Environment Matters Autumn/Winter 2024

Caring for our catchment The Bremer Catchment is an important focus for environmental improvement. Collaboration between councils, community groups, landholders and others has made a difference – but there is still much to be done.

Why our catchment matters

BREMER CATCHMENT FAST FACTS � 2,028 square kilometres � Ipswich and Scenic Rim Local Government Areas � 10 sub-catchments in Ipswich � Freshwater and estuarine sections � Rural and urban � Meets Brisbane River and flows to Moreton Bay � Significant species: Queensland lungfish, Swamp Tea-tree communities, Powerful owl, Black-breasted button quail

Keith McCosh, Bremer

Catchment Association President

BREMER RIVER CATCHMENT MAP

The Bremer River is a good indicator of how well we manage our land in the catchment. Rainwater flows over the land and collects in our creeks and rivers before being delivered to Moreton Bay. So what ends up in the Bremer can tell us a lot about how well we look after the land. Too much sediment in the Bremer means that our practices are not ‘sustainable’. We are depleting our natural resource base that underpins the whole of our economy. The health of the Bremer is much more than just water quality. Rivers need logs and fallen trees and rocks to stabilise the bed and banks. The Bremer floodplain needs lots of native vegetation and numerous wetlands with special vegetation. Many of the catchment’s unique wildlife species and food webs depend on healthy, connected riparian and aquatic habitats linked to the Bremer River. These are all necessary to provide a healthy, diverse and resilient catchment. So with a bit more care, the freshwater reaches of the Bremer will not deliver excess mud into the estuary and down into Moreton Bay, and our native fish and wildlife can benefit from a network of well connected habitats throughout the catchment. The Bremer will be seen to be healthy.

Ipswich CBD

Ipswich subcatchments

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Ipswich Local Government Area

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2

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B

Bremer Catchment within the Scenic Rim local government area

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