Towra Point Nature Reserve is a nature reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

 of 603.3 hectares (1,490.8 acre) in southern Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is located on the southern shores of Botany Bay

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...

 at Kurnell

Kurnell, New South Wales

Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....

, within the Sutherland Shire

Sutherland Shire

The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...

. It is a Ramsar site (or wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

 of international importance), as it is an important breeding ground for many vulnerable, protected, or endangered species. There is also a Towra Point Aquatic Nature Reserve in the surrounding waterways.

History

Kurnell was inhabited by the Dharawal people, and there are three midden

Midden

A midden, is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics , and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation...

s and one relic that still remain today at the Towra Point Nature Reserve. Captain Cook mapped Botany Bay

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...

 when he landed in 1770, including Towra Point. Early European colonisers ran horses and cattle on Towra Point, despite the poor condition of the land for such a purpose. In 1861, Thomas Holt bought Towra Point, and divided it into paddocks for grazing or growing corn. Sheep grazing was particularly disastrous, and many thousands of sheep died of footrot and are buried at Towra Point. In the late 1870s, Thomas Holt began oyster farming at Weeney Bay in Towra Point. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, a radar station was established, and a causeway built.

In the 1960s, movements were made to preserve Towra Point - Tom Uren

Tom Uren

Thomas Uren, AO was a Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party. He helped establish the heritage and conservation movement in Australia and, in particular, worked to preserve the heritage of inner Sydney.-Early life:...

, the then Federal Minister for Urban Affairs, was instrumental in this process.
The reserve was bought by the Commonwealth

Commonwealth

Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...

 in 1975, attempting to fulfill obligations to JAMBA

Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement

The Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement is a treaty between Australia and Japan to minimise harm to the major areas used by birds which migrate between the two countries. Towra Point Nature Reserve plays a role in the agreement, being an area in Australia used by migratory birds...

, which would come into force in April 1981. In 1982, Towra Point was officially made a nature reserve. It was declared a Ramsar site (or wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

 of international importance) in 1984. In 1987, the Towra Point Aquatic Nature Reserve was created, covering 1400 ha in the waterways surrounding Towra Point. Towra Point Nature Reserve also attempts to meet the Federal government's obligations to CAMBA

Camba

"Camba" is a word long used in Bolivia to refer to the indigenous population in the western tropical region of the country, or to those born in the area of Santa Cruz, Beni, and Pando ....

, which came into force in 1988. The Friends of Towra Point volunteer group was founded in February 1997 and they do such activities as bush regeneration, seed collection, vegetation surveys and habitat creation for the Little Tern

Little Tern

The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...

. They also coordinate the annual Clean Up Australia Day activities at Towra Point. Habitat creation involves sandbagging the eroding Towra Lagoon, nest tagging, and clearing areas around nests.

Habitats

Towra Point, atop an ancient river delta

River delta

A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...

 deposit, has many distinct habitats

Habitat (ecology)

A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...

 - these diverse habitats are part of why Towra Point is a Ramsar site. The habitats of the Reserve are:

• salt marsh
  Salt marsh
  A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
  
  es
• mangrove
  Mangrove
  Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
  
  s
• littoral
  Littoral
  The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
  
   rainforest
  Rainforest
  Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
  
  s
• turpentine
  Turpentine
  Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
  
   forest
  Forest
  A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
  
  s
• lagoon
  Lagoon
  A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
  
  s
• beach
  Beach
  A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
  
  es

Species

Towra Point Nature Reserve is home to many endangered, vulnerable, protected and exotic species. This list is from the National Parks and Wildlife Service

National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)

The National Parks and Wildlife Service is part of the Office of Environment and Heritage - the main government conservation agency in New South Wales, Australia....

 website - a comprehensive listing, including numbers, scientific names, and protection status, can be found at this link.

Birds

• Yellow Thornbill
  Yellow Thornbill
  The Yellow Thornbill, Acanthiza nana, is a passerine bird usually found in Australia.It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974....
  
  
• Brown Thornbill
  Brown Thornbill
  The Brown Thornbill, Acanthiza pusilla, is a passerine bird usually found in eastern and south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It can grow up to 10 cm long, and feeds on insects....
  
  
• Striated Fieldwren
  Striated Fieldwren
  The Striated Fieldwren or Calamanthus is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family, endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
  
  
• Chestnut-rumped Heathwren
  Chestnut-rumped Heathwren
  The Chestnut-rumped Heathwren is a species of bird in the Pardalotidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-Australia:...
  
  
• Mangrove Gerygone
  Mangrove Gerygone
  The Mangrove Gerygone is a species of bird in the Australian warbler family Acanthizidae. The species is also known as the Mangrove Warbler. The species is thought to form a superspecies with the closely related Fan-tailed Gerygone of Melanesia and the Australian Western Gerygone. There are three...
  
