Issue 3 October 2009 One size does not fi t all in the remote north In this issue By Jenni Metcalfe One size does not A child living in the Gilbert River catchment, a remote fi t all in the remote north 1 area south-west of Cairns in Queensland, is likely to speak only English among their small family. Foreword 2 The family earns $900 a week from grazing and residents are widely dispersed with the Ngan’gi seasonal cattle on natural pastures. They own a car exception of Broome in Western Australia, knowledge and have internet access. The child will areas in and around Darwin in the NT, and immortalised 4 attend school for at least 10 years. Mount Isa in Queensland. Another child living in the equally remote Despite the remoteness, TRaCK has found Giant gullies Goyder River catchment east of Darwin in considerable social and economic differences threaten the Gulf the Northern Territory is likely to have a both between and within catchments in the of Carpentaria 5 very different experience. They are part of north. These fi ndings add to the knowledge a large Aboriginal family whose members that water planners need to make decisions. Threatened pig-nosed speak their own Indigenous language in ‘TRaCK has proven that knowledge gained turtle depends on their rented home where they have lived through robust science can have an nutrient cycles in for at least fi ve years. This family earns less immediate infl uence on water management northern rivers 7 than $600 a week, does not own a car and and planning’, says says Chair and Chief does not have internet access. This child will Executive Offi cer of the National Water Biodiversity—you’ve attend school for just a few years. Commission Ken Matthews. ‘As the impacts got to know where TRaCK has been researching the social, of climate change hit home in southern it is to manage it 9 demographic and economic make-up of Australia, important socioeconomic 60 catchments across northern Australia. analysis like this, combined with ecological Valuing our rivers Together, tropical river catchments make up and hydrological evidence, will inform in dollars and cents 12 about a quarter of Australia’s land, but only development options for northern Australia.’ two per cent of the population live there Continued page 3 Fitzroy River update 14 Mitchell, Flinders and Norman Rivers update 14 Daly River update 15 Fact sheets 16 Contact TRaCK 16 The Darwin, Daly, Goyder and Gilbert catchments TRaCK – Research to support river and estuary management in northern Australia Foreword Dr Danielle Warfe collects samples in the Edith River Associate Professor Michael Douglas near Katherine. Photo: Jenni Metcalfe TRaCK Research Director Welcome to the third issue of On TRaCK. The north’s potential as a food bowl for the nation is currently under debate. This debate needs to be underpinned by good information that allows people to make informed decisions about the benefi ts and trade-offs of future development in the north. Through TRaCK, we are fi nding out why people value tropical rivers. We are improving our understanding of the physical, biological and Indigenous cultural processes that sustain the rivers. We are examining economic opportunities for Indigenous people in developing the rivers. And we are bringing this knowledge together in ways that will help water managers make informed decisions. Two of the research projects featured in this issue of On TRaCK explore the socioeconomic characteristics of our tropical river catchments. While most people appreciate the great diversity of river systems across the north in terms of river size and patterns of fl ow, we can now compare these catchments in terms of TRaCK receives major funding for the make-up of catchment communities. For the fi rst time, we can also consider its research through the Australian the economic value that Australians put on the ecosystem services provided by Government’s Commonwealth tropical rivers. Environment Research Facilities Other stories in this issue describe new insights we have gained into how our initiative; the Australian Government’s tropical river systems work: how fl oodplains are major sources of sediments, not Raising National Water Standards just sediment sinks; where nutrients in the rivers come from and how critical Program; Land & Water Australia; the the balance of nutrients is to aquatic plants and animals; and how different Fisheries Research and Development populations of the same species of fi sh, such as Mouth Almighty, have evolved Corporation; and the Queensland differently and adapted to local conditions. Government’s Smart State Innovation Funds. Through this research, we are providing new ways of looking at our northern rivers, the services they provide and the communities they support, which is vital information for evaluating future options for the region. TRaCK brings together leading tropical river researchers and managers from Charles Darwin University, Griffi th University, The University of Western Australia, CSIRO, James Cook University, Australian National University, Geoscience Australia, Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine Science, North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, and the governments of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. 