Variations in wetland conditions within the Fitzroy Basin, north-eastern Australia: a palaeoecological approach

Abstract

The North-east Australian Coastal Catchments (NACC) are host to nationally significant wetland complexes, many of which, are ecologically connected to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. However, these wetlands are subject to ongoing and increasing pressure from human activities such as the intensification of land use. Current wetland condition is monitored across the NACC, being assessed against a pre-development static baseline, which includes the use of Regional Ecosystem mapping of remnant and pre-clearing vegetation to provide a broadscale present-day biotic reference. Two sediment cores from wetlands within the Fitzroy Basin were analysed to establish a history of wetland variability and to identify the potential influence of climate and land-use changes over the past ~1000 years. Our results have provided long-term environmental reconstructions, showing wetland histories influenced by natural climate variability (El Niño–Southern Oscillation, the Little Ice Age), and environmental changes associated with European land-use intensification. This study is the first of its kind for wetlands located within the Fitzroy Basin.