Work to protect fringes of World Heritage Area well underway

The funding was approved by the Australian Government's Caring for Our Country Program in November last year and work will be completed in late 2009.

Bernie Bugden, General Manager at the HNCMA, said "the project aims to protect the vulnerable edge of the World Heritage Area so that impacts from weeds, sedimentation and feral animals on private property do not adversely affect the internationally recognised values of the reserve."

"It is critical to protect the World Heritage Area as it provides habitat and refuge for so much of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment's biodiversity and threatened species.

"The issue of climate change is also demanding we act now to help the biodiversity and habitat in these areas to be more resilient against anticipated impacts," said Mr Bugden.

Key local threatened species such as the Regent Honeyeater, Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby and dwarf mountain pine, Microstrobus fitzgeraldii and their habitat will be protected by the project. Key activities include:

• Protecting Microstrobus fitzgeraldii in the Upper Mountains ($40,000)
• Managing woody weeds in the Colo River headwaters and Putty Valley ($20,000)
• Controlling pigs in the Megalong Valley ($50,000)
• Managing threatened eucalypt communities east of Winmalee ($40,000)
• Controlling Broom and Gorse on the Grose River headwaters ($20,000)
• Revegetating 10 hectares in the Capertee Valley ($25,000)
• Managing sediment in the Capertee Valley ($80,000)
• Controlling foxes at Jenolan, Wolgan and Capertee Valleys ($14,000)
• Carrying out hotspots fire education in the Capertee ($35,000)
• Developing remote fire control protocols in the World Heritage Area ($40,000)

Project partners include Blue Mountains Council, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Department of Lands, Nature Conservation Council, Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, Birds Australia, landholders and bushcare/landcare groups.

"In the Capertee Valley, severe stream bed lowering and bank erosion has contributed massive sediment loads to the Capertee River and downstream in the Colo River. This project will continue work to combat this threat by carrying out riverbank protection at one site and fencing off the area to stock," said Mr Bugden.

In the Upper Mountains work will be carried out to protect Microstrobus fitzgeraldii, a remnant of the Gondwanan era, which occurs only in the spray-zone of 14 waterfalls between Wentworth Falls and Katoomba.

"Two weeding days will be held by Blue Mountains Council involving volunteers removing an estimated 10,000 square metres of weeds.  Also education efforts will be carried out to inform local communities of the values and ways to protect this important species from threats of nutrients and weeds," said Mr Bugden.

The project will also address the fact that while the World Heritage Area was nominated for its eucalypt biodiversity some key threatened eucalypt communities are not well-represented within the park.

"We will be continuing work carried out east of Winmalee on rich shale soils to protect state and federally listed vegetation communities on council reserves and private property.

"By protecting communities such as Turpentine Ironbark Forest and Shale Sandstone Transition Forest, Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest, Blue Gum River Flat Forest, and Blue Mountains Shale Cap Forest we can ensure additional protection for these remnant bushland areas outside of the National Park," said Mr Bugden.

For more information on getting involved in environmental projects in the Lithgow and Blue Mountains local government areas, contact the HNCMA's Lithgow office on (02) 6350 3113.

Media contact:  Peter O'Malley 0400 461 792