World Wetlands Day at Mambo-Wanda Wetlands
Mambo-Wanda Wetlands Conservation Group in Salamander Bay normally holds their annual Mambo Wetlands Walks on World Wetlands Day. However, like last year, due to covid caution, this year’s event happened online.
Watch this beautiful video produced by the wonderful Guy Innes and using the photographic talents of Mat Spillard and Leanne that showcase the plant and animal life in the Wetlands. Thank you from the whole community to these clever & talented people.
The second video shows the interior of Mambo-Wanda wetlands right next to Foreshore Drive, with the tide coming in and a flock of yellow-tailed black cockatoos arriving in the trees.
The samphire in the foreground of the picture has multiplied to cover much more of the low swamp marsh and we have never seen it inundated like it is in the video with the incoming water covering the whole crop. We could see baby fish including puffer fish – unknown in this area previous to the enlarged opening under the bridge.
Why are coastal wetlands so important?
Wetlands all over the world mitigate storm events, they act as carbon sinks, are biodiversity hotspots, they keep our waterways clean and provide a safe breeding ground for marine animals.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance holds the unique distinction of being the first modern treaty between nations aimed at conserving natural resources. The signing of the Convention on Wetlands took place in 1971 at the small Iranian town of Ramsar. Find more information here.
The Ramsar Convention’s broad aims are to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and to conserve, through wise use and management, those that remain.
The focus of this year’s World Wetlands Day is a call to action for wetlands.
It’s an appeal to invest financial, human and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded.
There are 2300 wetlands worldwide that are designated Ramsar Wetlands sites, 66 of these are in Australia and include Myall Lakes to our north and the Hunter Estuary Wetlands to the south. There is at present a committee working towards Ramsar designation for Mambo Wetlands.
In a future edition of EcoUpdate, watch for a story of Before and After the new bridge on Foreshore Drive. Lots of great photos and information about the wetland’s rejuvenation.
We ask that you continue to appreciate this beautiful reserve right in the middle of Salamander Bay.
For more information, contact Kathy at koalawetlands@hotmail.com