Annan and Endeavour Strategic Plan MAY 2007 South Cape York Catchments Inc The Annan-Endeavour Catchment Management Group would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this region the Kuku Yalanji and the Gugu Yimidirr South Cape York Catchments Email: [email protected] Ph 40696890 Po Box 546 Cooktown Qld 4895 Compiled by Jason Carroll Annan-Endeavour Catchment Management Group Coordinator Authors 1.0 Jason Carroll 2.0 Jason Carroll 3.1 Kim Stephan 3.2 Kim Stephan 3.3 Christina Howley 3.4 Kim Stephen 3.5 Dr Wendy Seabrook 3.6 Dr Wendy Seabrook 3.7 Jason Carroll 3.8 Diana Wood and Jason Carroll 3.9 Jason Carroll Front cover: SCYC 2 ANNAN ENDEAVOUR STRATEGIC PLAN CONTENTS CHAIRPERSON’S FORWORD .....................................................................................................8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................9 1.0 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................10 1.0 PURPOSE OF THIS STRATEGY .........................................................................................11 1.1 THE SOUTH CAPE YORK CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT GROUP.............................12 1.2 OUR VISION..........................................................................................................................13 1.3 WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE .......................................................................................14 1.4 THE CATCHMENT PLANNING PROCESS .......................................................................15 1.5 PLANNING AND LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK .............................................................16 2.0 CATCHMENT OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................17 2.1 HISTORY OF THE ANNAN ENDEAVOUR CATCHMENTS ...........................................18 2.2 BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................20 2.21 GEOLOGY .......................................................................................................................20 2.22 SOILS ...............................................................................................................................21 2.23 TOPOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................22 2.24 CLIMATE .........................................................................................................................23 2.25 HYDROLOGY AND HYDROGEOLOGY .....................................................................25 2.26 BIODIVERSITY...............................................................................................................26 2.3 DEMOGRAPHICS .................................................................................................................27 2.4 LAND USES ...........................................................................................................................28 2.40 ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY LANDUSE ....................................................................28 2.41 BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE ..................................................29 2.42 MINING ............................................................................................................................30 2.43 CURRENT PRIMARY PRODUCTION ..........................................................................31 2.44 HORTICULTURE ............................................................................................................32 2.45 GRAZING.........................................................................................................................32 2.5 LAND TENURE .....................................................................................................................33 2.51 PROTECTED AREAS .....................................................................................................34 2.52 STATE FORESTS AND TIMBER RESERVES .............................................................34 3.0 KEY ISSUES AFFECTING OUR CATCHMENT ...............................................................35 3.1 FERAL ANIMALS .................................................................................................................36 3.10 PRIORITY PEST SPECIES FOR CONTROL.....................................................................38 Feral Pigs ..................................................................................................................................38 Wandering Cattle (Bos spp) ......................................................................................................42 Wild dogs/ Mangy dogs and Dingoes (Canis familiaris/ and Canis familiaris dingo) ............43 Cane toad (Bufo marinus) .........................................................................................................44 Feral or wandering horses (Equus caballus) .............................................................................45 Feral Cats (Felis catus) .............................................................................................................46 Feral Fish (Tilapia marinae, Oreochromis mosambiccus, Sarotherodon species) ..................47 Other potential pest animals......................................................................................................49 Pest Management ......................................................................................................................49 3.2 WEEDS ...................................................................................................................................50 3.21 PRIORITY WEED SPECIES FOR CONTROL ..............................................................52 Sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia) ...................................................................................................52 Bauhinia/Pink Orchid Tree (Bauhinia monandra) ...................................................................54 3 Cat‘s Claw Creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati) .........................................................................54 Common Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica) ..............................................................................55 Elephant Creeper (Argyreia nervosa) .......................................................................................55 Gamba Grass (Andropogon gayanus) .......................................................................................56 Giant Sensitive Plant .................................................................................................................57 Hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis) ..............................................................................57 Lantana (Lantana sp) ...............................................................................................................58 Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) ..........................................................................................59 Mother-in-law tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)........................................................................59 Mother of Millions (Bryophyllum sp.) ......................................................................................60 Pond Apple (Annona glabra) ....................................................................................................61 Singapore Daisy ........................................................................................................................62 Thunbergia (Thunbergia grandiflora) ......................................................................................63 3.3 WATER QUALITY & QUANTITY ......................................................................................65 3.31 BACKGROUND ..............................................................................................................65 3.32 POTENTIAL WATER QUALITY IMPACTS & COMMUNITY CONCERNS ............66 3.33 WATER QUALITY MONITORING & RESEARCH .....................................................69 3.34 SURFACE WATER & GROUNDWATER QUANTITY & ALLOCATION ................73 3.35 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................75 3.4 BIODIVERSITY.....................................................................................................................76 3.41 THE ANNAN CATCHMENT .........................................................................................77 3.42 THE ENDEAVOUR CATCHMENT ...............................................................................78 3.43 VEGETATION COMMUNITIES IN THE ANNAN AND ENDEAVOUR CATCHMENTS .......................................................................................................................79 3.44 AREAS OF CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE IN THE ANNAN AND ENDEAVOUR CATCHMENTS..............................................................................................80 3.45 RARE AND THREATENED PLANTS IN THE CATCHMENTS.................................86 3.45 FAUNA .............................................................................................................................88 3.46 THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY IN THE CATCHMENTS ...........................................94 3.47 WAYS TO CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY IN THE CATCHMENTS ...........................97 3.5 PLANNING