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Spotlight on some of our activities - or might turn this into a graphics boxes page

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This year has been one of the biggest on record for on ground works for Healthy Land and Water, despite the many challenges the year has bought. The breadth and impact of our portfolio continues to strengthen, and Healthy Land and Water has continued to be successful in securing funding for projects that will have a lasting impact for the region.

"One of the unexpected side effects bought about by COVID-19 has been a renewed focus by South East Queenslanders on their local environs. The devastation of the bushfires followed closely by the impact of COVID-19 appears to have refocussed people on the importance of their ‘backyard’."

- Stephen Robertson, Healthy Land and Water, Chair

As the COVID restrictions started to lift, there have been reports of South East Queenslanders flocking to their natural attractions.

The increase in recognition of the importance of these areas bodes well for being able to build on this connection and inspire greater community involvement and action in protecting and enhancing their local natural assets.

It is not only COVID that has been reshaping how we work. Times are changing and what has worked for us in the past is now being reimagined to extend the appeal of our work to a broader audience - an audience who receives their information very differently. We are focussed on coming up with new ways to integrate and communicate our work.
Our team has been working on all ends of the spectrum to ensure we can deliver for the environment and community.

Our relationships with key stakeholders have been a key focus this during year. We’ve put a concerted effort into ramping up discussions about our projects that are critical to the region with the people and organisations who can help make real change happen. We’ve also been regularly touching base with our Local, State and Federal Government representatives on upcoming opportunities to partner with us on collaborative projects which deliver on the ground change for South East Queensland.

We continue to have excellent working relationships with the agricultural sector and the business and industry sectors. It is important to leverage the work, the skills and the funding across the groups to accelerate change for our region.

On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to announce the creation of a new strategic funding initiative, the Community Natural Asset Investment Reserve. This will allow the delivery of key high-impact projects which may not have had adequate external funding sources of their own. The Board will be playing a key role in determining the projects and activities to be funded through this fund.

"What we’ve achieved throughout the year has been made possible by the hard work and dedication of our CEO and the team at Healthy Land and Water. When referring to our team, I’m referring not just to our highly skilled and committed staff, but also the active network of members we collaborate with to ensure our natural resource assets in South East Queensland are well managed."

- Stephen Robertson, Healthy Land and Water, Chair

Thank you also to the Board of Directors, whom I am delighted to have the privilege of working with. The commitment and passion of our Board can be clearly shown in the strong direction and leadership of natural resource management for the region.

I would like to close by recognising the financial support of our funding providers which makes our work possible, and I sincerely thank them for their ongoing commitment. As the strong population growth in the South East corner brings a raft of additional pressures, enduring investment will be ever more crucial in designing and managing healthy and liveable environments.

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How we deliver it

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Focusing our action: Our NRM Plan

The Natural Resource Management Plan (NRM Plan) for South East Queensland is at the heart of what we do, driving the focus of our action across the region.

South East Queensland commenced formulating the first iteration of the plan some 20 years ago, and like our environment and ecosystems, it has been adapted to our dynamic, changing environment ever since.

Every five years, Healthy Land and Water leads the review of the plan, identifying the latest and most accurate data and analysis methods. Progress against a set of targets is measured, with support from academic/research bodies, government, and community experts. Change is compared to a baseline for each target, created in 2009 when the first plan was endorsed.

The NRM Plan integrates and balances the array of competing economic, cultural, and environmental factors to guide collaborative strategies and actions which produce benefits for the whole community.

This review process is currently underway, with a view to releasing an updated plan for the region in 2021.

Healthy Land and Water is focused on ensuring the priorities are moving with and adapting to the changing environments and supporting communities in the best way possible.

We are using our expert science advisory committees for high level guidance and to provide quality assurance and rigour. This group is also charged with determining if the trends detected in the last review are continuing or have since changed.

In addition to the advisory committees, there is a wide scope of other committees and stakeholders providing crucial input to ensure the NRM Plan captures the aspirations of the South East Queensland community, who are ultimately the owners of the plan.

