Between January and March 2009 over 10,000,000ha of the Gulf plains in the Southern Gulf of Carpentaria were flooded with 1,000,000ha underwater for 3 months, an unprecedented even in the historical record
Prior to these floods the Gulf Savannah were in A and B land condition with both high biodiversity and production value. The long duration of the flood distroyed native grasses and removed ground cover. The soils were supersaturated and the massive overland flows also resulted in the removal of top soil in many areas, the destruction of the seed bank and loss of all non-arboreal reptile and mammal fauna.
This project will assist to recover 1,000,000ha of country through the delivery of funding for on-ground work (reseeding, fencing, pest and weed control, etc), workshops to improve knowledge and skills in practice management, and the placement of river height gauging stations on the Gilbert and Norman Rivers. These activities will support environmental recovery, build resilience in the ladnscape and build mitigation and adaptation strategies against otehr such extreme events in a climate of change.