As part of major port expansion works at Port Botany in New South Wales, Sydney Ports Corporation is spending approximately $8 million to rehabilitate and expand Penrhyn Estuary in efforts to reverse the declining quality of the estuarine habitat for migratory shorebirds, seagrass and saltmarsh and to address the impacts of the port expansion on the function of the Estuary.

Until recently, both areas were unprotected Crown land and were not under management. The areas have now been included in the Ballina Regional Crown Reserve and will be preserved for their high conservation values. These conservation values include a number of listed Endangered Ecological Communities and threatened flora and fauna species. WetlandCare Australia will work in partnership with the Grafton office of the Department of Lands to manage the wetlands over the next two years.

The 2008 edition of Wetlands Australia was released on World Wetlands Day, 2 February. Wetlands Australia – National Wetlands Update 2008, Annual Update for Australia’s Wetland Community is an annual publication from the Australian Government bringing together information and resources from across Australia relating to wetlands conservation, management and education.

Articles include: Fighting toxic soils and noxious fish in Tasmania’s wetlands, Sphagnum bogs in the Australian Alps, The decline of the Macquarie Marshes 1996-2007, the Queensland Wetlands Programme, and Wetlands on Farms pilot project, and many more.

A wetland is exactly what the name suggests: wet land. However, an area doesn’t need to be permanently wet to qualify as a wetland. It just needs to be wet long enough for its plants and animals to be adapted to – or even dependent on – wet conditions for at least part of their life cycle.

Like giant sponges, freshwater wetlands soak up water and nutrients, releasing them gradually and regulating their flow across the land surface. The abundance of both these resources makes wetlands important refuges for plants and animals in the harsh Australian environment. Plants that grow in wetlands have various features such as specialised leaves, stems and roots.

The State Government’s Riverbank Fund has purchased almost fifteen thousand megalitres of extra water for the State’s most precious wetlands, on the Gwydir, the Macquarie, the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee rivers.

Werri Lagoon is a 1Ha wetland at the northern end of Werri Beach, Gerringong, NSW. Approximately 25% of its catchment area is rural floodplain, with a large proportion in dairy farming.

To reduce impacts from grazing practices, several successful management changes were undertaken by a dairy farmer, including the installation of an off-creek watering system. The wetland is now used as a demonstration site.

The restoration of Tom Thumb Lagoon, south of Wollongong, started with the community group, the Friends of Tomb Thumb.

Over the last 15 years the project has picked up and maintained a range of funding partners allowing over 6000 plants to be planted and numerous volunteers to be educated and involved in wetland management.

Works will include the introduction of innovative in-stream rehabilitation works, and associated riparian revegetation. Stream rehabilitation structures have been designed to enhance aquatic habitat, ensuring a diversity of: stream velocities; stream bedforms (pools and riffles); stream substrates (sediment sizes), and large wood debris.

A degraded wetland has been restored as a viable habitat for frogs and waterbirds, with many local trees and plants planted by volunteers from PACTEC. A number of interesting threatened species have been sighted in the area, including the Black-necked Stork or Jabiru and the Giant Barred Frog. By providing a shallow ledge for frogs and an island for a safe nesting refuge, the group has further enhanced the wildlife values of the adjoining Waterford Wetland area.

In response to overdainage of floodplains on the North Coast, assistance is being supported by extension and advisory services aiming to improve environmental management of acid sulfate soils (ASS) hot spot areas and the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) on relevant floodplains.

On-ground works to facilitate active management of the floodplains are to include in-drain structures to prevent low-lying areas from overtopping with tidal water, drain shallowing, rehabilitation of ASS scalds and the reintroduction of natural wetting and drying cycles, utilizing seasonally ponded freshwater and the re-establishment of native wetland species. Other floodplain on-ground works include the provision of off-stream watering points and fencing of waterways from livestock.

A PLAN to drop 40 tonnes of giant red gums into the Murray is expected to boost the breeding cycles of native fish, save the river’s ecology and right past environmental wrongs.