  
• Brown Gerygone
  Brown Gerygone
  The Brown Gerygone , previously known as the Brown Warbler, is a small passerine bird native to eastern coastal Australia. The upper parts of the Brown Gerygone are a deep olive-grey or olive-brown, while its face and underparts are a much paler grey, cream, or washed-out brown. The tail feathers...
  
  
• White-browed Scrubwren
  White-browed Scrubwren
  The White-browed Scrubwren is a passerine bird found in coastal areas of Australia. Placed in the family Pardalotidae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this has met with opposition and indeed is now known to be wrong; they rather belong to the independent family Acanthizidae.It is insectivorous and...
  
  
• Brown Goshawk
  Brown Goshawk
  The Brown Goshawk is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found in Australia and surrounding islands.- Description:...
  
  
• Grey Goshawk
  Grey Goshawk
  The Grey Goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae, the white morph of which is known as the White Goshawk, is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
  
  
• Swamp Harrier
  Swamp Harrier
  The Swamp Harrier also known as the Marsh Harrier, Australasian Harrier, Kāhu, Swamp-hawk or New Zealand Hawk is a large, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
  
  
• White-bellied Sea-Eagle
• Chestnut Teal
  Chestnut Teal
  The Chestnut Teal is a dabbling duck found in southern Australia. It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.-Description:The Chestnut Teal is darker and a slightly bigger bird than the Grey Teal....
  
  
• Australasian Shoveler
  Australasian Shoveler
  The Australasian Shoveler is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Anas. It ranges from 46–53 cm. It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974...
  
  
• Black Swan
  Black Swan
  The Black Swan is a large waterbird, a species of swan, which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. The species was hunted to extinction in New Zealand, but later reintroduced. Within Australia they are nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon climatic...
  
  
• Australian Shelduck
  Australian Shelduck
  The Australian Shelduck, Tadorna tadornoides, is a shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. The Anatidae article should be referred to for an overview of this group of birds.This is a bird which breeds...
  
  
• Oriental Darter
  Oriental Darter
  The Oriental Darter or Indian Darter , sometimes called Snakebird, is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia.-Taxonomy:...
  
  
• Great Egret
  Great Egret
  The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
  
  
• Cattle Egret
  Cattle Egret
  The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
  
  
• Intermediate Egret
  Intermediate Egret
  The Intermediate Egret, Median Egret, or Yellow-billed Egret is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeder from east Africa across tropical southern Asia to Australia. It often nests in colonies with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs...
  
  
• Little Egret
  Little Egret
  The Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
  
  
• White-faced Heron
  White-faced Heron
  The White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, also known as the White-fronted Heron, and incorrectly as the Grey Heron, or Blue Crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the Subantarctic, and...
  
  
• Eastern Reef Egret
  Eastern Reef Egret
  The Eastern Reef Heron , also known as the Pacific Reef Egret or Eastern Reef Egret, is a kind of heron. They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.Pacific Reef Herons are medium-sized...
  
  
• Grey Butcherbird
  Grey Butcherbird
  The Grey Butcherbird is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. The Grey Butcherbird occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It has a characteristic "rollicking" birdsong...
  
  
• Pied Currawong
  Pied Currawong
  The Pied Currawong is a medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie of the family Artamidae. Six subspecies are recognised...
  
  
• Bush Stone-curlew
  Bush Stone-curlew
  The Bush Stone-curlew or Bush Thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia...
  
  
• Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
  Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike
  The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is a common omnivorous passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It has a protected status in Australia, under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974....
  
  
• Double-banded Plover
  Double-banded Plover
  The Double-banded Plover , known as the Banded Dotterel in New Zealand, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. It lives in beaches, mud flats, grasslands and on bare ground...
  
  
• Greater Sand Plover
  Greater Sand Plover
  The Greater Sand Plover, Charadrius leschenaultii, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as "Greater sandplover", but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is "Greater sand plover"....
  
  
• Pacific Golden Plover
  Pacific Golden Plover
  The Pacific Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.The 23–26 cm long breeding adult is spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Its face and neck are black with a white border and it has a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black...
  
  
• Grey Plover
  Grey Plover
  The Grey Plover , known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America, is a medium-sized plover breeding in arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding....
  
  
• White-throated Treecreeper
  White-throated Treecreeper
  The White-throated Treecreeper is an Australian treecreeper found in the forests of eastern Australia. It is unrelated to the northern hemisphere treecreepers. It is a small passerine bird with predominantly brown and white plumage and measuring some 15 cm long on average. It is...
  
