Manly Dam’s Biodiversity

Biodiversity is indicated by the numbers of different species of plant and animal occurring in an environment. Each species has an important role to play which creates a healthier ecosystem. For e.g. Echidnas aerate the soil by digging, Blue-banded bees pollinate native plants, eucalyptus leaves provide food for possums and so forth.

Australia is considered one of the planet’s megadiverse countries with many endemic animals. Yet we have the worst record in the world for mammal extinction - 34. Australia’s plants aren’t faring any better. Currently 1,385 species of plants are listed as threatened under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC).

“Until we grapple with the ongoing problem of habitat destruction, and repair the damage done, the fate of Australia’s threatened wildlife will remain dire.”

— Australian Conservation Foundation

Resources from the Biodiversity survey: Reports & Maps

The Manly Dam Biodiversity Project is thus an attempt to document the species that are still thriving in this area and shine a spotlight on the amazing biodiversity it harbours.

As part of this project various ecologists have been involved in creating reports & mapping the region, below is a snapshot of those resources.

  • Overview Report by Joshua Lee

    Compilation of flora and fauna observations for Manly Warringah War Memorial State Park

    Download Report

    Download Species List - Flora

    Download Species List - Fauna

  • Report on Mammals & Birds by Dr. Brad Law

    Dr. Law believes that Manly Dam bushland is likely to support a diverse range of native mammals, but like many other areas of Australia, it may have already lost a number of these mammal species. As part of this study 38 Species of Mammals and 172 types of birds were recorded.

    Download Report

  • Reports on Reptiles by Arthur White & Greg Wallis

    According to Arthur White the Manly Dam catchment provides a range of habitats for reptiles and frogs. The survey he did, detected 10 species of frog and 26 species of reptiles. Greg Wallis’ report contains an even larger number of reptiles.

    For a bushland reserve surrounded by suburban development and main roads, this is an impressive diversity of herpetofauna.

    Download Report by Arthur White

    Download Report by Greg Wallis

  • Report on Invertebrates by Tanya Latty (& Termites by Nathan Lo)

    There are likely thousands of species present, however the report includes the observations (in bold) of the authors as well as observations collected from the ‘Manly Dam Biodiversity project’ on iNaturalist.

    Download Report on Invertebrates by Tanya Latty

    Download Report on Termites by Nathan Lo

  • Report on the Fish - Climbing Galaxias by Sonya Ku

    The fish species Galaxias Brevipinnis (aka Climbing Galaxias) is a local icon of Manly Warringah War Memorial Reserve. The species is considered rare elsewhere in Eastern Australia, hence the existence of a landlocked population within the reserve, unique within the Sydney Metropolitan area, reflects the overall conservation value of the reserve.

    Download Report

Advice from Experts: Management Actions

  • Dr Bradley Law, Principal Research Scientist, Forest Science Unit - NSW DPI

    The greatest threat to bird & mammal diversity is the loss of habitat through urban encroachment and decreased connectivity from changes to local infrastructure. Ground mammals in particular are vulnerable to decreases in connectivity due to their limited dispersal abilities.

    As human activity has such a disturbing effect on wildlife, dedicated “no-go” zones should be established and enforced. These areas should not be fenced or heavily sign-posted to discourage people who visit the reserve; instead, walking tracks roads and other potential access points should be diverted away from the area and vegetation barriers used to make entry difficult.

  • Dr. Arthur White, Environmentalist & Herpetologist

    The dilemma for land managers of bushland is to balance the competing demands of bushland reserves for passive recreation or physical activity. Decisions to remove native bushland to create lawns, picnic areas, viewing platforms, bike tracks or other infrastructure result in a change in the balance of habitats available for wildlife. Every time habitats are changed, some native species are disadvantaged.

    Many native animals are unable to hunt effectively if there is ongoing movement around them (such as bush walking, mountain biking) . This movement not only startles the prey (which may fly off or run away) but forces the predator to consider the source of movement (is this threat? Disturbance reduces feeding opportunities (as well as mating opportunities) and can be the main reason for species decline in urban reserves.

    Walking tracks, roads or other structures should not be located close to sensitive habitat areas.

Maps by Nick Skelton

“It is now widely recognized that climate change and biodiversity are interconnected. Biodiversity is affected by climate change, with negative consequences for human well-being, but biodiversity, through the ecosystem services it supports, also makes an important contribution to both climate-change mitigation and adaptation. Consequently, conserving and sustainably managing biodiversity is critical to addressing climate change”

— Convention on Biological Diversity