Coongie Lakes

• Category: Inland Aquatic Biomes.
• Geographic Location: South Australia.
• Summary: This freshwater wetland remains unpolluted, providing an unaltered environment for the plant and animal life of Australia in the heart of its salty desert region.

Located in the Cooper Creek floodplain in the eastern region of Lake Eyre Basin, Coongie Lakes are a complex freshwater system in the heart of Australia's salty desert. Cooper Creek and the Coongie Lakes are part of one of the world's largest endorheic, or internal, drainage basins. Comprised of various forms such as swamps, lakes, and channels, the region's ever-changing composition is dependent upon the amount of rainfall received each year—which changes the environment accordingly.

The area includes more than 100 lakes that vary from near-permanent to rarely flooded lands. Cooper Creek is the primary source of freshwater supply for Coongie Lakes. This aquatic habitat is dependent upon the rainfall to sustain its variety of plant and animal life; floodwaters promote the growth of supported plant life, while the dry periods temporarily suspend this growth, resulting in an ever-changing environment.

In the Lake Eyre Basin, the average annual temperature varies from 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) in the south, to 75 degrees F (24 degrees C) in the north. The average maximum temperatures are 64 degrees F (18 degrees C) and 75 degrees F (24 degrees C), respectively, in July. These average maximums climb to 97 degrees F (36 degrees C) and 102 degrees F (39 degrees C) in January, summer in the Southern Hemisphere. It is estimated that there is less than 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rainfall per year on average in the Lake Eyre/Coongie Lakes Basin. The highest rainfalls, with annual averages of about 16 inches (40 centimeters), occur along the northern and eastern margins.

Wildlife

There are about 205 bird species, both aquatic and terrestrial, found around the Coongie Lakes. In addition, this wetland is a significant breeding ground for an enormous number of birds that migrate through the area. There are many teal and pink-eared ducks, along with great numbers of maned duck, Eurasian coot, red-necked avocet, and pelican. One can also find the black-winged stilt, hoary-headed grebe, pied cormorant, tern, silver gull, heron, ibis, and various spoonbills.

The biome is home to at least 17 raptor species. In the region of the lakes, there are at least 100 species of terrestrial birds, dependent on the freshwater supply and the riparian woodland of river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and coolibah (E. microtheca). More than 470 plant species, 52 of which are considered very rare, are sustained in this ecosystem.

The fish population must survive many changing variables to survive here. Changes in salinity, temperature, oxygen, and water levels all play a significant part in their daily life. Coongie Lakes are only about 6 feet (2 meters) deep, and may dry up if they receive little or no water from Cooper Creek for months at a time. This is believed to be the reason for a general lack of diversity among the fish in the Coongies. Of the approximately 26 fish species found in the Lake Eyre Basin, only 13 are found in Cooper Creek. Native animals present in the areas surrounding the lakes include the dingo and red kangaroo, as well as various turtles, frogs, and water-rats. The inland taipan, among the world's most venomous snakes, also makes its home here.

Human Impact

Coongie Lakes was once home to the Aboriginal people, and remains a spiritual site for them. Coongie Lakes was an important habitat for this population because of the richness of its resources. The Yandrumandha, Yauraworka, Dieri, Wangkangurru, and Wangkumara Aboriginal groups have been associated with the wetlands here. The area was once heavily populated as these peoples traveled up and down the waters using the many resources. Food in the form of fish, shellfish, birds, reptiles, and mammals was plentiful. In 1988, the Aboriginal Heritage Act was established to protect objects, sites, and remains according to traditional practices. The registry for Coongie Lakes lists 127 sites recorded during 1982–86, including archeological sites, burial sites, art sites, ritually significant sites, tool manufacturing areas, grindstone quarries, wiltjas (temporary shelters), early historic campsites, and stone arrangements. Several hundred more sites have yet to be added to the registry.

Cattle farming is of prime economic importance in Australia, with the first cattle farm established in the Coongie Lakes area in 1873. The development of premium chemical-free beef is supported by the naturally irrigated pastures. However, grazing cattle also cause land degradation, destruction of habitat, changes in vegetation patterns, weed and pest infestation and pollution. The Wilderness Society is currently campaigning for the removal of cattle grazing in Coongie Lakes, with the preservation of these wetlands considered of prime importance.

Besides cattle farming, continuous threats to the Coongie Lakes today include exploration of gas and petroleum reserves, pollution, overfishing, and land development. Large reservoirs of oil and gas are thought to exist under Coongie Lakes. The value of these resources has not gone unnoticed for their potential provision of energy and economic resources to Australia. Mining these fields could drastically alter this ecoregion by degrading the environment and destroying or disrupting habitat cohesion.

In 2003, the state government announced the protection of 108 square miles (280 square kilometers) of the Coongie wetlands within National Park status, to thus be protected from petroleum exploration and production. In June 2005, the state government designated nearly all of the core of the wetlands as the Coongie Lakes National Park. Assuming day-to-day operations are properly regulated, the new park and petroleum exclusion zone effectively ends two decades of controversy over petroleum exploration in the area.

Current threats to this arid wetland include the potential consequences of climate change and diversion of water. Although the floodplains of the Eyre Basin have changed little since the first explorers, the public focus has been on preserving the extensive natural wetlands and the native flora and fauna that inhabit these areas. A possible threat to maintaining this biodiversity would be a reduction in the volume and frequency of beneficial floodwaters due to climate change. Manmade changes to flow, caused by dams or water diversion, would also create a threat. As a result, the Queensland, South Australian and Commonwealth Governments continue to work together with the goal to work towards developing a framework to manage cross-border water resources in a responsible way that preserves the integrity of the wetlands.

Bibliography

“Coongie Lakes Ramsar Wetlands: A Plan for Wise Use.” Government of South Australia, Nov. 1999, cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/coongie.pdf. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Hill, Robert S., ed. History of the Australian Vegetation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Kingsford, Richard, et al. "Adaptive Management of Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site in Arid Australia—A Free Flowing River and Wetland System." Sustainability, 10 Mar. 2021, doi.org/10.3390/su13063043. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

“Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park Management Plan 2014.” Government of South Australia, 2014, cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/malkumba-coongie-lakes-management-plan.pdf. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Monroe, M. H. “Coongie Lakes Complex.” 1993. . Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.