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Wetland management tools and guides

Wetlands provide a range of benefits through the provision of water and forage for stock, flood mitigation, nutrient and sediment transformation, and biodiversity.

Industry sectors, local governments and private landowners play an important role in the sustainable management of wetland systems as most wetlands in Queensland exist on private property.

The WetlandInfo website provides a range of valuable information that can help with wetland management at a property level. This page gives links to resources that directly relate to property management and provides a list of tools for property managers.

If you know of other information that is useful for wetland management at a property level, use the feedback link below.

Quick facts

$2000/year: is what one dairy farmer saved by reusing effluent for irrigation. This in turn can help increase water quality for stock and have other benefits as well. This case study and others can be found using the Wetland Project Search Tool

Guidelines, reports and tools

Title	Industry	Year of publication	Description
Fine-Scale Water Quality Monitoring in High Priority Catchments	All	2024	These reports provide an overview of the findings from the fine-scale water quality monitoring networks installed within high priority catchments. These monitoring networks were installed to quantify and communicate the nitrate dynamics within the regions.
Guidance materials for acid sulfate soils	All	Various	Guidance materials for undertaking acid sulfate soils investigations, risk assessments and management in Queensland.
National Marine NRM Plan 2023-2028	Marine	2023	This National Marine Natural Resource Management Plan 2023-2028 has been developed by OceanWatch, in collaboration with a variety of marine stakeholders, to guide NRM investment for the next five years.
Australian guidelines for the implementation of nature based methods for coastal hazard risk reduction.	All	2021	Australian guidelines for the implementation of nature based methods for coastal hazard risk reduction.
IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions	All	2021	The aim of the Standard is to increase demand for Nature-based solutions while safeguarding people and nature thus bringing about positive sustainable change.
Tidal restoration of blue carbon ecosystems method	All	2022	The blue carbon method enables Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs) to be earned by projects that remove or modify tidal restriction mechanisms and allow tidal flow to be introduced to an area of land.
Coastal high-tide shorebird management guidelines	All	2021	These guidelines provide evidence-based advice for maintaining and managing natural or artificial (i.e. human-created) coastal wetlands to provide suitable high tide roosting conditions for shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Feral pig management information and guidelines	All	Various	Information and links can be found on the feral pig management page.
Aquatic fauna passage (biopassage/fishways) inventory, assessment and management	All	Various	Information, guidelines and links can be found on the aquatic fauna passage (biopassage/fishways) and inventory and assessment pages.
Desktop analysis to inform the design for megafauna monitoring within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program: Final Report of the Shorebirds Team in the Megafauna Expert Group	All	2019	Final report of the Shorebirds Team in the megafauna group within the University of Queensland and James Cook University.
Great Barrier Reef Coral Restoration Database	All	2020	Describes common problems and issues that have plagued the field of coral restoration, and provide suggestions and recommendations for future coral restoration projects worldwide.
PFAS National Environmental Management Plan	All	2020	Provides nationally agreed guidance on the management of PFAS contamination in the environment, including prevention of the spread of contamination.
National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife Including marine turtles, seabirds and migratory shorebirds	All	2020	This guideline was produced to address the issues associated with artificial light and disruption to critical behaviours in wildlife.
Understanding coastal erosion on beaches	All	2019	A guide for managers, policy makers and citizen scientists.
Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs	All	2019	This guide is for practitioners, managers and community members to provide both guidance in decision-making for establishing shellfish reef restoration projects and examples of different approaches undertaken by experienced practitioners in a variety of geographic, environmental and social settings.
Riparian and stream bank management	All	various	The Riparian Zone Estimator Tool (RipZET) is a decision support tool, developed in California, to assist in the visualization and characterization of riparian areas. Riparian Land Management Technical Guidelines[1][2]:
Ramsar: Good practices handbook - Integrating urban development and wetland conservation	Urban	2018	This handbook was developed as a result of a workshop in China in early 2018. The handbook's purpose is to provide guidance when it comes to the design, planning, management and/or construction of urban wetlands.
NSW Government WET eBook: Workbook for Managing Urban Wetlands in Australia	Urban	2013	The 5 sections and 28 chapters throughout the eBook explain practical information for managing both freshwater and estuarine wetlands in urban Australia.
Saltmarsh Rehabilitation Review of Grey Literature	All	2018	Provides information on effective rehabilitation techniques from over 100 projects throughout New South Wales and Queensland.
Bridge Scour Manual	All	2019	This manual includes bridge scour criteria and exceptions for Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads practices.
Water Quality Australia	All	2018	National Water Quality website, links to water quality guidelines, related water quality projects and initiatives, water quality planning and information on issues affecting water quality.
