Boondall Wetlands

Boondall Wetlands:

are Brisbane's largest protected and important wetlands as per the Ramsar Convention
are located on the edge of Moreton Bay between Nudgee Beach, Boondall and Shorncliffe
include more than 1,000 hectares of tidal flats, mangroves, saltmarshes, melaleuca wetlands, grasslands, open forests and woodlands
has a diversity of wildlife, including flying foxes, possums, squirrel gliders, frogs, reptiles and butterflies
has an amazing variety of birdlife, including black-shouldered and brahminy kites, Australian kestrels, whimbrels, sandpipers, kingfishers and rainbow bee-eaters

History and environmental significance

Indigenous Australians:

used to have campsites and ceremonial grounds at Boondall Wetlands
still have links to this land

In 1863, the Catholic Church:

acquired 3000 acres of 'Nudgee lands'
cut timber, grew small crops and grazed cattle

Brisbane City Council:

acquired the land in the 1960s
planned for wetlands to be developed in the 1970s and 1980s
created the Boondall Wetlands Reserve in 1990 after public concern

The wetlands have ties with the Yatsu-Higata Tidelands of Japan as part of the East-Asian Australasian Shorebird Reserve Network. Large numbers of international migratory shorebirds visit to feed between September and March each year.

Threats to wetlands

Worldwide, wetlands are under threat from human activities including:

increasing human population pressure
increased demand for resources and land, particularly in coastal areas
pollution and illegal dumping of waste

Since European arrival approximately 50% of Australia's original wetlands have been cleared.

The healthy and natural balance of the wetlands are disturbed by:

exotic weeds and feral animals in the area
frequent fires that rarely burn naturally, providing favourable growing conditions for many weeds
unsustainable recreational activities such as over-fishing