LONG SWAMP RESTORATION TRIAL, DISCOVERY BAY COASTAL PARK

As you might have guessed from its name, Long Swamp is a long, narrow wetland system that is situated literally in the far south-western corner of Victoria, near the township of Nelson.

Long Swamp extends for over 15km, from the Glenelg River estuary, south-eastwards to Lake Mombeong and is bounded by coastal dunes to the south and higher undulating ground to the north. This wetland is one of the key environmental features conserved within Discovery Bay Coastal Park, is listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia, and forms part of one of the Australian Government’s identified High Ecological Value Aquatic Ecosystem (HEVAE) sites across the country.

Like many wetlands across southern Australia, the hydrology of Long Swamp has been altered (through a range of factors) since European settlement, and there has been growing concern within the local community about the current trends of change within the wetland system.

After the launch of Nature Glenelg Trust in January 2012, we began working in partnership with the local community and the agencies responsible for the management of Long Swamp, to:

  • help better understand the current values of the system,
  • document the historic and current trajectory of change, and
  • articulate future management options that are based around a sound set of principles that are guided by the scientific work undertaken.

The findings of the baseline Long Swamp Fish and Frog Study, commissioned by the Glenelg Hopkins CMA and undertaken by Nature Glenelg Trust in 2012, can be downloaded here: Long Swamp Fish and Frog Survey 2012.

As a result of the this work and other previous studies, Nature Glenelg Trust has been awarded grant funding by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI), to undertake a hydrological restoration trial at the Nobles Rocks outlet from Long Swamp, through the installation of temporary sandbag weir structures in 2014/15.

This project has been made possible by the generous support of the Nelson Coastcare Group, Parks Victoria, DEPI, the Glenelg Hopkins CMA and a wide range of other people in the local cross-border community.

Please check the blogs below for the latest updates on the project, as well as a large amount of additional background information.

Click here for the full list of blogs related to the restoration trial

Click here for the full list of other archived blogs related to Long Swamp

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