The Giant Freshwater Crayfish Recovery Project – achievements to date

The Giant Freshwater Crayfish Recovery Project commenced in October 2019 and finishes in June 2023 It has worked with agricultural landholders in targeted sections of rivers in the Cradle Coast area The aim of the project is to protect known populations of Giant Freshwater Crayfish and improve the extent and quality of their habitat

Initially, the project team undertook a desktop analysis to identify potential stream reaches to target for project activities This took into consideration ecosystem values, land use, previous sightings and tagging of crayfish, woody vegetation quality, channel gradient and elevation We identified 40 priority areas to start with On-ground field checking was then undertaken, with sites that were too degraded or had limited habitat improvement potential being discarded. To be considered for the project, potential habitat improvement areas had to be at least one kilometre and have a link to existing good remnant native vegetation This reduced the priority areas to 14 Initial engagement activities were undertaken across these identified areas to gauge the level of landholder interest in participating in the project

The following areas were the final six priority or target areas where landholder projects were developed:

Upper Leven River

Part of the Flowerdale River and an unnamed tributary in the Lapoinya area

Black River near Newhaven Rd

Hook Creek and Detention River

Roger River, Spinks Creek, Upper Duck River

Lower Inglis River

The project worked with rural or agricultural landholders to implement habitat protection or improvement and provided technical advice to landholders, financial incentives to implement works, as well as demonstration and promotion events. 94 initial site visits were undertaken with landholders across the six priority catchments to identify and develop potential projects at each site.

Adequate widths or “buffers” between the top of the high bank and the riparian fence are essential to ensure vegetation can become established and hold the bank together in flood events, as well as providing a filter strip for sediment and nutrients flowing from the adjoining paddocks to the waterway

The types of works that were implemented by landholders included:

Riparian fencing to exclude stock and install off stream water points

Native vegetation establishment and weed control to improve shading and vegetation, and eventually provide timber recruitment into the waterway

Erosion control works to stabilise banks or beds of waterways

Establishment and management of filter zones or buffer strips through fencing and re-vegetation

Buffer widths are calculated from the top of the high bank from the river’s edge They need to be wide enough to allow deep rooting vegetation to establish or regenerate whose root systems will hold the bank together and reduce erosion. Provided gates are installed it also allows access for maintenance or stock recovery

Site monitoring

Establish conservation covenants and manage and link areas of good remnant native vegetation for conservation.

In total, 26 landholders initially entered into funding agreements to protect approximately 45 km of riverbank However one did not proceed due to sale of the property during the life of the project and at least two withdrew from their Funding Agreement, due to health reasons

Three landholders entered into conservation covenants which in total covered 63 hectares in the Inglis and Leven River catchments, which included 47 ha of Eucalyptus viminalis (White Gum) wet forest which is listed nationally as “critically endangered”

The final length of river frontage that was protected or enhanced across the six priority areas was 35 km

We have had good levels of interest from adjoining landholders, enabling us to ensure long reaches of river are protected In some instances, landholders have already fenced the river to exclude stock using previous funding programs or from their own resources but have undertaken weed control and/or revegetation under this funding program

Left and above left: Before and after weed control Control of weeds such as Blackberry and Willow in the riparian zone needs to ensure that native vegetation isn’t impacted and can regenerate naturally