Swamped by threats

Local Land Services are addressing key threats to threatened upland swamps in order to:

• improve habitat
• protect endangered ecological communities (EEC)
• protect threatened species.

Project objectives

This project will protect and improve the upland swamps of the Newnes Plateau and Blue Mountains to help secure the threatened species that rely on them.  

The target species for this project include:

• Giant Dragonfly
• Blue Mountains Water Skink
• Deane's Boronia.

Project background

The uplands swamps of the Newnes Plateau and the Blue Mountains are unique landforms that began developing between 12,000-14,000 years ago. They are very fragmented and diverse in form and provide:

• specialised habitat for swamp-dependent plants and animals
• important environmental benefits like clean and healthy waterways.

The swamps of the Newnes Plateau and the Blue Mountains are known as Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone and are listed as an EEC under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.  

Only 3,000 hectares of this EEC remains, and it faces several threats to its long-term survival with several unique threatened species that rely on it, including the giant dragonfly and blue mountains water skink, also at risk of extinction.  

Threats include:  

• climate change
• loss of ground water resources
• storm water runoff
• changes to hydrology
• inappropriate access
• feral animals
• weed invasion
• fire.

Project delivery

Work will occur in priority swamps:

• on the Newnes Plateau near Lithgow
• in the Blue Mountains between Hazelbrook and Blackheath.

Work underway

Swamped by Threats will address threats and improve the condition of the swamps through activities such as:

• erosion control
• storm water management
• access management
• weed and pest animal control
• awareness raising for the public and other stakeholders
• volunteer involvement.

The project will improve our understanding of how the target species are tracking and the impact of threats to their long-term survival.

How to get involved

If you want to get involved in caring for our upland swamps, the giant dragonfly and blue mountains water skink, please contact Local Land Services. 

Funding and partnerships

This project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. The NSW Environmental Trust's Saving Our Species Partnership Grants Program has awarded $742,500 for the project.  An additional $1.1 million will be contributed by partner organisations over the 10 years.

Local Land Services’ partners include:

• NSW Environmental Trust
• Office of Environment and Heritage
• Forestry Corporation of NSW
• National Parks and Wildlife Service
• Lithgow and Oberon Landcare Association
• Blue Mountains City Council
• Lithgow City Council.