THEY’RE COMING BACK – RE-EMERGING SPRINGS

Lying beneath parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales, the Great Artesian Basin, (GAB) is  Australia’s largest groundwater basin and one of the largest underground freshwater resources in the world. The GAB is the main source of water for most of inland Australia including Queensland’s Desert Channels region. Springs emerging from its underground reservoirs are therefore vital for both biodiversity and the pastoral industry. However, the ecosystems supported by these springs face multiple threats, from invasive pest species (cane toads, feral cats, and prickly acacias among others), to misguided farming practices. 

To preserve the GAB springs, Desert Channels Group will team up with local landholders and Aboriginal communities to implement a long-term plan for the conservation and sustainable use of land and water in western Queensland. This project, funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust, will run for the next four years until June 2028.

The project aims to reduce the impact of invasive species by removing weeds and controlling pest animals by trapping and humane lethal protocols. Regular assessments of flora and fauna diversity will be conducted to guide actions. From a human perspective, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) from Aboriginal communities will be actively included in management practice, with landholders being consulted about measures to reduce impacts of cattle on GAB springs. The main goals of the project are to improve the habitat conditions of GAB springs while raising  an awareness of best farming practices and TEK among landholders by June 2028.

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