Restoration
The Centre focuses much of its activities in the Bibra, North and South Lake reserves of the Beeliar Regional Park. The wetlands lie in a north-south orientation at the interface of two aeolian (wind deposited) dune systems. The western Spearwood dunes are generally characterised by limestones overlaid by yellow to brown sands. The older eastern Bassendean Dunes are of lower relief and are infertile sands of deep, grey leached quartz.
The wetlands are surface expressions of the underlying groundwater and comprise mud, peat, or peaty sand overlying Bassendean sands. The basin-shaped wetlands have been classified as lakes (2 x permanently inundated wetlands) and sumplands (4 x seasonally inundated wetlands) with areas of open water, shrublands and forest. Woodlands of banksia and eucalypt dominate the surrounding vegetated uplands. The area still contains some excellent examples of the original flora and includes many different species.
Degraded areas of the wetlands and surrounding bushland are reflective of past and current land uses including market gardens, dairies, horse agistment, quarries, landfill and urbanisation. This has resulted in grazing, clearing of vegetation, feral animal and weed invasion, altered fire regimes and changes to water levels and in water quality.
Efforts by our community organisation and member groups to assist the land managers are having a noticeable impact. Regeneration of the wetland and bushland areas are helped by controlling weeds and feral animals, and planting in severely degraded areas to re-establish the vegetation and link the wetlands to the vegetated uplands.
New regeneration techniques are continually trialed and adapted through monitoring and evaluation. Supervised landcare days are held 2 days per week, every week of the year (except Christmas). For further information contact the Wetlands Officer, Denise Crosbie, on 9417 8460.
