WetlandCare Australia is celebrating its 20th birthday in conjunction with starting a pivotal initiative; their Coastal 20 Wetlands Project. This $2.5 million project has been funded under the Australian Government’s Caring for Country program. The Coastal 20 Wetland Project will see WetlandCare Australia work in partnership with community, government and industry bodies to undertake the restoration of 20 iconic coastal wetlands. These 20 coastal wetlands are biodiversity hotspots and have regional and international significance. They face significant and increasing human and environmental pressures threatening their environmental, cultural, social and economic values.

The Lower Hunter Wetlands corridor is internationally recognised as the most significant site for migratory shorebirds in NSW. They use the complex mosaic of roosting and feeding habitats provided across these wetlands. Of the migratory shorebirds present at the Lower Hunter Wetlands Corridor, 38 of the 66 migratory species are listed under the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). These international migratory bird treaties play an important role in international efforts to conserve migratory birds of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway.

The Australian Wetland Network (AWN) is the new name for the Australian Wetland Alliance, which was initially established in 1994 to facilitate input by Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to the Ramsar Conference of Parties held in Brisbane in 1996. Since then its members have supported an ongoing role in wetland conservation, strategic planning, national reporting and policy. AWN recently hosted a forum at the Hunter Wetland Centre for NSW members on World Wetlands Day.

WetlandCare Australia was commissioned by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) of New South Wales to prepare a SEPP 14 Compensatory Wetlands Plan (CWP) for three identified compensatory wetlands in March 2007.

Recently WetlandCare Australia and Ocean Shores Public School were awarded for their environmental partnership by the National Australia Bank's Impact Award! This will allow us to take the project to a whole new level. During 2010-11 WetlandCare Australia delivered a Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (NRCMA) project to coordinate and assist the Ocean Shores Public School in the revival of the schools nature trail and wetland. The nature trail is 200 metres long and runs through 0.68ha of paperbark wetland in the corner of the school property.

We were invited by Wyong Shire Council to engage primary students at three schools bordering Porters Creek Wetland, to complement a broader program of work to protect Tuggerah Lakes Estuary. The program was funded by the Australian Government’s “Caring For Our Country” Program and the theme was “Love Our Living Lakes.”

WetlandCare Australia, in partnership with the Australian Macadamia Society and Southern Cross University, has commenced a field trial that will look at the effect owls may have on reducing macadamia nut crop losses from rats.

Work to restore critical habitat for the endangered Giant Barred Frog, Mixophyes iteratus, is underway at a property located between Lamington and Springbrook National Parks, South East Queensland. The property holds extremely high ecological value in terms of both habitat and connectivity between these two World Heritage listed areas, and is home to numerous threatened flora and fauna species.

WetlandCare Australia, with support through funding from the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Fund, will protect, manage and enhance the high ecological functional values of the Barratta Creek Catchment which forms the main artery of the Bowling Green Bay wetlands, the only Ramsar site in north Queensland.

WetlandCare Australia currently has a number of interesting opportunities available for volunteer work in the Ballina region.

WetlandCare Australia are currently running a project to help selected Hunter nurseries develop Environmental Management Systems to reduce their impacts on the environment. First Workshop - 30th March.

WetlandCare Australia is working under the Aquatic WoNS Regional Partnership Project supported by the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority.WetlandCare Australia will focus on increasing community understanding and knowledge of the potential impacts of Salvinia - not only small infestations in farm dams but also in larger water bodies.

The Sustainable Farm Practices project addresses issues that cause significant threat to natural resources and their values, agricultural and farm productivity as well as economic industries of the lower Bellinger and Nambucca catchment. The project focuses on landholder engagement in sustainable farm management.