Restoring Long Swamp

Situated within a working grazing property, Long Swamp is far more than a quiet backwater. It is part of a much bigger story unfolding across the Murray-Darling Basin, one that is shaped by climate variability, upstream water use and the long journey water must make to reach the floodplains.

Through a funded conservation agreement with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, Long Swamp is protected and actively managed to help this vital wetland system persist through both dry times and floods.

Landholder Harry Jarratt entered into the conservation agreement in 2022, committing to the long-term protection of 1,177 hectares of this rare and valuable part of his working grazing property.

“We entered the conservation agreement to support our business through the diversification of incomes, as well as keeping the untouched river country along the Barwon protected for future generations,” Harry said.

Unlike wetlands in higher rainfall areas, western floodplain wetlands such as Long Swamp are defined by variability and according to Senior Regional Conservation Officer Ben Vincent, the natural wetting and drying cycle is an important feature of the ecosystem.

“Western wetlands are inherently boom-and-bust systems,” Ben said. “They can respond to both localised rainfall and upstream flood events, sometimes remaining dry for years, then transforming almost overnight when water arrives.”

During dry periods, saltbush or grasses dominate. When water returns, wetland herbs, forbs, and rushes germinate in distinct bands and wetland birds, reptiles and aquatic species return.

River red gums cling to billabongs and anabranches, surviving droughts like the severe 2019 event, while Coolabah and Black Box floodplain trees rely on occasional floods, sometimes decades apart, to regenerate from seed.

When floods do arrive they bring renewal. These flooding events are critical because they trigger natural regeneration and allow seedlings to establish, ensuring the next generation of floodplain woodland.

“While landholders can do a lot on-ground to improve vegetation condition, wetlands like Long Swamp are ultimately reliant on water making it downstream,” Ben said. “Big flood events, when the river spills across the floodplain, are what really drives these systems.”

On the ground, Long Swamp is benefiting from reduced and strategic grazing, stock-proof fencing, and pest control targeting feral pigs, foxes, cats, and goats. These actions support vegetation recovery and help wildlife return.

The wetland provides critical habitat for threatened species including critically endangered Coolibah–Black Box Woodland, white-bellied sea eagles, and barking owls, and even smaller plants like lignum which play vital roles in wetland ecosystems.

“We’re seeing wetland birds, reptiles, and aquatic species returning as the system starts functioning more like a healthy floodplain wetland,” Ben said.

At Long Swamp, conservation hasn’t replaced agriculture, it’s been woven into it.

“The work carried out in and around the conservation area fits well with our grazing business,” Harry said. “We use the same machinery and equipment, which makes it easier to manage both areas.”

He says the agreement has improved cash flow, supported investment in staff and equipment, and strengthened the long-term resilience of the property.

This floodplain wetlands is an example of how protection and enhancement through the BCT can aid in vegetation recovery, restoration and the return of wildlife.