Our Projects Find a Project Sydney Harbour Seagrass and other Estuarine Vegetation - Stages 1 & 2 (Water)
| Sydney Harbour Seagrass and other Estuarine Vegetation - Stages 1 & 2 (Water) |
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Seagrass Report - Now Available Saltmarsh Report - Now Available Seagrasses and saltmarsh are key habitats, providing a food source and refuge for many species including fish, invertebrates and migratory birds. They also faciltate bed and bank stability for waterways and improve water quality through the filtering of sediments and nutrients. The protection of these habitats is an important issue for natural resource management and therefore the Sydney Metro CMA has commenced with a mapping programme to determine where these habitats occur and a process to determine how best to protect and manage these areas. Stage 1 of this NHT funded project has resulted in a comprehensive inventory, database and map of the saltmarsh and seagrass in Sydney Harbour and associated estuarine waterways: * The saltmarsh study involved the use of aerial photography and pedestrian surveys to locate saltmash on the foreshore of the Parramatta River-Sydney Harbour, including the estuarine portions of Middle Harbour, Lane Cove River and Duck River. The location, condition and species composition of patches of saltmarsh have been determined and the distribution has been examined in terms of natural history, geomorphology and human impact. The report will be available in March 2008. * The seagrass study involved the use of aerial photography to determine the distribution of seagrass species past and present, and this information has assisted in developing a predictive model of the ditribution of seagrass. The report will be available in March 2008. Stage 2 of this project will take the data, mapping and modelling and collaboratively develop processes and products to guide strategic planning and day to day planning and management decisions. This will assist local councils and agencies to protect and enhance Sydney Harbour's estuarine vegetation. A Consultative Committee has been formed, including local council and agency officers, to develop site assessment and data managment protocols, an approach to long-term monitoring and agreed guidelines or alternative products.
Partners: NSW Maritime, Fisheries Coordinator: NSW Maritime Status: Contract commenced and Consultative Committee being determined Environmental Outcomes: Provide the foundation for an agreed approach to site-specific assessment and long term monitoring Funding Source: NHT To obtain the GIS data layers please go to the "Contact Us" page of this website and enter your contact details (telephone, email and postal address) and in the message field say that you would like the "Sydney Harbour Vegetation Data" and note how you intend tol use this data. |
