See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328653787 ECY Report 2017. Final Report: East Cape York Shoreline Environmental Surveys. Technical Report · February 2018 CITATION READS 1 126 2 authors: Norman C Duke Jock Ross Mackenzie James Cook University Earthwatch Institute 265 PUBLICATIONS 14,089 CITATIONS 43 PUBLICATIONS 266 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Large oil spill impacts on mangrove habitat and their recovery View project MangroveWatch - community science in action View project All content following this page was uploaded by Norman C Duke on 23 January 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. ECY Report 2017 – TropWATER Report no. 17/67 ECY Report 2017 East Cape York shoreline environmental surveys 2017 Report Brief with Site Summary Sheets Norman C Duke & Jock Mackenzie Report No. 17/67 9 Feb 2018 Page i ECY Report Brief 2017 – TropWATER Report no. 17/67 East Cape York shoreline environmental surveys 2017 Report Brief to the Commonwealth of Australia Approach to Market Reference ID: 3600000731 This Approach to Market (ATM) is for the provision of: technical scientific research, analysis and advice into the health and condition of mangrove ecosystems in the northern Great Barrier Reef region. TropWATER Report No. 17/67 9 Feb 2018 Prepared by Norman C Duke & Jock Mackenzie Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, TropWATER James Cook University Townsville Phone : (07) 4781 4262 Email: [email protected] Web: www.jcu.edu.au/tropwater/ Page ii ECY Report 2017 – TropWATER Report no. 17/67 This report should be cited as: Duke N.C., Mackenzie J. (2018) ‘ECY Report 2017’ Final Report: East Cape York Shoreline Environmental Surveys. Report to the Commonwealth of Australia. Centre for Tropical Water anD Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) Publication 17/67, James Cook University, Townsville, 145 pp. This report has been produced for the Commonwealth of Australia Approach to Market. The study was undertaken through a Consultancy Agreement (Reference ID: 3600000731) between the Commonwealth of Australia and James Cook University (JCU) for the provision of technical scientific research, analysis and advice into the health and condition of mangrove ecosystems in the northern Great Barrier Reef region. This publication has been compiled by the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), JCU. Copyright © 2018 James Cook University. Disclaimer: Except as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of the work may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of JCU TropWATER Centre. This document has been prepared with all due diligence and care, based on the best available information at the time of publication, without peer review, and the information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The copyright owners shall not be liable for technical or other errors or omissions contained within the document. The reader/user accepts all risks and responsibility for losses, damages, costs and other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from using this information. Any decisions made by other parties based on this document are solely the responsibility of those parties. Information contained in this document is from a number of sources and, as such, does not necessarily represent the policies of JCU. Enquiries about reproduction, including downloading or printing the web version, should be directed to [email protected]. For further information on the content, contact: Dr Norman Duke, Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER) James Cook University E: [email protected] James Cook Drive, ATSIP Building, James Cook University Qld 4811 www.jcu.edu.au/TropWATER Page iii ECY Report 2017 – TropWATER Report no. 17/67 We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land and sea country over which we flew and pay respect to their Elders – past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the important role these Traditional land and sea country custodians continue to play in protecting the cultural, natural and other values of tidal wetlands along the East Coast of Cape York. Eastern Kuku Yalanji Mowbray, Daintree, Cooper Creek, Bloomfield, Bauer Yuku Baja Muliku Walker Bay, Annan River Walmbarra Endeavour River Gamaay People – Hopevale Congress McIvor – Cape Flattery (not Starcke) Mutumui and Guugu-Yimidhhirr, people Jeannie Junyju-warra Starcke Lama Lama Bizant and North Kennedy Lama lama, Kuuku-yani, Umbindhamu and Ayapathu people Stewart River The Kaanju, Uutaalnganu, Umpila and Kuuku-yani people Lockhart River Kuuku Ya’u Claudie, Hunter Inlet Kuuku Ya’u, Kaanju and