Shorebird and Wetland Habitat

This project will remove multiple barriers to flow along 4.55 km of channel within the Grey Creek channel network to boost the condition of 16 hectares of wetland habitat.

Activities will include removing old farm crossings and reed management to improve water quality and connectivity across the island, and to promote the establishment of aquatic vegetation. 

Additional and improved habitat will support ongoing conservation efforts for threatened native fish, and the installation of temporary carp screens will further enhance environmental conditions by excluding large-bodied carp. With improved connectivity to Hunters Creek and the delivery of environmental water, Grey Creek has the potential to support a diverse assemblage of waterbirds, aquatic plants, frogs, and turtles, and to serve as an innovative release and dispersal point for small-bodied threatened fish, seeding Hunters Creek and the broader wetland complex across the island.

This work will be delivered by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board partnering with National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Mundoo Pastoral Company, Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Kumarangk Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group, Nature Glenelg Trust, Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board.

This project will enhance habitats of resident and migratory species around littoral zones of freshwater and saltwater creeks and saltmarshes throughout Lawari Conservation Park. A total of 21,000 native plants will be planted along waterways to fill in vegetation and restore native plant communities, which contributes to a more resilient ecosystems within the park. Along with planting, the project will collect and propagate seeds and grow seedlings in the KHILG nursery and control weeds during the revegetation process. This project is expected to increase the amount of habitat for migratory and resident bird species while increasing overall biodiversity within the park.  

This work will be delivered by Kumarangk Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group Inc.(KHILG) partnering with National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia and Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation.

Image courtesy of Kumarangk Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group. 

This project will enhance high-tide roosting sites for migratory and other shorebirds through the planting of native vegetation along the Mundoo Channel in Lawari Conservation Park. The densely planted vegetation will restore native plant communities and contribute to a more resilient ecosystem. In addition to planting native plant species, such as low shrubs and tussock grasses, this project will install a half a kilometre fence to protect the habitat area from adjacent agricultural activities. The exclusion of cattle via fencing will reduce sediment and nutrient in runoff, and newly planted vegetation will provide additional filtration agricultural runoff. The newly vegetated site will link fragmented habitats around a narrow strip of intertidal marsh.

This work will be delivered by Second Nature Conservancy partnering with National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Alexandrina Community Nursery, and Clayton Bay Community Nursery and Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation.

Lawari Conservation Park, image courtesy of Second Nature Conservancy.

Yarluwar Ruwe Rangers monitoring Fairy Tern. Image courtesy of Birdlife Australia.

This project aims to improve the hydrological connectivity of the Mundoo Wetlands by removing the obstructions that impede water flow. Mundoo Wetlands are located just 5 km from the Murray Mouth and are home to many wildlife species, including a population of the EPBC-listed (vulnerable) southern pygmy perch. Reduced basin flows and a less dynamic connection to the estuary over time have favoured the growth of reeds, limiting water flow along 2.8 km of the flow path. By carefully clearing the reeds, the project will extend the duration of inundation across 17.5 hectares of important foraging areas for migratory birds whilst improving water quality and maintaining connectivity for populations of small-bodied threatened fish in the Mundoo Channels. 

This project will be delivered by Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board partnering with National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia, Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, and Big Little Fish (small-bodied threatened fish conservation group).

This land acquisition has enabled 1900 hectares from Mundoo, Ewe and Long Islands along with other surrounding islands off the eastern tip of Hindmarsh Island, to be added into Coorong National Park. This will allow for significant wetland restoration from land formerly used to tend cattle and sheep. 

Improved habitat will support native shorebirds as well as dozens of migratory bird species, including the critically endangered curlew sandpiper and far eastern curlew.

Transforming the station into a protected national park also provides opportunities for the reintroduction of threatened fish species like the Yarra pygmy perch, Southern pygmy perch, Murray hardyhead and purple-spotted gudgeon.

Mundoo Island is culturally significant to the Ngarrindjeri people. 

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This project will provide more critical foraging habitat for Latham's snipe at Milang Snipe Sanctuary, supporting these migratory birds in substantially increasing their body weight whilst in Australia and fueling their long journey back to their breeding grounds in Japan and eastern Russia. The project will remove a small part of the existing embankment between the north and south basins of the snipe sanctuary. This will naturally encourage water from the north basin to move more freely into the south basin. The simple change in hydrology will extend the available foraging habitat to Latham’s snipe and other migratory shorebirds by approximately 3 hectares. 

This project will be delivered by Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board partnering with Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Alexandrina Council, Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board.

Image courtesy of Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board.

