When we think about healthy wetlands, we often picture dynamic estuaries, vibrant mangrove forests and vast floodplain ecosystems teeming with life. But the story starts far upstream, in our humble riparian zones, the strips of vegetation that run alongside our creeks and rivers, following our catchments all the way to the coast.

Riparian zones are ecological powerhouses. They filter sediments, absorb nutrients and slow down runoff before it reaches our rivers, wetlands and estuaries. Healthy riparian buffers protect from erosion, provide shade that keeps water cool for fish, and offer critical habitat for birds, amphibians and insects. They are the living green bridges connecting land to sea.

Unfortunately, these vital zones are under constant pressure in NSW. Since 2012, changes to land-clearing rules and water management have created a patchwork of exemptions and loopholes that allow clearing, grazing and development up to the water’s edge, often with little to no oversight. This weakening of regulations continues to undermine previous legislation that better protected these vital ecosystems. 

As a result, riverbanks are collapsing, muddy runoff chokes fish habitat, and nutrient loads fuel algal blooms that suffocate wetlands downstream and result in increasingly frequent and devastating fish kills. This loss of healthy riparian corridors is having profound impacts on communities and nature alike.

If we’re serious about protecting our coastal wetlands and fisheries, we must start at the source. That means bringing back strong riparian zone protections, closing loopholes that prioritise development over conservation, and supporting landholders to fence, revegetate and manage these green buffers as the vital ecosystem assets they are.

Words by Asey Bremner.

When you reach for fresh fruit and vegetables in the supermarket, you expect them to be safe. But too many are grown using toxic chemicals that are linked to cancer, infertility, developmental disorders in children, and degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. These chemicals don’t just stay on the produce — they often leach into soils, rivers, drinking water and wetlands. They’re threatening our health and our natural ecosystems. 

In areas like Hearnes Lake, near Woolgoolga in NSW, water tests have revealed a cocktail of more than a dozen toxic chemicals illegally running off horticultural farms into neighbouring conservation lands and homes.  

When our team visited Hearnes Lake, there were no insects, no fish — just a lone, dying egret. A public conservation zone had been muted into near-dead. 

Locals gather to make a human ‘SOS’ sign at pesticide-poisoned Hearnes Lake, Woolgoolga.

Click here to watch our video from our visit to Hearnes Lake in 2024.

From inland cotton regions to oyster farms on the South Coast — communities across NSW are being impacted by pesticide drift, chemical seepage into water tanks and soil contamination. The people most at risk include children, farm workers and neighbours who have no say in what’s sprayed next door. 

Now there’s a further warning sign: the regulator Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has suspended the use of dimethoate in berries — meaning growers must now wait 14 days between spraying and harvesting due to concerns about safe exposure limits. 

While most developments in NSW require public consultation and environmental assessments, intensive horticulture does not. Local councils, environment groups and neighbors are unable to have a say - even when their water, air and health are on the line. 

In 2024, Nambucca Valley locals tried to change that, successfully advocating for a common-sense solution accepted by their local council: require development applications (DAs) for large horticultural operations, so they can mandate protective measures like buffer zones and give locals a voice. Yet, the NSW Government rejected the request. 

We deserve better. We deserve clean water, safely produced food, and protection from known carcinogens.

18^th March 2025 

The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC), the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, has called for vital state government reform in response to ongoing mass fish deaths on the NSW North Coast. 

The unnatural frequency of fish kill events in North Coast rivers is caused by the loss of floodplain wetlands, but government regulations are directing wetland restoration investment away from our state. 

“We know restoring wetlands like the Tuckean, where water has become as acidic as lemon juice, would reduce these mass mortality events after high rainfall,” said NCC’s Coastal Wetlands Campaigner, Sam Johnson.

“Unfortunately, approvals for wetland restoration in NSW can take years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, making many great projects unviable.” 

Statements attributable to Sam Johnson, NCC’s Coastal Wetlands Campaigner: 

“For the second time in three years, North Coast communities are witnessing thousands of dead or dying fish lining their riverbanks. 

“The sight of gasping fish fighting to escape the river is horrific, especially for flood-affected communities who’ve experienced similar events so recently. 

“Unfortunately, mass deaths are likely to continue for a number of days, and the worst may be yet to come. 