  
• Bar-shouldered Dove
  Bar-shouldered Dove
  The Bar-shouldered Dove is native to Australia.It is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. It is a medium sized pigeon varying in size from 26 to 30 centimetres...
  
  
• Dollarbird
  Dollarbird
  The Oriental Dollarbird , also known as the Dollar Roller, is a bird of the roller family, so named because of the distinctive blue coin-shaped spots on its wings....
  
  
• Australian Raven
  Australian Raven
  The Australian Raven is the largest Australian member of the genus Corvus and one of three Australian species commonly known as ravens. It is a more slender bird than the Common Raven of the Northern Hemisphere but is otherwise similar...
  
  
• Fan-tailed Cuckoo
  Fan-tailed Cuckoo
  The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.-Habitat:...
  
  
• Shining Bronze Cuckoo
• Spangled Drongo
  Spangled Drongo
  The Spangled Drongo is a bird of the family Dicruridae.The Spangled Drongo is the only Drongo to be found in Australia...
  
  
• Leaden Flycatcher
  Leaden Flycatcher
  The Leaden Flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae. Around 15 cm in length, the male is a shiny lead-grey with white underparts, while the female has grey upperparts and a rufous throat and breast. It is found in eastern and northern Australia, Indonesia, and...
  
  
• Grey Fantail
  Grey Fantail
  The Grey Fantail is a small insectivorous bird. A common fantail found in Australia , New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia...
  
  
• Willie Wagtail
  Willie Wagtail
  The Willie Wagtail is a passerine bird native to Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago, and eastern Indonesia. It is a common and familiar bird throughout much of its range, living in most habitats apart from thick forest...
  
  
• Red-browed Finch
  Red-browed Finch
  The Red-browed Finch Neochmia temporalis is an estrildid finch that inhabits the east coast of Australia. This species is also been introduced to French Polynesia for breeding. It is commonly found in temperate forest and dry savanna habitats...
  
  
• Australian Hobby
  Australian Hobby
  The Australian Hobby or Little Falcon is a falcon found mainly in Australia. It is also a winter migrant to Indonesia and New Guinea...
  
  
• Peregrine Falcon
  Peregrine Falcon
  The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
  
  
• Sooty Oystercatcher
  Sooty Oystercatcher
  The Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries....
  
  
• Australian Pied Oystercatcher
• Sacred Kingfisher
  Sacred Kingfisher
  The Sacred Kingfisher is primarily a woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests, and river valleys of Australia, Lord Howe Is., Norfolk Is., New Guinea, N...
  
  
• Welcome Swallow
  Welcome Swallow
  The Welcome Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.It is a species native to Australia and nearby islands, but not until recently to New Zealand, which has been colonised in the last half century...
  
  
• Silver Gull
  Silver Gull
  The Silver Gull also known simply as "seagull" in Australia, is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly coastal areas. The South African Hartlaub's Gull and the New Zealand Red-billed Gull The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus...
  
  
• Little Tern
  Little Tern
  The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
  
  
• Crested Tern
• Caspian Tern
  Caspian Tern
  The Caspian Tern is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no subspecies accepted either...
  
  
• Arctic Tern
  Arctic Tern
  The Arctic Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America...
  
  
• Superb Fairy-wren
  Superb Fairy-wren
  The Superb Fairywren , also known as the Superb Blue-wren or colloquially as the Blue Wren, is a passerine bird of the Maluridae family, common and familiar across south-eastern Australia...
  
  
• Variegated Fairy-wren
  Variegated Fairy-wren
  The Variegated Fairywren is a fairywren that lives in diverse habitats spread across most of Australia. Four subspecies are recognised. Exhibiting a high degree of sexual dimorphism, the brightly coloured breeding male has chestnut shoulders and blue crown and ear coverts, while non-breeding...
  
  
• Southern Emu-wren
  Southern Emu-wren
  The Southern Emu-wren is a species of bird in the Maluridae family. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.-Taxonomy:...
  
  
• Eastern Spinebill
  Eastern Spinebill
  The Eastern Spinebill, Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris, is a species of honeyeater found in south-eastern Australia in forest and woodland areas, as well as gardens in urban areas of Sydney and Melbourne...
  
  
• Little Wattlebird
  Little Wattlebird
  The Little Wattlebird , also known as the Brush Wattlebird, is a honeyeater, a passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is found in coastal and sub-coastal south-eastern Australia.-Taxonomy:...
  
  
• White-fronted Chat
  White-fronted Chat
  The White-fronted Chat is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia, being found across southern Australia from Shark Bay in Western Australia around to the Queensland/New South Wales border.- References :* at NSW Govt Office of Environment and Heritage...
  
