Greater Sydney Landcare has been engaged as part of a new partnership between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Great Eastern Ranges (GER), to deliver on-ground activities to restore the health and functioning of several parts of the major water catchment that supplies Greater Sydney.
The project will run for two years (2024-26) and cover on-the-ground activity in Buxton, Picton and Thirlmere in the Wollondilly Shire area.
Once completed, the project is expected to deliver an additional 32 million litres of water each year into the Sydney catchment.
Restoring Watersheds in Greater Sydney
To support the project, Greater Sydney Landcare will engage with landholders, community groups and local government, including the Wollondilly Shire Council. Together, we will improve habitats and manage key threats that suppress natural regeneration and reduce water quality, such as weeds, erosion and excess sediment.
After bushfires, for example, weeds spring up which can consume large quantities of water. By removing weeds, more biodiverse habitats can form instead. This can help to restore important catchment land and increase the amount of water available to meet community needs.
“We are excited to collaborate with GER and its network of partners on this important water replenishment project, that will also benefit the biodiversity, wildlife and communities in the area,” said Jenna Leiner, Asia Pacific (APAC) sustainability lead for AWS.
Restoring the environment will also support wildlife in key locations in the Wollondilly Shire. Wildlife in the affected area that the project is looking to support include koalas, platypus, glossy black-cockatoos, as well as other threatened species.
Project activities on the ground will further benefit local communities by building landholder capacity and resilience through workshops and other events; the establishment of new Landcare groups; and the creation of a community wildlife trail.
This is the first water replenishment project for AWS in Australia, and part of how AWS is working towards returning more water to communities than is used in its operations by 2030.
“We are excited to be collaborating with AWS and local partners to restore important catchment land and help communities in places such as Buxton that were devastated by the Black Summer bushfires, to heal and rebuild,” said Gary Howling, Chief Executive Officer for GER.
Meeting Local Community and Biodiversity Restoration Needs
The community of Buxton was severely impacted by the Green Wattle Creek bushfire which burnt from December 2019 to February 2020, devastating the local community and environment. On-ground restoration through the project will encourage the recovery of severely burnt bushland, while training and networking opportunities will be provided for affected landholders and the broader community, to help build bushfire resilience and natural area restoration skills and knowledge.
The Picton project site was impacted by recurring floods over a six-month period in 2022, with floodwaters eroding streambanks and increasing sedimentation. Work in this area will help improve and maintain critical wetland habitat through weed control, infill plantings with flood-tolerant ground covers and re-mulching. These activities will also support the stability and resilience of creek banks, helping to mitigate the impacts of flooding further downstream.
The Lin Gordon Reserve in Thirlmere is a significant-sized native vegetation reserve and has Mathews Creek running through it, a dam and wetland. Works will be carried out to restore the creek environment, by controlling woody weeds and vines. Events will be held in this bird sanctuary focussing on wetlands and local wildlife in an attempt to encourage the development of a local Landcare or Bushcare group.
Water – Central to Our Environment and Community
“Greater Sydney Landcare is excited to be involved in this ground breaking, science-based pilot project where water management is one of the key driving factors in an environmental and community restoration initiative,” said Bev Debrincat, a founding member of Greater Sydney Landcare.
“It is reassuring to see significant investment being put into our often forgotten but precious creeks, rivers and wetlands.”
“Landcare is more than just a community-led organisation that focusses on the renewal and improvement of our natural systems. It also has an equally important role to play in social and community wellbeing.”
“The community of Buxton, for example, continues to struggle with the trauma of Black Summer as the natural landscape has still not returned to what it used to be. Greater Sydney Landcare will work with local communities on these issues to help with acceptance and preparation against the effects of climate change,” Ms Debrincat said.