Vegetation recovery in inland wetlands: an Australian perspective	All	2017	This review is concerned with deliberate or planned change of vegetation from one state to another, a process that is here called recovery but which refers to activities such as restoration, rehabilitation and repair. The aim is to present a useful and accessible summary of ecological understanding about wetland vegetation recovery, as it relates to Australia. This is an essential step in the development of scientifically sound tools that will assist wetland practitioners to be more effective in restoring wetland vegetation.
Plant guides	All	Various	User friendly illustrated field guide that offers comprehensive information on the wetland plants of the area. Plant selection for WSUD: WSUD design guidelines for Mackay Wetland Plants of the Wet Tropics Wetland plants of the Townsville—Burdekin floodplain Field Guide to common saltmarsh plants of Queensland
Wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef Catchments Management Strategy 2016–21	All	2016	The strategy supports the The Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan and the Reef Water Quality Improvement Plan 2013, setting out a framework for the improved management of the wetlands of the Great Barrier Reef catchments. It builds on the achievements of the Queensland Wetlands Program and recognises wetlands as vital to the health of the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem and its catchments. This strategy includes five themes: improved information; planning; on-ground management; communication and education; and evaluation, review and improvement.
Sediment and Erosion Control	All	2016	Healthy Waterways Erosion and Sediment Control Toolkit for House Builders, and other resources here. Find out about erosion and sediment controls you can adopt to help reduce the amount of sediment run-off from your development. Erosion and sediment control (ESC) on construction sites. The State Planning Policy and Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA) regulate future planning and development and development approvals should include provisions relating to construction and operation of developments.
Hydro-climate tool	All	2006	Explains how satellite images are used to represent inundation in the development of wetland mapping. Information can be used to guide ecological assessments and aquatic connectivity studies. It provides a selection of imagery, based on inundation extents.
WetlandSummary	All	2012	Maps, statistics, reports, species lists, conceptual models and more based on your area of choice
Managing riparian areas on dairy farms	Dairy	2006	Economic assessment tools
Assessment of sub-surface (reed-bed) treatment wetlands	All	2006	Economic assessment tools
Queensland Flood Reconstruction Authority Mapping	All	2011	Flood check map and more.
Guidelines and information for policy and legislation see relevant section	All	Various
Rocklea Industrial Area Littering and Illegal Dumping Research - Final Report	All	2016	This report outlines the outcomes of the Rocklea – Stable Swamp Creek Industrial Area research into behaviours for littering and illegal dumping.
Mangrove and associated communities of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia: change in extent 1955-1997-2012	All	2016	Qld Herbarium report showing the change in extent between Mangrove and associated communities of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. An interactive map viewer that uses a swipe map to show the changes in extent of mangrove and associated communities of Moreton Bay is also available.
The Mangrove vegetation of Moreton Bay	All	1986	A descriptive account of the mangrove vegetation and a series of 10 maps at a scale of 1:25 000 prepared for the area from Caloundra to Southport on the southern Queensland coast.
Coastal wetlands of South East Queensland: mapping and survey	All	2001	A survey of the coastal wetlands vegetation communities and to produce maps of the vegetation communities subject to coastal influence for south-east Queensland from the boundary of Noosa Shire and Maroochy Shire in the north to the Queensland-New South Wales border in the south.
Gully Toolbox: A technical guide for the Reef Trust Gully Erosion Control Programme 2015–16	All	2016	This document provides a specification of the gully erosion control activities that can be undertaken.
Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef: a vulnerability assessment	All	2016	As an integral part of the Great Barrier Reef Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2013, vulnerability assessments are being undertaken on habitats, species and groups of species identified as being potentially at risk. These assessments will help inform the strategy's management priorities.
Adaptive management of Ramsar wetlands	All	2013	The project adopts a generic approach allowing the framework to be transferred to other wetlands, including Ramsar listed wetlands, supplied by rivers ranging from highly regulated to free flowing. The integration of management with science allows key indicators to be monitored that will inform management and promote increasingly informed decisions. The project involved a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and managers working on one of the more difficult challenges for Australia, exacerbated by increasing impacts of climate change on flows and inundation patterns.
A guide to managing and restoring wetlands in Western Australia	All	2013	The guides chapters include Planning for riverwetland management; Understanding wetlands; Managing wetlands; Monitoring wetlands; and Protecting wetlands
Nutrients and herbicides in groundwater flows to the Great Barrier Reef	All	2012	This report works towards a key objective of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan to reduce the amounts of nutrients and herbicides entering the Reef. It provides an up-to-date review and synthesis of current knowledge of groundwater transport of nutrients and herbicides to the Reef, from aquifers across the Wet Tropics, Lower Burdekin and Mackay–Whitsunday areas.
