See the spectacular results of past restoration works at Glenshera Swamp, in Stipiturus Conservation Park

After a recent trip to Adelaide, I managed to drop in at one of NGT’s long-term restoration sites – a fantastic wetland called Glenshera Swamp, within Stipiturus Conservation Park, on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Glenshera Swamp, which had a long history of grazing prior to its reservation a little over 20 years ago, is the largest remaining example of the nationally (EPBC Act 1999 listed) critically endangered Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps ecological community. The wetland has been a long-term project site for NGT, dating all the way back to 2016. This was when we began investigating the history of drainage modification at the wetland, across both public and private land, and then initiated works over the years since to restore and enhance its hydrology.

As shown below, the past modification of the wetland included an intensive network of drains to de-water the peat sediment underlying the swamp, but also an artificial bypass drain to direct catchment surface water flows around the wetland (note the direction of flow is right to left, or east to west). The latter drain bisected the natural meanders of the creek line above the swamp and diverted these flows downstream, also increasing flow velocity and causing significant erosion along the drain.

On my latest visit, I was keen to see how things are faring after the most recent phase of creek line remediation works and repairs overseen by our Senior Wetland Ecologist, Ben Taylor in 2024.

These works were designed to both install and/or repair a series of structures that reinstate the natural meanders along the creek that generates catchment inflows above Glenshera Swamp. To give you a feel for the physical changes to the creek caused by the bypass drain, one section where we have been working since 2017 is shown in the grayscale LiDAR images below.

While I was on-site, I thought it might be helpful to record a little summary of what I saw, to help bring the creek line remediation works to life. As you’ll see in the video below, the works have all stabilised nicely and the natural creek line is once again spreading out and re-engaging its meanders, as it gently trickles down towards the swamp… creating restored habitat for threatened plants along the way.

While I was on-site, I also decided to check out the recovery of an area of peatland drain remediation works completed on the northern margin of the wetland in the Conservation Park back in May 2022.

This part of the site has always fascinated me, as the artificial drains in this area were cut a significant distance up the slope, with the apparent goal of dehydrating a zone of groundwater seepage that once allowed the swamp margin to rise a long way up the elevation gradient of this northern bank. It seemed to me that this area had excellent restoration potential, because the drains out of the bank were constantly trickling with intercepted shallow groundwater.

With the chance to take another photo of this area a few years later, I was not disappointed. In fact, for a nationally critically endangered ecological community and after only 3 short years, aided by supplementary revegetation plantings to complement spontaneous recovery, I think the results are nothing short of spectacular.

Take a look at the photo sequence below, looking north (upslope) along one of the parallel drains, and see what you think…

The dedicated and sustained management and restoration of this reserve has been the subject of significant investment by multiple government agencies, but is also ably supported by volunteers, including the Friends of Stipiturus and Hesperilla Conservation Parks and other members of the community.

If you ever needed convincing about the merits of ecological restoration, then this site is a great reminder of what is possible when everyone comes together and works towards a common goal. What a tremendous team effort!

The most recent hydrological restoration work completed by NGT at Glenshera Swamp was funded by the Friends of Stipiturus and Hesperilla Conservation Parks through the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Friends of Parks ‘Partnership Grants’ Program.