Plants and Animals of the Georges River

Vegetation

The Georges River flows through a very varied landscape from the almost fully urbanised lower coastal reaches through to the steep sided heavily wooded upper reaches near Appin.  Vegetation communities in the catchment are primarily influenced by the distribution of shale (Cumberland Plain) and sandstone (Woronora Plateau) geologies.  Many of these communities have been listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995), particularly those communities located on the Cumberland Plain.

The vegetation of the Georges River catchment can be grouped into the following categories based on their underlying soils:

Fauna

These different vegetation associations provide a wide range of habitats for native animals.  There are 352 species of fauna (both aquatic and terrestrial) recorded within the Georges River Catchment, many of which have been listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995).  The diversity and richness of fauna varies considerably from the coastal areas, to the urban fringes, to the relative wilderness of some of the upstream areas of the catchment.

Some species of note that have been found in surveys include Koala, Green and Golden Bell Frog, Turquoise Parrot, Squirrel Glider, Eastern Horseshoe-bat, and the Glossy Black-Cockatoo.

For more information on the terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity of the Georges River visit NSW Department of Planning.  The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service also have an online Atlas of NSW Wildlife that contains recorded sightings of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and endangered invertebrates in New South Wales.

Threatened Flora and Fauna of the Georges River Catchment

Within NSW there are two pieces of legislation governing the listing of species' as endangered.  The Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Additionally, the NSW Fisheries Act 1994 provides for the protection of aquatic habitats which includes Mangroves.

Flora

There are approximately 135 threatened plant species found in the Georges River catchment including the native Rice Flower (Pimelea spicata), a Geebung (Persoonia nutans), White Cynanchum (Cynanchum elegans), and the Sydney Plains Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis saxicola).

Endangered Ecological Communities

Several Endangered Ecological Communities (EEC's) are found in the Georges River Catchment.

• Agnes Banks Woodland
• Blue Gum High Forest
• Castlereagh Swamp Woodland
• Coastal Salt Marsh
• Cumberland Plain Woodland
• Mangroves
• Moist Shale Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
• O’Hares Creek Shale Forest
• Sandstone Transition Forest
• Shale Gravel Transition Forest
• Shale/Sandstone Transition Forest
• Southern Sydney sheltered Forest
• Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest
• Swamp sclerophyll Forest
• Sydney Coastal River Flat Forest
• Sydney Freshwater wetlands
• Sydney Turpentine–Ironbark Forest

Fauna

A large number of endangered animals can also be found within the Georges River Catchment.  Below is a list of most of the threatened fauna.