Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms found in an environment including animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and micro-organisms. Cotton growers are working to monitor, maintain and improve biodiversity on cotton farms for a number of reasons:
Plants
- Healthy, in-tact native vegetation provides important buffer zones, harbors beneficial insects and nature’s other pest controllers (birds and bats) and helps keep waterways healthy
- Connecting remnant vegetation can help improve biodiversity by extending habitat and providing natural corridors for animals to move along
- Well managed native pastures are not only excellent for cattle feed and are relatively drought tolerant, but help improve biodiversity such as bird life on cotton farms
- Native vegetation provides windbreaks that reduce soil erosion and act as a buffer to sprays
Animals
- Bats, birds, ants, spiders, wasps and other predatory insects are a cotton grower’s natural workforce against pests that attack cotton
- Cotton growers encourage beneficial insects and predator pests into cotton crops as part of their Integrated Pest Management systems
- Native animals living in healthy native vegetation help keep the right balance of pests and predators
Soils
- Soils full of nutrients and organic matter that can store moisture grow better, higher yielding crops, contribute to water use efficiency and break down residual herbicides faster
- Many cotton growers are using minimum or no-till farming systems (where the soil is not ploughed, and stubble is retained and planted into) which has seen dramatic improvements in soil health and a reduction in diesel fuel usage (hence carbon emissions)
Quick Facts
- Nearly one third of all Australian bird species are found in cotton growing regions
- A bird study of 19 water storages on nine cotton farms in the Gwydir Valley recorded 42,495 birds representing 45 different species – including many of conservation significance
- In a study of cotton farms in the Namoi Valley of NSW, 138 species of birds were recorded
- 20-30% of the area on cotton farms is covered by native vegetation, with most of these vegetation areas located along the riparian zone of the major river systems in the Darling catchments
- A recent survey indicated many cotton growers are managing for biodiversity by fencing off native vegetation, removing weeds and controlling feral animals
The information on this page is courtesy of the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC.
For Cotton Australia’s fact sheet on biodiversity, click here.
For additional fact sheets on biodiversity by the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC, please click here.
To download a copy of the “Birds on Cotton Farms” publication, click here.
