Monday, October 31, 2005
Boondall Wetlands
On 2 February 1971, the first modern inter-governmental convention on conservation and sustainability was signed in Ramsar, Iran. The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat was an important historical marker, creating a framework for the protection of the dwindling wetland habitats, at the time under rapacious assault from urban coastal development.

Since its adoption, more than 1,280 wetlands have been designated for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance, covering 110 million hectares, larger than the surface area of France, Germany, and Switzerland combined. There are now 136 contracting nations.

Over time, the “Ramsar Convention” (NB, Ramsar is not an acronym, so it is never the RAMSAR Convention) has broadened its scope to cover all aspects of wetland conservation and wise use, recognising them as important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services for human communities.

The Boondall Wetlands is 1,000 hectares of Ramsar listed wetland on north Brisbane’s Moreton Bay coast. Protected habitat includes tidal flats, mangroves, salt marshes, open forest bushland and paper bark marshland. Ratepayers’ money, from Brisbane City Council’s Bushland Preservation Levy was spent on securing the site, always under threat from encroaching development.

Apart from a motorway carving through it, there is no vehicular access. You enter on foot, bike or boat. Boondall Wetlands features a great ‘Canoe Trail’ (ie ‘creeks’), up and down the lengths of Nundah, Nudgee and Cabbage Tree Creeks.

Having borrowed a kayak from Richard (via the scout den) we spent Sunday afternoon drifting up and paddling down the creek system (with, and then against, the tide). Drifting is a great way to get close the amazing bird life that inhabits the mangrove shores in the sanctuary (if you can keep the kids quiet enough for long enough). Everywhere there are herons, cormorants, darters, kingfishers and tawny frogmouths. Often the herons would be wading on the bottom, up to their neck, spending most of their time with their heads under water.

It was also refreshing to see ibis in their natural habitat. Colloquially, in SEQ these rather exotic looking things are known as Dump Birds, due to their successful adaptation to living on landfill sites and pecking around the park bins in Brisbane. Normally, this ecological niche is filled by rats. On the wetlands they still use their long beak for extracting crabs and worms from the mud, rather the discarded food from rubbish bins.

Sadly, the camera ran out of batteries.

The wetlands are also home to a variety of Brisbane’s nocturnal marsupial wildlife. A late evening, into the night canoe trip (with a powerful spot-lamp) would be most rewarding.

The maps below, show Boondall Wetlands in relation to Brisbane and the route we took on Sunday. (Click on thumbnail to open larger image (courtesy of Google Earth)

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