In mid-May 2025, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Great Sandy Area staff organised a field trip to K’gari to train QPWS staff in the use of the wetlands condition assessment tool (WetCAT) to undertake assessments for a selection of freshwater lakes, creeks and swamps on K’gari. The driver for this was the need for a post-ecological event impact assessment on K’gari.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred formed in the Coral Sea on 24 February 2025 and crossed the coast just north of Brisbane on 8 March as a tropical low. Impacts across SE Qld included significant coastal erosion, damaging winds and widespread heavy rainfall with associated flooding.

The initial impacts on K’gari included erosion along the eastern and northwest coastlines, and track damage on the coast and throughout the interior of the island. Initial site inspections were carried out as soon as possible in accessible areas, then planning commenced for a more comprehensive ecological impact assessment. The aim was to incorporate multiple techniques, including on-foot and vehicle-based Health Checks to assess the condition of key Natural and Visitor Values in the Values-Based Management Framework. Aerial surveys using drones and WetCAT assessments for six key areas were also undertaken.

There was a considerable delay in mobilising these assessments, so the broader aim of this training was to develop a repeatable, rapid ecological impact assessment process for future ecological events and to build skills and capacity for ongoing regular ecological monitoring on K’gari and more broadly across the Great Sandy Area.

An external consultant was engaged to deliver the WetCAT field training, and participants included Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers (trained in WetCAT in 2024) and QPWS staff from various locations across SE Queensland. The training was rewarding and motivating for all involved, with the outcome being the planned and ongoing implementation of regular WetCAT and other ecological assessments across the Great Sandy Area to better inform collaborative national park estate management and planning.

Contributed by Sam Young, Senior Program Officer (Wongari), QPWS