“This is terrible news not only for the environment, but also primary industries who will once again be forced to confront the viability of their businesses. 

“We know blackwater and acid runoff are the likely culprit, a result of past draining and clearing of wetland habitats. 

“High rainfall events and toxic runoff will increase with climate change, so we must act now to restore our wetlands. 

“The state government should respond to these ongoing fish kills by prioritising the creation of a nature restoration SEPP (State Environment Planning Policy). 

“The Minister for Water, Rose Jackson, can act right now by amending the Water Management Regulation to reduce red tape for wetland restoration. 

“The NSW Government can make simple, targeted amendments to regulations, to reduce the frequency of these events.” 

ENDS 

Media contact: Anna Greer  
E: [email protected] M: 0493 733 529 PH: (02) 7208 9482   
 
Note: Spokespeople are available for comment on request.

Earlier this month, we celebrated World Wetlands Day, which this year presented the theme of 'protecting wetlands for our common future'. This annual celebration has been taking place since 1971, marking the signing of the Ramsar convention (the world's first international environmental agreement), which aims to protect and conserve these crucial ecosystems of global significance.

To mark the occasion, we produced a short video specifically looking at ecosystems that often don't get the attention and admiration that they deserve - urban wetlands. From Alexandria to Annandale, Sydney is filled with these valuable little pocket wetlands, which often go completely unnoticed. If you live in a city, take the time to get to know your local wetland - it's likely doing more to improve your local community and urban environment than you realised.

Click here to watch our urban wetlands video on Facebook.

In November, NCC's Coastal Wetlands Campaign team crossed the border to attend the Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network's 2024 annual conference, at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. The network's 17th annual national meeting was a fascinating multi-day experience that highlighted everything from niche saltmarsh ecology, to beautiful artistic interpretations of mangrove ecosystems. We came away with invaluable new knowledge and connections that will undoubtedly boost our efforts in building a movement for coastal wetlands in New South Wales.

We were also privileged to deliver a presentation at the conference, discussing our campaign and highlighting examples of community conservation and restoration projects we've encountered on NSW's North Coast, the power of grassroots community organising in this space, and the many legislative barriers that are stifling the much-needed efforts to bring back our wetlands in NSW.

A personal highlight for me was the conference field day - there were three equally fascinating options for site-visits, but I ultimately chose to visit Sunshine Coast Council's Blue Heart Project site on Kabi Kabi Country. This site has been on our radar for some time, as it's Australia's first blue carbon project that the Clean Energy Regulator has approved to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Coincidentally, Australia's second registered blue carbon project, in South Australia, was announced a few days prior to our site visit.

To see this site first hand, talk to the project managers, and meet Kabi Kabi representatives who have been integral to the project's success, was an incredible experience. More than anything, it was a strong reminder that the people of New South Wales are really missing out, big time - our legislation is simply not fit for purpose, making coastal restoration projects like these near impossible in many instances. We need our policymakers to prioritise nature restoration, and ensure NSW can be a world leader in the blue carbon space. If you want to join us in pressuring the NSW Government to prioritise these reforms, sign up to our mailing list here or shoot us an email - together, we can bring back our wetlands.

Residents of NSW’s North Coast know better than most the importance of healthy coastal wetlands and rivers. They’ve seen what happens when they’re destroyed, from water as acidic as lemon juice, to mass fish kills along riverbanks and beaches. 

That’s why in September, NCC’s coastal wetlands team travelled to the region to see these waterways and learn from communities in person. 

Over a week, we visited over a dozen sites alongside local wetland legends, ranging from Traditional Owners and fishers to bush regenerators and environmental scientists.  

We saw first-hand the impacts of waterway mismanagement, including lagoons poisoned by pesticide runoff, rivers acidified by floodplain drainage infrastructure, and struggling ecosystems where First Nations people have been denied access to care for Country.  

But, everywhere we looked, communities were selflessly working to help their local wetlands. We visited saltmarsh and mangrove restoration projects, riparian corridors freed from suffocating weeds by Traditional Owners, artists changing public perceptions of wetlands, and even a flourishing rehabilitated wetland in what was previously the most heavy metal-contaminated site in NSW.

Forming these valuable connections during our trip has further energized us in pursuing our goal to build a powerful grassroots movement for coastal wetlands in NSW. We have a huge task ahead of us, but we’re confident we can make a difference with your support. 

