Listing of endangered swamps may not provide full protection from mining impacts

The NSW Scientific Committee has today listed ‘Coastal Upland Swamp in the Sydney Basin Bioregion’ as an Endangered Ecological Community.

NPA CEO, Kevin Evans, said, “Coastal Upland Swamp is a unique and sensitive ecological community, found only in the Sydney Basin on the sandstone of the Somersby-Hornsby plateau to the north and the Woronora plateau to the south.”

“This ecological community is habitat for many native plants and animals, including threatened species such as the vulnerable Eastern Ground Parrot and the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog and Giant Dragonfly, and we welcome today’s Endangered listing,” Mr Evans continued.

“However, this listing is only a small step on the way to fully protecting coastal upland swamps and other important natural areas around Sydney,” said Mr Evans.

“Amongst the threats to coastal upland swamps highlighted in today’s listing are coal seam gas exploration and extraction, and hydrological changes due to longwall coal mining. This confirms NPA’s long standing concern about the impacts of coal and coal seam gas mining on our sensitive natural areas,” said Mr Evans.

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National Parks Assoc of NSW