Caneland Subdivisions a Blow to Rare Birdlife

Spotted Harrier

Despite local and state government restrictions on land use on sugarcane farms around the Maroochy River on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, properties are being busily subdivided with the blessing of the local council. New residential developments on flood-prone land are carving up once extensive areas of grassland and cane, putting at risk populations of Eastern Grass Owl, King Quail and other rare and threatened species.

Four new residences are being built along one road in the canelands near Bli Bli, while For Sale signs are popping up throughout the Maroochy River floodplain. Large areas of former caneland have been swallowed up by plans for a new runway for Sunshine Coast Airport, and for the Maroochy River golf course at Bli Bli.

New canelands subdivision near Bli Bli 

Although the Moreton sugar mill in Nambour closed in 2003, cane continues to be grown locally and is either sold as garden mulch or transported north to the Maryborough mill. A succession of government and expert reports have recognised the need to maintain the rural nature of the landscape, to protect both biodiversity and social amenity in the rapidly growing urban footprint of south-east Queensland.

Maroochy River floodplain grassland

Work on some of the recently subdivided properties had to be suspended following recent heavy rains as vehicles and bulldozers became bogged in muddy quagmires. A 2006 report by the CSIRO, Future Use of Sunshine Coast Cane Landscapes, says 7,000ha - close to half the Maroochy River floodplain - is poorly drained and flood-prone. Most of the floodplain - 13,000ha between Yandina in the west and Marcoola on the coast - is designated under the council's Maroochy Plan as a Sustainable Cane Lands Precinct.

The precinct is intended to be protected for cane and other farmland activities due to its agricultural value. The plan says the existence of cane in these areas forms an important part of the rural character of the shire. Urban uses and the fragmentation of land holdings, other than to enhance their long-term viability or provide for supporting infrastructure, "are not considered desirable or consistent with the intent for this precinct".

New canelands subdivision, Bli Bli

The state government's South-East Queensland Regional Plan is no less firm in laying down firm restrictions on caneland development. The regional plan excludes development for urban purposes on most caneland, except areas east of the Sunshine Motorway and close to Nambour and other towns, unless there is an "overriding public interest". The plan introduces a 100ha minimum lot size for subdivision in the Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area, which supposedly precludes further subdivision.  The regional plan "will permit almost no urban development of the caneland west of the motorway and even on land east of the motorway; the applications will be subject to sequencing and environmental limitations".

New canelands subdivison near Blli Bli

All of this seems to have gone out the window. Apart from the adverse social consequences of urban sprawl, and the likely impact that caneland subdivisions will have on the region's appeal as a tourist destination, once healthy populations of avian grassland rarities and specialties in the Maroochy River floodplain are shrinking rapidly. Species at risk include Eastern Grass Owl, Red-backed Buttonquail, King Quail, Lewin's Rail and several raptors including Spotted Harrier. These birds have happily co-existed with the cane farms for generations. They habitually make use of cane crops for shelter and feeding, while residing in the many areas of grassland that are slashed intermittently but are always to be found over parts of the area.

Spotted Harrier

I returned recently from a 10-day birding trip through western Queensland and saw just a single Spotted Harrier, notwithstanding an abundance of seemingly suitable habitat. I saw 4 of these lovely rare raptors in the space of a couple of hours this week during a drive through the Maroochy River canelands. One pair which has nested annually in recent years now has two large new residential developments in its territory.

Collared Sparrowhawk

Collared Sparrowhawk

One of the areas I visited was River Road, Yandina Creek, where Collared Sparrowhawk and Striated Heron were showing.

Striated Heron

Elsewhere on the Sunshine Coast, a pair of Nankeen Night-Herons are roosting at their regular spot above the amenities block at Wappa Dam.

Nankeen Night-Heron

Large flocks of Topknot Pigeons have moved from the hinterland mountains to the lowlands, where they are feeding on fruiting introduced Camphor laurel trees.

Topknot Pigeons

Topknot Pigeons

Sunshine Coast Canelands Subdivisions Under Fire

Pic SCD By Warren Lynam

Media coverage today following my recent complaints about subdividing the Maroochy River canelands.

SUNSHINE COAST DAILY 19/05/2017 By Bill Hoffman

SUNSHINE Coast Council has started action against two subdivision developments on cane land north west of Bli Bli after complaints from an environmentalist battling to save key habitat for rare native bird species.

The council's Development Audit and Response officer has investigated four sites off Burtons Road which cuts a zig zag course through cane land between the Bli Bli-Yandia Road and the Maroochy River and found two which had breached the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014.

The investigations were launched after Greg Roberts - an avid bird expert, environmentalist and blogger - complained about four subdivisions he alleged were in breach of both the planning scheme and the SEQ Regional Plan.

Mr Roberts has since written to divisional councillor Stephen Robinson raising concerns about a further two sub divisions.

He said he was gravely concerned at what appeared to be the accelerating rate of subdivision for real estate being approved on cane farms in the Maroochy River floodplain in areas.

