Senior Geography Project

1. Senior Geography Project State of the Prospect Creek (Carramar) Ecosystem Manish Chandra, Year 11.

2. Primary research • Soil pH –6.5 • Temperature – 10 to 20 degrees Celsius today • Water temperature – 17 degrees Celsius • Topsoil depth – 3cm • Humidity – 75% • Ground cover – creek side is 90% • Vegetation height – 17m approx. • Canopy cover – near creek is 70% • Wind speed – 11 knots • http://wind.willyweather.com.au/nsw/greater-western-sydney/prospect-creek--lansdowne-bridge.html live info statistics on rainfall, wind speed, humidity, swell, weather , temperature.

3. Primary research cont. Native introduced Dogs Cats Pine trees Various fruit trees Myna birds • Cockatoos • Lorikeets • Magpies • Kookaburras • Eucalypts

4. Primary research Questionnaire Do you think there should be more bins on the paths? Do think the local council could do a better job in maintaining the creek? What do you think about all the pollution in the creek? Do you think the Fairfield council is saving ecosystems?

5. Secondary research http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/default.asp?iNavCatId=2181&iSubCatId=2194 - Creek Care program established in 2001 to keep the creeks in the Fairfield area unpolluted and maintained. • ‘The core components of the Creek Care Program consist of two elements: bush regeneration and waterways litter control. Fairfield City Council has increased resource allocation and funding to more than $0.56 million in the 2005/2006 financial year to sustain these core components of the program.’ from the html. • The long term aims of the Creek Care Program are to: • Create a beautiful environment for residents. • Create an environment where native plants are able to recolonise degraded/cleared areas • Extend creek lines to gradually link up sites to provide a continuous habitat corridor along entire waterways • Restore degraded areas as far as possible, to viable, manageable and sustainable ecosystems • Protect bushland from further external disturbance events and protect the site's special features (natural, geological, landscape and cultural) • Preserve and enhance local and regional biodiversity • Enhance and extend habitat for native fauna • Maintain all sites as part of an on-going maintenance program • Balance revegetation strategies to ensure minimal impacts such as flooding and improve water quality suitable for a variety of recreation uses, both passive and active.

6. Key Questions • 1) Asses relationship between the native species and introduced species. • 2) Explain impact of pollution on this ecosystem and on flora/fauna. • 3) Discover the effect humans and their pets have on this ecosystem. • 4) Analyse the management strategies Fairfield Council have adopted to combat pollution and human impact.

7. Pollution issues • Littering in the park, ending up in the creek • Dumping of lawn clippings • Rubbish everywhere • Dumping waste creek side

8. Human impact • Built a rugby and cricket field • Play sports and leave rubbish • Increased water flow, topography of land into creek • Humans and their pets

9. Management strategies • ‘bushland regeneration’ • ‘creek care’ • and individual common sense • More bins on the paths • Stricter penalties/fines

10. Photos