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- Title
Waterbirds and their habitat on the Clarence River floodplain: a history.
- Authors
Smith, Adam N.
- Abstract
At the time of European settlement, the wetlands of the Clarence River floodplain sustained considerably higher numbers of waterbirds than at present.These wetlands were valuable natural resources for the local Aboriginal people with ducks, geese and swans easily hunted using traditional methods. European settlers displaced the local Aboriginal people from the floodplain in the I 800s, although through to the I 960s waterbirds were common food items for local residents with hunting being a popular sporting pursuit. European settlement dramatically altered waterbird habitat through the clearing of native vegetation, the introduction of farming and grazing, and hydrological alteration. The hydrology of the floodplain wetlands was altered initially by manually-constructed shallow drains but later, and more drastically, by a flood mitigation scheme that involved the construction of deep drains and channels affecting not only surface, but also sub-surface, hydrologyThe subsequent ecological impacts included a dramatic decline in waterbird numbers and depletion of functional habitat. Only very recently have there been methodical efforts to restore locally important habitat, albeit incidentally to other restoration goals. On-going restoration efforts have focussed on modifying hydrological regimes on agricultural land for the control of acid sulphate discharge and creation of fish passage, although most recently a wetland area was purchased by government for nature conservation purposes.
- Subjects
CLARENCE River (N.S.W.); NEW South Wales; WATER birds; BIRD habitats; FLOODPLAIN forest ecology; WETLANDS; NATIVE plants; ACID sulfate soils
- Publication
Australian Zoologist, 2011, Vol 35, Issue 3, p788
- ISSN
0067-2238
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.7882/AZ.2011.031