Botany Bay and Catchment Alliance

The loss  of sea-grass   is a global problem,

Botany Bay and its river system is just one example,

It needs immediate attention to prevent its demise.

Mixed seagrass bed in Sydney Harbour – Posidonia, Zostera and Halophila. Seagrass beds are an important fish habitat. They also help to maintain water quality and sediment stability. Photo by Jack Hannan.

Ecological significance

Seagrass stabilises the substratum as well as providing shelter and a substrate for many organisms. Where the habitat is well developed the leaves may be colonised by diatoms and algae, as well as stalked jellyfish and anemones. The infauna is generally similar to species occurring in shallow areas in a variety of substrata (e.g. amphipods, polychaete worms, bivalves and echinoderms), and can be rich within the bed. The shelter provided by seagrass beds makes them important nursery areas for flatfish and, in some areas, for cephalopods. The diversity of the species will depend on environmental factors such as exposure and density of the microhabitat, but it is potentially highest in the perennial, fully marine, sub-tidal communities and may be lowest in intertidal, estuarine, annual beds (Anon, 2000).

Zostera was considered to have an ‘intermediate’ sensitivity to other factors such as contamination (more…)

Meet at 7pm at Botany Golf Club, Botany Road, Botany.

BBACA are celebrating Buy Nothing Day on 26th November at Penrhyn Estuary from 8-10am.

Sydney Ports are holding an Open Day to discuss the Port Expansion ‘enhancements’. It is at Botany Town Hall 25th November 11-2pm. You can make a morning of it as the Cumberland Bird Observers Club are on a field trip to Penrhyn Estuary the same day – starting 9am.

BBACA has declined involvement with the Port Expansion Community Consultation Committee. Read the Letter to Robert Ryan for a full explanation.

BBACA has written to Frank Sartor explaining why the current community consultation arrangements for planning are unacceptable.

Read the full Letter to Frank Sartor

Read the Newsletter from Residents Against Polluting Stakes, August 2006

Read the Newsletter from Residents Against Polluting Stakes, June 2006 #2

Read the Newsletter from Residents Against Polluting Stakes, June 2006 #1

Dioxin emissions in southern Sydney have led to the shutdown of a new ground water treatment plant at Botany.
The Department of Environment and Conservation has asked Orica to close down the plant until it can prove that it can meet the plant’s air emission standards.
Orica’s testing has revealed that dioxin emissions have breached the standards twice.
The company, which used to be ICI chemicals, was ordered to clean up a plume of contaminated ground water which was heading for Botany Bay, after it failed to honour a voluntary clean-up agreement.

The plant began operating late last year.