Summary - City of Gosnells

Wetlands Field Survey 991. The hydrological regime of the MKSEA should be gradually restored and the water pollution andnutrient enrichment sources in the MKSEA should be identified and ameliorated so that the volume andspeed of run-off into Yule Brook is gradually reduced and the quality of the water is improved.2. The excavation of the Yule Brook channel and the ploughing of firebreaks and mowing of vegetation inthe riparian zone should be discontinued.3. The natural regime of seasonal inundation of the floodplains adjacent to Yule Brook should be graduallyre-established, where possible. This will require the reservation of floodplain land adjacent to YuleBrook as conservation areas or foreshore reserve, the gradual phasing out of residential areas adjacent tothe brook, and potentially some design and engineering of appropriate measures to protect anyremaining infrastructure.4. The vegetation of the Yule Brook riparian area and floodplains should be regenerated and restored. Thiswill require a considerable effort in fencing, the control of weeds and the replanting of native vegetationin some parts. The restoration of the flooding regime over the floodplains may assist in weed controland vegetation restoration as seasonal inundation will not be tolerated by a number of weeds thatcurrently inhabit these areas.5. The Yule Brook floodplains should be linked to the adjacent high biodiversity wetlands in BFS 387(particularly in the vicinity of the intersections of Brook Rd and Grove Rd and of Brook Rd and BickleyRd) by revegetated areas. The roads are poorly designed in this area; they present hazards to traffic andthey fragment and alter the Yule Brook floodplains in an ecologically sensitive area. Rather thanupgrade these roads to carry a larger volume of traffic and perpetuate the environmental problems,traffic reduction measures (including the closure of parts of these roads and the reclamation of someareas of road area to bushland) may be possible and would support environmental objectives in thisarea.6.4.2.2 The BFS 387 – BFS 53 GreenwayThe Muchea Limestone aquifers and the native vegetation maintained by springs and other hydrologicalprocesses that operate along the interface of the Bassendean Sands and Pinjarra Plain in Precincts 1 and 2form a natural ecological linkage between BFS 387 and BFS 53. In the current survey, there were manyhighly significant conservation values (that are not currently represented in BFS 387) identified within thiscorridor in Precincts 1 and 2 of the MKSEA. These values include two EPBC-listed Threatened EcologicalCommunities, three EPBC-listed Threatened Flora Species, numerous Priority Flora Species, numerousConservation Category Wetlands, paluslope wetlands that are rare on the SCP, vegetation assemblages thathave not been recorded elsewhere on the SCP and a suite of regionally significant flora. The areas inPrecincts 1 and 2 of the MKSEA that were identified above as highly significant were previously flagged byDel Marco et al. (2004) as potentially requiring incorporation into an ecological linkage corridor thatextended from BFS 387 to BFS 53 and hence to the Darling Range (Figure 4).The ecological linkage corridor proposed by Del Marco et al. (2004) should be supported and should belocated to encompass as many of the high conservation values of Precincts 1 and 2 as possible. It isparticularly important to link the Muchea Limestone, spring-fed, CCW wetlands along the interface of theBassendean Sands and Pinjarra Plain in Precincts 1 and 2 to each other and to BFS 387 and BFS 53.To consolidate and protect the conservation values in this corridor, a number of objectives (including thoselisted below) should be pursued.1. The high conservation areas identified in the current survey in Precinct 2 should be added to BFS 387.Alternatively, the reservation of a separate conservation area (that encompasses the contact between theBassendean Sands and Pinjarra Plain in Precincts 1 and 2) should be considered.2. Wetland buffers of at least 50-200 m should be reserved around all CCW and REW in Precincts 1 and 2after a detailed hydrogeological study and delineation of wetland boundaries.3. The wetlands and associated native vegetation along the interface of the Bassendean Sands and PinjarraPlain should be linked to each other and to BFS 387 and BFS 53 via revegetated areas.Tauss, C. and Weston, A.S. (2010). The flora, vegetation and wetlands of the Maddington-Kenwick Strategic Employment Area.A survey of the rural lands in the vicinity of the Greater Brixton Street Wetlands. Report to the City of Gosnells, W.A. Version 18.04.10