Shoalhaven City Council was successful in gaining a Coastal Estuary and Flood grant from the NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment that focuses on bush regeneration in endangered ecological communities (EECs) throughout the Shoalhaven.
Council received a grant of $105,000 to be spent over three years on the Protecting and Enhancing Shoalhaven’s Coastal Wetlands and Bushland Reserves project.
An ecological community is a naturally occurring group of native plants, animals and other organisms living in a unique habitat. An increasing number of ecological communities are being recognised by the scientific authorities as being threatened with extinction if action is not taken to reverse their decline.
The project focuses on seven EECs located across 175 ha of reserve land in fifteen coastal villages. Now in its second year, the project engages four local bush regeneration businesses, with one crew specialising in abseiling weed control, to access those ‘hard to get to’ places along cliff lines – to ensure a thorough job is achieved.
By reducing the weed infestations in bushland and wetland reserves, the health of these natural communities will be greatly improved. This is achieved by decreasing the competition with the EEC plant species and offering enhanced habitat for animals and other organisms. Eliminating invasive weed species typically enhances the diversity of these natural areas, strengthening their resilience.
The local Shoalhaven population and visitors to our region greatly value Council’s Natural Area reserves for passive recreational activities such as bushwalking, photography, exercise and observing native animals and flowering plants.
This project will not only enrich people’s experience as they enjoy activities in our unique environment, but it will also contribute greatly to the long term survival of these amazing ecological communities that are part of the Shoalhaven landscape.