  
• Brown Honeyeater
  Brown Honeyeater
  The Brown Honeyeater is a honeyeater, a group of birds found mainly in Australia and New Guinea which have highly developed brush-tipped tongues adapted for nectar feeding...
  
  
• New Holland Honeyeater
  New Holland Honeyeater
  The New Holland Honeyeater is a honeyeater species found throughout southern Australia. It was among the first birds to be scientifically described in Australia, and was initially named Certhia novaehollandiae...
  
  
• Australian Pipit
• Eurasian Blackbird
• Grey Shrike-thrush
  Grey Shrike-thrush
  The Grey Shrikethrush or Grey Shrike-thrush , formerly commonly known as Grey Thrush, is one of the best-loved and most distinctive songbirds of Australasia. It is moderately common to common in most parts of Australia, but absent from the driest of the inland deserts...
  
  
• Rufous Whistler
  Rufous Whistler
  The Rufous Whistler is a species of whistler found in New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, and throughout Australia . Predominantly a reddish-brown and grey bird, it makes up for its subdued plumage with its song-making ability...
  
  
• Spotted Pardalote
  Spotted Pardalote
  The Spotted Pardalote is one of the smallest of all Australian birds at 8 to 10 cm in length, and one of the most colourful; it is sometimes known as the Diamondbird...
  
  
• Australian Pelican
  Australian Pelican
  The Australian Pelican is a large water bird, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant to New Zealand.-Taxonomy:...
  
  
• Eastern Yellow Robin
  Eastern Yellow Robin
  The Eastern Yellow Robin is an Australasian robin of coastal and sub-coastal eastern Australia. The extent of the Eastern Yellow Robin's residence is from the extreme southeast corner of South Australia through most of Victoria and the western half of New South Wales and north as far as Cooktown...
  
  
• Little Pied Cormorant
  Little Pied Cormorant
  The Little Pied Cormorant, Little Shag or Kawaupaka is a common Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and around the islands of the south-western Pacific and the sub-Antarctic...
  
  
• Pied Cormorant
  Pied Cormorant
  The Australia Pied Cormorant , Phalacrocorax varius, also known as the Pied Cormorant or Pied Shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand it is usually known either as the Pied Shag or by its Māori name of Karuhiruhi...
  
  
• Stubble Quail
  Stubble Quail
  The Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis is an Australian quail of the family Phasianidae. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the extinct New Zealand Quail. In this case, the latter species' name would have priority and the Stubble Quail would become Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis...
  
  
• Hoary-headed Grebe
  Hoary-headed Grebe
  The Hoary-headed Grebe, Poliocephalus poliocephalus, is a member of the grebe family found in Australia and, since 1975, New Zealand, where it is scarce....
  
  
• Blue-winged Parrot
  Blue-winged Parrot
  The Blue-winged Parrot, Neophema chrysostoma, also known as the Blue-banded Parakeet or Blue-banded Grass-parakeet, is a small parrot found in Tasmania and southeast Australia....
  
  
• Eastern Rosella
  Eastern Rosella
  The Eastern Rosella is a rosella native to southeast of the Australian continent and to Tasmania. It has been introduced to New Zealand where feral populations are found in the North Island and in the hills around Dunedin in the South Island.-Taxonomy:The Eastern Rosella was named by...
  
  
• Crimson Rosella
  Crimson Rosella
  The Crimson Rosella is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the Yellow...
  
  
• Red-whiskered Bulbul
  Red-whiskered Bulbul
  The Red-whiskered Bulbul is a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves...
  
  
• Lewin's Rail
  Lewin's Rail
  The Lewin's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
  
  
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
  Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
  The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Calidris acuminata is a small wader.- Taxonomy :More recently, a review of new data has indicated that this bird should perhaps better be placed into the genus Philomachus- as P...
  
  
• Curlew Sandpiper
  Curlew Sandpiper
  The Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
  
  
• Great Knot
  Great Knot
  The Great Knot, Calidris tenuirostris, is a small wader. It is the largest of the calidrid species.Their breeding habitat is tundra in northeast Siberia. They nest on the ground laying about four eggs in a ground scrape. They are strongly migratory wintering on coasts in southern Asia through to...
  
  
• Bar-tailed Godwit
  Bar-tailed Godwit
  The Bar-tailed Godwit is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World...
  
  
• Eastern Curlew
• Little Curlew
  Little Curlew
  The Little Curlew, Numenius minutus, is a wader in the large bird family Scolopacidae. It is a very small curlew, which breeds in the far north of Siberia. It is closely related to the North American Eskimo Curlew....
  
  
• Whimbrel
  Whimbrel
  The Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the mostwidespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland....
  