Handbook 7—Managing the floodplain—a guide to best practice in flood risk management in Australia	All	2013	This handbook provides advice on the management of flooding within the floodplains and catchments of waterways. It aims to provide advice to those with roles in understanding and managing flood risk and its consequences on the community. This may include emergency management practitioners, flood risk managers, land-use planners, engineers, hydrologists, infrastructure providers, and policy and decision makers, within government and the broader industry. It aims to inform national best practice, and State and Territory guidance.
Identification of High Conservation Value Aquatic Ecosystems (HCVAE) in the Queensland Murray Darling Basin through targeted collection of wetland inventory data across the northern basin—Technical report	All	2011	The project was undertaken as part of the Queensland Wetlands Program – Phase 2. The project collected and collated data for 62 wetlands. The wetland sites were predominantly freshwater non-riverine wetlands with five riverine wetlands sampled opportunistically. The data was used to identify and classify areas of high conservation value.
Waterbody Management Guideline	Local Government	2013	Assists local governments in South East Queensland to manage waterbodies. The guideline was commissioned by Redland City Council and speaks to all departments and disciplines within local government involved in managing waterbodies.
Grazing for Healthy Coastal Wetlands: Guidelines for managing coastal wetlands in grazing systems	Grazing	2011	Provides graziers, landowners and extension officers with advice and information
Wetland Management Handbook: Farm Management Systems guidelines for managing wetlands in intensive agriculture	Agriculture	2009	Contains information and guidelines to help producers and extension officers manage Queensland’s wetlands in intensive agricultural production systems. Follows the Farm Management System approach to managing agricultural businesses Covers such topics as nutrient, erosion and sediment management; spray-drift management; management for fisheries values; weed and pest animal management and constructed wetlands design
Queensland Wetland Definition and Delineation Guideline Part A Part B	All	2010	Part A—Guide to existing wetland definitions and how to apply the Queensland Wetlands Program’s definition. Part B—Delineation and mapping guideline
Queensland Wetland Buffer Planning Guideline	All	2011	Use in palustrine, lacustrine, estuarine and marine wetland systems. Also suitable for buffers around riverine and artificial wetlands. Targeted at those with expert knowledge of wetlands
Wetland Rehabilitation Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef catchment	All	2008	Developed to assist wetland managers, landholders, local government and Natural Resource Management bodies to undertake effective wetland rehabilitation. Incorporates existing research and experience including works undertaken in Queensland Although developed for the Great Barrier Reef area principles and ideas can be applied more broadly
Guidelines and template for preparing a wetland management plan	All	2012	Produced for landholders engaged in grazing and dryland cropping in 2 of Queensland’s inland river basins, the Queensland Murray-Darling and the Bulloo Applicable across all regions of Australia
Conceptual models and information on wetland types	All	Various	Wetlands in Queensland have been classified into types. Conceptual models describe the current scientific understanding of the ecology and the components and processes that characterise these wetland types. These models can be used to inform management and underpin research and monitoring.
Environmental value reports online	All	Various	This online portal is used for querying information on specific environmental values, by location. Report types: matters of state environmental significance regional ecosystems terrestrial biodiversity and aquatic conservation values.
Framework for evaluating aquatic ecosystem connectivity	All	2013	The connectivity framework describes a process for systematically and transparently working through the connectivity of relevant functions of an aquatic ecosystem, and provides a way of understanding and applying connectivity at any level of spatial scale for any management outcome.
Walking the landscape—A whole-of-system framework for understanding and mapping environmental processes and values	All	2013	The 'Walking the landscape' framework integrates existing data with expert knowledge to develop a whole-of-system map linked to conceptual models showing how the environment functions. The method addresses one of the major criticisms of broadscale mapping—the lack of integration of knowledge from local experts into datasets used by decision makers.
Planting Wetlands and Dams A Practical Guide to Wetland Design, Construction and Propagation	All	2009	Printed copy only available Author: Nick Romanowski Publisher: Landlinks Press
Why Rehabilitate Urban River Systems	Urban	2006	This paper examines the triple bottom line (economic, social and environmental) factors that influence decision making with respect to urban stream rehabilitation and management and considers their relative value and importance.
Incentive Measures for Conserving Freshwater Ecosystems	All	2001	Developed to help private landholders to manage their wetland so as to retain the ecosystem services they provide
Habitat guidelines	Fishing	Various	Range of guidelines and information provided by Queensland Department of Primary Industries
Soil indicators of Queensland wetlands: Statewide assessment and methodology	All	2010	Provides details of assessment methods for wetland soils in Queensland
Soil Indicators of Queensland Wetlands: Field Guide	All	2008	The field guide has been developed to assist in the field identification of wetland soil indicators in Queensland.
Erosion and sediment control - A field guide for construction managers	Urban/development	Various	A practical guide to best practice techniques to minimise stormwater pollution from building sites by the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) and Catchments and Creeks Pty Ltd
Aquatic ecosystems as a post-mining land use	Mining	2024	Aquatic ecosystems as a post-mining land use.