A strong plan for South East Queensland

The strength of the NRM Plan is that it is our community’s plan to protect and enhance our region’s natural assets.

"It has been carefully crafted and adapted over time by a broad collaboration of experts to integrate and balance competing economic, cultural and environmental factors to produce benefits for the whole community"

- Dr Grace Muriuki, Strategic Science Manager

It has been carefully crafted and adapted over time by a broad collaboration of experts to integrate and balance competing economic, cultural and environmental factors to produce benefits for the whole community.

The best way to achieve outcomes for our region is by taking an integrated view – our environs, our people, our economy and our lifestyles.

The Natural Resource Management Plan for South East Queensland helps guide us through the intricacies of managing the process of change in a complex environment.

It guides the focus of action by Healthy Land and Water, providing targets by which we can measure the health of our natural resources.

The current review will ensure the NRM Plan is best placed to lead us into the next 10 years.

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An integrated approach

We are focussed on coming up with new ways to integrate and communicate our work.

To stay ahead of the curve in changing times, we take an integrated approach, recognising that as the ecosystem is always adapting to pressures and change, so must we.

We take an adaptive management approach, recognising that management actions create opportunities to learn and improve. The adaptive management cycle is a structured, continual process that provides a basis for robust decision-making in the face of uncertainty through the use of monitoring and learning feedbacks.

Adaptive management improves long-term management outcomes, but it is important for decision makers dealing with urgent problems to find the correct balance between gaining knowledge to improve management in the future and achieving the best short-term and long-term outcomes based on current knowledge.

Click on the read more button below to find out about each link in the chain - from the NRM Plan, to our activities, to our monitoring and modelling platform.

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Projects & action on the ground

Healthy Land and Water is responsible for coordinating the delivery of hundreds of environmental initiatives throughout South East Queensland. These activities are designed to improve our landscapes, waterways, and biodiversity and protect the environment for future generations. While there are many worthy projects to invest in, our activity spread is aligned with priority areas outlined in the NRM Plan. Our activities are also aligned with our values and selected and delivered according to our scientific principles.

