Barron Catchment Care
Working with the community, Barron Catchment Care coordinates sustainable land use and catchment management strategies across the catchment.
Past clearing of native vegetation and introduction of different land uses have changed the way the catchment functions affecting biodiversity, water quality social and cultural values.
Management priorities:
Revegetation & Habitat Restoration
- Restoring natural habitat along the Barron River
- Restoring and linking remants of endangered forest types
- Engaging with school children and the community through education and restoration activites.
Land & Water Management
- Guiding sustainable land management through farm management plans
- Slowing the flow of stormwater to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff from the land
- Promoting agricultural best practices
- Conserving cultural heritage
Weed & Pest Management
- Implementing integrated pest management projects
- Educating the community on the impact of Tilapia in our waterways
- Turbina & Hymenachne control
BARRON RIVER CATCHMENT
From its highland rainforest source on Mt Hypipamee, the 165 kilometre Barron River flows across the northern Atherton Tablelands, through Lake Tinaroo, and plunges down the Barron Falls to the coastal plain to meet the sea north of Cairns.
The Barron Catchment includes all the land drained by the Barron River and its tributaries ~2,100 km2 (226,000 hectares) in total. One of the most modified catchments in the Wet Tropics, the major land uses include mixed cropping, horticulture, grazing, forestry, sugar cane, protected areas, water resources, urban and tourist development.
Twenty percent of the catchment is in Queensland’s Wet Tropics World Heritage area.