548
lake kept water longer than parts of the river, it
was important to the people to name these areas.
In literature
Banjo Paterson is said to have composed the
following:
Oh there once was a swagman camped in the
billabong , Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling,
Who’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with me.
Billabongs are referred to relatively small in
Australian literature. Banjo Paterson’s famous
folk song ‘Waltzing Matilda’, possibly, says
about other lentic bodies also, in addition to billabong. Mary Grant Bruce wrote a series of books,
known as the Billabong series, which focus on
the adventures of the Linton family on Billabong
station since around 1911, through World War 1,
to the late 1920s.
In Art
Both Australian Aboriginal and European artists
use billabongs as subject matter in painting, for
example, Aboriginal painter Lance Tjyllyungoo’s
watercolour ‘Trees at a billabong’.
In Commerce
Billabong is the name of a brand of Australian
clothing and surfwear.
25.1.3 Wetlands of Western Australia
The majority of the wetlands in Western
Australia’s Swan Coastal Plain have been
destroyed by decades of urban and rural development. It has been estimated that if the current rate
of loss continues, almost all of these remaining
wetlands are likely to be lost in near future.
To protect these wetlands, particularly those
that are found on private lands, WWF is working
with landowners and community groups to
encourage long-term management and biodiversity conservation.
25.1.3.1 Background
The southwest of western Australia is one of 25
biodiversity hotspots in the world. Much of this
biodiversity is contained within wetlands
systems, which support a diverse and distinctive
array of plants and animals including many rare
and threatened species as well as an estimated
80 % of the region’s threatened ecological communities. There are also a number of Ramsar
listed wetlands in the region, including Forest
dale Lake.
These wetlands have a number of other unique
values, some of which are as follows:
(a) They enhance catchment water quality by fi ltering out pollutants, including nutrients and
pathogens.
(b) They are of signifi cant cultural and heritage
value to indigenous communities.
(c) Their intrinsic beauty offers many opportunities for recreational activities, including bird
watching and bushwalking.
On the Swan Coastal Plain, it has been estimated that between 70 and 80 % of wetlands
have been destroyed since European settlement.
Of those wetlands that remain, only 15 % are
considered to retain high conservation values.
These remaining wetlands are under signifi cant
threat from urban and rural encroachment. It has
been estimated that if the current rate of loss continues, almost all of these remaining wetlands are
likely to be lost in the near future.
The threat to wetlands is compounded by the
lack of awareness on the part of landowners, in
particular, and the community, in general, about
the presence of many seasonal wetland types and
the high biodiversity value of these systems. In
order to ensure the conservation and sustainable
management of wetlands, it is, therefore, essential
to raise landowner/community awareness.
It is also necessary to build community capacity to sustainably manage wetlands in the long
term through the conservation of resources as
well as by the establishment of support links with
local governments, state governmental agencies
and community/catchment groups.
25.1.3.2 The Mission Began with
the Following Objectives
(a) To increase community and landowners’
appreciation of the value of wetlands and
other natural areas
25 Wetlands of Australasia
lake kept water longer than parts of the river, it
was important to the people to name these areas.
In literature
Banjo Paterson is said to have composed the
following:
Oh there once was a swagman camped in the
billabong , Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling,
Who’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with me.
Billabongs are referred to relatively small in
Australian literature. Banjo Paterson’s famous
folk song ‘Waltzing Matilda’, possibly, says
about other lentic bodies also, in addition to billabong. Mary Grant Bruce wrote a series of books,
known as the Billabong series, which focus on
the adventures of the Linton family on Billabong
station since around 1911, through World War 1,
to the late 1920s.
In Art
Both Australian Aboriginal and European artists
use billabongs as subject matter in painting, for
example, Aboriginal painter Lance Tjyllyungoo’s
watercolour ‘Trees at a billabong’.
In Commerce
Billabong is the name of a brand of Australian
clothing and surfwear.
25.1.3 Wetlands of Western Australia
The majority of the wetlands in Western
Australia’s Swan Coastal Plain have been
destroyed by decades of urban and rural development. It has been estimated that if the current rate
of loss continues, almost all of these remaining
wetlands are likely to be lost in near future.
To protect these wetlands, particularly those
that are found on private lands, WWF is working
with landowners and community groups to
encourage long-term management and biodiversity conservation.
25.1.3.1 Background
The southwest of western Australia is one of 25
biodiversity hotspots in the world. Much of this
biodiversity is contained within wetlands
systems, which support a diverse and distinctive
array of plants and animals including many rare
and threatened species as well as an estimated
80 % of the region’s threatened ecological communities. There are also a number of Ramsar
listed wetlands in the region, including Forest
dale Lake.
These wetlands have a number of other unique
values, some of which are as follows:
(a) They enhance catchment water quality by fi ltering out pollutants, including nutrients and
pathogens.
(b) They are of signifi cant cultural and heritage
value to indigenous communities.
(c) Their intrinsic beauty offers many opportunities for recreational activities, including bird
watching and bushwalking.
On the Swan Coastal Plain, it has been estimated that between 70 and 80 % of wetlands
have been destroyed since European settlement.
Of those wetlands that remain, only 15 % are
considered to retain high conservation values.
These remaining wetlands are under signifi cant
threat from urban and rural encroachment. It has
been estimated that if the current rate of loss continues, almost all of these remaining wetlands are
likely to be lost in the near future.
The threat to wetlands is compounded by the
lack of awareness on the part of landowners, in
particular, and the community, in general, about
the presence of many seasonal wetland types and
the high biodiversity value of these systems. In
order to ensure the conservation and sustainable
management of wetlands, it is, therefore, essential
to raise landowner/community awareness.
It is also necessary to build community capacity to sustainably manage wetlands in the long
term through the conservation of resources as
well as by the establishment of support links with
local governments, state governmental agencies
and community/catchment groups.
25.1.3.2 The Mission Began with
the Following Objectives
(a) To increase community and landowners’
appreciation of the value of wetlands and
other natural areas
25 Wetlands of Australasia