Snapshot of investments in 2019-20	Healthy land	Healthy water	Local landscapes	Nature conservation	Coastal & marine	Community	Traditional owners	Air & atmosphere
South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan Review Every five years Healthy Land and Water undertakes a review of progress against community-endorsed targets established in 2009 for achievement in 2031. The current review will be complete in August 2021. Activities during 2019-20 focused on data review and analysis and building awareness of the NRM Plan review and in 2020-21 will focus on stakeholder engagement and determining future priority actions. Acknowledgements: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program and the Queensland Government's Natural Resource Investment Program.
Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland – “Mountains to Mangroves” Extending from the foreshores of Brisbane, Moreton Bay is internationally recognised as a Ramsar wetland for biodiversity and ecological significance. It is considered one of the most significant marine habitats on the east coast of Australia. It also has high indigenous cultural, recreational, and economic values. This project aims to address key threatening processes to the Ramsar site and its threatened wildlife by controlling pest and domestic animals, improving ecological fire regimes, reducing weeds, reducing impacts from vehicles and pedestrians, reducing sediment run-off, removing marine debris, and improving habitat through revegetation and the creation of aquatic habitats, coastal habitat restoration, and shellfish reef restoration. Acknowledgement: This project supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program.
Community Participation in Natural Resource Management Community involvement and participation in natural resource management is fundamental to the health of our region’s natural assets. In 2019-20, Healthy Land and Water provided support to over 100 organisations on a wide range of initiatives, including BioBlitzes, threatened species recovery, cultural calendars, climate change, and biosecurity. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program and the Queensland Government's Natural Resource Investment Program.
Lungfish Habitat Rehabilitation (Stage One) This innovative program aims to re-establish the macrophytes, specifically Vallisneria sp., a submerged aquatic plant that provides habitat for lungfish and are vital for lungfish breeding and maintaining a healthy lungfish population that were damaged in significant flood events. Acknowledgement: This project is delivered by a partnership between Healthy Land and Water, Seqwater, and Griffith University.
T.S. Onslow Shoreline Management Project The TS Onslow Shoreline Management Project at Golden Beach aims to prevent coastal erosion and restore fish habitat with soft engineering solutions of mangrove and foreshore planting stabilised with innovative placement of coir logs. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program and Take Action for Pumicestone Passage (TAPP), Queensland Government, MangroveWatch, Sunshine Coast Council, Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, and Night Eyes.
Pine Mountain Gully Restoration The Pine Mountain Gully Restoration focuses on repairing eroding and low vegetated soil by stabilising gullies through the installation of rock chutes and fencing, and the planting of ground cover species and plants along the gully’s edges. Acknowledgement: This project is delivered by a partnership between Healthy Land and Water and Seqwater.
Land Management Practices Program The Land Management Practices Program aims to improve adoption of best practice to improve soil health, land condition, and water quality by working with landholders and farming and community groups in South East Queensland. The program delivers a range of activities including workshops, field days, demonstration sites, and tailored information products. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program.
Living Waterways - Lower Brisbane Waterway improvement This project aims to improve the ecological health of the lower Brisbane River and downstream Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland, through rehabilitation of sections of local waterways. Restoration activities and installation of water sensitive urban design installations improves the integrity and resilience of these urban waterways through rebuilding riparian habitat quality, increasing connectivity, and reducing the risk of bank erosion which will, in turn, reduce the risk of increased sediment flowing into the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland. All projects engage and educate local communities, work to understand local uses and values of waterways, and build opportunities for local stewardship to protect and care for these special places well into the future. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s Environment Restoration Fund. This project is delivered in partnership with Brisbane Catchments Network, Save Our Waterways Now (SOWN), Habitat Brisbane, Davidson Street Bushcare, Brisbane City Council (BCC), and the Oxley Creek Catchment Association.
Feral Pest Management on Minjerribah and Mulgumpin Feral Pest Management projects on Minjerribah and Mulgumpin aim to mitigate the impacts that feral cats, foxes and pigs have on the natural environment and the predation on the island’s diverse array of native species including turtles, shorebirds, frogs, and even a water mouse. Bait stations equipped with cameras are used to eradicate feral pigs, foxes, and cats in strategic locations across the islands. The cameras are used to monitor the animals as they engage with the baits, and project managers believe they can adapt to changes in the animal’s behaviour and ability to avoid the baits, and move closer to the total eradication of the pests in the future. Healthy Land and Water is also working in partnership with the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation trialling the Felixer, an innovative feral cat and fox management solution, which targets the animal and utilises their natural behaviours to enhance control. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program and the the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation.
