Rising damp

Every living thing needs water, but wetlands offer too much or too little. For plants to succeed here, they need to withstand not only regular flooding and waterlogging, but also dry periods that might last for years. Wetland plant species are uniquely adapted to this special environment. At Couran Cove, the wetlands are dominated by the paperbark tea trees, a species of melaleuca.

Because of their often damp conditions, wetlands are unsuitable for building and farming. Unfortunately, they usually occur at what would otherwise be considered prime real estate: on the boundaries of rivers and the ocean. This has resulted in most of the State's melaleuca forests being cleared, drained and filled. (For some reason, this process is called 'development.')

Although Couran Cove Resort is attempting to restore the melaleuca trees on this part of South Stradbroke Island, an estimated 90 per cent of south-east Queensland's wetlands have been lost forever.