BioTools: Biodiversity management and condition assessment: a
toolkit for Queensland’s tropical rangelands
This project is hosted by the NQ Dry Tropics in cross-regional
collaboration with the Northern Gulf RMG, Southern Gulf Catchments,
Far North Queensland and Desert Channels NRM boards, to meet
universal regional targets for NRM plans concerning the assessment
and improvement of biodiversity condition.
Maintaining and improving biodiversity condition, and developing
techniques to assess biodiversity condition, are key priorities in
all the NRM plans and investment strategies in each of the
collaborating NRM board regions. This project will develop a
consistent approach to biodiversity managing and monitoring for the
NRM boards in Queensland’s tropical savannas
Specifically, the project aims to:
1. Review existing biodiversity management and condition
assessment methods (e.g. Habitat Hectares), and complement a
developing Habitat Condition toolkit being developed for
south-eastern Queensland by the EPA.
2. Undertake a series of integrated biodiversity condition case
studies in northern Queensland’s tropical savanna rangelands.
Activities will concentrate on dominant regional ecosystems in the
extensive rangelands of the Einasleigh Uplands, Desert Uplands,
Northern Brigalow Belt and North-west Highland and Gulf Plains
bioregions in Queensland. The first three bioregions have recently
been identified as “biodiversity hotspots” due to their
significant environmental values and the threats posed to these
values. Integration of pure biodiversity management case studies
will ensure more accurate assessment of the triple bottom line
outcomes.
3. Develop and test a biodiversity management and condition
assessment toolkit that can be utilised alone or as part of other
natural resource management training and extension (e.g. Grazing
Land Management) in collaborating NRM regions. A fundamental aim of
this project is the integration with existing land management
assessment projects that consider some elements of land condition
(ground cover, hydrological pattern, grazing strategies, fire
regime, woody vegetation), as a surrogate for biodiversity
condition, but do not explicitly examine the relationship between
these factors and biodiversity condition.
4. Develop customised training modules on biodiversity
management, monitoring and condition assessment in north
Queensland’s tropical savanna rangelands. Present
biodiversity toolkit training and information packages to NRM
boards and pastoral (traditional owners, graziers), indigenous and
other community natural resource managers, and conduct training
workshops and seminars so that stakeholders will understand how to
manage land for biodiversity and become self-sufficient in
assessing biodiversity condition.
5. Disseminate knowledge on biodiversity management, monitoring
and condition assessment through web-based and hard copy media,
through the central hub of the NRM boards and participating service
delivery agents (CSIRO, Tropical Savannas CRC). Existing and
developing websites will be utilised (Tropical Savanna CRC
“Bioshop”, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, NRM boards,
catchment and landcare groups).
