Wetland Management Tools & Techniques
Wetlands Management During Drought
Author: Dr Surrey Jacobs (Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney)
Date: December 2006
During drought, wetlands take on an even greater importance. As water resources become more and more scarce, wetlands provide a resource in an otherwise dry environment. As well as providing drought relief for stock, wetlands provide habitat for a range of threatened plants and animals. When the drought eventually breaks, wetlands assist in moderating floods and erosion by reducing the velocity of the floodwaters. They do this by containing, and then slowly releasing large volumes of water (Parks Victoria).
It is common for wetland management manuals and educational pamphlets to indicate that properly managed wetlands can provide drought relief for stock. This is true, but there are a few techniques to consider that can allow the sustainable use of this resource during future dry periods.
Wetlands that are grazed during drought periods should be left alone once they are re-wetted. The re-flooding period is critical for wetland vegetation as this is when the vegetation is re-seeding. Even when there is a series of re-wettings during a drought, the stock should continue to be watered and fed outside of the wetland for each of these re-wettings. Once the vegetation has had a chance to re-seed, the stock can be reintroduced.
The assumptions behind this recommendation are: (i) it is a wetland that normally dries during drought times and (ii) that the wetland is managed separately to the dryland areas.
For assistance in modifying your property management to incorporate wetland protection, contact your regional CMA where a wetland officer could assist with appropriate and cost effective techniques.
