Biodiversity and Water

Did you know Australia has around one million different animals and plants, most of which are found nowhere else in the world?

Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, is the variety of all living things; the different plants, animals and micro organisms, the genetic information they contain and the ecosystems they form. Biodiversity is usually explored at three levels - genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. These three levels work together to create the complexity of life on Earth.

Biodiversity and Water at UWS

Here are some examples of how UWS celebrates and acknowledges biodiversity as an integral element of sustainability at the University.

Sustainable Biodiversity on Campus

This clip highlights some of the research activities being carried out in wetlands at UWS Hawkesbury by Professor Shelley Burgin.

UWS Hawkesbury Wetland Project

Spanning 40 years, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Australia has been a member country since 1975, with 65 sites covering over 7,510,177 hectares.
 
UWS is committed to the sustainability and preservation of wetlands, and is fortunate enough to have three unique forested wetlands that form part of a critically endangered ecological community on its Hawkesbury campus. Capital Works and Facilities (CWF) and the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority (H-N CMA) have formed a collaborative project aimed at improving the condition of three wetlands over the next three years. These wetlands cover approximately 30 hectares and offer a unique regeneration opportunity due to the large size of the remnants with relatively few disturbances and in most places an unmodified soil profile. Although all zones offer excellent regeneration potential there are significant weed issues within and surrounding the contract areas. For more information on the UWS Wetlands project please contact Dr Lyn Anderson at Capital Works and Facilities.

UWS Wetland 2 Before Photo Point 7 
Click on the thumbnail above to view Before/After restoration project images

Celebrate World Wetland Day in February. For more information about the Ramsar Convention please visit the Ramsar website (opens in a new window) for more information about World Wetlands Day and how you can contribute.

Hawkesbury River Waterkeeper

The University of Western Sydney, TAFE NSW Western Sydney Institute (opens in a new window) and the Hawkesbury Environment Network (HEN) (opens in a new window) have entered into a unique partnership to work together to protect the health and vitality of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River. For more information, please see Hawkesbury River Waterkeeper.

Landcare and Bushcare Groups

Want to learn more about bush regeneration and weed removal? UWS have three active Landcare and Bushcare groups at Hawkesbury, Kingswood and Bankstown campuses. Contact the Office of Sustainability via sustainability@uws.edu.au for more information on how to join.