Works at Teringie Wetlands, located on the shore of Lake Alexandrina, will build on the recent Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin project, which installed 2 regulating structures to facilitate wetland management. Teringie Wetlands are culturally significant to the Ngarrindjeri people. The works at Teringie Wetlands will build on the site's restoration whilst intertwining cultural values to achieve both positive environmental and cultural outcomes. Works include;

• Installation of 3 new monitoring bores to replace the existing non-functional bores
• Small-scale repair of 3 existing monitoring bores
• Installation of 3 lakebed piezometers to facilitate understanding of groundwater movement across the complex
• A new pipe culvert to extend the inundation footprint of hydrological management, whilst also allowing vehicle access across the site
• The installation of a simple structure to facilitate manipulation of water levels across the site, enabling larger areas to be inundated or to facilitate salt export from the east and south basins to Lake Alexandrina
• Monitoring activities in collaboration with the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation (NAC) and the Raukkan Rangers. 

The site encompasses approximately 490 hectares of wetland habitat, of which 270 ha are actively managed collaboratively. These works will enable a holistic approach to wetland management, building on already strong partnerships. 

For more information about the HCHB Teringie Project

This project will be delivered by Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board partnering with Raukkan Community Council, Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Coorong District Council.

Teringie Wetlands, image courtesy of Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board.

Image courtesy of Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board.

The project consists of small-scale on-ground works that will significantly enhance the hydrological management and monitoring capacity at Waltowa Wetland. Reinstating the groundwater bore system will enhance ecological managers' understanding of how/if current management practices and lake levels influence groundwater movement. Installing a fish screen on the existing structure will prevent large-bodied carp from entering the wetland, promoting the establishment of aquatic vegetation. 

This work will be delivered by Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board partnering with Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Coorong District Council, Department for Environment and Water.

Photo courtesy of Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board.

This project will upgrade the Frostys Swamp inlet regulator to achieve a higher water retention level, meaning longer-duration inundation in Frostys Swamp and connected wetlands in the Tilley Swamp Watercourse, providing a summer refuge for waterbirds that is more resistant to drought.

This project will be delivered by South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board (SEWCDB) partnering with Limestone Coast Landscape Board and in consultation with First Nations partners.

This project will remove early Spiny Rush infestations from 4 high-value wetlands in the Limestone Coast (Lake George, Lake Frome, Paranki Lagoon, and Lake Bonney SE). This urgent intervention is required while this weed is in the early stages of spreading, to maintain the high-quality wetland habitat the resident waterbirds and animals depend on. Once established, Spiny Rush is difficult to control and outcompetes other plant species that make up a healthy wetland habitat.

Works will be delivered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia in partnership with Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.

This project will replace the outdated control system on the Tatiara Swamp regulator with a new Programmable Logic Controller and software, enabling automated control of the regulator gates and improving inundation and water retention at this important wetland, which is habitat for native frogs, fish, and birds. The Chimney Pot Swamp regulator will be retrofitted with a new, more durable culvert structure featuring removable aluminium weir logs, allowing water to be retained at a higher level to maximise wetland inundation and ensure that ecological processes are sustained through spring and into summer.

Works will be delivered by South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board partnering with Limestone Coast Landscape Board and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.

 This project will replace the dilapidated Butchers Lake Inlet Regulator, a small pipe culvert structure, that currently impedes the ability to manage lake levels independently of drain flows. Replacement of the structure will extend the shallow, foraging habitat for waterbirds through summer, while controlling water levels for nearby shack owners.

Works will be delivered by South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board partnering with Limestone Coast Landscape Board and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.

This project is needed to address declining water levels in Lake George to defend an important ecosystem from a drying climate and maintain a popular recreational destination. A new regulator built on the Reedy Creek – Mount Hope drainage channel will divert excess water that would otherwise be lost to the sea. The project includes re-establishment of an existing blocked off drainage channel and its refurbishment including minor vegetation removal and channel reshaping which will allow additional flows to future-proof 5900 hectares of important wetland habitat, which has traditionally provided a habitat for migratory shorebirds during droughts. Investigations and modelling undertaken by this project will further our understanding of lake hydrology and assist identifying opportunities for future improvements.

This work will be delivered by Department for Environment and Water and the South Eastern Drainage Board partnering with Limestone Coast Landscape Board and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.

This project will strengthen rehabilitation works already undertaken at a 369-hectare site adjacent to an existing 600 ha wetland reserve. The construction of a small, permanent regulating structure will support longer inundation of the diversity of wetland habitats at the site, extending functioning habitat by about 35-40ha, and prevent aggressive mosquitofish from migrating into the restored wetlands. The Mount Burr Swamp is home to a breeding population of EPBC-listed vulnerable southern bell frog, which will benefit from the exclusion of pest fish that feed on eggs and tadpoles and compete for resources. Revegetation works will establish fringing habitats for threatened birds, such as the Australasian Bittern, and iconic species, such as the Brolga.

This project will be delivered by Nature Glenelg Trust in partnership with Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation.