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FACT SHEET BIODIVERSITY AT SYDNEY AIRPORT BACKGROUND Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms on earth, which can be found in all corners of the globe, including at Sydney Airport. The natural environment and biodiversity of the airport and its surroundings has dramatically changed over time. The Sydney Airport Wetlands are the main areas with natural biodiversity. There are also smaller pockets of vegetation and grassed verges on the runways, providing additional habitat for flora and fauna. The wider area of Botany Bay and its catchment area is rich in biodiversity, and is home to many endangered and migratory species. The airport provides a habitat for many animals, including species that visit the wider area and can be found at the airport at various times of the year. www.sydneyairport.com.au BIODIVERSITY AT SYDNEY AIRPORT SITE BOUNDARIES WETLAND BOUNDARIES SYDNEY AIRPORT WETLANDS The Botany Wetlands consist of 11 interconnected ponds that stretch over 4km from Gardeners Road in Mascot to the northern shore of Botany Bay. Alexandra Canal IKEA TEMPE Sydney Airport manages the downstream sections of the Botany Wetlands, which include Mill Pond (southern section), Engine Pond East, Engine Pond West and Mill Stream. Together, they are known as the Sydney Airport Wetlands. MASCOT The freshwater ponds Engine Pond East, Mill Pond and Engine Pond West were originally connected, forming part of a much larger pond system. General Holmes Drive now divides the ponds, with Engine Pond West apart from Botany Wetlands (which flow through Mill Pond, Engine Pond East and Mill Stream to Botany Bay). Mill Stream was diverted as part of the development of the airport and has little resemblance to its original form. Mill Stream presently discharges to north-east Botany Bay through a 40m wide lined channel between the airport’s parallel runway and Foreshore Road. A weir several hundred metres upstream of its mouth forms a barrier to tidal exchange, although fish passage to Engine Pond East has been facilitated through the construction of a vertical slot fish passage (also known as a fish ladder) by Sydney Airport in 2006. The Botany Wetlands are listed as significant on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia. The Sydney Airport Wetlands are designated as an environmentally significant area (Heritage and Biodiversity) under the Airports Act 1996. Cooks River WET LAND BOTANY Mill Pond Engine Pond West BOTANY BAY Engine Pond East SITE BOUNDARIES WETLAND BOUNDARIES Mill Stream IKEA TEMPE Alexandra Canal MASCOT www.sydneyairport.com.au Cooks River WET LAND BIODIVERSITY AT SYDNEY AIRPORT FLORA FAUNA Of the 176 species recorded in 2009, 86 are native species, with the remaining 91 being introduced flora. Nine of the weed species recorded are listed as noxious weeds under the NSW Noxious Weeds Act 1993. No individual critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable flora species is known to exist on the airport site, however, field surveys in 2009 recorded one species of regional significance, Hibiscus diversifolius (swamp hibiscus) which is considered rare in the region. Due to the highly modified nature of the airport environment, significant fauna habitats are limited. Nevertheless, the Engine Ponds, vegetated pockets and grassed areas provide an opportunity for a number of species to be found on the airport site. Vegetation at the airport is mostly areas of mown grass, with some shrubland and woodlands, and planted native and exotic trees. Areas of vegetation include three endangered ecological communities (EECs) listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). These include Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub in the Sydney Basin bioregion; coastal saltmarsh in the New South Wales North Coast, Sydney Basin and south east corner bioregions; and Sydney freshwater wetlands in the Sydney Basin bioregion. An area containing Banksia integrifolia low woodland/ shrubland adjacent to Foreshore Road was thought to be Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub. This was ruled out due to the amount of disruption on the site. The area has now been planted with tubestock as part of revegetation programs. A number of planted tree species have been identified in the Heritage Management Plan for Sydney Airport as having heritage value, including the fig trees located near Engine Pond West. www.sydneyairport.com.au BIRDS Around the airport, 166 bird species have been recorded, 74 of which are considered to be of high conservation importance. Most can be found at the Sydney Airport Wetlands. A number of water hens, black swans, various ducks and wading birds have been recorded in the wetlands or on the edge of Botany Bay, along with other sedentary and migratory species such as little tern, latham’s snipe, sharp-tailed sandpiper, whitebellied sea-eagle and bar-tailed godwit. Grass