Projects

Project: Shorebird habitat construction – M5 East Motorway offset

The M5 East Motorway was to have a major impact on migratory shorebirds due to overshadowing of their habitat at a small wetland (Eve Street Wetlands), Arncliffe, NSW.

Issue: Shorebirds have a low tolerance of being closed-in by tall vegetation or structures and it was predicted that migratory shorebirds would desert the site unless more extensive habitat was created. The extension of the M5 East Motorway was predicted to have a major negative impact.

Due to highly contaminated soils an extension of the Eve Street Wetlands was not practicable.

Offset: Of the available options habitat construction was selected at Woolooware (H1 Lands). This was a disused sand dredge quarry.

A minimum of three ha of habitat (3 times the

area affected) was created by partially by

excavation and partially by filling deep water.

An undershot weir was installed to exclude

mangrove propagules and flotsam.

Result: At completion the remediated site provided feeding and roosting habitat for migratory shorebirds (Bar-tailed Godwit, Eastern Curlew, Red Knot, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Common Greenshank).  The site also provided nesting habitat for the Endangered Pied Oystercatcher as well as Black-winged Stilt.

A plan of management was provided.

There area now known as the ‘Woolooware Shorebird Lagoon’ has since been annexed into the Towra Point Nature Reserve/Ramsar site.