Mulgowie Riverbank Restoration The Mulgowie Riverbank Restoration aims to prevent erosion in the Lockyer Valley and reduce the flow of mud into Moreton Bay by building resilience into more than 3.5km of unstable banks along Laidley Creek, significantly impacted by the devastating floods in 2011 and 2013. The restoration of the riverbank involved planting trees and grasses, reinforcing creekbanks with rock chutes and other natural infrastructure, and installing flow reduction devices such as pile fields. Acknowledgement: Urban Utilities, Port of Brisbane, Department of Environment and Science, Mulgowie Farming Company, supported by local landholders.
Healthy Catchments The Healthy Catchments program aims to increase bank stability through erosion control and prevention in areas of South East Queensland through the delivery of soil conservation projects and landholder education. The program, running since 2010, currently focuses on the Upper Warrill, Upper Bremer, and Upper Laidley sub-catchments. Acknowledgement: Department of Environment and Science's Healthy Catchments Program.
Nutrient Offsets Initiative In the event that environmental harm cannot be avoided or mitigated, an environmental offset compensates for impacts to one site, by securing benefits at another site, and managing that land to replace those environmental values which were impacted or lost. Over the past seven years, Healthy Land and Water has been working to deliver offset projects and investigate opportunities focused on nutrient reduction from point source discharges delivered by sewage treatment plants. Acknowledgement: Partners in the Nutrient Offsets Initiative include Urban Utilities, Unitywater, the Department of Environment and Science, Logan City Council (including the Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance and Downer Utilities), and the City of Gold Coast.
Riparian Vine Weed Control Program The Riparian Vine Weed Control Program works to reduce and control the impact of canopy killer weeds on riparian vegetation in six priority water supply catchments in South East Queensland, primarily Cat’s Claw Creeper. The program involves the manual removal of weeds and the release of a biological control agent, the Jewel Beetle, native to South America. Acknowledgement: Moreton Bay Regional Council and Seqwater.
Healthy Waterplay Waterways are influenced by activities occurring within their catchments and some of these activities can result in different types of pollution entering waterways, including microbial pollution, which can pose risks to human health. The Healthy Waterplay Program supports the monitoring of human health risks in recreational waters and promotion of risks to the public, enabling the community to make informed decisions about where and when to use waterways for recreation. Acknowledgement: This initiative is supported Healthy Land and Water’s member network as well as by state government, local councils, water utilities, universities, and other relevant organisations.
Sustainable Agriculture The Sustainable Agriculture initiative promotes the importance of maintaining healthy soils, productive agricultural landscapes, and reducing the amount of soil nutrients and sediment that are washed into our local waterways. The initiative involves working closely with landholders and farming and community groups to support them in improving the soil health and native vegetation which significantly contributes to maintaining ecosystem services underpinning the regions’ agricultural productivity and profitability. Various extension approaches have been utilised including workshops, field days, and demonstration sites, to improve the knowledge and skills of landholders and highlight the important role they play as stewards of the land, protecting and improving the condition of soils, pastures, native vegetation, and waterways. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
Erosion and Sediment Control The Erosion and Sediment Control Program builds the capacity of local government, developers, and contractors to reduce the impact of urban development on waterways by keeping sediment on construction sites. This holistic program builds on our understanding of the needs for informed and consistent compliance, coupled to targeted research and education, is making a positive impact from Coolangatta to Cairns. Acknowledgement: This program is funded through the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science.
Mid Brisbane Partnerships Program The Mid Brisbane Partnerships Program helps restore and protect water quality and build resilience into the Mid Brisbane catchment area through projects that focus on fencing, stabilising, and revegetating riverbanks and gully systems. These projects ensure gullies and riverbanks are more resilient to flood events, reducing erosion and the flow of sediment into the Mid Brisbane River. Acknowledgement: This project is delivered by a partnership between Healthy Land and Water and Seqwater.
Water by Design The Water by Design program is focused on helping everyday people and organisations manage water more sustainably in urban environments. The Water by Design team works to identify and fill knowledge gaps and encourage the community to incorporate improved sustainable water management practices. The team provides capacity building services and products including training, guidelines, and technical resources for practitioners in industry and local government. Acknowledgement: This program is funded through the SEQ Members and the Department of Environment and Science.
Environmentally Friendly Moorings The Environmentally Friendly Moorings (EFMs) program protects seagrass meadows and marine habitats by replacing existing block and tackle moorings with an environmentally friendly alternative. Environmentally friendly moorings ensure mooring chains are kept off the sea floor, protecting seagrass and preventing damage to the benthic environment. This year Healthy Land and Water worked in partnership with the Gold Coast Waterways Authority, delivering new EFMs to Jacobs well and Cabbage Tree Point. In addition, Healthy Land and Water is also working with stakeholders across Moreton Bay to deliver new EFMs across the region. More seagrass monitoring is being introduced within the Mooring Areas as part of the Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program. Acknowledgement: Projects have received funding from Gold Coast Waterways Authority and the current EFM program is being delivered in partnership with Maritime Safety Queensland, Department of Environment and Science, Gold Coast Waterways Authority, the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, Queensland Recreation Boating Association, EFM installers, and mooring boat holders.
