Managing biodiversity in our cotton 'landscapes'
Murrumbidgee local government area
Area of cotton landscape:
455,000 ha
Area of cotton properties:
215,200 ha
Area of remnant vegetation in the cotton landscape:
184,200 ha (40%)
Area of remnant vegetation on cotton properties:
104,100 ha (48%)
Area of threatened ecological communities in the cotton landscape:
89,300 ha (48%)
Area of threatened ecological communities on cotton properties:
48,000 ha (46%)
Area of priority zones for native vegetation restoration and enhancement:
24,780 ha
Area of priority zones for vegetation:
12,580 ha
Main vegetation types on cotton properties:
Native grasslands, Black Box woodlands, Weeping Myall woodlands, White Cypress woodlands, River Red Gum forests, Lignum woodlands.
Main threatened ecological communities on cotton properties:
Sandhill pine woodland in the Riverina, Murray-Darling Depression and NSW South Western Slopes bioregions (N).
Weeping Myall woodlands (E).
Named wetlands in the cotton landscape:
Four Corners Lagoon, Mairjimmy Lagoon, Yarradda Lagoon, Tombullen Storage, Coleambally Canal.
Area of wetlands in the cotton landscape:
24,700 ha (5%)
Area of wetlands in the cotton properties:
8,600 ha (4%)
Length of major rivers in the cotton landscape:
214 km
Length of major rivers on cotton properties:
166 km
Length of minor water courses in the cotton landscape:
372 km
Length of minor streams on cotton properties:
212 km
Main rivers in the cotton landscape:
Murrumbidgee River, Billabong Creek, Colombo Creek, Delta Creek, Eurolie Creek, Gum Creek, Yanco Creek.
Area of national park in the cotton landscape:
8,718 ha
Area of state forests in the cotton landscape:
1,901 ha
Area of travelling stock routes in the cotton landscape:
6,835 ha
Examples of public land reserves in the cotton landscape: Oolambeyan National Park, Banandra State Forest, Benerembah State Forest, Boona State Forest, Bretts State Forest, Cuba State Forest, Mairjimmy State Forest, Willbriggie State Forest, Yarradda State Forest.
Examples of iconic species in the cotton landscape:
Animals: Duck-billed Platypus, Common Brushtail Possum, Australasian Bittern, Black Swan, Bush Stone-curlew, Emu, Grey-crowned Babbler, Peregrine Falcon, Plains Wanderer, Spotted Harrier, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Zebra Finch, Carpet Python, Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard, Yellow-belly.
Plants: Old Man Saltbush, River Red Gum, Slender Darling Pea, Weeping Myall.
Examples of threatened species in the cotton landscape:
Animals: Australasian Bittern (E), Black Falcon (N), Brown Treecreeper (N), Bush Stone-curlew (N), Diamond Firetail (N), Flame Robin (N), Little Eagle (N), Painted Honeyeater (V), Plains Wanderer (CE), Varied Sittella (N), Sloane's Froglet (N), Southern Bell Frog (V), Murray Cod (V), Trout Cod (E), Southern Pygmy Perch (N), Superb Parrot (V), Flathead Galaxias (CE).
Plants: Austral Pillwort (N), Mossgiel Daisy (V), Mueller Daisy (V), Silky Swainson-pea (N), Slender Darling Pea (V), Turnip Copperburr (E).