Seqwater South Maroochy RiverCare program

Seqwater South Maroochy RiverCare program

South Maroochy RiverCare

Seqwater South Maroochy RiverCare program

Fencing, Revegetation, Weed control, Erosion control & Off-source watering points

ECOllaboration and Seqwater have partnered with eligible landholders over the past six years to deliver environmental projects on private properties to improve water quality and riparian ecosystems within the South Maroochy River catchment.

Through Seqwater funding, ECOllaboration can provide technical advice, project management and organisation of contractors to undertake activities on your property that improve the health of your land, stock and our waterways. The South Maroochy Rivercare program improves source water quality by delivering on-ground works that focus on three areas: sustainable agricultural practices, revegetation and weed control.

Sustainable Agriculture

One of the greatest threats to water quality is nutrient and pathogen loads entering waterways. Livestock, particularly cattle, are major contributors for microscopic pathogenssuch as E. coli and Giardia – entering waterways. This poses a risk not only to the safety of drinking water, but to the health of livestock.

Our Rivercare program focuses on minimising access to source water through installation of stock exclusion fencing and off-source watering points. We provide property assessments to create multi-year best practice management plans in conjunction with the landholder. 

Revegetation

Sedimentation is another key risk to water quality. This program aims to revegetate areas within the catchment that have a high risk of increasing sediment runoff. Areas of focus are along watercourses and steep areas that are a landslide risk.

Revegetation works include weed management of the area, assisted natural regeneration and maintenance of revegetation works. 

Weed Control

A key component of maintaining a healthy river ecosystem and water quality is weed management, particularly transformer weeds that have the potential to outcompete native vegetation, reduce recruitment of native species and bring down native canopy. Transformer weeds within our catchment are Madeira vine, Cat’s Claw Creeper and Chinese Celtis.

As part of this partnership program, any property within the South Maroochy catchment that has an infestation of the listed transformer weeds may be eligible for free weed control.  

Education & Community Connection

A core outcome of the South Maroochy Rivercare program is increasing landholder awareness and opportunity to education about best practice management of their property.

Our Rivercare program provides farm plans that involve high landholder engagement, which is supported through technical advice from ECOllaboration project officers.

We also support education through hosting educational workshops, and encourage creating connections with other landholders  to share their best practice tips and foster greater community within their local catchment.

Am I eligible?

This program is open to landholders whose properties sit within the South Maroochy Catchment, which encompasses Kiamba, Cooloolabin, Yandina, Image Flat, Highworth, Kureelpa and Mapleton.

Eligibility is based on the property’s proximity to water source, land management practices and evidence of erosion or transformer weeds, alongside the landholder’s willingness to participate.

Benefits to joining

If eligible, landholders who become a part of this partnership program can receive multi-year funding and assistance in implementing on-ground works that achieve improved land management and water quality in the catchment. Some benefits to joining this program include: 

  • Increase the value of your property. 
  • Increase the water quality on your property and within the catchment. 
  • Increased resilience to climate change and adverse weather events. 
  • Increased productivity of your farm. 
  • Enhanced visual amenity. 
  • Reduced risk of livestock disease and infection. 
  • Enhance natural vegetation and biodiversity.  
  • Encourage native habitat for local animals.  
  • Increase community connections through landholder workshops and property visits. 
  • Increased streambank stability, reduced sediment and nutrient runoff. 
      How to get involved

      If your property sits along a creekline within the South Maroochy Catchment and you have concerns about the health of your property, we may be able to help! Contact us today to find out more about the program or arrange a free property visit.

      Email: francesca@ecollaboration.org.au

      Mobile: 0432 529 556

      Phone: (07) 5476 4777

      About the South Maroochy catchment

      The South Maroochy catchment extends for 89.4km2, and is a sub-catchment of the Maroochy catchment which houses the headwaters of the South Maroochy River, as well as Rocky Creek, Rock of Ages Creek and Echidna Creek. These waterways feed into Cooloolabin Dam, Wappa Dam – whose water is treated at the Image Flat Water Treatment Plant (WTP) – and Poona dam, which provides short term storage before being treated and distributed as drinking water throughout the region. 

      Seqwater is responsible for providing safe and secure drinking water supply across South East Queensland through management of catchments, dams, and climate resilient water sources. Key threats to water quality include increased pathogens from livestock, risk of landslip and erosion, increased sediment runoff during wet weather events, and poor riparian health due to increased invasive species.  

      By managing threats posed to water quality, the cost of water treatment for safe drinking water supply is greatly reduced, creating cost-savings per household for water supply. Furthermore, the health of our catchment is greatly increased, alongside the health and value of your property and livestock. 

