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Building our Reserves |
Welcome to ....
Welcome Reef Nature Reserve
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| Plans for a dam at Welcome Reef on the Shoalhaven River as a back-up for Sydney’s water supply have been permanently deferred according to a March announcement of the Welcome Reef Nature Reserve by the Minister for the Environment, Bob Debus. |
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The Welcome Reef Nature Reserve will include protection for Sunset Mountain and the Durran Durra Range — areas identified by the Colong Foundation for Wilderness — saving ancient forests and grassy woodlands from weed invasion and clearing. ‘Saving water and the subsequent shelving of the dam should lead to saving the Shoalhaven River’ conservationists have long argued, so the announcement was welcome news indeed to the Coalition Against Welcome Reef Dam (CAWRD) — formed in 1992 when the proposed dam became a major issue. According to Bill Dowling, both NPA member and Honorary Secretary of CAWRD, the Sydney Catchment Authority and (previously) Sydney Water Corporation have been purchasing lands on the upper catchment of the Shoalhaven River for almost 30 years with the intention of building a dam at Welcome Reef. |
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The proposed dam would have covered more than 15,300 ha extending from a point 10 km north-west of Braidwood to 28 km north on the Shoalhaven River. It would also have flooded large areas on the lower Mongarlowe River and Boro Creek.
Over the past decade, Sydney’s per capita use of water has fallen by 16 per cent enabling the 'indefinite deferral' of the construction of the Welcome Reef Dam and the creation of the 6,000 hectare nature reserve.
NPA applauds the
continued efforts of the Coalition
Against Welcome Reef Dam (CAWRD) and the Budawang Committee to stop the
Dam.
However, the Convenor of CAWRD, Dr Judy Messer, said that “the indefinite deferral does not guarantee that the Dam cannot be built in the future. CAWRD is seeking more detail about the legal status and boundaries of the Reserve areas and will continue to campaign for expanded protection of lands along the Shoalhaven and Mongarlowe River catchments including upland wetlands.”
“Although the topography of the catchment means that it is quite unsuitable for a dam location, ‘indefinite deferral’ will be highly dependent of Sydney reducing its per capita water consumption by 35% by 2010,” Dr Messer said.
“CAWRD (which comprises about 10 peak and local conservation organisations) will continue to publicise the need for a more stringent demand management program to ensure that Sydney’s voracious appetite for potable water does not compromise the biodiversity values of these beautiful catchment lands,” Dr Messer concluded.
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First NPA Biodiversity Survey... In 1995, the National Parks Association (NPA) conducted its first biodiversity survey at Welcome Reef to assess the environmental significance of the upper Shoalhaven. In terms of botanical significance, the biodiversity survey conducted a target search for the second rarest eucalypt in NSW, the ice-age relic, Eucalyptus recurva, whose close relative grows on exposed Tasmanian ridges like the Western Arthurs. The nature reserve land is home to both coastal sandstone landscape and the granite soil country of the Tablelands and the new reserve will protect both important woodland and forest communities. Sporadic koala sightings have been made over the years around Endrick and the Corang River. Ribbon gum along the Mongarlowe River certainly provides a potential habitat for koalas — they were prevalent there in the 1920s. The reserve is also home to a number of other rare and threatened species such as the Glossy Black cockatoo, the Long-nosed Potoroo, the Squirrel Glider and the Powerful Owl. |
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