Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government

A - 5.2.4
Rainforest Communities
Gosford City contains examples of littoral, warm temperate/subtropical and dry rainforest
communities. Most significant rainforest areas are already contained within national parks and
COSS reserves although there are still large rainforest remnants on private lands, especially in
the Matcham/ Holgate valley areas. A Rainforest Mapping Study for Gosford was undertaken for
Council in 2002 by Ecological Surveys and Management in association with Trehy Ingold and
Neate Consulting Surveyors (Payne 2002). It included flora lists for 51 sites and a number of
recommendations for Council (see below). Note that not all rainforest areas were mapped by
this study including narrow rainforest gullies. The study found that the majority of rainforest
remnants were infested with lantana and recommended that bush regeneration works be
undertaken as a priority in these areas.
There are very few examples of littoral rainforest in Gosford. Some littoral rainforest areas have
been identified at Little Bay, along the cliff edge north of Patonga, Maitland Bay, The Skillion at
Terrigal and at Spoon Bay north of Forresters Beach (A. Conus pers. comm. July 2005). These
areas need to be further investigated and where necessary mapping updated. Also dry
rainforest areas in the plateau area require further investigation and may have been cleared for
extractive industries (Payne pers comm.). There is a preliminary determination for Lowland
Rainforest to be listed as an endangered ecological community and this would include the
majority of remnant rainforest communities in the Gosford LGA and increase the level of
environmental assessments undertaken for these vegetation communities.
A - 5.2.5
Wetland Communities
Wetlands are considered to be important ecosystems for their role in providing breeding areas
for fish, habitat for migratory birds and other waders and for trapping nutrients that would
otherwise find their way into the adjacent waterways. These are discussed in more detail in
Chapter 6
All wetland communities are now all included in endangered ecological communities (EECs)
listings. There are two freshwater wetland EECs listed, these are Freshwater Wetlands on
Coastal Floodplains and Sydney Freshwater Wetlands. Coastal Saltmarsh is also now
recognised as an EEC Swamp Forest is also associated with wetland communities and in the
Gosford LGA many swamp forest contain the winter flowering swamp mahogany (Eucalyptus
robusta) that is a critical resource for native animals. Sydney Coastal Estuary Swamp Forest
has now been replaced by a newer determination, Swamp Sclerophyll on Coastal Floodplain.
Forest Oak is now also listed and is found on higher ground fringing wetland areas.
A - 5.2.6
Riparian or Riverbank Communities
The importance of riparian vegetation is well documented, for example it contributes significantly
to riverbank stability by “affecting resistance to flow, bank strength, sediment storage, bed
stability and stream morphology and is important for aquatic ecosystem function”. (Webb and
Erskine 2003).
Creeklines, gullies and other water sources are considered to be very important for native
animals. A targeted biodiversity study undertaken on behalf of Council (Conacher Travers 2001)
found that moist environments contained the greatest species diversity. Protection of native
vegetation along watercourses will assist native species by providing movement wildlife
corridors and also protect water quality and bank stability.
A report by the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (2003) recommended that standards
be adopted that aimed to conserve riparian vegetation 50 to 100 metres on either side of major
rivers and wetlands, 20 – 50 metres on either side of creeks and 10 – 20 metres on either side
Biodiversity - Technical Report Page 109