Managing biodiversity in our cotton 'landscapes'
Gunnedah local government area
Area of cotton landscape:
390,700 ha
Area of cotton properties:
132,600 ha
Area of remnant vegetation in the cotton landscape:
63,200 ha (16%)
Area of remnant vegetation on cotton properties:
7,910 ha (6%)
Area of threatened ecological communities in the cotton landscape:
31,300 ha (50%)
Area of threatened ecological communities on cotton properties:
5,960 ha (75%)
Area of priority zones for native vegetation restoration and enhancement:
4,600 ha
Area of priority zones for vegetation:
24,050 ha
Main vegetation types on cotton properties:
Native grasslands, Poplar Box woodlands, White Box woodlands, Narrow-leaved Ironbark woodlands, Inland Rainforests.
Main threatened ecological communities on cotton properties:
Natural grasslands on basalt and fine-textured alluvial plains of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland (CE).
Semi-evergreen vine thickets of the Brigalow Belt (North and South) and Nandewar bioregions (E).
White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum grassy woodland and derived native grassland (CE).
Named wetlands in the cotton landscape:
Lake Goran, Walla Wallah Crossing, Gunnible Lagoon.
Area of wetlands in the cotton landscape:
8,400 ha (2%)
Area of wetlands in the cotton properties:
430 ha (0.3%)
Length of major rivers in the cotton landscape:
294 km
Length of major rivers on cotton properties:
144 km
Length of minor water courses in the cotton landscape:
1,240 km
Length of minor streams on cotton properties:
270 km
Main rivers in the cotton landscape:
Mooki River, Namoi River, Peel River, Bundella Creek, Coxs Creek, Garawilla Creek, Saltwater Creek.
Area of national park in the cotton landscape:
5,964 ha
Area of state forests in the cotton landscape:
3,843 ha
Area of travelling stock routes in the cotton landscape:
4,356 ha
Examples of public land reserves in the cotton landscape: Trinkey State Conservation Area, Wondoba State Conservation Area, Lake Keepit State Recreation Area, Breeza State Forest, Kelvin State Forest, Somerton State Forest.
Examples of iconic species in the cotton landscape:
Animals: Koala, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Barking Owl, Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Short-beaked Echidna, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Southern Boobook, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Zebra Finch, Silver Perch.
Plants: Ooline, River Red Gum.
Examples of threatened species in the cotton landscape:
Animals: Koala (V), Spotted-tailed Quoll (E), Squirrel Glider (N), Eastern Cave Bat (N), Large-eared Pied Bat (V), Barking Owl (N), Black Falcon (N), Diamond Firetail (N), Hooded Robin (N), Little Lorikeet (N), Regent Honeyeater (CE), Satin Flycatcher (M), Varied Sittella (N), Pink-tailed Legless Lizard (V), Silver Perch (CE), Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon (N).
Plants: Bluegrass (V), Finger Panic Grass (N), Lake Keepit Hakea (E), Ooline (V), Tylophora linearis (E).