Habitat Monitoring and Species IdentificationThis project received funding during Round 6 of the Envirofund and is a joint project between Birds Australia Southern Queensland, Australian Cotton Growers Research Association and the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC.
A Cotton CRC project (Roth et al 2004) identified about 20-30% of the area on cotton farms is native vegetation. Most of these vegetation areas are not actively managed and are located along the riparian zone of the major river systems in the Darling catchments. Cotton farms dominate the properties along the riparian zone in the Macquarie, Namoi, Gwydir, Macintyre, Balonne, Condamine Rivers in the western portion of their catchments. There are a number of endangered species, ecological communities and migratory birds within these catchments.
The condition of this vegetation is quite good, however some patches are small, fragmented and narrow and corridor linking could be improved. Many cotton farmers do not graze livestock in these remnant areas. Therefore, considerable potential exists to improve understorey condition and connectivity.
AimsThis project will provide education in the principles of habitat management and training on techniques for monitoring declining woodland fauna in cotton agricultural landscapes of the south western portion of the Queensland section of the Murray-Darling basin and Northern NSW. It will be delivered via a series of workshops and field-based practical sessions with sub-catchment area wide management groups. The project will assist land managers to better understand the ecological functions of remnant vegetation and habitat requirements of declining fauna species such as woodland birds, and will give land managers practical skills in the implementation of biodiversity monitoring at the farm and sub-catchment scales to improve remnant vegetation management.
MaterialsBirds on Cotton Farms: a guide to common species and habitat management specifically written by Greg Ford and Nicci Thompson for the project was launched in Moree on 6 June 2006. Together with a revised workshop manual based on that used in the Darling Downs project in 2005 the book will be provided to participants in workshops planned in the cotton communities. The first of these workshops are planned for the Goondiwindi and Namoi regions. Following these initial workshops the project plans to roll out further workshops in the cotton communities of the Macquarie, Namoi, Gwydir, Macintyre, Balonne and Condamine Rivers.
 Birds on Cotton Farms (2.5mb)
Opportunities for VolunteersIt is anticipated that there will be opportunities to assist in the field component of the workshops i.e. helping landholders to identify bird species in the field following an introduction to bird identification.
Contacts Greg Ford, Regional ecologist QMDC
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, CEO Cotton Catchment Communities CRC
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, Birds Australia Southern Queensland
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Conservation 