Umpila people Pascoe Wuthati Hunter, Olive, Harmer Yaddhaigana and Wuthahti people Escape and Jacky Jacky Page iv ECY Report 2017 – TropWATER Report no. 17/67 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. This Report documents the status and major findings of the East Cape York shoreline aerial surveys lead by Dr Norm Duke and Jock Mackenzie from James Cook University (JCU) TropWATER Centre MangroveWatch Hub. 2. Aerial surveys were successfully undertaken as proposed. Survey works were achieved over 7 days between 29 May and 4 June 2017. During this time, a total time of 31.5 hours was spent on the survey acquiring specific shoreline imagery for the record and for later assessment. Observations and filming were undertaken along the far north-eastern section of the Australian shoreline using a R44 helicopter flying at an altitude of around 150 metres. The survey covered a distance of nearly 1,500 km of the Australian mainland east coast of Cape York Peninsula from just north of Cairns to the tip of Cape York; representing around 25% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park mainland shoreline. 3. The aim of this shoreline survey was to systematically record and investigate the condition of shorelines, the mangrove vegetation, and the health of tidal wetlands in all the major estuarine systems. 4. A key outcome of the aerial survey is a baseline database or library of 52,187 geotagged oblique images covering every metre of shoreline plus a series of inland profiles extending to the upper limits of tidal inundation in 49 estuarine outlets. The number of images were roughly equal in number for shorelines (~26,653 images), and those taken on inland profiles (~25,534 images). The complete set of imagery are available for further evaluation by interested specialists who are encouraged to add further systematic search criteria, and to evaluate change in future surveys. 5. Detailed observations of current drivers of change and severity of impacts were scored at 28 major estuarine sites, from south to north including: Mowbray River, Dickson Inlet area, Daintree River, Coopers Creek area, Bloomfield River, Bauer Creek area, Walker Bay area, Annan River, Endeavour River, McIvor River, Starcke River area, Jeannie River, Muck River area, four Princess Charlotte Bay estuaries (see Note), Stewart River, Nesbit River, Lockhart River, Claudie River, Pascoe River, Hunter Inlet, Olive River, Macmillan River, Harmer River, Escape River and Jacky Jacky Creek. [Note: Marrett, Normanby, Bizant & North Kennedy Rivers in Princess Charlotte Bay were surveyeD in 2015 as part of the Reef Rescue MangroveWatch eastern Normanby Basin with Kalpowar Land Trust (Mackenzie & Duke 2016)] 6. The current shoreline and estuarine evaluations identified 33 tidal wetland and shoreline habitat issues: some were associated with rising sea levels, severe and frequent storms, while others resulted from feral animals plus other seemingly uncontrolled but damaging local land management practices. Issues were divided into direct and indirect human causes, plus others not obviously related to human activities (for the most part, ‘natural’ causes). The most notable and dominant issue was shoreline retreat, coupled with landward transgressions of saline water and tidal wetland vegetation. 7. A useful outcome has been to report on previously unrecognised notable impacts on shoreline habitats along this north-eastern section of the Queensland coast. These include: a) localised impacts like severe damage to 400- 600 ha of mangroves most likely caused by Tropical Cyclones ‘Ita’ in 2014 and ‘Nathan’ in 2015 near to the Starcke River, and notable damage and impoundment of around 100 ha of mangroves most likely caused by Tropical Page 5 ECY Report 2017 – TropWATER Report no. 17/67 Cyclones ‘22P’ in 2005 and/or ‘Monica’ in 2006 near to and including Night Island just north of the Nesbit River; b) generalised severe impacts like terrestrial retreat and shoreline erosion that increased from southern to northern estuaries and respective sections of shoreline – consistent with an increasing trend northward in recorded rates of sea level rise. 8. Such incidents are indicative of the state, condition and health of shorelines, and these data were used to quantify dominant environmental drivers. A robust and pragmatic classification system developed by Duke and Mackenzie (this report) quantifies ongoing and emerging environmental issues, including: impacts by feral pigs; shoreline erosion and deterioration; and landward transgression associated with saline encroachment. These are considered emerging dominant environmental issues. Such occurrences