Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government

Lisarow Wetland
Lisarow Wetland is unique as it is the only true freshwater wetland in the Gos ford area. The
wetland is of high conservation significance as it provides ideal habitats for locally rare flora
including Melaleuca biconvexa, Melaleuca liniifolia (Paper Barks) and Eucalyptus robusta
(Swamp Mahogany). The wetland also supports locally rare fauna including Paracrinia haswelli
(Haswell’s Frog) and Platalea flavipes (Yellow-Billed Spoonbill). Other native fauna to the area
include various other water birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and fresh water fish. The
wetland is also a likely habitat for Litoria brevipalmata (Green-Thighed Frog), which is very rare
in New South Wales. The conservation of these species is vital to the success of the wetland.
A large percentage of the wetland is in very good condition. However other parts are polluted
with roadside litter, infested with weeds, affected by storm water runoff and rubbish dumped by
people using the footpaths constructed around the edges of the wetland. The weed infestation
of the wetland has caused a significant decline in the native flora species. There are several
informal paths through the wetland, which cause the waterlogged soil to become compacted. All
of the processes are threatening the ecosystem and need to be managed if it is to be conserved
for the future. Council has prepared a Plan of Management for Lisarow Wetlands.
Everglades Lagoon System
The Everglades Lagoon System, which includes the Melaleuca Wetland Reserve, consists of
seven freshwater lagoons situated within, and adjacent to, the Everglades Country Club at Woy
Woy. The lagoon situated furthest downstream, however, is influenced by brackish water during
extremely high tides. This has not always been so, the hydrology of this wetland has been
drastically modified, to the extent that the direction of flow has been reversed.
The wetlands ecological community at the Everglades Lagoon System has been listed as an
Endangered Ecological Community on Schedule 1 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act
as Sydney Freshwater Wetland. Council adopted the Everglades Lagoon System Precinct Plan
of Management in December 2004 (KBR, 2004). The Plan provides the framework and
objectives for the management of the Precinct, management actions to achieve those objectives
and performance targets.
The wetland system is a locally important habitat for variety of birds, reptiles, mammals, fishes,
amphibians and invertebrates. Comprehensive species lists, for both flora and fauna, can be in
The Everglades Lagoon System Precinct Plan of Management (KBR, 2005). This document
also prioritises various management actions for the ecological sustainability of the system.
Freshwater creeks
There are over 2,000 km of small creeks with the Gosford LGA. In their natural state, freshwater
creeks are biodiverse, with fish and other vertebrates (eg. platypus), plants, algae and micro
and macro invertebrates. They have a variety of habitats and strong linkages with their riparian
habitats. The riparian zones provide leaf litter, habitat, and act as a filter to pollutants and
nutrients from the surrounding catchment. Streams are also an important component of
downstream estuarine ecosystem food webs.
There is little information about the 2,000 km of small creeks in Gosford except that for the most
part, they have been highly impacted by urbanisation. The urbanisation of Gosford's creeks is
characterised by the clearing of native vegetation. This vegetation is usually replaced by
impervious surfaces such as roads, pathways, buildings and car parks, which increase runoff
velocity and pollutant content. Other impacts caused by urbanization include channelisation,
snag removal, erosion and sedimentation, habitat modification, alteration of the systems natural
hydrology and high loads of nutrients. The latter often leads to eutrophication and the
proliferation of exotic weed species.
Biodiversity - Technical Report Page 148