Grassroots environmentalists have the local knowledge and the commitment to seeing nature in their communities thrive. And we have the connections to decision-makers to be able to secure positive and lasting change within government policy and legislation. When we come together, we have what it takes to win. Trips like these are the foundational work needed for mobilising grassroots campaigns into a powerful political force. And it is a core part of the way NCC creates positive change for nature. Real power comes when communities are empowered to advocate for their patch within the halls of government. Our strongest campaigns are those with a range of voices all advocating for the same thing. This is the beginning of NCC forming a united front, fighting for our wetlands where the decisions are made.

Wetlands are critical habitat for countless species, they protect communities from extreme weather, and they are the world's foremost carbon sink. With your help we can secure the political and policy change needed so wetlands can be restored across the state and play their vital role for ecological and community health.

Stay tuned to our social media pages as we share some of the many coastal wetland community stories we recorded in the North Coast over the coming months.

I’m Sam, the Coastal Wetlands Community Organiser at NCC.  

Yesterday was World Mangrove Day, and I’ve just come back from visiting the beautiful Badu Mangroves in Sydney’s Olympic Park. 

Only a few decades ago, this site was really struggling, choking on toxic chemicals and pollution from nearby industry. The restored healthy mangroves there today prove that nature really can thrive in the most unlikely places, if we just give it a little space. 

Badu Mangroves are an example of what’s possible when we commit to the restoration and regeneration of nature. Now, it’s providing a haven for wildlife amidst the urban sprawl, including threatened species and migratory shorebirds. 

Wetlands such as mangroves are biodiversity hotspots. They protect us from storm surges and erosion, they filter and clean water, they store more carbon than any other eco-system and they are critical in protecting our communities from climate disasters like flooding and sea level rise.

And yet NSW has lost the majority of our wetlands since colonisation began. Some coastal wetlands in NSW are in such bad shape that their water has become more acidic than vinegar. 

These forgotten climate heroes have been drained, filled, cleared, neglected and destroyed for too long. That’s why we have a plan to turn the tide for wetlands.

Our coastal wetlands campaign is working on tackling the barriers to wetland restoration so that NSW's wetlands can take their rightful place as the ultimate nature-based climate superheroes.

Learn more about and support our campaign to protect and restore coastal wetlands.

We want everyone to know how important, amazing and essential wetlands are for our planet. 

10 February 2024

Wetlands store over a quarter of the world's organic carbon. Credit Henry Gold

Wetlands have also been at the forefront of the conservation movement – the 1971 Ramsar Convention was the first modern treaty to conserve nature.  

Ramsar wetlands are now the largest network of protected areas in the world. They cover 2,400 locations protected across 2.5 million square kilometres in 172 countries.

Australia has played a leading role as one of the seven founding Ramsar signatories and the first country to designate a Ramsar protected wetland. 

 The Cobourg Peninsula was the world's first Ramsar listed wetland. 

The 67 Ramsar sites that cover 8.3 million hectares of Country are subject to some of the strictest legal protections in Australia. These areas provide havens and breeding grounds for countless plants and animals, including the 2 million migratory birds that journey from Alaska and Siberia to nest and feed. 

Despite these heroic conservation efforts, wetlands remain some of the fastest disappearing ecosystems in the world – over 90% have been degraded or destroyed since the Industrial Revolution. 

The pied oystercatcher is just one species being driven to extinction by the destruction of our wetlands.

Wetlands in NSW face a barrage of threats, including climate change, inappropriate development, overfishing and disturbance from agriculture, mining and invasive species.  

The laws that are meant to protect wetlands are failing, continuing their decline in health and extent.

Meanwhile, developers are raking in record profits building on floodplains and contributing to the destruction of the mangrove forests and fish nurseries that must be better protected.  

Development in South West Rocks butting up against Salwater Lagoon. Credit: Calumn Hockey

We mark World Wetlands Day by restating our commitment to ensure state and federal governments uphold their legal and moral obligations to protect our wetlands. As the RAMSAR Convention states, wetlands are vital to human survival.  

You can find out more and support our campaign to protect our wetlands here. 

With so many of these precious ecosystems already destroyed, we cannot afford the new wave of destruction that is upon us. 

We will be doing everything we can, and invite you to join us at this critical juncture.