Some like it wet...land

As I walked through my local wetland area (the Emerald Lakes Wetlands) early this morning, I took note of the birds foraging in the shallow waters and the bleary eyed and rugged up local fitness fanatics doing their mandatory 2 laps of the main water body. Perhaps 6am is a little too early for most to have epiphanies regarding the value and polycentricism of their local natural resource assets, however, I have decided to share my early morning musings with those of you in the blogosphere!

A map of the Emerald Lakes Wetland

The southern water pond

As I walked along the handy path that meanders through the wetlands a well-known children’s song came to mind and seemed apposite in describing my thoughts (Feel free to hum along to the tune of ‘The Teddy Bear’s Picnic’!).

If you go out in the wetlands today….

You will see a string of water ponds; more birds than you can name flying, swimming and splashing around the wetland and trees growing out of the water and at the water’s edge. Early in the morning the birds splash in the shallows and other birds make their way out of the reeds and begin their daily foraging rituals. The Emerald Lakes Wetlands are more than a habitat. In fact the wetland and park area act simultaneously as a flood mitigation tool for the city, a filter for polluted run off from local streets and houses, a nursery for many animal species, a refuge for wildlife during periods of drought and a habitat for migratory bird species (DERM, 2011).

An Intermediate Egret wading in the southern pond

A duck swimming in the northern water pond

A Black-face Cuckoo Shrike sitting on a tree overlooking the water

The Emerald Lakes Wetlands are important to me for several reasons. The park is an enjoyable place to exercise, have a picnic or get some fresh air (usually when I’m avoiding doing assignments or my honours thesis!). It is also important to me on an environmental level because I don’t believe the Gold Coast would be as rich ecologically (and thus not half as enjoyable to visit) if the wetlands were not protected. The Gold Coast is under increasing pressure of population and is in danger of becoming an environmentally monotonous landscape of imported street trees. Mind you, from my vantage point in the wetlands I can see the residential towers of the Emerald Lakes residential development and the Surfers Paradise skyline beyond. Both of these developments sit on either drained floodplains or in the foredune paperbark swamps that used to make up the coastal strip. Floods of tourists arrive seasonally rather than the waters that engineers have ‘cleverly’ diverted into man-made canal estates. 

The Emerald Lakes Residential Development visible through vegetation in the northern area of the Wetland

Q1 visible in the distance from the park area overlooking the northern water body

You're sure of a big surprise…..

The wetlands are threatened by numerous urban and environmental factors, which place pressure on both the diversity of species and the amenity of the site. The wetlands are surrounded by urban development – 2 major roads, a golf course, high-end Italian themed apartments, a kindy to year 12 school and subdivisions that were built on the same flood plain in the 1970s.  Consequently, the most imminent threats to the Emerald Lakes wetlands are:

·      Polluted run off from non-permeable surfaces (sediment, rubbish, nitrates, phosphates, petrol, and other chemicals),

·      Encroaching development,

·      Domestic animals competing with (or consuming) native species, and

·      Invasive species (i.e. Ibis and lantana).

It is a constant battle in the midst of human encroachment to maintain a natural environment and it is in danger of becoming unnaturally natural in the process (see the Emerald Lakes residential development for man-made wetlands in sync with Michelangelo’s David and miniature sail boats).

If you go out in the wetlands today,
you'd better go in disguise…..

It’s not easy being green and my Kermit costume (ribbet) attracts strange looks and laughter whenever I crack it out for a hop around the wetlands. So much for blending in with my ‘Herpetological Homies’! The recent furore over fruit bats in suburbia reveals the tension between human habitation and the natural cycles of migratory species. 

To some degree the wetlands have only survived as a contradeal between the Gold Coast City Council and the developers of Emerald Lakes and therefore can be dispensed with as the result of changed political or human pressure on the environment. The nearby developers will always have an interest in reclaiming the land to redevelop it or use it for a commercial purpose. Its water could also be sought after in times of drought to ensure the ‘lushness’ of local golf courses. As the wetlands are situated at the intersection of two roads, it may be that as these roads are widened in the interest of traffic flow, the wetlands may be further diminished.

For every stakeholder that ever there was will gather there for certain…..

The wetlands are a valued asset of the local community including residents, the local indigenous clan – the Kombumerri, local educational and historical institutions, and local businesses. The wetlands exist as a remnant of a highly biodiverse regional wetland ecosystem and despite being significantly encroached upon and of lower quality, remains as a fundamental habitat for many migratory bird species such as the Intermediate Egret and other local small mammal and amphibian species. During La Nina rain periods the site acts as a flood buffer for local housing subdivisions, protecting against localized flooding whilst revitalising the habitat. The opportunity of being able to experience the wetlands in suburbia is perhaps its greatest amenity to the local population.

There seems to be both a political and social congruency between the approaches of the state and federal government to the preservation of wetlands. It may be too little and too late – the State Government’s Natural Resource Management Plan for South East Queensland 2009-2031 provides aspirational targets for the protection of wetlands within the region (DERM, 2009). However, these targets are poorly formulated, hardly quantifiable and unenforceable. In fact they appear as a piecemeal offering whereby the State Government can say to the public ‘Oh! Look! We’re actually doing something for the environment!’. The Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 provides significant penalties for interfering with flora and fauna but relies on the somewhat haphazard enforcement processes of the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM).

The fundamental truth for the Emerald Lakes wetlands is that they remain a stable remnant asset but there is no plan for their long-term protection or the reestablishment of other wetlands in the area. Most of the adjacent floodplain is given over to ‘pretty’ lakes denuded of life which provide a view but not a future.

Because
today's the day the stakeholders discuss their wetlands….


As with most natural resources, there are many challenges that planners and resource managers must overcome in order to maintain, protect and enhance wetland areas. The most important of these relevant to the Emerald Lakes Wetlands is conflicting stakeholder interests. Little information is available regarding the degree to which the community have been consulted regarding the management of the wetlands. However, the community’s participation or non-participation in the management process could ensure or prevent the best outcome from being achieved.  It is axiomatic that without some form of collaboration with or support from the community, they will not have a sense of ‘ownership’ or ‘pride’ and will be less likely to enhance the wetlands.

The uncertainty arising from the ‘Wicked Problem’ of climate change generates a whole other set of challenges for planners managing the wetlands. Increasingly extreme weather events  - droughts and flood particularly – may reduce the wetland’s resilience to pests and disease if they occur more or less frequently than natural systems which have brought them into existence.

Challenges are an inherent part of managing a natural resource that has multiple stakeholders, multiple tiers of Government overseeing management and has an element of uncertainty regarding its future. It is an important test for local planners, managers of natural resources, the local community and the developer who owns the land, as to how these challenges are overcome as they float to the surface of the wetlands. Ribbet.

My natural habitat? No! But certainly my favourite!

References

Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM)(2009). South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan 2009-2031. Brisbane, Department of Environment and Resource Management.

           

Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM)(2011). "Wetland Ecosystems. "Cited on the 20/8/11, from http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlife-ecosystems/ecosystems/wetlands-faq.html