Mr Roberts said the affected areas were notoriously flood-prone.

"Apart from the adverse social consequences of urban sprawl, the appeal of the Sunshine Coast as a tourist destination will not be enhanced by these developments,” he said.

"Moreover, they threaten once thriving but rapidly shrinking populations of the Eastern Grass Owl and other rare and threatened grassland birds.

"My understanding is that these subdivisions do not accord at least with the spirit - and seemingly the letter - of the council's Maroochy Plan and the state government's South-East Queensland Regional Plan.”

Mr Roberts' concerns have been heightened by the number of For Sale signs going up on cane land properties and the expectations of potential purchasers.

He said significant areas had already been sacrificed to the Maroochy River Golf Club development off the David Low Way at Bli Bli and the proposed Sunshine Coast Airport redevelopment.

"Work on some of the recently subdivided properties had to be suspended following recent heavy rains as vehicles and bulldozers became bogged in muddy quagmires,” he wrote in a letter to Cr Robison.

"A 2006 report by the CSIRO, Future Use of Sunshine Coast Cane Landscapes, says 7,000ha - close to half the Maroochy River floodplain - is poorly drained and flood-prone. Most of the floodplain - 13,000ha between Yandina in the west and Marcoola on the coast - is designated under the council's Maroochy Plan as a Sustainable Cane Lands Precinct.

"The plan says the existence of cane in these areas forms an important part of the rural character of the shire. Urban uses and the fragmentation of land holdings, other than to enhance their long-term viability or provide for supporting infrastructure, "are not considered desirable or consistent with the intent for this precinct.”

Mr Roberts said once healthy populations of Eastern Grass Owl, Red-backed Buttonquail, King Quail, Lewin's Rail and several raptors including Spotted Harrier in the Maroochy River floodplain were shrinking rapidly.

FURTHER COMMENT

While council action regarding the subdivisions is welcome, cracking down on the new landowners is locking the gate after the horse has bolted.  The problem is not primarily what the landowners are doing on their land. Indeed, one new owner I spoke to seems to be environmentally aware and is keen to protect grassland habitat on his property. The problem is the Sunshine Coast Council approving the subdivisions in the first place, and continuing a policy of stripping away what is left of the Sunshine Coast's rural heartland.

1000 Hectares of Sunshine Coast Wetland Protected

Combined efforts by the Sunshine Coast Council, statutory authority Unitywater and the Queensland Government have led to almost 1000 hectares of wetland and associated woodland being protected as environmental reserve in the centre of Australia’s tenth largest city.

More property acquisitions are expected to be added to reserves as government authorities make good on promises to protect the Sunshine Coast’s so-called “Blue Heart” – 5000 hectares of the environmentally rich and diverse Maroochy River floodplain (protected areas shown in the map above). The designated Blue Heart area is described as an "innovative partnership" including the Sunshine Coast Council, Unitywater and the state Environment Department. Its aim is to "build future economic and environmental resilience, while retaining a focus on flood hazard management and climate change adaptation". However, the good news is tempered by the continuing subdivision of sugarcane farmland in the designated Blue Heart area south of the Maroochy River.

The Sunshine Coast Council recently acquired three parcels of land totalling 38 hectares in the vicinity of River Road, expanding its Coolum Creek Environment Reserve to 433 hectares. The council reserve provides important buffer zone protection for Unitywater’s 191-hectare Yandina Creek Wetland (first image in post, captured this week). Part of the buffer area is pictured above. The protected areas includes extensive areas of grassland and wetland that provide habitat for scarce birds such as King Quail, Eastern Grass-Owl (below) and Lewin’s Rail. Together with the Queensland Government’s 342-hectare Coolum Creek Conservation Park, a total of 966 hectares is now protected in the area surrounding Coolum Creek and Yandina Creek in interconnected reserves.

Included in the council’s Coolum Creek Environment Reserve is the 90-hectare “West Coolum Wetland” (below), a diverse and bird-rich wetland sanctuary east of Coolum Creek that I proposed be protected as a reserve in 2016 (for further information see http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/2016/09/newly-discovered-wetland-on-sunshine.html - note that Blogger no longer provides hyperlinks; URLs need to be copied and pasted to search engines).

Another part of the council reserve is a River Road property I first suggested be acquired and protected in a submission to the council in 2012 (see http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/2012/12/wetlands-destruction.html). The council rejected the submission at the time, saying the area was not of significant environmental value and was not in a “highly strategic” location. The property adjoins Yandina Creek Wetland. The present owners will be able to continue current land uses for a further five years under a lease agreement.

Later, the council used similar arguments to reject my submission to purchase Yandina Creek Wetland (above) for a reserve. It was ultimately acquired by Unitywater in 2018 - following a concerted campaign backed by BirdLife Australia and others - and has been restored as a wetland (see http://sunshinecoastbirds.blogspot.com/2018/05/yandina-creek-wetland-back-from-brink.html). A 1.7 kilometre walking trail which was opened last year by then Unitywater chairman Jim Soorley (pictured with me below at the trail opening) has proved popular with birders and more broadly the general public.

