Catchment Report Card
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CATCHMENT REPORT CARD Lake MacLeod and the Northern Ponds Caring for our Country funded Project Carnarvon IBRA Region 2009 - 2011 November 2011 Blank page Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 2 Report prepared by Ecologically Sustainable Rangelands Management Program, 2011 Primary Author: Kaz Johnson © Rangelands NRM, Western Australia 2011 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 , no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from Rangelands NRM Western Australia, Suite 3, 37 Hampden Road, Nedlands WA 6009 Enquiries about this publication should be directed to: www.rangelandswa.com.au Telephone: 08 9485 8930 Publication No 11/PJ 09101 Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 3 Acronyms CfoC Caring for our Country CFI Carbon Farming Initiative CMP Catchment Management Plan DAFWA Department of Agriculture & Food WA DEC Department of Environment & Conservation (formerly CALM) DIWA Directory of Important Wetlands of Australia DPI&F Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries ECU Edith Cowan University EMS Environmental Management System EMU Ecosystem Management Understanding EPA Environmental Protection Agency EP Act Environmental Protection Act 1994 ESRM Ecologically Sustainable Rangeland Management program EV(s) Environmental Value(s) IBRA Interim Bio-geographic Regionalisation of Australia LCDC Land Conservation District Committee LMNP Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds MAG Management Action Group (Lake MacLeod) NHT Natural Heritage Trust NHT 2 Natural Heritage Trust [Round 2] NLP National Landcare Program (until 2005) NROCA Ningaloo Reef Outback Coast Association NSDO Ningaloo Sustainable Development Office PMP Property Management Plans NHT Natural Heritage Trust RLF Regional Landcare Facilitator RNRMWA Rangelands Natural Resource Management (NRM) WA RTDSL Rio Tinto Dampier Salt Ltd SC Shire of Carnarvon SUG Shire of Upper Gascoyne UCL Unallocated Crown Land Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 4 Executive Summary In 2005 the Rangelands Natural Resource Management (NRM) co-ordinating group compiled a Regional Strategy document outlining the management of the natural resources of WA Rangelands. The Gascoyne-Murchison was highlighted as a potential future investment opportunity and a range of actions at the catchment scale directly related to the management of up-stream impacts on Lake MacLeod were identified. This document highlights these recommended actions and notes what has been achieved thus far on committing to the recommendations highlighted in the regional NRM Plan. Rangelands NRM delivered a 2 year project through the Ecologically Sustainable Rangelands Management (ESRM) Program. The ESRM team, hosted by Department of Agriculture & Food WA (DAFWA), worked together with the land managers and stakeholders of the catchment to identify best practice techniques. The project team also assisted land managers to develop Property Management Plans (PMPs) which facilitated on-ground works with ecological benefits to the overall catchment, specifically the Lake MacLeod and the Northern Ponds area. This report acknowledges current and previous works conducted throughout the catchment and also identifies the key threatening processes and issues facing the catchment. Strategies to manage and reduce the effects of these processes and concerns are also identified. A synopsis of the overall health of the catchment nourishing the Lake and the Ponds, including its assets, threats and issues as expressed by stakeholders and previous research has been outlined throughout this document. It investigates the physical, historical and social elements that have resulted in its present status. To date, available information relating to the catchment and how it functions has been fragmented. The intention of this document was to combine all information available relating to the catchment into one accessible document. This Catchment Report Card has been designed to outline the current status of the catchment with a specific emphasis on current land use and land management practices (specifically pastoral). The Report Card identifies recommendations for future management and developments required in order to improve water quality, vegetation health and sustainable agricultural practices in the region. The immediate outcomes of the ESRM operated Lake MacLeod Project included: • 14 Pastoral Businesses (covering an area of 24,624km 2) completed Property Management Plans (highlighting ecological baselines, productivity, financial and social outcomes) • 66km of riparian fencing designed for total grazing control to reduce erosive impacts in sensitive land systems • 2 Total