Clean Up Program The Clean Up Program crew collects floating and bank-bound litter from our waterways, removing the waste before it flows out into Moreton Bay where it can do untold harm to our marine wildlife and ecosystems. Once the waste has been collected, we work with our partners to analyse and categorise the litter to better understand how, why, and when litter is entering our waterways. This data informs our prevention efforts and assists us in understanding how we can stop litter at the source. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s Environment Restoration Fund and Brisbane City Council, Logan City Council, Ipswich City Council, City of Gold Coast, and Moreton Bay Regional Council.
Wild Macadamia Projects Our Wild Macadamia Projects are working to conserve wild macadamia populations in South East Queensland through a range of activities including citizen science programs that engage the community to identify, register, and collect samples from wild macadamia trees in their area. Collecting and analysing the genetics of these samples will help determine the best way to conserve our wild macadamia trees. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government’s Queensland Citizen Science Grants and delivered in partnership with the Macadamia Conservation Trust and Southern Cross University.
Pumicestone Shellfish Habitat Restoration The Pumicestone Shellfish Habitat Restoration project involves installing artificial reefs made from recycled oyster shells and biodegradable potato starch sheets to enhance fish stocks and marine biodiversity and ultimately improve water quality in the Pumicestone Passage. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and Pumicestone Passage Fish Restocking Association, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Boating Camping Fishing (BCF) through OzFish Unlimited, and Unitywater, with significant in-kind from OzFish volunteers.
Bushfires - Emergency Pest Post Mitigation and Habitat Protection The Bushfire Recovery Project involves restoring and protecting bushfire impacted habitat in the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area. The first component of the program involves removing weeds from the upper Illinbah section of Lamington National Park and controlling access to affected areas of Main Range National Park through repairing and erecting fencing to prevent cattle intrusions. Acknowledgement: Supported by the Australian Government’s Bushfire recovery package for wildlife and their habitat.
Integrated Fire Management Project Lack of integrated fire management across vegetation communities in the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland was identified as a severe threat. These communities include fire-prone and fire sensitive ecosystems which offer opportunities for landscape management to address cultural heritage and ecological concerns. Most importantly, this project represents an opportunity to embed integrated fire management firmly within cultural heritage considerations. The project includes working with local Traditional Owners to develop fire management case studies for culturally significant areas on North Stradbroke (Minjerribah) and Bribie Islands. These case studies include information on the application of fire to return and sustain cultural landscapes, appropriate fire regimes, succession post fire, fire response of structural species within these habitats, and opportunities to facilitate the persistence of rare species. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and the Kabbi Kabbi First Nations and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
Curlew Island Shorebird Habitat Restoration Curlew Island is the most southern roosting and feeding site for listed migratory shorebirds in Southern Moreton Bay. Over recent years, Curlew Island’s native vegetation has been progressively colonised and degraded by weeds. In order to improve the ecological integrity of the island and restore habitat for listed migratory shorebirds, Healthy Land and Water, in partnership with Watergum, has cleared weeds and revegetated the island with local provenance native coastal vines, shrubs, and trees. *Acknowledgement:* This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and Watergum.
Coochiemudlo Island Melaleuca Wetland The Coochiemudlo Island Melaleuca Wetland has high cultural and ecological values and is home to over 170 recorded native plant species - which includes listed endangered species - and habitat for the threatened wallum sedge frogs, making it an important freshwater wetland within the Moreton Bay Ramsar Site. Healthy Land and Water, in partnership with Coochiemudlo Island Coastcare, is delivering restoration projects across the island, using innovative chemical-free methodologies. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and Coochiemudlo Island Coastcare.
Brisbane Catchments Network Mapping Tool Healthy Land and Water in partnership with Brisbane City Council has developed a new online mapping tool to assist Brisbane Catchment Groups to develop their individual catchment plans by identifying project locations across the whole landscape and assisting with the alignment of these plans with Brisbane City Council’s ’Brisbane Vision’. This mapping tool will provide Brisbane City Council and Brisbane Catchment Groups with transparency on future project plans, provide ‘shelf ready’ projects for when funding is available and reduce the time and resources required throughout the project pre-approval planning phase. Acknowledgement: This project is supported by Healthy Land and Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and Brisbane City Council.
Snapshot of investments in 2019-20	Healthy land	Healthy water	Local landscapes	Nature conservation	Coastal & marine	Community	Traditional owners	Air and atmosphere