Projects
SEQ has grown to be home to more than 4 million people, and is the fastest growing region in the country with thriving industry and business now offering new opportunities for employment, lifestyle, and investment. The region’s success is intrinsically linked with its waterways and wetlands and the ecosystem services and values they provide to the people of SEQ.
The impacted state of the region’s waterways and wetlands is leading to losses of productive agricultural lands, reduction in climate resilience and impacts on the receiving environments – ultimately impacting their associated ecosystem services and values such as tourism, recreation and resource availability (e.g. water supply and fisheries). Protecting, managing, restoring and rehabilitating SEQ’s waterways and wetlands is critical to maintaining the ecosystem services and values that underpin the lifestyle and economy of the region.
Monitoring native species across South East Queensland
The $1.2 million eDNA monitoring program is underway across more than 200 locations in South East Queensland, using innovative environmental DNA testing to uncover data on native species including platypus, rakali, freshwater turtles, lungfish, frogs and endangered Mary River cod.
Led by Resilient Rivers SEQ and delivered by Wildlife Queensland, the program is the first regionally coordinated eDNA monitoring program across 11 South East Queensland councils.
Data collected will help to support future conservation efforts including vital habitat restoration and waterway management.
Restoring fish habitat across South East Queensland
The Somerset Fish Habitat Revitalisation project is installing more than 200 purpose-built ‘cod hotels’ and 5 large-scale fish habitat structures across South East Queensland’s waterways to create new homes for native fish and restore critical habitat.
The first cod hotels are now being installed in the Mid and Upper Brisbane River in the Somerset region, supporting aquatic species including Mary River cod and freshwater turtles.
Together with additional habitat structures, the project will restore aquatic habitat, support native fish populations and improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrients entering local waterways.
Tiny heroes tackling SEQ’s invasive weeds
The Samford Biological Control Facility is mass-breeding cat’s claw creeper jewel beetles, tingid bugs and madeira beetles to combat two of South East Queensland’s most destructive invasive weeds.
Led by The Pine Rivers Catchment Association, the beetles and bugs are being released at priority locations across SEQ, targeting hundreds of kilometres of invasive weeds threatening ecosystem health.
The biocontrol program is part of an integrated weed-management approach reducing reliance on physical and chemical control techniques while strengthening ecological balance.
Restoring Upper Warrill Creek for long-term resilience
The $6.7 million Upper Warrill Creek Rehabilitation Project is restoring almost 13 kilometres of waterway along Upper Warrill Creek near Tarome in the Scenic Rim.
Following major flood events in 2017, 2022 and 2024, parts of Upper Warrill Creek experienced extensive creekbank erosion, resulting in the loss of productive agricultural land, degradation of riparian vegetation and increased sediment inputs to the waterway.
Resilient Rivers SEQ is delivering the project in partnership with Scenic Rim Regional Council and the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, using nature-based flood management techniques to stabilise vulnerable sections of the creek and improve resilience to future flood events.
Black Snake Creek collaborative transformation
In 2014 Ipswich City Council (ICC), in partnership with multiple stakeholders and the local Marburg community, produced the Upper Black Snake Creek Improvement Plan (UBSCIP).
Based on assessment revealing the degradation within the channel and floodplain was likely due to subaerial erosion processes primarily from cattle impacts, riparian and floodplain vegetation was planted to improve the bank and floodplain condition over time, and ultimately reduce erosion and improve flood mitigation.
Twelve months after completion the entire exposed area is now completely covered. This high level of cover will reduce erosion and improve flood mitigation in future rainfall events.
Now in its fourth phase, projects under the UBSCIP have led to more than 40,000 trees being planted across 10 properties.
Investing in revegetation for multiple benefits
An investigation was undertaken to determine the best approach to revegetate an 8km stretch of the Lockyer Creek. Parklea reservation was identified as a priority site due to its high community value, both for the township of Gatton but also for the local First Nations community. The approach included extensive and direct collaboration with Wirrinyah First Nations Services, the wider Gatton community, and investment partners Greening Australia.
The project was researched, designed and planned following the Department of Environment and Sciences Aquatic Ecosystem Rehabilitation Process and included the incorporation of First Nations traditional land management practices.
RRSEQ partnered with the Lockyer Valley Regional Council and Greening Australia to deliver the project.
A key part of the project implementation and successful community engagement was delivery of a community tree planting day held on Earth Day for the launch of the on-ground works.
Facilitating knowledge sharing, co-ordination, collaboration, and action in the Logan River Catchment
Bordering both the Logan City Council (LCC) and Scenic Rim Regional Council (SRRC), the Logan River has historically presented issues for landholders, particularly those who straddle both sides of the river.
One of the drivers of landholder concern has been a lack of consistency in approach to land restoration, as well as a lack of clear on-ground deliverable outcomes, leading to justified landholder cynicism when approached to be involved in restoration projects.
To overcome this, Resilient Rivers has taken a different approach: rather than multiple agencies delivering their own singular projects with limited coordination, RRSEQ catchment officers facilitated coordination, collaboration, and action among involved groups.