Aquatic Conservation Assessment – AquaBAMM
Overview
Aquatic Conservation Assessments (ACAs) are designed to identify wetlands’ conservation values (not social or economic ones) for environmental decision-making.
The Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment Mapping Method (AquaBAMM) is used to develop ACAs.
The department developed AquaBAMM as a comprehensive method for assessing wetlands’ conservation values, identifying relative wetland conservation values within a specified study area (usually a catchment) using available data and expert opinion.
AquaBAMM results provide a powerful decision support tool that is easily interrogated through a Geographic Information System (GIS).
Updates to ACAs across Queensland provide the most accurate wetland conservation values, helping to:
- prioritise protection strategies
- support aquatic ecosystem rehabilitation
- inform investment decisions, development and impact assessments
- guide resource management.
These results are instrumental in determining matters of state environmental significance, which are considered in decision-making under environmental, planning and offset legislation.
Targets
- ACAs riverine and non-riverine assessments are conducted and updated for Queensland.
- Spatial data and reporting are available and accessible for environmental decision-making.
Outcomes
Freshwater ACAs have been completed and released for all of Queensland.
- Three assessments have been completed and released since 2020:
- Southern Gulf Catchments (2020),
- Queensland Murray-Darling and Bulloo Basins (2022),
- Wide Bay-Burnett Great Barrier Reef Connecting Catchments (2024).
- Assessments for the Fitzroy and Burdekin Great Barrier Reef Connecting Catchments are underway.
- The GIS results, reports and outcomes for all ACAs are available online to assist with decision making.
Study area | Riverine (R) | ACA version | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
Burnett River1 | R | 1.1 | 18/07/2006 |
1.1 | 09/12/2012 | ||
R, NR | 1.1 | 30/06/2018 | |
R, NR | 1.1 | 31/08/2020 | |
1.1 | 30/10/2009 | ||
1.1 | 30/06/2016 | ||
1.3 | 15/04/2011 | ||
2.1 | 08/12/2022 | ||
1.1 | 09/10/2015 | ||
1.1 | 12/11/2010 | ||
2.1 | 20/05/2024 | ||
Aquatic Conservation Assessment - Queensland - combined layer 5 | R, NR | 2.1 | 14/06/2024 |
ACA related assessment (i.e. assessment has similarities; however, does not strictly adhere to the AquaBAMM) | |||
E, M | 1.1 | 30/03/2019 | |
1 The Burnett River Riverine ACA is superseded by the Wide Bay-Burnett riverine ACA, which includes coverage of the Burnett River catchment. The Burnett River Riverine ACA remains displayed in the table above due being the first ACA study.
2 The Great Barrier Reef Study ACAs include the following catchments: Baffle, Barron, Belyando, Black, Bowen, Boyne, Burdekin lower, Burdekin upper, Burnett, Calliope, Comet, Curtis Island, Daintree, Dawson, Don, Fitzroy, Haughton, Herbert, Hinchinbrook Island, Isaac, Johnstone, Mackenzie, Mossman, Mulgrave-Russell, Murray, Nogoa, O’Connell, Pioneer, Plane, Proserpine, Ross, Shoalwater, Styx, Tully and Waterpark. The Baffle Creek Riverine ACA is superseded by the Great Barrier Reef riverine and non-riverine . Results for the Baffle catchment are superseded by the results completed for the Baffle as part of the Wide Bay-Burnett Great Barrier Reef Connecting Catchments (v2.1) assessment.
3 The Queensland Murray-Darling and Bulloo Basins ACA includes the following catchments: Border Rivers, Condamine-Balonne, Maranoa, Moonie Basin, Wallam, Warrego, Paroo and Bulloo. This version supersedes the Bulloo assessment that was part of the Lake Eyre and Bulloo Basins ACA (2016), the Condamine River ACA (2009) and the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin ACA (2011).
4 The results for the Baffle catchment supersede the results completed for the Baffle as part of the Great Barrier Reef Catchments Riverine ACA (v1.1), Great Barrier Reef Catchments Non-riverine ACA (v1.3), and Burnett River ACA (v1.1)
5 Combined non-riverine layer for the following areas: Southern Gulf Catchments, Eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Southeast Queensland, Lake Eyre and Bulloo Basins, Cape York Catchments, Queensland Murray-Darling and Bulloo Basins, Great Barrier Reef and Wide Bay-Burnett Catchments
6 The Baffle to Fitzroy Coast Common Conservation Values assessment, is not an ACA produced under the AquaBAMM. However, criteria adopted were derived from the AquaBAMM criterion.