  
• Common Greenshank
• Common Starling
• Golden-headed Cisticola
  Golden-headed Cisticola
  The Golden-headed Cisticola Cisticola exilis, also known as the Bright-headed Cisticola, is a species of warbler found from India to Australia....
  
  
• Royal Spoonbill
  Royal Spoonbill
  The Royal Spoonbill, Platalea regia, also known as the Black-billed Spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia...
  
  
• Australian White Ibis
  Australian White Ibis
  The Australian White Ibis , is a wading bird of the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It is widespread across much of Australia...
  
  
• Painted Button-quail
• Silvereye
  Silvereye
  The Silvereye or Wax-eye is a very small passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji...
  
  
• Whistling Kite
  Whistling Kite
  The Whistling Kite is a medium-sized diurnal raptor found throughout Australia , New Caledonia and much of New Guinea . Also called the Whistling Eagle or Whistling Hawk, it is named for its loud whistling call, which it often gives in flight...
  
  
• Striated Heron
  Striated Heron
  The Striated Heron, Butorides striata, also known as Mangrove Heron, Little Heron or Green-backed Heron, is a small heron. Striated Herons are mostly non-migratory and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics from west Africa to...
  
  
• Australian Magpie
  Australian Magpie
  The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
  
  
• Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
  The Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests...
  
  
• Galah
  Galah
  The Galah , Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the Rose-breasted Cockatoo, Galah Cockatoo, Roseate Cockatoo or Pink and Grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia.It is endemic on the mainland and was...
  
  
• Masked Lapwing
  Masked Lapwing
  The Masked Lapwing , previously known as the Masked Plover and often called the Spur-winged Plover or just Plover in its native range, is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent...
  
  
• Mistletoebird
  Mistletoebird
  The Mistletoebird is a species of flowerpecker native to most of Australia , and also to the eastern Maluku Islands of Indonesia in the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea. They also must live where there are trees and shrubs, so that they can build their nests...
  
  
• Magpie-lark
  Magpie-lark
  The Magpie-lark is a conspicuous Australian bird of small to medium size, also known as the Mudlark in Victoria and Western Australia, the Murray Magpie in South Australia, and as the Peewee in New South Wales and Queensland...
  
  
• Restless Flycatcher
  Restless Flycatcher
  The Restless Flycatcher, Myiagra inquieta, is a passerine bird in the family Monarchidae.Also known colloquially as Scissors Grinder or Dishwasher on account of its unusual call, the Restless Flycatcher was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1802. Its specific epithet is derived from...
  
  
• Kookaburra
  Kookaburra
  Kookaburras are terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea. They are large to very large, with a total length of . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, and is onomatopoeic of its call...
  
  
• Kelp Gull
  Kelp Gull
  The Kelp Gull , also known as the Dominican Gull, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race L. d. vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate L. d...
  
  
• Yellow-faced Honeyeater
  Yellow-faced Honeyeater
  The Yellow-faced Honeyeater is a medium-small bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It takes both its common name and scientific name from the distinctive yellow stripes on the sides of its head. It has a loud clear call, and is one the first birds heard in the morning...
  
  
• Lewin's Honeyeater
  Lewin's Honeyeater
  The Lewin's Honeyeater, Meliphaga lewinii, is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear patch, pale yellow in colour.The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin....
  
  
• White-naped Honeyeater
  White-naped Honeyeater
  The White-naped Honeyeater Melithreptus lunatus is a passerine bird of the Honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to eastern Australia. Birds from southwestern Australia have been shown to be a distinct species, the Western White-naped Honeyeater, and the eastern birds more closely related to the...
  
  
• Olive-backed Oriole
  Olive-backed Oriole
  The Olive-backed Oriole is a very common medium-sized passerine bird native to northern and eastern Australia and New Guinea. The most wide-ranging of the Australasian orioles, it is noisy and conspicuous. Not bright in colour, it is olive-backed with small dark streaks, with a light chest having...
  
  
• Golden Whistler
  Golden Whistler
  The Australian Golden Whistler is a species of bird found in forest, woodland, mallee, mangrove and scrub in Australia and in mountain forest in the Snow Mountains in the Papua Province of Indonesia. Most populations are resident, but some in south-eastern Australia migrate north during the winter...
  
  
• House Sparrow
  House Sparrow
  The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
  
  
• Rose Robin
  Rose Robin
  The Rose Robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae it is sexually dimorphic. The male has a distinctive pink breast. Its upperparts are dark grey with white frons, and its tail black with white tips. The underparts and shoulder are...
  