Fact sheets

Title	Industry	Year of publication	Description
Beyond the Block factsheet series	All	Various	This fact sheet series focuses specifically on water quality initiatives that can be done on the “edge of block” to further improve the quality of water leaving the farm.
Healthy Land and Water factsheets	All	Various	The fact sheets relate to the SEQ Catchment’s area, from Noosa in the north, west to Toowoomba, and south to the New South Wales border. The fact sheets are designed to provide information for students, teachers and anyone seeking information about the area.
Wetlands of the Great Barrier Reef catchments	All	2014	Promotes the values of the wetlands in the catchments of the Great Barrier Reef. It recognises wetlands as part of the broader landscape connecting catchments to the Reef and promotes the wise management of wetlands as they are vital for protecting the world recognised values of the Great Barrier Reef. It encourages working in partnership with landowners to achieve the best outcomes as many wetlands are located on private property.
Ramsar fact sheets—a wetland of international importance Shoalwater and Corio Bay Bowling Green Bay Currawinya Lakes Moreton Bay	All	Various	A series of fact sheets on Queensland’s Ramsar sites—wetlands of international significance. These fact sheets provide information on the individual sites, their location, and ecological and cultural values.
Wetland management profiles	All	Various	Designed to provide information about the distribution, ecology, cultural values, conservation status, and threats to and management of particular wetland types and wetland regional ecosystems (REs) within Queensland.
Queensland Wetlands Program (QWP) fact sheets	All	Various	Current and past QWP project fact sheets
Wetlands of south-western Queensland	All	Various	Developed before the Queensland Wetlands Program existed so there are differences in the typology used to classify the wetlands e.g. floodplains are not considered wetlands under the Queensland Wetlands Program wetland definition, although are important to the function of some wetlands