Thousands of logs have been pulled from the Murray in recent decades to dredge boating channels, and the Greening Australia group is about to reverse the practice by undertaking the first large scale re-snagging project in South Australia.

Greening Australia state chief Mark Anderson said removing snags had altered breeding habitats and had led to a decline in fish stocks.

A method for rapidly and simply assessing the health of estuarine wetland ecosystems that require management, conservation and/or rehabilitation has been developed. Called the Estuarine Wetland Health Assessment Project, it is included in the Wetland Assessment Techniques Manual for Australian Wetlands. This manual also includes assessments for other types of wetlands including Freshwater ecosystems.

The NSW Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Verity Firth, launched the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Action Plan on 5 May 2008, a guide to protecting and improving the region’s natural resources over the next 10 years.

The Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority (SMCMA) has released a process for prioritising environmental work in Sydney’s wetlands on their website. The prioritisation technique was developed for the CMA by Wetland Care Australia. The project reviewed 8 other assessment methods to ensure a high standard of assessment yet remain relevant to the unique environmental pressures of Sydney.

WetlandCare Australia will shortly finalise their ‘Wetland Rehabilitation Guidelines for Great Barrier Reef Catchments’. This product was developed with funding through the Queensland Wetlands Programme, a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland Governments.

The Guideline is an 80+ page document containing a wealth of information about how to manage and rehabilitate wetlands in coastal Queensland. To accompany the Guidelines a series of Case Studies and Fact Sheets have also been produced.

Conservation and management of wetlands on private and government owned lands is assisted by NGOs. A short description and contact details are supplied for; Australian Wetlands Alliance, Conservation Volunteers Australia, the Hunter Wetlands Centre, Wetlands International, Wetland Care Australia, and, World Wide Fund for Nature Australia.

These organisations provide a contact point for people wanting to be involved in the conservation of wetlands in Australia.

At www.ConserveOnline.org, The Nature Conservancy has launched a complete overhaul of the free online tools supporting knowledge-flow and coordination between environment and conservation efforts around the world.

Despite the differences in the wetland types and the impetus to restore them, Dr Glamore found a mass of technical information, advanced administrative environments and custom made machinery …

The rehabilitation of tidal coastal wetlands and the remediation of acid sulfate soils can be facilitated through the restoration of tidal flushing regimes. Over 1000 floodgates that are in place on the NSW coast could be modified to restore natural tidal flushing. Dr William Glamore has proposed an 8 stage strategy to assist land managers to achieve an optimal outcome.

The biodiversity of aquatic insects in the wetlands found in an agricultural landscape in South-western Victoria were similar to the aquatic insect populations found in wetlands elsewhere, despite being used for grazing purposes.

This information suggests that wetlands on grazing properties may have conservation value and should be managed to protect them from threatening processes such as drainage.

The Sydney University Medical Entomology website http://medent.usyd.edu.au has easy to read fact sheets on mosquito borne diseases and Mosquito Management for Wetlands.

The Long-nosed Potoroo can occasionally be seen foraging after dark. Its presence can sometimes be detected from the cone shaped diggings it leaves in sandy soil where it unearths its diet of roots and grubs. The Long-nosed Potoroo inhabits coastal heaths and dry and wet sclerophyll forests. If you have seen a Long-nosed Potoroo, that area is a habitat for a vulnerable threatened species.

Floodgate management projects can require study in soil science, community consultation, ecology, planning law and more.

A guideline on the Department of Primary Industries website; Restoring the balance – guidelines for managing floodgates and drainage systems on coastal floodplains is a good source of information for individuals or groups contemplating a coastal floodplain drainage restoration project.

A brochure has been released by NSW DPI, MDBC, NSW CFA, NRAC under the Aquatic Habitat Rehabilitation program ‘Making more fish … naturally’. The brochure provides an easy to read guide that illustrates actions landholders can take to make their farm fish friendly.

