Community and experts set to flock to wetlands forum
23 Apr 2004
Conserving the wetlands of Queensland's spectacular southern Gulf of Carpentaria will be the focus of talks at Karumba, in the state's north west, on May 5-6.
During the wet season, up to 36 species of internationally protected migratory shorebirds from northern climates - long-legged plovers, godwits and sandpipers among them - join a plethora of local birds to probe the mudflats, and tidal estuaries and fresh water lakes sprawling across more than 10,000 square kilometres of nationally important wetlands.
The health of these near pristine world-class wetlands, the needs of the waterbirds to which they play host and a number of land management issues will form the basis of ground-breaking discussions during the inaugural Southern Gulf Birds and Wetlands Forum at Karumba, organised by WWF-Australia in collaboration with the Northern Gulf Resource Management Group and Southern Gulf Catchments Ltd.
"The forum aims to raise awareness and open discussion to help the Gulf community develop regional strategic plans," said Russell Kelly, WWF-Australia Senior Program Officer Wetlands. "Graziers and traditional owners are the primary land managers for most of the Gulf Region and it will be heartening to see the whole community come together with these groups to plan the management of this extraordinary wetland province."
The major issues for discussion include: weeds, such as parkinsonia and rubber vine, which have the potential to devastate the wetlands and the bird and other species; habitats they provide; irrigated agriculture and aquaculture developments with associated land clearing and water extraction; climate change; feral pigs; and the intensification of the pastoral industry.
Dr Max Finlayson, President of Wetlands International (Australia) and Director of the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist (ERISS) will speak on the international significance of the Southern Gulf wetlands.
WWF is currently pursuing the Ramsar listing of the Wernadinga Wetlands - a 76,000 hectare site within the Southern Gulf Aggregation - as a stepping stone to the protection and responsible use of all regional wetlands.
Cooperative conservation management agreements with landholders have proven beneficial for wetland conservation in other sensitive areas - Alister McClymont from Wernadinga Station will speak about the changing times of grazing in the wetlands of the Southern Gulf.
Mr Kelly and Dr Peter Driscoll, from the Queensland Wader Study Group, will be conducting a survey of the wetlands and birds in an ultra-light before the forum. Numerous flights over the wetlands will be organised by expert guides Dr Stephen Garnett, of Birds Australia, and Dr Driscoll from May 4-7.
Find out more about our work in the Gulf
WWF-Australia press office: Jacqueline McArthur: +61 2 8202 1242, 0408 626 780 Andy Ridley: +61 2 8202 1237, 0415 865 992