2 Issue 3 October 2009 Continued from page 1 Characterising catchments The TRaCK researchers characterised each catchment according to: Comparing catchments • population characteristics such as age, the percentage of people that have Having categories of similar moved in the last fi ve years and the percentage of Aboriginal people living in catchments means river managers can the catchment better target and manage development • economic factors such as the type of employment and amount of income opportunities. • infrastructure and housing, such as the number of schools and the percentage ‘This avoids the one-size-fi ts-all of homes with internet access approach to development and management, but requires less effort • social factors such as educational levels and the number of people than in targeting each individual volunteering in community organisations catchment’, says Larson. • the local environment, culture and land use, such as the number of listed Despite not having all the data they heritage sites would have liked, the researchers The researchers then sought to fi nd out what was different, and similar, about identifi ed eight distinct categories the characteristics of catchments. TRaCK researcher Silva Larson from CSIRO says of catchment. there were some overall social and economic features of the north which appeared They found, for example, that the distinctive. child from the more affl uent Gilbert ‘For example, the percentage of people speaking Indigenous languages at home, River catchment would experience rather than English, is relatively high. Only 42 per cent of homes have an internet similar social and economic conditions connection, and government is the largest employer’, she says. as children from Settlement Creek, Staaten, Keep, Holroyd and Norman ‘The region is the most remote in Australia, with limited basic infrastructure. River catchments. This group of Transport infrastructure is just a weak network of all-weather sealed roads and catchments has high levels of there are few all-weather airports and very few ports.’ employment in agriculture, a relatively Table 1 compares the Goyder and Gilbert catchments, which the children referenced mobile population, and the mainly non- above belong to, with catchments where the population is increasing—the Daly Indigenous population are likely to own River catchment in the Northern Territory and the urban catchment around Darwin. their homes and cars and have internet We can see that children from the four catchments are likely to have very different access. experiences. Catchment Population Economic Infrastructure / Social Environment / housing land use Goyder River 600–700 people 15% employed by 40% own car 38% speak only All land in government or English at home natural condition 92% Aboriginal services 20% internet access and under 20% have >10 years 0.1 people per km2 0% own home traditional Median family of school Indigenous use income / week - $592 Average household size – 5.8 Gilbert River 800–1000 people 25% employed by 100% own car 96% speak only All land use grazing the land English at home is grazing 1.6% Aboriginal 22% internet access (agricultural Median family 60% have >10 years 2 production) 0.02 people per km income / week - $910 20% own home of school Average household size – 2.8 Daly River 10,000 people 35% employed by >80% own car 80% speak only 60% under government or English at home grazing, some 27% Aboriginal services >60% internet dryland and access 60% have >10 years 0.2 people per km2 irrigated Median family of school agriculture income / week - 25% own home $900 Average household 30% traditional size – 2.9 Indigenous use Darwin (Finniss, 110,000 people 30% employed by 95% own car 80% speak only Urban Elizabeth and government or English at home environment Howard rivers) 8.8% Aboriginal services 79% internet access 78% have >10 years of 2 12 people per km Median family 40% own home school income / week - $1,300 Average household size – 2.4 Continued page 4 Issue 3 October 2009 3 Continued from page 3 However, the child from the less Dr Natalie Stoeckl from James Cook require training, education, and fl exible affl uent Goyder River catchment is University who is leading the TRaCK purchasing systems. ‘ typical of children from the Fitzmaurice, project believes it is simply not Andrew Taylor believes the second Goomadeer, Koolatong, Liverpool, fi nancially viable to undertake the scale solution is to support development that Moyle, Blyth and Walker catchments. of investment that would be needed to is appropriate in remote areas where In these catchments, there is a high make remote areas less remote. infrastructure is limited.