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 Wetlands provide vital habitats for our native animals and native plant
species. They cleanse our water, control and mitigate floods and are
stunning, secret places with priceless esthetic, cultural, historical
and educational values.
NSW’s wetlands cover a vast range of habitats, including lakes,
lagoons, estuaries, rivers, floodplains, swamps, bogs, billabongs,
marshes, coral reefs and seagrass beds. Wetlands can be fresh, brackish
or saline.
Wetlands under threat
Wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems in Australia and the
world. Many wetlands in NSW have been significantly altered or
destroyed by diverting or draining their water, disturbance to their
catchments and by the introduction of pest animals and plants.
In inland NSW for example, there has been a 50 per cent decline in the
area of the Macquarie Marshes and a 75 per cent decline in the area of
the Gwydir River wetlands.
In coastal NSW, 60 per cent of wetlands have been lost or degraded over
the past 200 years. Most wetlands in NSW occur on private land.
The four biggest threats to wetlands in NSW are:
1. River regulation and water diversion
2. Changes in the catchment's land use
3. Introduction of weeds and pest animals
4. Climate change
There is no doubt that Australia's long-term future depends on healthy
water ecosystems. If our water systems are damaged, NSW will become a
poorer place.
NCC’s Freshwater Program campaigns to protect, promote and restore
NSW’s rivers and wetlands, through awareness raising and key community
action and works for better laws, policies and their ‘on the ground’
implementation.
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