Understanding the Condition of Wetlands in the Hawkesbury
Understanding the Condition of Wetlands in the Hawkesbury
The Hawkesbury Wetland Site Assessment Program involves researching and monitoring the condition of privately owned wetlands, engaging with owners and training them to conduct rapid wetlands assessments to ensure ongoing monitoring and sustainable management.
Capacity to Deliver -
LP042-003
The issue
The Hawkesbury is known for its wetlands and floodplains, but many exist partially or completely on private land and this poses challenges for their care, management and ecosystem function. There has been no recent monitoring or information available on wetlands since the 1990 and many areas have since been degraded by development or changed ownership. Updated and ongoing information is needed to ensure proper management of wetlands and adequate assessment in future development plans. Furthermore, many landholders, particularly new ones, lack understanding of the dynamic water regimes of wetlands, their importance, and how to balance land use on wetlands for environmental and human benefits.
The solution
The Hawkesbury Wetlands Group received a grant for the Hawkesbury Wetlands Site Assessment Progam which covered the cost of employing ecologists from Applied Ecology (AE) to conduct 30 assessments of wetlands (including 3 in the Hills Shire, which are part of the Hawkesbury Catchment), water quality monitoring material, wetland talks and a Rapid Wetlands Assessment (RWA) training day for landholders and community members. The project involved the LLC contacting and reaching out to private landholders along wetlands, visiting them and engaging them in discussions about management and historic information. The Program also engaged stakeholders such as Hawkesbury City Council and NPWS to understand their management of wetlands.
The impact
This Program resulted in a report from AE that reviewed literature, provided wetland profiles with updated conditions of 30 key wetlands and recommended actions to restore wetlands. AE developed an adapted proforma for RWA that can be replicated by the group and individual landholders. This makes ongoing monitoring possible with fewer resources and through our training day, helps landholders become stewards of their wetlands. The engagement with landholders and key stakeholders and landholders identified which wetlands are being well looked after, which are not, and which landholders are interested in restoring their wetlands and joining the Wetlands group. It also identified that new and old landholders have significantly different understandings of the wetland’s water regime that they live on which affects land management decisions.
Key facts
- 30 wetlands assessed, each with their own report card
- RWAs assist landholders to better understand their wetlands.
- Historic information is needed to understand long-term dynamics of wetlands and inform management.