3.5.3 Forested floodplains

Forested floodplains are intermittently flooded, either tidally or through rainfall and overland flows. They provide a range of ecological processes for the Reef, such as nitrogen and carbon storage in the tree trunks and as soil carbon, and as a sink for pollutants from the adjacent river catchments.947,953,954 Forested floodplain ecosystems include tea tree swamps dominated by Melaleuca trees, which have historically experienced the most significant losses of wetlands in the Catchment and are listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).947,954,955 The extent of forested floodplains in the Catchment is at 58 per cent of pre‑European levels.110 

Historical land clearing led to extensive loss and fragmentation of forested floodplains

Significant loss and fragmentation of forested floodplains occurred historically as a result of land clearing, but there has been limited change in extent and condition in the past 5 years.

  • 110. State of Queensland (Department of Environment Science and Innovation) 2023, Biodiversity status of pre-clearing and 2021 remnant regional ecosystems - Queensland series, Version 6.13 edn.
  • 947. Yao, L., Adame, M.F. and Chen, C. 2021, Resource stoichiometry, vegetation type and enzymatic activity control wetlands soil organic carbon in the Herbert River catchment, North-east Queensland, Journal of environmental management 296: 113183.
  • 953. Adame, M.F. and Reef, R. 2020, Potential pollution sources from agricultural activities on tropical forested floodplain wetlands revealed by soil eDNA, Forests 11(8): 892.
  • 954. Adame, M.F., Reef, R., Wong, V.N., Balcombe, S.R., Turschwell, M.P., et al. 2020, Carbon and nitrogen sequestration of melaleuca floodplain wetlands in tropical Australia, Ecosystems 23: 454-466.
  • 955. Department of the Environment 2023, Broad leaf tea-tree (Melaleuca viridiflora) woodlands in high rainfall coastal north Queensland, Community and Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of the Environment, Canberra.