World Wetlands Day on Sunday 2 February is a great chance to stop and reflect on the magnificent Gippsland Lakes – renowned internationally for their beauty and importance – and the great programs happening to keep them healthy.
Home to the smallest of fish through to the largest of birds, Gippsland Lakes on Gunaikurnai Country covers 60,000 hectares and are home to around 400 indigenous plants, 300 native wildlife species and are recognised as a feeding ground for migratory birds that travel from as far away as Siberia. That is why they are one of 67 wetlands in Australia listed under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).
“This year’s theme of protecting wetlands for our common future – value, protect and inspire could not be more relevant to the Love Our Lakes program,” said Bec Hemming, CEO of East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.
“Positive results from initiatives over the past three years include increases in saltmarsh, supporting breeding of threatened species such as fish, frogs and beach nesting birds through habitat protection and installation of seagrass friendly moorings to protect seagrass.”
In Macleods Morass last week, 1,000 native Dwarf Galaxias were released bringing the total of these endangered native fish returned to the wetland to 3,500 over the past three years. This was done as part of the Love Our Lakes ‘Improving the wetlands of Jones Bay and Lake King’ project that aims to improve environmental conditions and habitat for native fauna in the fringing wetlands and shorelines of Jones Bay and Lake King.
The fish were bred by Chris Lemin, who specialises in growing native fish species at Middle Creek Farm, and released into several key identified areas of the freshwater morass that is part of the Gippsland Lakes Ramsar wetland. Just five centimetres long, Dwarf Galaxias are listed as Vulnerable at a national level and were upgraded to Endangered in Victoria in 2021. This includes the eastern populations of the fish in the Gippsland Lakes.
Project partners include East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Greening Australia, Parks Victoria and Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.
“We all depend on the health of the Lakes to help reduce the effects of climate change, to filter the waterways, control floods and protect from natural disasters such as storm surges, flood and drought,” explained Ms Hemming.
“We are proud to be playing our part in protecting and celebrating the health of this world renowned wetland. Happy World Wetlands Day,” Ms Hemming concluded.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February. The commemoration raises awareness and increases people’s understanding of the critical importance of wetlands. In every corner of the world, human beings have depended on wetlands for centuries – drawing sustenance, inspiration and resilience from these important environments.
This program was funded as part of the Victorian Government’s $248 million investment over four years (2020-2024) to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria and made possible through $7.5 million to support the Gippsland Lakes Coordinating Committee and deliver onground works and community engagement.