Cover, Contents and Acknowledgements Executive Summary 1.0 INTRODUCTION ..... 15 1.1 BRIEF AND SCOPE OF THE REPORT ..... 16
1.2 REPORT FOCUS ..... 17
1.3 REPORT STRUCTURE ..... 19
2.0 BIODIVERSITY TERMINOLOGY, THE GLOBAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXT, AND BIODIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURE ..... 21 2.1 BIODIVERSITY TERMINOLOGY 21
2.2 BIODIVERSITY - THE GLOBAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXT ..... 24
2.2.1 Human Impacts on Biodiversity ..... 25
2.3 BIODIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURE ..... 26
2.3.1 Terrestrial biodiversity ..... 28
2.3.2 Aquatic biodiversity ..... 30
2.4 POSITIVE IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURE ON BIODIVERSITY ..... 33
3.0 OVERVIEW OF BIODIVERSITY LEGISLATION AND GOVERNMENT POLICY RELEVANT TO COTTON PRODUCTION ..... 37 3.1 INTRODUCTION ..... 37
3.2 COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT ..... 37
3.2.1 Legislation and regulations ..... 37
3.2.2 Policies and strategies ..... 37
3.3 NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT ..... 41
3.3.1 Legislation and regulations ..... 41
3.3.2 Policies and strategies ..... 43
3.3.3 Statutory Resource Management Committees ..... 44
3.4 QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT ..... 45
3.4.1 Legislation and regulations ..... 45
3.4.2 Policies and strategies ..... 47
3.4.3 Statutory resource management committees ..... 49
3.5 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ..... 49
3.6 MURRAY DARLING BASIN COMMISSION ..... 50
3.7 INCENTIVE SCHEMES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ..... 52
4.0 THE BIODIVERSITY, THREATENED SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES, AND KEY THREATENING PROCESSES IN COTTON GROWING REGIONS IN EASTERN AUSTRALIA ..... 55
4.1 INTRODUCTION ..... 55
4.2 ECOREGIONS AND COTTON GROWING ..... 56
4.3 MAMMALS ..... 56
4.3.1 New South Wales ..... 59
4.3.2 Queensland ..... 59
4.4 BIRDS ..... 61
4.4.1 New South Wales ..... 61
4.4.2 Queensland ..... 63
4.5 REPTILES ..... 65
4.5.1 New South Wales ..... 65
4.5.2 Queensland ..... 66
4.6 AMPHIBIANS ..... 67
4.6.1 New South Wales ..... 70
4.6.2 Queensland ..... 70
4.7 FISH ..... 70
4.7.1 New South Wales ..... 72
4.7.2 Queensland ..... 72
4.8 TERRESTRIAL INVERTEBRATES ..... 73
4.9 AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES ..... 74
4.9.1 New South Wales ..... 75
4.9.2 Queensland ..... 75
4.10 MICROBES ..... 75
4.10.1 Soil microbes ..... 76
4.10.2 Aquatic microbes ..... 77
4.11 NATIVE VEGETATION ..... 79
4.11.1 Terrestrial vascular plants ..... 79
4.11.2 Terrestrial lower plants ..... 82
4.12 NATIVE AQUATIC VEGETATION ..... 83
4.13 EXOTIC VEGETATION: TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC WEEDS ..... 85
4.13.1 New South Wales ..... 85
4.13.2 Queensland ..... 86
4.13.3 Cotton farms ..... 86
4.14 THREATENED COMMUNITIES IN COTTON GROWING REGIONS ..... 87
4.15 THREATENING PROCESSES IN COTTON GROWING REGIONS ..... 89
4.16 THE BIODIVERSITY OF COTTON FIELDS ..... 92
5.0 LITERATURE REVIEW OF RESEARCH RELATING TO BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN COTTON GROWING REGIONS ..... 99 5.1 INTRODUCTION ..... 99
5.2 ROLE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN COTTON PRODUCTION SYSTEMS ..... 100
5.3 BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IMPORTANT TO COTTON PRODUCTION ..... 103
5.3.1 Natural pest control ..... 103
5.3.2 Maintenance of soil health ..... 114
5.3.3 Prevention of soil erosion ..... 118
5.3.4 Water filtration ..... 129
5.3.5 Waste absorption and breakdown ..... 134
5.3.6 Maintenance of river flows ..... 140
5.3.7 Maintenance of groundwater levels and groundwater quality ..... 147
5.3.8 Maintenance and regeneration of habitat ..... 153
5.3.9 Maintenance and provision of genetic resources ..... 159
5.3.10 Regulation of climate ..... 161
5.3.11 Provision of shade, shelter and barrier effect ..... 165
5.4 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY TO COTTON PRODUCTION ..... 167
Conclusions 6.1 WHY THE COTTON INDUSTRY NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT BIODIVERSITY ..... 173
6.1.1 The importance of biodiversity to sustaining cotton production ..... 173
6.1.2 Mounting social and regulatory pressure ..... 174
6.2 PRACTICAL OPPORTUNITIES ..... 174
6.2.1 Farmers as land stewards ..... 175
6.2.2 Stewardship opportunities for cotton growers ..... 176
6.3 GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ..... 180
6.3.1 Biodiversity research to benefit grower profits and the environment ..... 180
6.3.2 Biodiversity research to clarify the industry’s environmental duty of care ..... 182
6.3.3 Research to characterise the biodiversity of cotton areas ..... 183
REFERENCES APPENDICES