  
• Tawny Frogmouth
  Tawny Frogmouth
  The Tawny Frogmouth is an Australian species of frogmouth, a type of bird found throughout the Australian mainland, Tasmania and southern New Guinea. The Tawny Frogmouth is often mistaken to be an owl...
  
  
• Rainbow Lorikeet
  Rainbow Lorikeet
  The Rainbow Lorikeet, is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia , Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania...
  
  
• Southern Boobook
  Southern Boobook
  The Southern Boobook , also called the Mopoke, Morepork, Ruru or Tasmanian Spotted Owl, is a small brown owl found throughout New Zealand, Tasmania, across most of mainland Australia and in Timor, southern New Guinea and nearby islands.The bird has almost 20 alternative common names, most of which...
  
  
• Common Myna
  Common Myna
  The Common Myna or Indian Myna also sometimes spelled Mynah, is a member of family Sturnidae native to Asia. An omnivorous open woodland bird with a strong territorial instinct, the Myna has adapted extremely well to urban environments...
  
  
• Tawny Grassbird
  Tawny Grassbird
  The Tawny Grassbird is a songbird species of the grass- and bush-warbler family . It was formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage....
  
  
• Masked Owl
  Masked Owl
  The Australian Masked Owl is a barn owl of Southern New Guinea and the non-desert areas of Australia.-Taxonomy:Described subspecies of Tyto novaehollandiae include:* T. n. calabyi I.J. Mason, 1983,...
  
  

Amphibians

• Green and Golden Bell Frog
  Green and Golden Bell Frog
  The Green and Golden Bell Frog , also named the Green Bell Frog, Green and Golden Swamp Frog and Green Frog, is a ground-dwelling tree frog native to eastern Australia. Despite its classification and climbing abilities, it does not live in trees and spends almost all of its time close to ground level...
  
  
• Keferstein's Tree Frog
• Common Eastern Froglet
  Common Eastern Froglet
  The Common Eastern Froglet is a very common, Australian ground-dwelling frog, of the family Myobatrachidae.-Distribution:...
  
  
• Striped Marsh Frog
  Striped Marsh Frog
  The Striped Marsh Frog or Brown-striped Frog is a predominantly aquatic frog native to eastern Australia. It is distributed from North Queensland, through all of coastal New South Wales, Southern Victoria to eastern South Australia and Northern Tasmania.-Physical description:This frog reaches...
  
  

Mammals

• Dingo
  Dingo
  The Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
  
  
• Dog
  Dog
  The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
  
  
• Fox
  Fox
  Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
  
  
• Dugong
  Dugong
  The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
  
  
• Rabbit
  Rabbit
  Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
  
  
• House Mouse
  House mouse
  The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
  
  
• Brown Rat
  Brown Rat
  The brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat is one of the best known and most common rats....
  
  
• Black Rat
  Black Rat
  The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
  
  
• Cat
  Cat
  The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
  
  
• Common Brushtail Possum
  Common Brushtail Possum
  The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...
  
  
• Grey-headed Flying Fox
  Grey-headed Flying Fox
  The Grey-headed Flying-Fox, Pteropus poliocephalus, is a megabat native to Australia.Members of the genus Pteropus include the largest bats in the world. The Pteropus genus has currently about 57 recognised species....
  
  
• Lesser Long-eared Bat
  Lesser Long-eared Bat
  The Lesser Long-Eared Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in Australia.-Classification:...
  
  
• Greater Broad-nosed Bat
  Greater Broad-nosed Bat
  The Greater Broad-nosed Bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.-References:...
  
  
• Little Forest Bat
  Little Forest Bat
  The Little Forest Bat is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found only in South-eastern Australia including Tasmania....
  
  

Reptiles

• Jacky Lashtail
  Amphibolurus muricatus
  The Jacky Dragon, Amphibolurus muricatus, is a type of lizard native to Southeastern Australia. It was one of the first Australian reptiles to be named, originally described by English zoologist George Shaw in Surgeon-General White’s Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, which was published in...
  
  
• Eastern Snake-necked Turtle
• Red-Bellied Black Snake
  Red-bellied Black Snake
  The Red-bellied Black Snake, Pseudechis porphyriacus, is a species of elapid snake native to eastern Australia. Though its venom is capable of causing significant morbidity, it is not generally fatal and less venomous than other deadly Australian snakes. It is common in woodlands, forests and...
  
  
• Eastern Small-eyed Snake
• Black-bellied Swamp Snake
• Dark-flecked Garden Sunskink
• Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink
• Yellow-bellied Three-toed Skink
• Eastern Bluetongue

Plants

• Grey Mangrove
  Avicennia marina
  Avicennia marina, commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae...
  