Case studies

Case studies can be found in the Wetland Project search Tool

Websites

Title	Industry	Year of publication	Description
Resilient Rivers Hub	All	2020	The Resilient Rivers hub provides a global platform for the exchange of river resilience knowledge and experience.
Long Paddock	All	2010	The Long Paddock is a Queensland Government initiative that has provided climate and pasture information
Treatment Systems for Water Quality Improvement	All	2018	An extensive set of pages has been developed synthesising best practice approaches to treatment systems for improving water quality, including conceptual models, diagrams and photos. This work was developed through the Queensland Wetlands Program by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, and reviewed by numerous technical experts and regional officers. It has a current focus on treatment systems for agricultural settings.
Site Management and Rehabilitation	All	2018	The management and rehabilitation of wetlands can be undertaken for a range of reasons. The Site Management and Rehabilitation page focuses on site management and rehabilitation by providing a generic, best practice approach.
Australian Coastal Restoration Network	All	Various	The Australian Coastal Restoration Network is a platform to connect coastal specialists, experts, researchers, practitioners and managers so that they can collaborate, share knowledge and ideas, and seek answers and solutions to challenges.
Seagrass Restoration Network	All	Various	The Seagrass Restoration Network (SRN) Australasia links scientists, industry practitioners, community and government policy makers for an up to date look at the development and implementation of conservation, recovery and restoration of seagrass meadows.
Shellfish Reef Restoration Network	All	Various	The Shellfish Reef Restoration Network is a community of restoration practitioners, researchers, educators and general shellfish enthusiasts that are raising awareness and advocating for shellfish reef restoration in Australia.
Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network	All	Various	The Mangrove Hub conducts world-leading research into mangrove and tidal wetland ecosystems. The Mangrove Hub is equipped with extensive libraries of published articles on mangrove and tidal wetlands, aerial photographic imagery and methodologies for mangrove research and monitoring.
Great Barrier Reef Coral Restoration	All	Various	The project 'Best Practice Coral Restoration for the Great Barrier Reef' is funded by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP), and is a collaboration between James Cook University and Reef Ecologic. Researchers at James Cook University are working with coral reef experts from around the world in a project which aims to provide advice on best practice coral restoration for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
Bureau of Meteorology climate change and variability information	All	Various	Learn about observed climate change in Australia, explore regional climate change predictions, read about regional impacts and access reports and other publications.
Bioregional Assessment Programme	All	2016	The Australian Government’s Bioregional Assessment Programme provides transparent scientific information to better understand the potential impacts of coal seam gas and coal mining developments on water resources and water-dependent assets such as wetlands and groundwater bores.
Water by Design	Urban/development Although focused at urban areas principles i.e. water run-off management can be used more broadly	Various	Capacity building program that supports Water Sensitive Urban Design in South East Queensland. They provide, fact sheets, reports, training, discussion forums and more.
Wetlands International	All	Various	Support to NRM regional bodies and wetland managers in the management of important wetlands Reports, facts sheets and more
Reef Water Quality Protection Plan	All	Various	Case studies, reports and more
Funding opportunities and links	All	Various	Links to another page on WetlandInfo
Natural Resources SA Murray Darling Basin	All	Various	Reports, information sheets and more
Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK)	All	Various	Publications, images, research, e-Atlas and more
Sugar Research and Development Corporation	Sugar	Various	Reports, facts sheets and more.
Murray-Darling Basin Authority	Agriculture	Various	Fact sheets and information on farming in the Murray-Darling Basin
Conservation Volunteers Australia	All	Various	Range of facts sheets, reports, and services.
e-water	All	Various	Case studies, publications, scientific information
Queensland Farmers' Federation (QFF)	Agriculture	Various	QFF provides information on different types of farming practices, fact sheets, reports, training opportunities, media releases and more.
Cotton catchment communities CRC	Cotton	Various	Reports, fact sheets and other information
CANEGROWERS	Sugar	Various	Case studies, best management practice, fact sheets, tools, training, classifieds and more
Growcom	Horticulture	Various	Case studies, best management practice, training, reports and more
Queensland Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) - Habitats	Fisheries	Various	Policies, guidelines, information, research opportunities and more
Clearwater	Urban	Various	Training, events, tools, fact sheets, reports, guidelines and more

References

^ Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (Australia) (1999), Riparian land management technical guidelines (Vol 2). [online], Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corp. (LWRRDC), Canberra. Available at: http://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/0642267731.pdf [Accessed 9 July 2019].
^ Riparian land management technical guidelines (Vol 1) (1999), Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corp. (LWRRDC), Canberra.

Last updated: 28 September 2021

This page should be cited as:

Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland (2021) Wetland management tools and guides, WetlandInfo website, accessed 20 December 2024. Available at: https://wetlandinfo.des.qld.gov.au/wetlands/management/wetland-management/