Regional ecosystem details for 7.3.5
| Regional ecosystem | 7.3.5 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Least concern |
| Wetlands | Palustrine |
| Biodiversity status | Endangered |
| Subregion | 2, 3, 9, (1), (8), (7), (6), (4) |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 24000 ha; Remnant 2021 11000 ha |
| Short description | Melaleuca quinquenervia and/or Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. platyphylla closed forest to shrubland on poorly drained alluvial plains |
| Structure code | Closed Forest |
| Description | Melaleuca quinquenervia (swamp paperbark) and/or Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. platyphylla (cajuput) closed forest to shrubland on poorly drained alluvial plains. Lowlands of the very wet and wet rainfall zone, on poorly drained peaty humic gley soils where the water table is near or above the ground for most of the year. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). Vegetation communities in this regional ecosystem include: 7.3.5a: Melaleuca quinquenervia open forest, woodland and shrubland. Lowlands of the very wet and wet rainfall zone, on poorly drained peaty humic gley soils where the water table is near or above the ground for most of the year. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). 7.3.5b: Mixed shrubland-sedgeland complex with Melaleuca quinquenervia. Perennially inundated areas on peat soils. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). 7.3.5c: Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. platyphylla open forest to woodland. Perennially inundated areas on peat soils. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22b). 7.3.5d: Melaleuca quinquenervia and M. viridiflora open woodland with a dense grassy ground layer, usually dominated by Ischaemum australe and Isachne globosa. Semi-permanent swamps of coastal lowlands with fibrous peat soils. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). 7.3.5e: Melaleuca quinquenervia and Lophostemon suaveolens open shrubland with a ground layer of by Ischaemum australe var. arundinaceum. Lowland swamp. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). 7.3.5f: Melaleuca viridiflora, M. quinquenervia, Banksia robur and B. spinulosa low open woodland with a ground layer of sedges including Machaerina rubiginosa, Fimbristylis nutans and the grass Ischaemum australe. Groundwater seepage zones on swamp fringes. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). 7.3.5g: Melaleuca quinquenervia open forest, woodland and shrubland. Swamps within basalt landscapes. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 22a). |
| Supplementary description | Stanton and Stanton (2005), A125, A33, A83, A87, A92, A190, B33; Kemp and Morgan (1999), 19; Kemp et al. (1999), 17; Tracey and Webb (1975), 15a |
| Protected areas | Girramay NP, Eubenangee Swamp NP, Russell River NP, Ella Bay NP, Hull River NP, Gulngay NP, Daintree NP (CYPAL), Hinchinbrook Island NP, Jalum CP, Mount Mackay NP, Maria Creek NP, Djilgarin CP, Girringun NP, Moresby Range NP, Kuranda NP, Malbon Thompson F |
| Special values | 7.3.5: This regional ecosystem plays a critical role in the hydrological regime of the coastal plain. |
| Fire management guidelines | SEASON: Mid- to late dry season. INTENSITY: Low to moderate. INTERVAL: 5-15 years. INTERVAL_MIN: 5. INTERVAL_MAX: 15. STRATEGY: Allow fires in surrounding fire-adapted communities to burn into these melaleuca communities if the soil is moist. ISSUES: Burn more frequently if whipstick regeneration is an issue. Keep flame height low if ant plants are present. |
| Comments | 7.3.5: Small dense stands of Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. platyphylla (a species which is more common in Cape York) occur in the coastal north of the bioregion (as far south as Trinity Inlet). Pre-clearing mapping has revealed that Melaleuca cajuputi subsp. platyphylla stands in the Wet Tropics have always been rare. External and upstream hydrological changes have affected this ecosystem, leading to more concentrated flood flows in streams with consequent bank erosion and channel siltation. Portions of remnant patches of this regional ecosystem continue to be illegally cleared, particularly within agricultural areas. Disturbance often results in invasion by the introduced Urochloa mutica (para grass), Annona glabra (pond apple), and Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth). 7.3.5a: Scattered across the coastal lowlands, predominantly the Innisfail and Tully subregions. 7.3.5b: Scattered across the central coastal lowlands, predominantly the Innisfail and Tully subregions. 7.3.5c: Currently known only from two areas, one being adjacent to Trinity Inlet, and the other immediately south of the Daintree River. 7.3.5d: Scattered across the central coastal lowlands, predominantly the Innisfail and Tully subregions. 7.3.5e: Mapped only in Eubenangee Swamp near Babinda. 7.3.5f: Restricted to one small occurrence near Julatten. 7.3.5g: Only one small occurrence only, near Tully Falls. |
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.