Restoration works that involve clearing, draining, filling or the construction of levees in wetlands to which SEPP 14 applies, require an approved EIS in relation to the works before the restoration can proceed

The Australian Government has produced a guide for landholders which provides information of a range of topics related to responsible wetland ownership. Links are provided to a range of government agencies and non government organizations

The Department of Natural Resources is currently developing macro water sharing plans for NSW. Water sharing plans set rules for sharing water between the environment and water users. They bring water users still operating under the Water Act 1912 into the one licensing system managed under the Water Management Act 2000. Water sharing plans run for 10 years.

The Threatened Species Conservation Act has been amended to establish a biodiversity banking and offsets scheme. The bio-banking scheme allows landowners to establish biodiversity credits on their land which can then be traded.

A best practice guideline has been developed specifically for bush regeneration on the Cumberland Plain. The booklet recognises the different impacts on and responses of bushland on shale soils, as opposed to the more frequently documented Sydney Sandstone Flora examples.

Freshwater Wetlands on coastal floodplains are an endangered ecological community found in Southern Rivers, Sydney Metropolitan, Hunter Central Rivers and Northern Rivers CMA regions.

Threats to this community include: land clearing, fragmentation, feral pigs and over grazing. Recovery actions to maintain and enhance Freshwater Wetland remnants include: public education, storm water management, the application of covenants, and site specific management plans.

This report outlines the roles and responsibilities of individuals, governments and non-government organisations in the management of Ramsar wetlands in NSW. It is important reading for any organisation or individual considering nominating their wetlands for Ramsar listing.

Keeping in touch with NRM news in the remote north of Australia is easier than you think with three great e-news options: The Basin Bullet serving the Desert Channels in QLD, Gulf Links serving the Southern Gulf of QLD and The Fitzroy Basin Association e-news.

AABR NSW is an incorporated association having members who are ecological restoration professionals, volunteers and people generally interested in restoration of natural areas.

An old polluted drain flows between the Sydney suburbs of Annandale and Lilyfield. The native bush was chopped down over a hundred years ago, swamps filled in and Whites Creek was turned into a concrete stormwater drain, forming a hostile environment for frogs and fish.

Then, Friends of the Earth had a vision to reduce pollution in Sydney Harbour by mimicking nature and using natural means.

The Australian Floodplain Association (AFA) has been established to link and assist landholders (mainly graziers and dry land farmers) and their communities with scientists, agency staff, politicians and conservation groups in an effort to sustainably manage riverine environments.

OceanWatch Australia, supported by the Myer Foundation and the NSW Department of Primary Industries has produced this innovative and interactive environmental education resource to help primary school teachers and students learn about the importance of healthy catchments for healthy and productive estuaries and fisheries, and how to keep these environments healthy (focusing on the NSW Human Society and It’s Environment Syllabus).

Croaking Environment Resources have launched a new platform for environmental discussion in the Northern Rivers region. Anyone can log in to register their questions, comments or point of view regarding any environmental topic. Participation is open to the entire community. Anyone with internet access can visit the forum and read the discussions taking place.

Croaking Environment Resources provide the web space, the discussion topics that develop will be up to the members themselves. Queries can be directed by email to forum@croakingenvironment.com.au, or via the forum site directly.

The Fivebough and Tuckerbil Wetlands Trust invite you to join them at their inaugural Australian Birding and Nature Fair. The Fair, to be held in Leeton (NSW) from the 22-26 November this year, will enable you to see and learn about the wildbirds of inland South-Eastern Australia.

Nominations are now open for the annual South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Awards, which acknowledge people and programs that help make the waterways and catchments of South East Queensland healthy.

A total of $20,500 in prize money is available; with the winners of seven separate categories each receiving a cheque for $1,500 and a Healthy Waterways trophy. In addition, the category winner deemed to be the most innovative and collaborative by the independent judging panel will be awarded the $10,000 Grand Prize.

This article sets out guidelines for Natural Resource and Environmental Management bodies to consider when developing partnerships or consulting with Aboriginal communities. The guidelines relate specifically to work undertaken in the Bundjalung Nation (Northern Rivers) of NSW.

A Small Farms and Rural Living Field day will be held at Berry Showground 23 September 2007, 10:00am – 3:00pm.