Burnett Mary Regional Group.
ARCHIVED ACCOUNT
Fast facts.
Account ID: AfN-ACCOUNT-47
Certification date: 2 November 2022
Location: Burnett Mary Region, Queensland, Australia
Purpose: Deliver an accurate, scalable and repeatable solution to measure, account for and value natural capital at a landscape scale.
Current land use: Grazing, cropping and horticulture, forestry, conservation, residential.
Environment type: South East Queensland and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions
Area: 5,576,737 ha
Assets: Native Vegetation, Native Fauna
Method: AfN-METHOD-NV-09, AfN-METHOD-F-03 and AfN-METHOD-F-05
Account snapshot.
BMRG has measured and Certified the condition of Native Vegetation and Native Fauna (Terrestrial Mammals and Aquatic Vertebrates) across the Burnett Mary Region (excluding marine areas) (AfN-PROJECT-47) according to the science-based Accounting for Nature® Standard.
The Freshwater Asset condition account is still undergoing certification.
Native vertebrate fauna
AfN-METHOD-F-03
Aquatic native vertebrate
AfN-METHOD-F-05
About & purpose.
The Burnett Mary Region Environmental Account is a regional scale environmental account that spans approximately 5.6 million hectares. The Burnett Mary region is renowned for its ecological diversity, rich cultural heritage and extensive primary production with sites of international significance, such as the World Heritage listed K’gari (Fraser Island) and the Ramsar listed Great Sandy Strait.
Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) will utilise the regional environmental account to measure current environmental condition, and over time the change in condition, to inform BMRG’s natural resource management, investment and funding strategies. Assets measured in the first stage of this Environmental Account include Native Vegetation and Fauna (with a Freshwater account in progress), with coastal and marine environmental assets to be included at a later date.
This Burnett Mary Region Environmental Account proves that a vision for a comprehensive set of national and regional scale environmental accounts is both scientifically and financially achievable.
Account details.
Environmental Account summary
Significant outcomes.
An Econd® of 44.8 was recorded for native vegetation, indicating that large areas of the landscape are intact and in what BMRG considers to be a good condition, despite a history of land clearance. Protected areas, including World Heritage Areas achieved an Econd® of 85 showing that areas managed for nature are being maintained in what BMRG considers to be excellent condition.
Disclosures & limitations.
Modelling approach- There are inherent limitations associated with measuring vegetation condition using remotely sensed data. What can be measured from space is a simplification of the complexity of vegetation when observed in the field. Standard indicators of condition such as species richness, vegetation age and invasive species presence, are not represented in this account. To address this issue, we have incorporated an additional step of model validation via expert opinion, which is based on the on-ground experience of those experts in the Burnett Mary region. The modelling approach could be further improved by incorporating some field-based ground-truthing of model outputs. This approach is being considered with the aim of improving and adding additional tiers of confidence to the current Level 3 Method.
Sub-asset vs assessment unit- The sub-assets were not identified in the initial stratification step and therefore the Econd® scores rely on the average condition of the assessment units that fall within them. It is therefore a generalised interpretation of the sub-assets condition based on the land-use and land-cover contained within.
Significant outcomes.
An Econd® of 94.4 was recorded for terrestrial fauna, which indicates that the vertebrate fauna of the region is largely intact. Although species such as the Gastric Brooding Frog (Rheobatrachus silus) have become extinct in the region, and approximately 85 species are listed as threatened; in contrast, 600 species are rated as Least Concern and faring well in the landscape. These results are comparable to other regions and taxonomic groups where the Red List Index has been applied. Despite the relatively high scores for this asset these results also highlight that the region has a high number of threatened species, which will continue to be the focus of BMRG's work.
An Econd® of 53.6 was recorded for aquatic fauna, reflecting the impact of unprecedented flooding and on aquatic ecosystems and species, with data and results also affected by challenging survey conditions.
Disclosures & limitations.
Regional-Scale Native Vertebrate Fauna Method
Expert analysis - To limit biases and gain a more accurate assessment a diverse group of experts were consulted. However, some poorly known species were only assessed by a small number of experts.
Recent species reviews - Recent reviews of some species such as the Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) involve more rigorous on-ground assessments than those employed by this method. To acknowledge and incorporate those more intensive assessments, experts with involvement and knowledge of these assessments were engaged and provided input. However, some reviews are pending publication and could not be included at this stage. The results from those assessments will be incorporated into future accounts.
Cryptic or pooly known species - This assessment has been limited by the availability of data on many species. There is increasing recognition of the importance of baseline data to inform the conservation and management of native fauna. As monitoring technology improves and if resourcing for threatened species monitoring is prioritised, it may be possible to improve these knowledge gaps and assess cryptic and poorly known species with a higher level of confidence.
Aquatic Native Vertebrate eDNA Method
Climatic conditions prior to survey - A La Nina weather event caused widespread flooding and elevated stream heights in the months preceding the survey. Consequently, a significant amount of DNA material may have been flushed from the system, resulting in a lower rate of species detections.
Weather and river conditions during survey - Heavy rainfall and flooding also occurred during the survey period. In particular, the survey of the Mary River was affected by a significant rainfall event, which may have skewed the results for that catchment. High flows and high turbidity may have impacted the sample collection and artifically clogged filters with sediment, reduced the amount of eDNA in samples, resulting in a lower species detection rate, and therefore lower condition scores.
Seasonality - The detectability of some fauna groups (e.g. frogs) or specific species can be influenced by seasonal patterns in activity. Additional surveys during extended dry periods or periods of peak activity may result in a greater number of species being detected. Seasonal surveys could be considered for future accounts in line with the recommendation above.
Difficult to detect species - The survey targeted major rivers and tributaries. Range restricted species that were included in the reference species lists, but which occur in locations distant from the survey sites, would have a low likelihood of detection. Similarly, there may be a lower likelihood of detection of non-obligate aquatic species, including some species of frogs and birds, which are associated with aquatic habitats, but may not necessarily enter streams regularly.
Timing of the Survey - Due to flooding in May 2022, the survey was postponed until June, which is outside the seasonal timeframe recommended by the Method. While this may have influenced the results, we believe that it was preferable to sampling during very high flow conditions. For future accounts we will endeavour to sample during the in May as per the
Annual certification compliance & material disclosures.
No current disclosures relating to this account.
Account location.
Current data.
This account has an active certification.
About BMRG.
The Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Ltd. (BMRG) is the peak body for natural resource management (NRM) within the Burnett Mary region. Established in 2001, it is one of 54 national, not-for-profit regional bodies providing an essential link between the community and various programs procured by Government and other funding sources.
BMRG’s vision is “to protect and enhance the agricultural and natural environment of the Burnett Mary region for future generations”. This is achieved by directing investment into a wide range of community- based programs that deliver positive outcomes in the areas of ecological diversity, sustainable land management, water quality, cultural heritage values and coastal and marine management. Community collaboration and partnerships are paramount to achieving BMRG’s vision which is supported by maintaining strong relationships with a range of organisations including: Federal, State and Local Governments; Landcare and Catchment Care groups; Indigenous organisations; agricultural and industrial sectors; universities and schools.
