
vegetation
Extensive mangrove
forests line intertidal and estuarine waterways and cover approximately 140km2
(0.6%) of Moreton
Bay's area. “Eight
species of mangroves are found in
Moreton
Bay
[and
the surrounding waterways]: Acrostichum
speciosum [mangrove fern],
Aegiceras corniculatum
[river mangrove], Avicennia marina [grey (or white) mangrove], Bruguiera
gymnorrhiza [large leaf
orange mangrove], Ceriops australis
[yellow mangrove], Excocecaria
agallocha [milky
(blind-your-eye) mangrove], Lumnitzera
racemosa [black mangrove] and
Rhizophora stylosa
[red mangrove]. They provide important habitat for the juveniles of many
fish, crab and prawn species and are important as roost sites and feeding
grounds for local and migrating birds. Mangroves cover large areas on the
islands and on the mainland coasts of
Moreton
Bay
[as
well as the river systems]. Mangroves play an essential role in stabilising
coastal foreshore areas [and river banks,] and in binding up fine silt
sediment. Erosion is reduced, along with turbidity, and deeper estuarine
channels are maintained. Coastal wetland areas including
saltmarshes, samphire, grassland, swamp oak, sedgeland, paperbark and heath
communities cover approximately 190km2 in Moreton Bay and are found fringing its
islands and coastal areas” (p.99 Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of
South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001. Moreton
Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
“Between
2500 and 3500 tonnes of seafood are harvested annually from the Bay by 400
commercial fishing boats. An estimated 2000 tonnes of fish are caught by 300 000
recreational fishers in the Bay each year. A 1988 study valued the Bay’s
mangroves at $8,380 a hectare based on the catch of marketable fish alone. (Wetlands
– More than just wet land:
Moreton
Bay
- The State of
Queensland
. Environmental Protection Agency 2000
BP916 February 2000 p.1)”
"
Seagrass
Seagrass
meadows are found in shallow, subtidal and intertidal areas of Moreton
Bay
and cover almost 250km2 (1.1%) of the Bay’s area. Despite this relatively
small coverage, seagrasses form one of the critical habitats for biodiversity in
the region. They provide a major food source for dugongs and turtles, and
nursery grounds for commercially important species including prawns.
Additionally, seagrasses assimilate and recycle nutrients within the ecosystem,
trap sediments and stabilise the seabed. Seven seagrass species are found in the
bay: Zostera capricorni, Halophila
ovalis, Halophila spinulosa, Halophila
decipens, Halodule uninervis, Syringodium
isoetifolium and Cymodocea serrulata”
(p. 99
Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of
South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001. Moreton
Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
"Coral
Coral
communities are broadly distributed throughout Moreton
Bay. They occur on the mainland coast at Wellington Point and Cleveland, on the
islands of Waterloo
Bay; Peel, Goat, Coochiemudlo, and
Macleay
Islands; and at Myora off North
Stradbroke
Island. Corals require a hard substrate on which to attach and most are found
in Moreton
Bay
at depths of less than 3m. Approximately 40 species of corals have been
identified from reefs and are often patchy and interspersed amongst seagrass and
sandy substrates” (p. 100
Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001.
Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
"Other
fauna
Approximately
600 dugongs inhabit Moreton
Bay. Dugongs are listed as vulnerable to extinction by the World Conservation
Union due to the large-scale hunting that occurred around the end of the 19th
century. Dugongs graze on the shallow seagrass beds in Moreton
Bay, highlighting the importance of seagrass conservation. Moreton
Bay
is also an important feeding ground for approximately 10 000 marine turtles. Six
species have been identified: loggerhead turtle, green turtle, hawksbill turtle,
leatherback turtle, olive ridley turtle and flatback turtle. Only the green,
loggerhead and hawksbill turtles have resident populations in the Bay. More than
273 species of birds from 65 families have been recorded in Moreton
Bay; these include 33 species of migratory and 11 species of resident
shorebird. The Moreton Bay-Great Sandy Straits Region is the second most
important migratory shorebird refuge in terms of population numbers in
Queensland
. For roosting and feeding sites it is particularly important for seven species
of migratory shorebirds: Pacific golden plover (Pluvalis
fulva), grey-tailed tattler (Heterosceles
brevipes), lesser sand plover (Charadrius
mongolus), eastern curlew (Numenius
madagascariensis), bartailed godwit (Limosa
lapponica), curlew sandpiper (Calidris
ferruginea) and the pied oystercatcher (Haematopus
longirostris). The protection of roosting and feeding sites in Moreton
Bay under the Ramsar Convention is vitally important for the protection of
shorebird populations” (p. 100 Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001. Moreton
Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
“More
than 50 000 migratory waders, particularly eastern curlews and grey-tailed
tattlers, depend on the Bay for survival during their non-breeding season. At
least 34 species of migratory waders including eastern curlews, red-necked
stints, ruddy turnstones, bar-tailed godwits and sandpipers visit
Moreton
Bay
each September to April. Thirty of the 43 shorebird species which visit
Moreton
Bay
’s intertidal flats are migratory species listed under the Japan Australia
Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) or the China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
(CAMBA). Most migrate from
Arctic
or sub-Arctic regions at the end of the breeding season moving to the southern
hemisphere and stopping to rest before the next stage of their long journey. Not
only do waders feed here but they store energy for their return trip north to
breed again” (Wetlands –
More than just wet land:
Moreton
Bay
- The State of Queensland.
Environmental Protection Agency 2000 BP916 February 2000 p.1).
"Distribution
of invertebrate and fish communities
Approximately
3225 species of invertebrates and 713 fish species have been recorded in
Moreton
Bay
… The Bay serves as a refuge for several species of both temperate and
tropical animals, and in some cases is the boundary of their ranges. This is
particularly evident for fish species, where 141 species are at the southern
limit of their range and 24 at their northern limit” (p.
100
Abal,
E.G., Moore, K. B., Gibbes, B. R. and Dennison, W. C., (eds) 2002. State
of
South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001.
Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership).
Summary
of Developmental Impact
Since European alteration of the environment many species have been
displaced; from a massive increase in human population, and therefore a strain
on the ecosystem, to the destruction of habitat for construction practices, the
environment has suffered greatly in the past, and if practices do not alter to a
sustainable format, will continue to suffer into the future (tokenistic attempts
at protecting habitat are not sustainable and therefore a serious process must
be put in place to not only stop the destruction but to reverse it where
possible).
De-silting
Without a long term catchment management plan relating to de-silting
works mangrove forests and other fauna will continue to be impacted upon. With
an overall plan for catchment management regarding silting and weed control the
waterways can be looked after and the local provenance species can be encouraged
to retake an area to both promote biodiversity and bank stabilisation.
Impacts of modifying catchment flow
The
"natural flow paradigm is
based on emerging evidence that the full range of natural intra and inter-annual
variation in the hydrological regime is critical in sustaining the full native
biodiversity and integrity of aquatic ecosystems (Richter et al. 1997). Such
hydrological variability is characterised by the magnitude, timing, frequency,
duration and rates of change in river flow. There is considerable evidence that
hydrological variation, as well as volume of flow, plays a major part in
structuring biotic diversity within river ecosystems through controls on key
habitat conditions within the river channel, and links with the floodplain and
the river influenced groundwater (hyporheic zone) (Richter et al. 1996, Stanford
et al. 1996, Arthington 1998). Fluvial processes maintain a dynamic mosaic of
channel and floodplain habitats that sustain the diverse range of biota in
healthy rivers” (Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation
Council and the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New
Zealand ‘NATIONAL WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY’ An Introduction
to the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water
Quality 2000, p. 8.2-73).
Reference material:
Abal, E.G.,
Moore
, K.B., Gibbes, B.R. and Dennison, W.C.,
(eds) 2002. State of
South-east
Queensland Waterways Report
2001
Moreton Bay Waterways and Catchments Partnership.
Gutteridge, Haskins & Davey Pty Ltd, 1996 Task
M2 State of the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay and Waterways Brisbane River
Management Group, Brisbane River and Moreton Bay Wastewater Management Study,
Working Draft Version 1.4
For more general info on
waterways and the environment see the Turrbal
environment web page and to see some photos of Ningy Ningy view the link
below.
DAKI BUDTCHA RECORDS
KALAKUTA RECORDS TURRBAL
NINGY NINGY