  
• Swamp Oak
• Native Wandering Jew
• Tree Broom-heath
• Coffee Bush
• Wombat Berry
• Port Jackson Fig
  Port Jackson Fig
  Ficus rubiginosa, the Rusty Fig, Port Jackson Fig, or Little-leaf Fig, is a tree in the family Moraceae that is native to eastern Australia...
  
  /Rusty Fig
• Cockspur Thorn
• Muttonwood
  Muttonwood
  Muttonwood may refer to:*Myrsine species ; including:**Myrsine variabilis, Variable Muttonwood**Myrsine howittiana, Brush Muttonwood*Rapanea spp....
  
  
• Swamp Paperbark
  Melaleuca rhaphiophylla
  Melaleuca rhaphiophylla, or Swamp Paperbark, is a species of tree which is endemic to the South west region of Western Australia....
  
  
• Broad-leaved Paperbark
• Pixie Caps
• Inkweed
• Sweet Pittosporum
• Pampas Grass
  Pampas Grass
  Cortaderia selloana, commonly known as pampas grass, is a tall grass native to southern South America, including the pampas after which it is named, and Patagonia....
  
  
• Panic Veldtgrass
  Ehrharta erecta
  Ehrharta erecta is a species of grass also known as panic veldtgrass. The species is native to Southern Africa and Yemen. It is a documented invasive species in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, southern Europe, and China....
  
  
• Rambling Dock
• Coastal Banksia
• Tuckeroo
• Slender Grape
• Lantana
  Lantana
  Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes both...
  
  
• Nightshade
• Black-berry
• Wild Olive
• Samphire
  Samphire
  Samphire is a name given to a number of very different edible plants that happen to grow in coastal areas.*Rock samphire, Crithmum maritimum is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in the United Kingdom...
  
  

Positive effects

Humans can maximise the area of healthy, functioning intertidal wetland

Intertidal wetland

An intertidal wetland is a the area along a shoreline that is exposed to air at low tide and submerged at high tide. This type of wetland is defined by an intertidal zone and includes its own intertidal ecosystems.-Description:...

s by minimising their impacts and by developing management strategies that protect, and where possible rehabilitate these ecosystems at risk.

The following are positive ways of trying to protect or rehabilitate intertidal wetlands.

• Exclusion – Those responsible for the management of wetland areas often facilitate public access to a small, designated area while restricting access to other areas. Provision of defined boardwalks and walkways is a management strategy used to restrict access to vulnerable areas, as is the issuing of permits whilst visiting Towra Point Nature Reserve.
• Education – In the past, wetlands were regarded as waste-lands. Education campaigns have helped to change public perceptions and foster public support for the wetlands. Due to their location in the water catchment area
  Drainage basin
  A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
  
  , education programs need to teach about total catchment management programs. Educational programs include guided tours for the general public, school visits, media liaison, information centres, conference presentations, interpretive signage, publications and facts sheets. Staff should also include education officers.
• Action – too little is known about the intertidal wetland system to successfully reinstate all natural conditions. Management plans focus on the rehabilitation of the site and the removal of human-induced stresses. For example, fox
  Fox
  Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
  
   and rabbit
  Rabbit
  Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
  
   baiting, removal of weed
  Weed
  A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
  
  s (at Weedy Pond).
• Design – Design interventions have proved successful in minimising sources of natural stress. At Towra Point Beach, for example, there is a sandbag wall to help prevent salt water from leaking into the fresh-water Towra Lagoon.
• Legislation – Legislation
  Legislation
  Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
  
   and regulations are used to protect Towra Point Wetlands. Conventions that Australia has signed in regard to Towra Point Wetlands are the Ramsar Convention
  Ramsar Convention
  The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
  
  , the Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
  Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
  The Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement is a treaty between Australia and Japan to minimise harm to the major areas used by birds which migrate between the two countries. Towra Point Nature Reserve plays a role in the agreement, being an area in Australia used by migratory birds...
  
   (JAMBA) and the China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
  China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement
  The China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement is a treaty between Australia and China to minimise harm to the major areas used by migratory birds which migrate between the two countries. Towra Point Nature Reserve plays a role in the agreement, being an area in Australia used by migratory birds...
  
   (CAMBA). Legislation that Australia and New South Wales has passed in regard to Towra Point Wetlands are the Wetlands Policy (federal govt.), the New South Wales Wetlands Management Policy (state govt. 1996) and the State and Environmental Planning Policy 14 on Coastal Wetlands.

Negative effects

• Changed wind patterns due to high-rise near some wetland areas e.g. Bicentennial Park
  Bicentennial Park
  Bicentennial Park may refer to:In Australia:* Bicentennial Park, Homebush Bay in Sydney, New South Wales* Bicentennial Park, Rockdale in the Sydney suburb of Rockdale* Bicentennial Park South Football Stadium in the Sydney suburb of Rockdale...
  
