13.2 The Wallis Lake Estuary Management Committee - Great Lakes ...

Wallis Lake Estuary Management Plan
For a more detailed summary of the cultural history of the Wallis Lake region see The Great Lakes Community
Profile produced by Great Lakes Council (1999). Alternatively, consult the following references:
Doust J. Past days around Wallis Lake, its rivers and villages. Great Lakes Historical Society, Tuncurry.
McMaster D. E. John Wright the settler. Produced by the Wallamba District Historical Society.
Wright J. The history of Forster – Tiona, Pacific Palms, Smiths Lake, Coomba, Bungwahl. Great Lakes Historical
Society, Tuncurry.
13.6.2 Natural significance
The Wallis Lake region is of considerable natural significance due to the presence of large areas of diverse
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. 20% of the State’s seagrass beds are located in Wallis Lake, representing the
largest single area in New South Wales at 30.8 km 2 in 1985 (West et. al. 1985). Seagrasses play a major role in the
estuarine processes of nutrient cycling, stabilisation of sediments and in the provision of habitat for many
commercial species larval fish and invertebrates. Therefore the presence of such large beds of seagrass in Wallis
Lake is most certainly an asset that must be protected and enhanced.
In addition to the presence of significant beds of seagrass, Wallis Lake is home to 7% of the remaining saltmarsh in
NSW, 0.786 km 2 of mangroves and 70 areas of SEPP 14 wetlands (West et. al. 1985). These areas play a very
important role in filtering sediments and nutrients from land based run-off before it enters the estuary, stabilising
coastal sediments, provision of detrital matter for coastal food chains, and as habitat for many species of birds, fish
and invertebrates.
An extremely diverse community of bird life can be found in Wallis Lake with over 140 species being regularly
observed. Of these 12 species are classified as vulnerable and 2 as endangered under the Threatened Species
Conservation (TSC) Act (1995). A further 52 species are protected under the international agreements of the
Japanese Australia Agreement for the Protection of migratory Birds, Birds in Danger of Extinction and their
Environment (JAMBA) (1974), and the Agreement between Australia and the People’s Republic of China for the
Protection of Migratory Birds and their Environment (CAMBA) (1986) (Webb, McKeown and Associates 1999).
In addition to the vulnerable bird species of Wallis Lake, 2 species of reptiles and 9 species of mammals that
regularly use the Wallis Lake estuary adjacent land are identified as vulnerable under the TSC Act 1995 (Webb,
McKeown and Associates 1999). A further 2 plant species are classified as vulnerable and 1 plant species listed as
endangered.
13.6.3 Industry
The aquaculture, fishing, and tourism industries continue to grow in the Wallis Lake area. As of 2001 the local
commercial fishing industry was valued at $2 million pa, oyster aquaculture industry at $8 million pa, the dairy
industry at $3 million pa, beef production at $1.5 million pa, and the tourism industry in excess of $124 million pa
(Great Lakes Catchment Management Steering Committee 2001; Australian Bureau of Statistics). Most of these
industries directly depend upon the health of the Lake system.
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