Grazing Management Yards designed to cater for feral goats, and wild livestock • 2 Watering Points Relocated from sensitive riparian land systems • 7 ha of Intensive Landscape Rehabilitation Works including control and eradication of Cylindropuntia cactus species, mesquite species and organic buffering of surface water flow • Development of the Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 5 Contents Executive Summary 5 1.0 Introduction 7 2.0 Background 8 2.1 The ESRM Process 9 2.2 Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Area 10 2.2.1 Climate 11 2.3 Geology 12 2.3.1 Catchment Geology 12 2.3.2 Lake Geology 14 2.4 Geomorphology 15 2.5 Hydrology 16 2.6 Land Use 18 2.6.1 Pastoral 18 2.6.2 Mining 19 2.6.3 Tourism 19 3.0 Ecological Importance of the area 20 3.1 Wetland Systems 20 3.2 Plants 20 3.3 Animals 20 4.0 Ecological Threats 21 4.1 Introduced Weeds 21 4.2 Feral & Introduced Animals 22 4.3 Land Use Threats 22 4.3.1 Mining 22 4.3.2 Tourism 23 4.3.3 Grazing 23 4.3.4 Agricultural, Transport & Infrastructural contaminants 23 5.0 Research (Scientific) Programs 24 6.0 Natural Resource Management on-ground works 25 6.1 Summary of works conducted from 2007-2011 26 7.0 Community Discussion 28 7.1 Ecological 28 7.2 Economic 29 7.3 Social 30 8.0 Recommendations 31 8.1 ESRM Plans supported, updated and implemented 31 8.2 Landscape Rehabilitation 32 8.3 Control of invasive weed species 36 8.4 Total grazing pressure control 36 8.5 Fencing of sensitive land systems 37 8.6 Monitoring of resources 38 8.7 Flood Survey follow up 38 8.8 Rio Tinto Research opportunities 38 8.9 Carbon Capture opportunities 39 References 40 Appendix 42 Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 6 1.0 Introduction The Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report was developed for Rangelands NRM as a completion of Milestones required by the Caring for our Country Program. The program operated from November 2009 until November 2011. The Ecologically Sustainable Rangeland Management (ESRM) Program worked together with representatives of Land Conservation District Committees (LCDC’s), Local Management Action Groups, local pastoral and mining businesses, Local Government officers and the community to produce this document. The Caring for our Country Business Plan of 2009 identified Lake MacLeod as being: …“a regionally significant Lake of international importance”… The Business Plan also highlighted various focus points for investment: “….a priority land area within the Carnarvon Basin is the Lake MacLeod/Ningaloo Coastline (Lyndon / Minilya catchments)”.. … “Improving land management practices and HCVAE 1 within the Carnarvon Basin”. The aim of this document is to: • highlight and identify the current status of works conducted throughout the catchment leading to improved land management practices; • provide future recommendations for management of the Lake MacLeod catchment; • meet reporting obligations as determined by the Caring for our Country funding scheme Using well established participatory and community development practices the project was designed to promote further development of changed farm practices within key coastal environments and critical aquatic habitats in the Carnarvon (IBRA 2) Bioregion. The main focus was aimed at implementing sustainable invasive species control (weeds and animals), reduced sedimentation into the main waterways and an increased awareness and commitment to natural resource management practices. The project worked within the identified target region to: • Facilitate the development and implementation of pastoral property management plans linking ecology, livestock and business; • Improve soil stability and reduce wind erosion; • Improve the condition of high priority native vegetation and riparian communities; • Coordinate integrated invasive species (WoNS 3) control; • Deliver targeted incentives to reduce wind and water erosion in priority zones; and • Offer structured and professional support to rangeland managers to enable them to more adequately deal with complex land management and sustainable agricultural production issues of their region 1 HCVAE High Conservation Value Aquatic Environment 2 IBRA - Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia 3 Weeds of National Significance Lake MacLeod & Northern Ponds Catchment Report Card 2011 7 2.0 Background The Lake MacLeod catchment covers an area of approximately 52,682km 2. The coastal lake wetland itself covers an area of 2,072km 2 and is separated from the Indian Ocean by coastal dunes and outcrops of limestone rock. At the furthest points, Lake MacLeod is 110km long and 40km wide. The lake is a large evaporate pan and recognised wetland in the Carnarvon area and has regionally significant environmental, social and cultural