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Biodiversity is the variety of living things – plants, animals and micro-organisms, their genes and the ecosystems of which they form a part. It helps clean our air, keep our creeks and rivers healthy, produces fertile soil and provides important habitat for animals such as birds, frogs and insects.
Although Bankstown is generally a fully urbanised area, it still exhibits a wealth of biodiversity. This can be attributed to the location of Bankstown in a transition zone between the wetter, coastal areas of Sydney and the drier, rolling inland country of the Cumberland Plain. This has resulted in a great variety of landscapes, soils, geological formations, habitats, and consequently, the variety of plants and animals that live here. There are over 590 plant species, 230 bird species, 15 frog species, 12 mammal species and 14 vegetation communities existing within the Bankstown LGA.
There are a number of processes that contribute towards a reduction in biodiversity. The major threats to biodiversity operating in Bankstown include, habitat loss and fragmentation, impacts of pest animals and weed species, unsustainable use of resources, pollution impacts, global climate change and ozone depletion and lack of knowledge, education and communication. There is legislation that protects our threatened and significant plant and animal species.
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You can help our biodiversity
Create an Australian native garden - plant local native plants in your backyard, they require less watering, and provide food and homes for native birds and animals.
Attract birds to your backyard - a garden planted with Australian native trees and shrubs provides seeds, flowers, nectar, insects and habitat for our native birds to use. Birds are attracted to a garden with a variety of tall trees, shrubs and ground level plants and a permanent water supply.
Create a frog pond – Frogs have been on the earth for over 200 million years yet in the past two decades there has been an alarming decrease in their numbers worldwide. We can help frogs by creating a frog pond to provide habitat in our backyards.
Attract butterflies and other native animals to your backyard – Butterflies and moths add an extra dimension to the garden, providing both movement and colour. With the investment of a little time and observation, we can become privy to one of natures most complex and interesting life cycles. The Flora for Fauna website aims to spread the message that gardens can be a joy to the people who create them as well as a life-saver to the animals that find sanctuary there.
Join a Bushcare group Bushcare is a volunteer program that encourages people to become involved in looking after Bankstown's bushland. As Bushcare is a community-based program, it's a wonderful opportunity to meet other residents while doing something worthwhile for the local environment. You will learn valuable skills, develop new friendships, discover more about local flora and fauna and gain a sense of satisfaction on seeing the rehabilitation of a reserve.
Be a responsible pet owner - if you are a cat owner, you need to be extra careful, as they will prey on native fauna. Put several bells on its collar to warn wildlife of its approach - (cats are cunning animals and can work out how to keep a single bell quiet!)
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Australian White Ibis PEST or GUEST?
Australian White Ibis are a protected native species. They have been visiting Sydney in increasing numbers for the last 50 years. Together with the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), Council has been monitoring the Ibis breeding colony at Lake Gillawarna since 2003. This year there are approximately 1500 birds in the wetland, which is half the number seen here in 2004.
NPWS continue to urge an extremely cautious and responsible management approach, as there is potential to cause considerable impact on the national status of the species. Aerial surveys conducted over eastern Australia since 1983 indicate that with the ongoing drought, numbers of wetland birds have decreased dramatically in the inland river systems. In 2004 less than 20 waterbirds were recorded in the Macquarie marshlands (a traditional breeding area) and in 2005, less than 10.
For more information download Council's Ibis Management Plan.
You can also read the NPWS publication "Wild about Ibis".
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