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Your may recall our series last year on the plight of wetlands on the NSW Central Coast, well now the local peak environmental organisation has issued a callout to Wetlands Warriors to attend a free forum on 29 August.
Scientists, conservationists and community members will come together for the Central Coast’s first ever Community Wetlands Forum at the New Gosford Library auditorium on 29 August, hosted by the Community Environment Network (CEN).
“You may not know that our beautiful Central Coast has already lost over 60% of its naturally occurring coastal wetlands and we cannot afford to lose any more,” said CEN Chair, Mr Gary Chestnut.
“That’s why we’ve decided to invite our community to participate in the first-ever free local wetlands forum – we need mums, dads, kids and grandparents to be wetlands warriors. Consider this a call to action to stop the loss of any more local wetlands!
“You may not even know you are living near a significant wetland. That swampy bit of low-lying land at the end of your street may, in fact, be a haven for all sorts of birds, insects and plant life.”
According to CEN, the Central Coast has many important wetlands. Arguably the whole Tuggerah Lakes system is a network of wetlands along with all the mangrove and saltmarsh around Brisbane Water and the Hawkesbury River.
“Our local wetlands are extremely important to the health of our major waterways – rivers, lakes and beaches – and for the region’s overall biodiversity.”
Why are wetlands so important? Let’s count the ways:
- Among the world’s most productive environments
- Cradles of biological diversity
- Countless species of plants and animals depend on wetlands for survival
- Support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species
- Important storehouses of plant genetic material eg rice is a common wetland plant and the staple diet of more than half of humanity.
- Supply fresh water to cope with changing climate and population growth
- Mangrove wetlands are the life-support systems of our estuaries, providing nursery and feeding habitat for fish and crustaceans, supporting birdlife, stabilising shorelines, trapping sediments and nutrients and storing significant quantities of “blue carbon”.
- Coastal saltmarshes are rare and highly valuable ecosystems, providing specialised wildlife habitat, absorbing floodwaters and storm surges, storing blue carbon and forming an important ecological link between terrestrial environments, mangroves and the estuary.
The CEN Wetlands Forum will commence at 9:45am and run through to 2pm.
“We have keynote speakers including Sam Johnson from the NSW Nature Conservation Council and CEN’s very-own Wetlands Officer, Meg Rice,” Mr Chestnut said.
“We know many local community groups are already working to protect and restore their local wetlands and we invite community groups to express interest in giving their own five-minute presentation and having an information stall at the forum.
“We’re going to play some wetlands trivia, with a native plant prize pack for the winner. And we have a special guest speaker who will be announced closer to the date.
“The purpose of this forum is to promote education and community involvement in wetland protection, encouraging community participation.
“This is an important event for anyone interested in Central Coast’s wetlands and their conservation, allowing for education, networking and opportunities for involvement.”
Morning tea will be provided and participants are encouraged to bring a plate to share for lunch so they have time to chat with like-minded people during the lunch break.
This event is free for community members, but registration is essential here: Upcoming Events | Community Environment Network
Expressions of interest from community groups close at 5pm on Monday, 24 August – send your brief EOI to admin@cen.org.au
