EPA Pacific Highway team creating the new wetland habitats
The EPA’s Pacific Highway Upgrade team has been working closely with five of the upgrade project’s partners to re-use tree roots and logs for stream bank rehabilitation and other projects to rehabilitate and improve wetland health.
EPA Manager Regional Operations in the North Coast Region Brett Nudd, believes this type of program is among the first of its kind.
“By organising the relocation of the timber, which would have been otherwise mulched on site, we’re helping to create new habitats and bringing fish, yabbies, tortoises and other creek life back.
“This result wouldn’t be possible without the partnership with the contractors working on the Pacific Highway upgrade.
“It’s also their chance to demonstrate some social accountability for the deforestation the developments are creating by reusing materials to restore life and habitats in local wetlands.”
Last year 65 stumps and 40 timber log pins, used to secure the river banks, were installed to improve wetland health in the Everlasting Swamp National Park.
Over the next year it’s expected that this can grow to 510 tree roots or root balls and 800 timber pins in other wetland areas.
Image: Partners in the Root ball Strategy. (L-R) Brenden Baily (Environment Advisor, Pacific Complete), Stuart Murphy (Operations Officer, Environment Protection Authority) and John Bruun (Environment Manager, Seymour Whyte Contractors)