RYDE FLORA and FAUNA STUDY 2007 - City of Ryde - NSW ...

6.12 Stormwater Overflow Areas
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Ryde Flora and Fauna Survey 2007 63
Many stormwater systems overflow into bushland reserves; the bushland reserves
along Terrys Creek, Kittys Creek and Buffalo Creek exist because of the stormwater
discharge function of these watercourses. Often the discharge from these systems is
short-lived but dynamic. To reduce the erosional effects of these rapid discharges of
stormwater, concrete troughs and basins have been created to disrupt the energy of the
water. These structures could easily be modified to also provide frog habitat.
A concrete basin, off-centre to the main flow, would cater for the more generalist frog
species. After heavy rain, the basin would fill and retain water for many weeks. If the
ponds are capable of holding water for longer periods, a community of plants and
animals will become established and reduce mosquito breeding. Fringing plants need
to be established around the ponds to help frogs avoid predators. The ponds would
also serve as drinking stations for other native species.
6.13 Fallen Timber and Dead Trees
A concern in urban bushland is that of fire. For this reason, fallen timber and dead
tress are often removed from bushland areas. This practice deprives many animal
species of a place to live and may explain the lack of some hollow-nesting species in
the Ryde LGA.
Fallen timber could still be removed from around the edges of reserves but not taken
out of the reserve. Instead, they could be use to create timber stacks or wood rows in
areas where they do not constitute a fire hazard.
6.14 Community Care of Bushland Areas – Public Education
Campaign
The health and longevity of bushland reserves is often dependent on community
interest. Without it, Council money will be redirected to other purposes. Accordingly,
low-level education campaigns need to be maintained to make residents aware of the
conservation value of the bushland (and how it increases the retail value of their own
land). Local conservation groups need to be encouraged to work with Council in
protecting bushland areas. Community awareness programs need to be developed.
6.15 Monitoring the Use of Reserves
It is difficult to get information about the level of use of each reserve. This
information would be useful as it will provide a quantitative measure for assessing the
resilience of bushland areas. Such information will become increasingly important as
the population density of Ryde increases in the future. A census of the public use of
reserves would consist of monitoring pedestrian traffic across bushland tracks, and the