The Minister for Water the Hon Lisa Neville has endorsed the nomination of the Glenelg Estuary and Discovery Bay for Ramsar listing to the Federal Government for consideration. Ramsar is the short term for the Treaty covering wetlands of international significance. Glenelg Hopkins CMA prepared the nomination through funding received as part of winning the 2013 Australian Riverprize.
In developing the required supporting documentation, Glenelg Hopkins CMA and Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) coordinated an extensive consultation process that included local landholders, government agencies, Nelson Coastcare and Traditional Owners. Chairperson of Glenelg Hopkins CMA Tony Ford said, ‘This nomination and endorsement from Minister Neville is the result of years of work with our partners to acknowledge the significance of this stunning site in our region’.
The site has three main systems: freshwater wetlands including Long Swamp, Bridgewater Lakes and Swan Lake; the Glenelg Estuary, including Oxbow Lake; and the dune fields and beach along approximately 50 kilometres of the Discovery Bay Coastal Park. The Glenelg Estuary and Discovery Bay site meets five of the required Ramsar criteria by supporting unique wetlands, providing habitat for 95 birds, including 24 species that fly as far away as Russia and China, supporting threatened plants and animal species, along with supporting spawning grounds and nurseries for fish including black bream and estuary perch.
CEO Kevin Wood said ‘Glenelg Hopkins is extremely happy the Victorian Government has endorsed this nomination as it places those wetlands and the region into the international spotlight. It has been a long process and the relationships formed between the community and agencies, Parks Victoria, Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, DELWP and Nelson Coastcare, have been instrumental to the success of this project.’
Nelson Coastcare initially proposed the Glenelg Estuary and Long Swamp at Discovery Bay be listed under the Ramsar Convention and approached Glenelg Hopkins CMA. Leila Huebner, Nelson Coastcare conveynor said ‘This endorsement from the Minister for Water and Victorian Government is wonderful. I am overjoyed and have a great satisfaction that all the efforts of the Nelson community, the support from government agencies such as Glenelg Hopkins CMA and Parks Victoria, have led to recognition of such a unique site’.