pyrophytic infrastructure and Where wetlands intensive) land significant grasses and or flow regime occur: use (e.g. populations of exclusion of changes rangeland biota with grazing (including both grazing on dependent in basins (including reduced flows or unimproved linkages to it. /catchments protected areas additional / native pastures) dominated by Very high adjoining aseasonal flows) but extreme more intensive regularly burnt and extraction weather events Where wetland agricultural or pastoral areas) levels move droughts/floods occurs within the urban / industrial system across significantly sea level rise development thresholds that impact inundation zone. more intensively with overall land generate major catchment Will ultimately developed use pattern changes in condition experience seasonally dry predominantly wetland function complete urban and monotypic in basins that and condition or transformation to agricultural areas intensive use past or current wetland occurs highly modified / extend with remnant land upstream of major novel estuarine suppression / too vegetation areas management – water marine system. infrequent occurring as practices have infrastructure that burning, which isolated patches, not ensured for represents a results in drainage lines as the retention of complete realised wildfire narrow adequate ground connectivity risks discontinuous cover during barrier and and/or degraded rainfall periods, wetland riparian and there has sugarcane community vegetation also been growing areas species corridors and off significant use burnt cane composition and stream wetlands development of harvesting basin population retained as land degradation resulting in levels has been isolated (particularly remnant altered. remnants often alluvial gully and wetlands lacking riparian waterway bank exposure to Very high vegetation within erosion) regular Where wetland is intensively In areas where unintentionally the site for water developed cumulative burning resource contributing impact of infrastructure catchment areas catchment or where development e.g. condition wetlands are riverine, lacustrine in areas with changes and/or intentionally wetland currently irrigated farm /
pyrophytic grasses and or exclusion of grazing (including protected areas adjoining regularly burnt pastoral areas) more intensively developed seasonally dry urban and agricultural areas extend suppression / too infrequent burning, which results in realised wildfire risks sugarcane growing areas use burnt cane harvesting resulting in remnant wetlands exposure to regular unintentionally burning or where wetlands are intentionally infrastructure and flow regime changes (including both reduced flows or additional / aseasonal flows) and extraction levels move system across thresholds that generate major changes in wetland function and condition or wetland occurs upstream of major water infrastructure that represents a complete connectivity barrier and wetland community species composition and basin population levels has been altered. Very high Where wetland is the site for water resource infrastructure development e.g. riverine, lacustrine wetland Where wetlands occur: in basins /catchments dominated by more intensive agricultural or urban / industrial development with overall land use pattern predominantly monotypic intensive use with remnant vegetation areas occurring as isolated patches, drainage lines as narrow discontinuous and/or degraded riparian vegetation corridors and off stream wetlands retained as isolated remnants often lacking riparian vegetation within intensively developed contributing catchment areas in areas with currently intensive) land use (e.g. rangeland grazing on unimproved native pastures) but extreme weather events droughts/floods significantly impact catchment condition in basins that past or current land management practices have not ensured for the retention of adequate ground cover during rainfall periods, and there has also been significant development of land degradation (particularly alluvial gully and waterway bank erosion) In areas where cumulative impact of catchment condition changes and/or irrigated farm / significant populations of biota with dependent linkages to it. Very high Where wetland occurs within the sea level rise inundation zone. Will ultimately experience complete transformation to highly modified / novel estuarine – marine system.
Vulnerability_Assessment_Freshwater_wetlands.docx