  .
• Alteration of water flows through construction of roads.
• Removal of resources for urban and industrial land uses. These also increase turbidity and toxins in the water supplied to mangrove
  Mangrove
  Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
  
  s. (The removal can also result in changed energy flow
  Energy flow
  In ecology, energy flow, also called the calorific flow, refers to the flow of energy through a food chain. In an ecosystem, ecologists seek to quantify the relative importance of different component species and feeding relationships....
  
  s and nutrient cycle
  Nutrient cycle
  A nutrient cycle is the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter. The process is regulated by food web pathways that decompose matter into mineral nutrients. Nutrient cycles occur within ecosystems...
  
  s, affecting food chain
  Food chain
  A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
  
  s for both sedentary and migratory fauna)
• Replacement of wetland areas for parks, playing fields or pasture.
• Destruction of sea grasses in areas adjoining wetlands can affect energy flows and nutrient cycles as species levels will be affected.
• Introduction of exotic species e.g. foxes, rabbits, sheep, cattle
  Cattle
  Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
  
  , pig
  Pig
  A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
  
  s. – change energy flows and nutrient cycles. Birds are particularly affected, for example the Little Tern
  Little Tern
  The Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
  
  .
• Indirect influences from adjacent sites e.g. weed infestation (lantana – Towra Point) – carried into the wetlands by horses from the nearby stables.
• Trampling – from illegal access
• Threat of oil spills - Kurnell refinery near Towra Point
• Recreational horse-riding on the Reserve and unsupervised recreational use of the Reserve (e.g. dog walking)
• Boating - disturbs wildlife in the park, and creates pollution.
• Fishing - kills fish, which affects the food chain
  Food chain
  A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
  
  s operating within the Reserve.
• Erosion of Towra Beach due to wave refraction from the Sydney Airport runway which causes the freshwater Towra Point Lagoon to become saline
• Fragmentation of the Reserve by private land ownership
• Bay development in general, including the Sydney Airport
  Sydney Airport
  Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
  
   runway and the oil refinery. There have also been concerns that the recently shelved desalinisation plant
  Desalination
  Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
  
   would have impacted negatively on the Reserve.
• Illegal rubbish dumping has occurred both in the Reserve and near the entrance. In late 2004, a large amount of dumped asbestos
  Asbestos
  Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
  
   was discovered.
• Land Destabilisation due to extensive mining of the larger dunes on Towra Point during the twenieth century it has been suggested that if the site was ravaged by strong enough storms breaks in the point could occur and breach the gentle lagoons of Towra Point.

Traditional

The traditional objectives for the management of wetland areas were built around the use of wetland resources for food, shelter and tools. Grey Mangrove

Avicennia marina

Avicennia marina, commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae...

 wood, for example, was used to make shields, shells were made into fishing hooks; and marine animals were used for food.

Contemporary

• Identify management goals and objectives: Today management plans for wetlands focus on the preservation and sustainable use of sites for recreation
  Recreation
  Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
  
  , conservation
  Conservation biology
  Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
  
   and education
  Education
  Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
  
   purposes. This may involve some exclusion zone
  Exclusion zone
  An exclusion zone is an area that protesters are legally prohibited from protesting in.Exclusion zones often exist around seats of government and abortion clinics. As a result of protests by the Westboro Baptist Church at the funerals of soldiers killed in the Iraq War, 29 states and the US...
  
  s but many areas are open to recreational and educational activities.
• Define management unit and boundaries: The “management unit” for many intertidal wetlands is often difficult to define because of the large number of stakeholders. For example the Towra Point wetland has input from National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)
  National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)
  The National Parks and Wildlife Service is part of the Office of Environment and Heritage - the main government conservation agency in New South Wales, Australia....
  
  , NSW Fisheries, Sutherland Shire
  Sutherland Shire
  The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River...
  
  Council, Friends of Towra Point and recreational users.
• Develop and implement management plans: An intertidal wetland is a dynamic system. As our knowledge of ecosystems has increased community attitudes have changed. Communities are now demanding that these ecosystems are protected and effectively managed.

Care has been taken to develop management plans that are both realistic and flexible. They need to take into account scientific and technological advances, changing social and political attitudes and variations in the level of funding.
Management plans also need to be consistent with Australia’s international obligations (most pertinently JAMBA, CAMBA and RAMSAR).

External links

• Sutherland Shire Environment Centre - Towra Point (the virtual tour is excellent)
• National Parks
• Sydney University Excursion
• NSW Fisheries - Towra Point Aquatic Nature Reserve