Pressures Invasive species Grazing Altered fire Water resource Catchment Catchment Climate change Sea level rise regimes development development Exposed to Yes; Great Barrier Yes; Great Barrier Yes; Great Barrier Yes; Localised. Yes; Great Barrier Yes; Great Barrier Yes; Great Barrier Yes; source of Reef catchment Reef catchment Reef catchment Reef catchment Reef catchment Reef catchment Localised to near pressure wide. wide with wide but variable Higher pressure in wide. wide. wide. coastal lowlands. localised exposure. developed river (Yes/No) Pressure temporal exclusions from basins from Potential for Greater pressure Pressure temporal Long temporal dimension varies urban, Lower in higher Cairns south, regional and basin is associated with dimension varies scale chronic from long chronic agricultural, rainfall Wet particularly those wide significant areas of both from long chronic pressure. strain to periodic protected and Tropics, and more that support impacts as a existing and strain to periodic stress. rainforest areas. intensively irrigated result to changes proposed more stress. developed urban agriculture and/or to dependent intensive Usually greater Exposure to and agricultural, major population ecological development, (i.e. Pressure closely pressure from pressure depends areas. centres and for processes and within river basins related to weeds in more on land wetlands species. from Daintree catchment developed basins management Exposure to downstream of south and development and due to feral practices and pressure depends major predominantly on pattern, land use animals in less wetland upon land infrastructure. the near coastal practices and developed basins. landscape management lowlands within entrained land context. practices and Pressure these basins). degradation interacts with associated with Pressure is processes. other pressures both infrastructure associated with including invasive and flow impacts. land use intensity, Catchment run-off grass species and and pattern and pressure is grazing. both direct site comprised of both impacts on contaminant loads freshwater and altered run-off wetlands hydrology. (including instream infrastructure) and indirect impacts via disturbance on catchment biophysical processes and contribution to contaminant loads in catchment run- off.
Pressures Invasive species Grazing Altered fire regimes Water resource development Catchment development Catchment Climate change Sea level rise Exposed to source of pressure (Yes/No) Yes; Great Barrier Reef catchment wide. Pressure temporal dimension varies from long chronic strain to periodic stress. Usually greater pressure from weeds in more developed basins and due to feral animals in less developed basins. Yes; Great Barrier Reef catchment wide with localised exclusions from urban, agricultural, protected and rainforest areas. Exposure to pressure depends on land management practices and wetland landscape context. Yes; Great Barrier Reef catchment wide but variable exposure. Lower in higher rainfall Wet Tropics, and more intensively developed urban and agricultural, areas. Exposure to pressure depends upon land management practices and interacts with other pressures including invasive grass species and grazing. Yes; Localised. Higher pressure in developed river basins from Cairns south, particularly those that support irrigated agriculture and/or major population centres and for wetlands downstream of major infrastructure. Pressure associated with both infrastructure and flow impacts. Yes; Great Barrier Reef catchment wide. Greater pressure is associated with areas of both existing and proposed more intensive development, (i.e. within river basins from Daintree south and predominantly on the near coastal lowlands within these basins). Pressure is associated with land use intensity, and pattern and both direct site impacts on freshwater wetlands (including instream infrastructure) and indirect impacts via disturbance on catchment biophysical processes and contribution to contaminant loads in catchment run- off. Yes; Great Barrier Reef catchment wide. Pressure temporal dimension varies from long chronic strain to periodic stress. Pressure closely related to catchment development pattern, land use practices and entrained land degradation processes. Catchment run-off pressure is comprised of both contaminant loads and altered run-off hydrology. Yes; Great Barrier Reef catchment wide. Long temporal scale chronic pressure. Yes; Localised to near coastal lowlands. Potential for regional and basin wide significant impacts as a result to changes to dependent ecological processes and species.
Vulnerability_Assessment_Freshwater_wetlands.docx