wetlands
The Community Environment Network is continually working on protecting and enhancing our local wetlands.
What are Wetlands?
Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by water.
Five major wetland types are generally recognised:
- Marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs);
- Estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps);
- Lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);
- Riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and
- Palustrine (meaning “marshy” – marshes, swamps and bogs).
From the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 1971
Why are wetlands so important?
- Among the world’s most productive environments
- Cradles of biological diversity
- Countless species of plants and animals depend on wetlands for survival
- Support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species
- Important storehouses of plant genetic material eg rice is a common wetland plant and the staple diet of more than half of humanity.
- Supply fresh water to cope with changing climate and population growth
- Worldwide focus on wetlands and their services to us
Protecting our coastal wetlands is a priority for the NSW Nature Conservation Council.
WETLANDS OF THE CENTRAL COAST
The Central Coast has many important wetlands. Arguably the whole Tuggerah Lakes system is a network of wetlands. As such the region’s wetlands are extremely important to the health of our major waterways – rivers, lakes and beaches – and for the region’s overall biodiversity.
The Community Environment Network is continually working on protecting and enhancing our local wetlands. Here are a few examples.
Spring Creek Wetland
Located at Doyalson, Spring Creek Wetland was acquired by Wyong Shire Council for its ecological value. It was unfortunately sold in 2020 (for less than the original purchase price paid by Wyong Council) and unlawfully cleared. A stop work order was applied and the developer charged but the current status of the wetland is unknown.
The former Wyong Council had a stated objective of not allowing development on land which contains Spring Creek Wetland because it was considered increasingly rare within the region.
Wyong Council’s 2003-04 State of the Environment (SoE) Report said that due to the low natural phosphorus levels of the Spring Creek Wetland any development within the wetland catchment would increase the nutrient levels to Tuggerah Lakes by 600% (even with the installation of artificial wetlands).
When Central Coast Council embarked on its asset sales program at the end of 2020 the community was promised two things – that no environmental land would be sold and that there would be no fire sale of assets.
The sale of environmentally valuable land at Thompson Vale Road, Doyalson for $1.5 million less than it was purchased for by Wyong Council in 2014 breaks both those promises.
This land should never have been included in Tranche 1 of Council’s asset sales program as it includes an important wetland, multiple Ecologically Endangered Communities and is part of an essential wildlife corridor.
Administrator Rik Hart has said that the conservation land on the site cannot be developed and that the “transitional” part of the land has been sold for residential development.
Council has not accounted for the impact of residential development on the Spring Creek Wetland catchment and what that will mean for the wellbeing of Tuggerah Lakes.
The Federal Government paid $69 million in 2019 to offset just 296 hectares for development to enable Sydney’s second international airport to proceed.
CEN estimates the environmental value of this land under the NSW Biodiversity Offsetting scheme would be between $22.4 million and $33.7 million.
An analysis of comparable sales by the valuer used by Council as part of this sale estimated its “as is” sale price at between $22,325 per hectare up to $109,081 per hectare. That would result in a price range from $3.2 million up to $15.7 million with an expected average of $9.5 million.
Porters Creek Wetland
Porters Creek Wetland, located between Watanobbi and Warnervale, Jilliby and Tacoma, is the region’s largest freshwater wetland. Known by long-term residents as Porters Lake, this wetland is considered to be the lungs of the Wyong River and Tuggerah Lakes.
When Central Coast Council was placed under administration in October 2020, CEN urged the newly appointed Interim Administrator and Acting CEO to complete an agreement with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) to permanently protect Porters Creek Wetland.
Not only did they fob us off, but they didn’t even have the good manners to inform the BCT that they had changed their mind about an agreement that was ready to sign off.
Central Coast Council has also backed away from storm water management plans for the Porters Creek Wetland that would have gone some way to protect the region’s biggest freshwater wetland from some of the consequences of over-development in its catchment.
Council has opted for less expensive ‘nature-based’ solutions that we hope will be effective enough to prevent the wetland from literally drowning in stormwater runoff.
The whole of Porters Creek Wetland is currently classified as operational land, which means it can be sold without community consultation.
Operational land can be sold by Central Coast Council and CEN considers it a travesty that this wetland is not valued enough by our local government to be classified as community land to protect it from sale when it perfectly matches the definition of a Natural Area – Wetland in the draft plan of management.
CEN has regularly called upon Central Coast Council to enter a Conservation Agreement with the NSW BCT to permanently protect Porters Creek Wetland and to move swiftly to reclassify this important environmental feature of the Coast from operational to community land.
Porters Creek Wetland is under threat from development in its catchment and the expansion plans for the Central Coast Airport at Warnervale.
Consider joining the Friends of Porters Creek Wetland to help us with our ongoing efforts to protect this important area for future generations.
Help the Wetlands
If you want to support the Wetlands projects you can become a “Friend of Porters Creek”
