Wetlands Policy

Principles

1. Wetlands in NSW are being destroyed at an alarming rate. They have been destroyed by urban expansion, inappropriate development, much changed water regimes, stormwater pollution and drainage.
2. NSW Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems. They are the nurseries of the waterways providing habitat to many juvenile species of birds, fish, crustaceans and insects.
3. Wetlands have traditionally been viewed by people as an unproductive use of land, and have been blamed for noxious odours, harbouring pests and have therefore been cleared for housing, used as dumping grounds and drained for grazing.
4. Wetlands play a vital role in healthy waterways, filtering pollutants and precipitating sediments. They also act as natural flood mitigation tools slowing peak flows and retaining water in ecosystems for later use.
5. Due to the dramatic reduction in area and health of NSW wetlands, the NSW Greens support only the future protection and enhancement of NSW wetlands. There should be no more loss of wetlands, nor any further reduction in the health or viability of remaining wetlands.
   
   

   Principles

   The Greens NSW support:
6. The recognition and involvement of Indigenous Australians in wetland management and protection;
7. The revision and extension of SEPP 14 to include all significant wetlands, such as hanging swamps, and stronger planning controls over developments which impact on wetlands;
8. The creation of a number of specific wetland parks, including Brisbane Waters, Hexham, Jervis Bay, Tathra - Black Ada, Tuckean, Yarrahappini, and Shell Harbour;
9. The current NSW Wetlands Management Policy and the Wetlands Action Plan, in particular the nine principles for sustainable management of wetlands;
10. The implementation of financial incentive schemes for rural landholders to encourage them to manage wetlands areas to promote biodiversity and the ecological functions of the wetlands;
11. The requirement that, where development poses any adverse impact on a wetland, contributions be made toward the management and maintenance of the natural asset by remediation to the standard of the original, through initial, and subsequently ongoing contributions made by the occupants of developments causing the adverse impacts;
12. The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) and legislation that protects wetlands listed under this international convention; and
13. Total Catchment Management for ecologically sustainable development across all government sectors and areas of responsibility.
    
    

    Policy Detail

    The Greens NSW will work towards:
14. Recognising the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as traditional custodians and protectors of wetland resources, and increasing their involvement in wetlands management;
15. Recognising the rights of local communities and community based groups to participate in wetlands planning and management;
16. Rationalisation of Government responsibility to ensure clear lines of authority in relation to wetland planning and total catchment management;
17. Encouraging integration of the goals and principles of the NSW Wetlands Management Policy into local and regional planning processes;
18. Proper planning protection for the remaining wetland areas of NSW, including ensuring that there is no loss of existing wetland areas;
19. Encouraging management and recovery plans for all degraded wetlands with funding to ensure plans prepared under the NSW Wetlands Management Policy are implemented;
20. Co-ordinated planning, management and compensatory strategies for minimising detrimental effects to wetland integrity by development impacts;
21. Identification of structures impeding tidal or flood waters to areas which were once viable wetland habitats, and their subsequent removal or modification to allow the wetland to function effectively as a habitat;
22. Identification of land use which results in degradation of wetland areas (i.e. grazing, floodplain harvesting, urban and industrial stormwater pollution, eutrophication) and targeting action plans to address wetland pollution at their source in the catchment;
23. Stronger planning controls and legislative support for the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran,1971) listed wetlands to ensure their protection, sustainable use and management;
24. Education of school students and communities about the important functions wetlands play in the natural environment;
25. Collection of scientific data on the effectiveness of rehabilitation efforts to educate the broader community about the benefits of restoring wetlands;
26. Remediation of wetlands along Homebush Bay, which are contaminated with toxic pollutants including dioxins, as a matter of priority.
27. Protection of wetlands and floodplains along the Murray River, where clearfelling has recently been occurring.

Follow this link for The Greens NSW Wetlands Policy Summary.