| Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
 Lake at Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary | |
| Location | Bayswater, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°55′37″S115°55′23″E / 31.927°S 115.923°E |
 | |
The Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary is an artificial wetland in Bayswater, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth. The Bayswater Brook discharges into the wetlands, which in turn discharges into the Swan River. In 2015, it underwent a rehabilitation project in order to improve the water quality and attract more wildlife.
Prior to the 1950s, the site of the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary was a seasonally wet depression. In the 1950s, it was drained. Between 1972 and 1981, the surrounding area was used for a landfill, and the site became a wetland. [1] [2]
Due to nutrients and pollutants from runoff, the wetlands were severely degraded and experiencing frequent algal blooms. In 2015, the wetlands underwent a $3 million rehabilitation project, jointly funded by the City of Bayswater and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The project was designed so that water coming from the Bayswater Brook is cleaned and stripped of nutrients by the wetlands before being discharged into the Swan River. First, the incoming water flows through a gross pollutant trap, removing any rubbish, sediment or other large materials. The water then passes through alternating areas of shallow and deep water, which removes nitrogen and other nutrients, before flowing out of the wetland. The flow of water is controlled by a series of weirs and outlets, and in total, the process takes 48 hours from when the water enters the wetland to when the water exits. The project is projected to stop 1.35 tonnes (3,000 lb) of nitrogen, 200 kilograms (440 lb) of phosphorus and 40 tonnes (88,000 lb) of sediment and rubbish from entering the Swan River each year. The project also included the creation of a publicly accessible area in the middle of the wetland. Prior to the rehabilitation project, the wetlands were artificially supplied with ground water to ensure that the wetland did not dry up. After the completion of the project, it received several awards, including from the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards, the WA Premier's Awards and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
In 2016, a housing development was approved by the Western Australian Planning Commission next to the wetlands, overruling the City of Bayswater and triggering significant controversy. The proposed development consisted of two large blocks, and one block was considered by the community to be environmentally sensitive and contain wetlands. [7] In 2017, the State government provided $1.5 million to the City of Bayswater to part-fund the purchase of the block which contained the wetlands, thereby ending a significant amount of the controversy. [8] [9] [10]
In 2018, the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary was rezoned from Urban to Parks and Recreation, ensuring that it would not be developed. [11] [12]
The wetlands were named after Eric Singleton, who was a local advocate for the wetlands. He was a bird enthusiast and helped save the wetlands from development in the 1970s. [2]
104 bird species have been recorded at the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary. They include:
170,000 native plants of 26 different species were planted in the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary during the rehabilitation project. They include:
The Swan River is a major river in the southwest of Western Australia. The river runs through the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia's capital and largest city.
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Mount Eliza is a hill that overlooks the city of Perth, Western Australia and forms part of Kings Park. It is known as Kaarta Gar-up and Mooro Katta in the local Noongar dialect.
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The Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary is an estuary in the South West region of Western Australia close to the town of Busselton. The estuary is listed with DIWA. It was also recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 7 June 1990 when an area of 1,115 ha was designated Ramsar Site 484 as an important dry-season habitat for waterbirds. It is also the main part of the 2,038 ha (5,040-acre) Busselton Wetlands Important Bird Area.
Marievale Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in Gauteng, South Africa. It is about 15 km2 in size, and situated on the East Rand on the southern half of the Blesbokspruit wetland, a Ramsar site. The Blesbokspruit is a major perennial river in Gauteng which is flanked by extensive floodplains on either side. Nearby is the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.
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The Perth Wetlands, also known as the Perth Great Lakes or the Great Lakes District, was a collection of fresh-water wetlands, swamps and lakes located on the Swan Coastal Plain north of the city of Perth in Western Australia. Over a period of 80 years from the first British settlement in Western Australia in 1829 most of the wetlands were reclaimed for use as housing, parks and market gardens.
Benger Swamp is a wetland located on the Swan Coastal Plain, in south-west Western Australia.
The Interlaken Lakeside Reserve is a wetland reserve at subalpine Interlaken, lying at the north-western end of Lake Crescent on the Interlaken isthmus between the reservoirs of Lakes Sorell and Crescent, about 20 km west of Tunbridge, in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, Australia. In 1982 it was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Kensington bushland reserve is a significant remnant of Swan Coastal Plain vegetation, that has been reserved in the suburb of Kensington, in Perth, Western Australia, by the state government.
Benara Road is an east–west road in the north-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia.
Bayswater Brook was a natural brook in the north-eastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, which discharges into the Swan River in the suburb of Bayswater. In the 1920s, due to urban development, the brook was turned into a network of drainage channels, which are partially covered and partially open. The brook's water source is runoff and groundwater. In the 1970s, the Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary was built near the mouth of the brook. Water from the Bayswater Brook flows through the wetlands at the bird sanctuary before continuing to the Swan River. It has an average annual flow of 7.5 gigalitres.
Lightning Swamp Bushland is a 71.3-hectare (176-acre) area of natural bush and wetlands in Noranda, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth. It is bounded by Reid Highway to the north, Malaga Drive to the west and south, Matthews Close to the south and Lightning Park Recreation Centre to the east. It is classified as an A class reserve.
