Regional ecosystem details for 11.1.1
| Regional ecosystem | 11.1.1 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Least concern |
| Wetlands | Intertidal |
| Biodiversity status | No concern at present |
| Subregion | 14, 1, (2), (8.5), (8.6) |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 38000 ha; Remnant 2021 32000 ha |
| Short description | Sporobolus virginicus grassland on marine clay plains |
| Structure code | Tussock Grassland |
| Description | Sporobolus virginicus grassland on Quaternary estuarine deposits. Sporobolus spp. usually dominates pure stands although a wide range of other species may be present as scattered individuals including Fimbristylis ferruginea, Cyperus victoriensis, C. scariosus, and sometimes Eleocharis spiralis, Mnesithea rottboellioides, Marsilea mutica, Vincetoxicum carnosum, Ischaemum australe, Cyperus polystachyos, Ceratopteris thalictroides and Diplachne fusca. Occasional emergent stunted mangroves, usually Avicennia marina or Ceriops australis, may occur as isolated individuals or along small channels. There may also be a minor presence of salt-tolerant forbs such as Suaeda australis, S. arbusculoides, Salicornia quinqueflora subsp. Quinqueflora or Tecticornia australasica. Occurs on supratidal flats which are often only inundated by highest spring tides. Often occurs on the landward side of intertidal flats; seaward margins irregularly inundated with tidal waters and dissected by small tidal channels. Formed from Quaternary estuarine sediments with deep grey or black and grey saline cracking clays with occasional mottling, minor gilgai occasionally present. Intertidal. (BVG1M: 35b). |
| Supplementary description | Christian et al. (1953), Littoral; Forster and Barton (1995), Broadsound; Speck et al. (1968), Carpentaria (1,2); Bruinsma (2000); Gunn and Nix (1977) LU 141 |
| Protected areas | Bowling Green Bay NP, Bowling Green Bay CP, Townsville Town Common CP, Wongaloo CP, Causeway Lake CP, Cape Upstart NP, MacKenzie Island CP, Magnetic Island CP 2, Magnetic Island CP 1, Rundle Range NP, Bolger Bay CP, Magnetic Island NP |
| Special values | 11.1.1: Provides estuarine wetland habitat. |
| Fire management guidelines | SEASON: Various. INTENSITY: Low. INTERVAL: Typically > every 4 years. Rubbervine or other weed control may require two fires within 2 or 3 years which should be followed by an absence of fire for > 5 years. INTERVAL_MIN: 4. INTERVAL_MAX: 50. STRATEGY: Do not actively target for burning, except for the control of rubbervine. Can tolerate being burnt when implementing fires in adjacent vegetation. ISSUES: Saltpan species, e.g. Sporobolus virginicus, Tecticornia indica and Suaeda australis can tolerate occasional fires, but do not require fire for recruitment. Tecticornia indica and Suaeda australis, should have long-term persistence. Only burn if required as part of burning adjacent vegetation or for rubbervine control. |
| Comments | 11.1.1: Specifically protected under the Fisheries Act 1994. Widely distributed across saline coastal flats within BBN, but most extensive within the Gulf of St Lawrence and Bowling Green Bay. Less extensive but still common in areas adjacent to Upstart Bay and the Fitzroy River Delta. Extensive areas previously altered by construction of bundwalls and pondage systems (Bruinsma 2000). |
1 Estimated extent is from version 13 pre-clearing and 2021 remnant regional ecosystem mapping. Figures are rounded for simplicity. For more precise estimates, including breakdowns by tenure and other themes see remnant vegetation in Queensland.
