Cattai Wetlands Project

Project

The Cattai Wetlands Project aimed to improve wetland management on mostly private property in three council areas in the Cattai region of north-western Sydney, NSW. Its objectives were:

  • To identify the catchment’s significant wetland areas
  • To develop a catchment-wide plan outlining general principles and policies for wetland management
  • To develop site-specific management guidelines for each wetland
  • To help community and landholders understand and protect wetlands
  • To recommend to appropriate authorities some changes to wetland planning
  1. Research
    • Literature review to outline wetland functions and values and typical threats to those
    • Summary of previous research on wetlands in the Cattai catchment
    • Summary of relevant legislation, planning instruments and policies for wetland conservation and management
    • Literature review of wetland management
  2. Fieldwork
    • Written and photographic documentation and mapping of all Cattai wetlands with focus on those of local, regional, state and national significance
    • Foot, canoe and helicopter fieldwork with client, national parks staff and specialist sub-consultant wetland ecologists to update data and assess wetland condition
  3. Community consultation and education
    • Interviewing of landholders to determine wetland history and usage, assess knowledge of wetland values; identify wetland condition, resource management issues and possible strategies; and inform them of the client’s role and possible assistance
    • Preparation of educational brochures to help landholders and community protect wetlands
  4. Wetland management recommendations
    • Development of recommendations to appropriate authorities for changes to legislation and planning for wetland protection
    • Development of catchment-wide plan outlining general principles and policies for wetland management
    • Recommendations for actions required of various key stakeholders for wetland conservation
    • Development of a model Cattai wetland management plan structure

Client: Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Trust through Cattai Catchment Management Committee

Date: 1995-1996. (In 1998 the HNCMT formed a committee to oversee the development and implementation of wetland management plans with interested landholders on selected wetlands using the above report as a guide).