Senior Geography Project

State of the Prospect Creek (Carramar) Ecosystem

Manish Chandra, Year 11.

Primary research• Soil pH –6.5 • Temperature – 10 to 20 degrees Celsius today• Water temperature – 17 degrees Celsius • Topsoil depth – 3cm• Humidity – 75%• Ground cover – creek side is 90%• Vegetation height – 17m approx.• Canopy cover – near creek is 70%• Wind speed – 11 knots• http://wind.willyweather.com.au/nsw/greater-western-sydney/prospect-creek--lansdowne-bridge.html

live info statistics on rainfall, wind speed, humidity, swell, weather , temperature.

Primary research cont.

Native• Cockatoos• Lorikeets • Magpies• Kookaburras• Eucalypts

introduced• Dogs• Cats• Pine trees• Various fruit trees• Myna birds

Primary researchQuestionnaire Do you think there should be more bins on the paths?Do think the local council could do a better job in maintaining

the creek?What do you think about all the pollution in the creek?Do you think the Fairfield council is saving ecosystems?

Secondary research

http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/default.asp?iNavCatId=2181&iSubCatId=2194 - Creek Care program established in 2001 to keep the creeks in the Fairfield area unpolluted and maintained.

• ‘The core components of the Creek Care Program consist of two elements: bush regeneration and waterways litter control. Fairfield City Council has increased resource allocation and funding to more than $0.56 million in the 2005/2006 financial year to sustain these core components of the program.’ from the html.

• The long term aims of the Creek Care Program are to:• Create a beautiful environment for residents. • Create an environment where native plants are able to recolonise degraded/cleared areas • Extend creek lines to gradually link up sites to provide a continuous habitat corridor along entire waterways • Restore degraded areas as far as possible, to viable, manageable and sustainable ecosystems • Protect bushland from further external disturbance events and protect the site's special features (natural, geological,

landscape and cultural) • Preserve and enhance local and regional biodiversity • Enhance and extend habitat for native fauna • Maintain all sites as part of an on-going maintenance program • Balance revegetation strategies to ensure minimal impacts such as flooding and improve water quality suitable for a variety

of recreation uses, both passive and active.

Key Questions

• 1) Asses relationship between the native species and introduced species.

• 2) Explain impact of pollution on this ecosystem and on flora/fauna.

• 3) Discover the effect humans and their pets have on this ecosystem.

• 4) Analyse the management strategies Fairfield Council have adopted to combat pollution and human impact.

Pollution issues

• Littering in the park, ending up in the creek• Dumping of lawn clippings• Rubbish everywhere• Dumping waste creek side

Human impact

• Built a rugby and cricket field• Play sports and leave rubbish• Increased water flow, topography of land into

creek• Humans and their pets

Management strategies

• ‘bushland regeneration’ • ‘creek care’ • and individual common sense• More bins on the paths• Stricter penalties/fines

Photos