      Photos of our works

      Koala Habitat Restoration – Kirbys Environment Reserve

      Koala Habitat Restoration – Kirbys Environment Reserve

      Koala Habitat Restoration – Kirbys Environment Reserve
      This project is being undertaken as part of the Commonwealth Koala Community Grants opportunity. The objective of this program is to support community-led conservation and recovery efforts to improve the extent, quality and connectivity of the Koala, as well as improve data and knowledge of Koala populations and health across their range. Kirbys Environmental Reserve is a core koala habitat area and key area of connectivity between Kondalilla National Park and Maleny National Park.

       

      Our project aims to improve outcomes for Koalas within Kirby’s Environmental Reserve by addressing:

       

      1. Restoration and rehabilitation of habitat
      2. Monitoring and evaluation of pest species and threats
      3. Monitoring and evaluation of the koala 
      4. Community engagement through education and participation in citizen science 
      On-ground activities will include natural assisted regeneration and weed management, planting of 2000 trees, thermal drone imaging and detection dog monitoring of koalas and motion sensor monitoring of pest species. We also aim to engage the local community through a community tree planting day and koala education and monitoring days. Much of the remaining koala habitat resides on private land, and recording sightings is a vital step in conserving koala populations.

      Habitat Restoration

      Regeneration works using the Bradley method of restoration will be undertaken on site. Our team are clearing woody weeds to encourage native recruitment & planting 2000 trees.

      Threat & Pest Monitoring

      Pests and threats are being monitored with 8 strategically placed wildlife trail cameras.

      Koala Monitoring

      We’re partnering with UniSC’s Detection Dogs for Conservation to conduct koala scat & presence surveys, and using our thermal drone imaging to detect koalas.

      Report a Koala Sighting

      Everyone can play a role in koala conservation by getting out into nature to learn more about koala populations in your local area. Reporting koala sightings can help to monitor populations over time and inform conservation planning and action at local, state and national levels.

       

      • QWildlife, a Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science app
      • QLD Koala Count, a Koala Action Group QLD Inc. project with Atlas of Living Australia
      • KoalaMap, Australian Koala Foundation

      Resources

      National Recovery Plan for the Koala

      Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment

      South East QLD Koala Conservation Strategy 2020 – 2025

      Department of Environment and Science

      Planting trees for koalas

      A guide for Coastal South East Queensland, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection

      National Koala Tree Planting List

      A guide to koala tree species for your LGA, Australian Koala Foundation

      (Sunshine Coast LGA, page 159)

      Sunshine Coast Council – Weed Management and Restoration Works – Curramore Road, Witta

      Sunshine Coast Council – Weed Management and Restoration Works – Curramore Road, Witta

      Sunshine Coast Council – Weed Management and Restoration Works – Curramore Road, Witta

      Curramore Road at Witta is a demonstration site undertaking a range of different weed management treatments. We’re using innovative techniques such Herbicide encapsulation, Remote Mulching, Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV/Drone) herbicide application and Hydromulching alongside our regular revegetation techniques. The overall end goal of this project is to restore the majority of the area to the surrounding mapped Regional Ecosystems.

      Sunshine Coast Council – Citrus Road Koala Offset

      Sunshine Coast Council – Citrus Road Koala Offset

      Sunshine Coast Council – Citrus Road Koala Offset

      This is another offset we are delivering for the Sunshine Coast Council that involves constructing koala habitat by planting 3,700 trees over a 4ha site along with 5 years maintenance. Although a smaller scale to the Mooloolah Acid Frog Ponds, as part of an offset rehabilitation plan the scope of works is similar. In addition to planting, we are also required to install Photo Monitoring Points, submit detailed reports, meet strategic KPI’s and follow the guidelines of the Queensland Environmental Offsets Policy. We have completed the site preparation and anticipate we will complete most of the planting before this year’s wet season begins.

      Sunshine Coast Natural Areas Management Contract

      Sunshine Coast Natural Areas Management Contract

      Sunshine Coast Natural Areas Management Contract

      Catchment Services manages a major 5 Yr N.A. Contract for the Sunshine Coast Council. It incorporates over 180 Natural Bushland Reserves and 11 Retention Ponds and storm water biobasins that are funded partly by the Environmental levee received by Sunshine Coast ratepayers. The combined total area is over 1600 Ha; linking biodiversity corridors that enable fauna to move freely and flora seed to be spread naturally by wind, water and native fauna. Our role is one of managing and reducing weed populations that will improve the overall biodiversity and health of each of these reserves. Occasionally we speed up that process by doing minor revegetation in gap areas that were originally weed infested. We also carry out Bushland Operational Assessments on some of the major reserves to assess the resilience indicators of the forested areas; to see how they have improved due to our management.

      Inclusive also within this contract is the weed and site preparation of 20 Community sites that are worked by Community Groups in revegetation projects. Daily reports of all these reserves are sent to the Council for their staff to monitor the health of each of these reserves.