Managing biodiversity in our cotton 'landscapes'

Parkes/Forbes local government area

Area of cotton landscape:
209,600 ha

Area of cotton properties:
23,100 ha

Area of remnant vegetation in the cotton landscape:
36,000 ha (17%)

Area of remnant vegetation on cotton properties:
1,440 ha (6%)

Area of threatened ecological communities in the cotton landscape:
17,400 ha (48%)

Area of threatened ecological communities on cotton properties:
660 ha (46%)

Area of priority zones for native vegetation restoration and enhancement:
3,080 ha

Area of priority zones for vegetation:
12,460 ha


Main vegetation types on cotton properties:

River Red Gum forests, Grey Box woodlands, White Box woodlands, Native grasslands.

Main threatened ecological communities on cotton properties:

Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) grassy woodlands and derived native grasslands of South-eastern Australia (E).
White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum grassy woodland and derived native grassland (CE).


Named wetlands in the cotton landscape:

Bundaburrah Cowal, Lake Cowal, Nerang Cowal.

Area of wetlands in the cotton landscape:
23,600 ha (11%)

Area of wetlands in the cotton properties:
3,070 ha (13%)

Length of major rivers in the cotton landscape:
236 km

Length of major rivers on cotton properties:
40 km

Length of minor water courses in the cotton landscape:
469 km

Length of minor streams on cotton properties:
103 km

Main rivers in the cotton landscape:

Bogan River, Lachlan River, Bumbuggan Creek, Bullock Creek, Bundaburrah Creek, Goobang Creek, Genaren Creek, Gunningbland Creek, Sandy Creek.


Area of national park in the cotton landscape:
1,540 ha

Area of state forests in the cotton landscape:
1,940 ha

Area of travelling stock routes in the cotton landscape:
4,380 ha

Examples of public land reserves in the cotton landscape:

Wilbertroy Preccinct, Gunningbland State Forest, Strahorn State Forest.


Examples of iconic species in the cotton landscape:

Animals: Duck-billed Platypus, Australasian Bittern, Black Falcon, Brolga, Bush Stone-curlew, Grey-crowned Babbler, Magpie Goose, Southern Boobook, Eastern Blue-tongue Lizard.

Plants: River Red Gum.

Examples of threatened species in the cotton landscape:

Animals: Little Pied Bat (N), Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat (N), Australasian Bittern (E), Bar-tailed Godwit (M), Black-chinned Honeyeater (N), Painted Honeyeater (N), Brolga (N), Common Sandpiper (M), Wood Sandpiper M), Dusky Woodswallow (N), Freckled Duck (N), Grey-crowned Babbler (N), Rainbow Bee-eater (M), Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon (N).

Plants: Austrostipa wakoolica (E).

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