areas near the runways are home to grassland birds like cattle egret and other migratory birds such as the double-banded plover. Sand areas near the end of Runway 34R provide nesting habitat for the little tern, which is an endangered species. BIODIVERSITY AT SYDNEY AIRPORT FISH HERPETOFAUN (reptiles and amphibians) Although 25 reptile and 12 amphibian species have been recorded at the airport at various times, In 2009 four reptiles (copper-tailed skink, eastern blue-tongue lizard, eastern water skink and garden skink) and two amphibians (striped marsh frog and cane toad) were recorded. The green and golden bell frog is endangered and vulnerable, and has historically been recorded at the airport, the surrounding region, and across Sydney prior to the 1970s. They have not been seen at the airport grounds for a number of decades. This could be because of mosquito fish in the wetlands. Parts of the airport may still provide potential habitat for the frog, however surveys over the past five years did not detect the species. There are a number of fish species in the freshwater and marine waters around the airport. Surveys of Engine Pond East recorded 13 fish species, including 10 native species: Australian bass Catfish Common jollytail Empire gudgeon Fire-tail gudgeon Long-finned eel Sea mullet Short-finned eel Smelt Striped gudgeon Mosquito fish European carp Goldfish MAMMALS There are few records of native mammals at the airport. The following mammals have been recorded at some stage in the airport’s history: • Native water rats; • Long-nosed bandicoots; • Brushtail possums; and • Common ringtail possums. However later surveys only found: • European rabbit; • Red fox; • Black rat; and • House mice. Sydney Airport has worked with ecologists to investigate whether the long-nosed bandicoot lives on the airport. This is considered very unlikely because of the lack of rich soil, limited food sources and presence of predators. A number of mature fig trees on Hammond Place are a foraging habitat for grey-headed flying fox, a vulnerable species. www.sydneyairport.com.au All Anguillid eels spend most of their life in freshwater. However, adults migrate to sea to spawn. Juveniles make their way back to estuaries and freshwaters until they are ready to reproduce. The presence of a juvenile of this species and sea mullet suggests that the fish are using the fish ladder to move from the sea to the pond. Fish surveys in the Mill Stream recorded flathead, toadfish and sea mullet. Sydney rock oysters were also in abundance on hard structures and along the concrete walls of the Mill Stream. More recent surveys of the Mill Stream found large numbers of glassfish, several juvenile sand whiting, and adult specimens of toadfish and sea mullet. BIODIVERSITY AT SYDNEY AIRPORT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY AT SYDNEY AIRPORT? A wetlands management plan, including a focus on biodiversity conservation, minimising risk to aircraft from bird strikes, heritage values, education and research The ongoing implementation of the wetlands enhancement program for Engine Ponds East and West, Mill Pond and Mill Stream to increase the numbers of native fish species and improve the quality and ecological function of the wetlands themselves Membership of the Botany Wetlands Environmental Management Steering Committee which involves a number of local councils, Sydney Water, Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority, NSW Department of Water and Energy, Sydney Trains, and the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust A weed eradication program for the Sydney Airport Wetlands The wildlife control working group to manage bird hazards, including representatives from Sydney Airport, NSW Government agencies, local government authorities and key stakeholders such as the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, who work together to develop planting guidelines to reduce birds around the airport; Periodic feral animal control, including management of foxes and rabbits Management of vegetation. www.sydneyairport.com.au Sydney Airport has also implemented a Wetlands Enhancement Program which includes: Installation of a gross pollutant trap to improve water quality Removal of carp Construction of a fish ladder to allow the movement of native fish from Botany Bay upstream into the wetlands Revegetation and rehabilitation of a section of the Engine Pond East Weed removal on the banks of Engine Pond West A native fish (Australian bass) stocking program Other milestones include: • Committing $2.7 million to the Lady Robinsons Beach restoration project which included planting of native grasses to stabilise the dunes; • Ongoing landscaping and streetscape improvements, which included 71,000 new native plants in 2007 and 2008 • Comprehensive ecological assessment of the airport, including green and golden bell frog surveys and weed removal • A Sydney Airport Wetland Management Plan