The council has clearly turned full circle in a substantial and welcome change of heart, having now spent more than what Unitywater paid for Yandina Creek Wetland on conservation property acquisitions in the area. Following the most recent land purchases, mayor Mark Jameson (below) acknowledged that the Blue Heart area had “significant environmental and natural flood plain characteristics”, adding: “It’s an area where responsible land and water management will showcase – and deliver – exemplary environmental, social and economic outcomes.” The acquisitions by the council in the Blue Heart are a substantial contribution to protecting biodiversity and increasingly threatened habitats and wildlife in the Sunshine Coast region.

Across the Maroochy River from River Road, the story is not so rosy. The floodplains adjoining Burtons Road and smaller roads south of the river host a variety of grasslands and woodland habitat that attract vagrant shorebirds such as Pectoral Sandpiper and Wood Sandpiper (below), as well as infrequent avian visitors from the inland like Brown Songlark and Stubble Quail.

A small number of large cane farms in the area have been allowed to subdivide and much of the grassland has been bulldozed and filled for home sites in what is surely a highly flood-prone area. Earlier this year I took these images of some of the subdivided properties (below) following heavy rainfall in the region.

The area is also being used as an unofficial rubbish dump for all manner of debris (below).

These subdivisions are well within the boundaries of the designated Blue Heart conservation hotspot and stand in stark contrast to the positive developments north of the river.

West Coolum Wetland to be Protected

West Coolum Wetland

The West Coolum Wetland on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is to be protected and managed as a nature reserve in a significant win for the environment. The decision by the Sunshine Coast Council at its February meeting to protect the 90-hectare site means more than 700 hectares of contiguous wetland and coastal woodland in the heart of the Sunshine Coast will be preserved.

The West Coolum Wetland is on land formerly used for sugar cane production. The area was inundated by tidal flows from Coolum Creek following the collapse of canal floodgates after the council acquired the site in 2011, allowing a thriving wetland to be created in the same way that the nearby Yandina Creek Wetland came to be.

Broken floodgates at West Coolum Wetland

The 190-hectare Yandina Creek Wetland was drained and earmarked for development before it was acquired by Unitywater in 2016 as part of the corporation's nutrient offsets program following a lengthy campaign to save the wetland. The site has been restored as a flourishing wetland and the numerous birds that had called it home are returning. Prior to Unitywater's intervention, the Sunshine Coast Council came under fire for rejecting proposals to purchase the land and restore the wetland.

The council has since demonstrated an encouraging change of heart. Last year it launched its Blue Heart Sunshine Coast Project, aiming to sustainably manage 5,000 hectares of the Maroochy River floodplain in partnership with Unitywater and the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. The project's objectives include the securing and protection and management of the floodplain's most environmentally critical areas.

The council will play a role in the future management of the Yandina Creek Wetland as part of its Blue Heart commitment. The move to protect the West Coolum Wetland, which had partly been designated for “open space sport development”, is another important step. Yandina Creek Wetland, the Coolum Creek Reserve and West Coolum Wetland are now joined in a large protected area.

West Coolum Wetland - looking towards Mt Coolum

I stumbled upon the West Coolum Wetland while kayaking along Coolum Creek in 2016. I was immediately impressed with its potential as a reserve and wrote to the council requesting that it be protected as a wetland. Among nice bird records there were one of only two sightings of Australian Spotted Crake from the Sunshine Coast region, and the scarce Eastern Grass Owl and Australian Little Bittern. The council undertook environmental consultancy studies which indeed underscored the site's environmental values.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said the wetland would be managed for conservation and added to council’s environment reserve network. “The lands, located west of the Sunshine Motorway at Coolum Beach, offer an exciting opportunity to establish an estuarine wetland due to the frequent tidal inundation of the site,” the mayor said.

Google Earth image of West Coolum Wetland

Speaking more generally about Blue Heart, Mark Jamieson said: “The project is a fantastic example of how council is taking action now to identify risks, and help our community prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. Working across approximately 5000 hectares on the Maroochy floodplain, the project seeks to deliver effective land and water management to proactively respond to a transitioning landscape through conservation, recreation, flood mitigation and new carbon storage opportunities.”

As with Yandina Creek Wetland, there is no public access to West Coolum Wetland. Unitywater has given repeated undertakings to eventually allow pubic access to Yandina Creek. The council is expected to take the same approach with West Coolum.

West Coolum Wetland site map

One pressing problem facing the Maroochy River floodplain remains, however. As I have written previously, the council has allowed the residential subdivision of sugar cane farms on the floodplain in contravention of state government and council planning guidelines. As a consequence, extensive areas of cane and grassland that are home to an abundance of birdlife are being carved up for homes that must surely be flood-prone.

One of the newly approved residential developments on Maroochy River floodplain