I See Trees of Green, Tourism Too
Lake Cowal is the largest lake in NSW lying approximately 50kms NE of West Wyalong on the South-West Slopes of NSW. Lake-Cowal Wilbertory Wetlands covers 29,000 hectares including Lake Cowal, Nerang Cowal and Bagandillion swamp. It is a freshwater lake in the Lachlan region and part of the Murray-Darling Basin. When full the lake covers 150 square kilometers and measures 17km by 9.5km Is an ephemeral lake- therefore filling up in wet years and then drying out in droughts. After flooding, water may last up to 3 years.
It is an important site for migratory birds and supports a high diversity of species approximately 172. Lake Cowal has at least 3 periods where it was recorded that more then 1% of the Australian population of some wader sub-species where using the lake as habitat
There are 9 threatened species of animals, birds, fish and plants listed under the EPBC Act of 1999 that call Lake Cowal home. They include the Swift Parrot, Regnet Honeyeater, Maquarie Perch and the plant species Winged Peppercress and Stipa Wakoolica which is a grass are all considered endangered.
The Superb Parrot, Malleefowl, Greater Long Eared Bat, Southern Bellfrog and plant species Slender Darling Pea and Slipa Metatoris are consisted vulnerable.
A significant number of threatened and migratory species listed in the Japan-Australia and China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement use Lake Cowal as a habitat. There is 21 and 18 birds species under CAMBA and JAMBA respectively that use the lake, one species the LATHAM’S SNIPE (Japanese Snipe) is included in the threatened migratory waterbirds species of the Asia-Pacific Region which forms part of the Asia Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy 2001-2005.
The lake is fringed with Red River Gums, Open Popular Box, Lignum bushes and ribbon weed.
Lake Cowal is one of NSW’s most important wetlands and is a nationally significant wetland included in Environmental Departments Australia’s Directory of Important Wetlands of Australia for the following reasons
It is
1. one of two Inland Deltas (permanent). The other site is located at Liverpool Military Training Area and therefore inaccessible by civilians.
2. Seasonal/intermittent freshwater lakes (> 8 ha), floodplain lakes
3. Shrub swamps; shrub-dominated freshwater marsh, shrub carr, alder thicket on inorganic soils
4. Freshwater swamp forest; seasonally flooded forest, wooded swamps; on inorganic soils
5. It is a good example of a wetland type occurring within a biogeographic region in Australia.
6. It is a wetland which plays an important ecological or hydrological role in the natural functioning of a major wetland system/complex.
7. It is a wetland which is important as the habitat for animal taxa at a vulnerable stage in their life cycles, or provides a refuge when adverse conditions such as drought prevail.
Wetland is the general and more modern name for what we call swamp, billabongs, lakes, salt marshes, mudflats and mangroves. The term also applies to depressions in the landscape of our more arid regions that only occasionally hold water, but which when they do, teem with life and become environmental focal points.
The Commonwealth Government has direct management responsibility for significant areas of Australia’s wetlands and also administers a range of social, economic and environmental programs that impact on wetland conservation and use throughout the country. The Commonwealth is a signatory to several international treaties relating to wetlands and must accordingly ensure that its obligations under these treaties are met.
Australia is a strong and active supporter of the global effects to acknowledge the importance of wetlands and modify human practices so that those areas are retained for future generations
The Ramsar Convention’s broad aims are to halt the worldwide loss and degradation of wetlands and to ensure, through wise use and management, those that remain.
It is estimated since European settlement Australia has lost a large proportion of wetlands. In certain areas, 89% of these wetlands have been destroyed.
The National Trust, of NSW, has classified Lake Cowal as a Landscape Conservation Area
The Lake os not on the RAMSAR listing despite the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service indicating in the first Commission of Injury into the Cowal Gold Project that Lake Cowal is worthy of RAMSAR listing. So what is RAMSAR?
The Convention on Wetlands, at Ramsar Iran, 1971 become known as thew Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conversation and wise use of wetlands. The Convention’s mission is the conservation and wise use of wetlands by national action and international cooperation as a means to achieving sustainable development throughout the world.
The wise use of wetlands is a key concept and is defined as “the sustainable utilisation of wetlands for the benefit of mankind in a way compatible with the maintenance of the natural properties of the ecosystem.
Sustainable utilisation of wetland so that it may yield the greatest continuous benefit to present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations.
Australia was one of the first of 18 countries to become a signatory to the convention in 1971. An analysis of Australia Ramsar sites indicates that a number of wetlands types are not represented or under-represented on the List of Wetlands of International Importance.
When the Environmental Protection and Bio-diversity Conservation Act 1998 (the EPBC Act) passed in 1999, hailed as the biggest win for the Australia environment in more the 25 years.
Under the EPBC Act, the Government assessment and approval process is triggered by actions that are likely to have a significant impact on any of the following matters of national environmental significance:
International protected migratory species.
The EPBC Act delivers substantially greater protection for these matters of national environmental significance. The Act also includes a robust framework for Commonwealth accreditation of State assessment processes that meet ‘best practice’ national criteria, meaning less intergovernmental duplication and more consistent State Standards.
Commonwealth, NSW, Vic, SA, WA and A.C.T environmental ministers agreed to work together to meet a range of challenging national objectives and targets before 2006.
A total of 52 specific targets where agreed upon, focusing on 10 areas of highest priority. Two of these objectives included
Protect and restore freshwater ecosystems
Maintain and record indigenous people’s knowledge.
Rapid expansion was make possible by the $1.5 billion National Heritage Trust which was funded from the part sale of Telstra. The Commonwealth has now budgeted a further $1 billion to the trust in the 2001/02 Budget.
Helping Communities-Helping Australia, this is the catch cry of the National Heritage Trust- the largest, most comprehensive range of environmental programs ever undertaken by an Australian Government included:
These efforts have focused on key areas such as rehabilitation of degraded wetlands, protection of native wetlands…and the setting of national benchmarks for water quality.
The Commonwealth’s new EPBC Act has delivered stronger protection for internationally significant wetlands under the RAMSAR Convention and for migratory birds.
The Government provided:
The Act ensures that any activity that is like to have a significant impact on threatened species or their habitat must be referred for assessment and approval by the Federal Environment Minister.
BRW May 13th 1996
In written answers to questions from BRW, Carr says ’The Government maintains its position that proposed mining at Lake Cowal should not pose environmental risks’ He emphasis that there should be no environmental risks, and that the lake will be given a form of government protection under the international Ramsar Convention, which covers wetlands.
The Land Thursday April 11 1996 ‘Anger Over ban on Lake Cowal’
Planning Minister Craig Knowles, who decided to veto the mine, said “Lake Cowal was a wetland of international significance and a habitat for 170 wetland bird species many of then endangered”.
Western Magazine April 15th 1996 p3 ‘Lake Cowal Residents rally to protest.’
60 minutes reporter on Oct 4, 1995 to Bob Carr Will you give North Limited, (the) then develops a licence to kill endangered species at Lake Cowal?” The Premier responded with “I couldn’t contemplate us giving them a license to kill endangered species. I couldn’t contemplate that”