• Intertidal wetlands develop in coastal areas which are subject to periodic inundation by salty water
• They are found in estuarine environments in the limits of the tidal range
• Previously thought of as mosquito infested wetlands, they are now considered highly valued ecosystems which protect the quality of coastal waters and provides breeding grounds and habitats for a variety of marine life, are found along tropical and sub-tropical coastlines between 25ْN and 25ْC
• Dominated by mangrove trees which can survive partial submersion in salty water
• They protect the coastline from erosion, reduce storm water damage, trap sediment from runoff and provision breeding ground for many fish, invertebrate and plant species
The inter-tidal wetlands at Homebush Bay are located at 33°S and 151°E and are located to the west of Sydney’s central business district. The wetlands are 58ha in size, 40ha being mangrove forest, 10ha as a waterbird refuge and 8ha of saltmarsh. The wetlands are seen as an ecosystem that is at risk and have had contemporary management practices put into place to protect and conserve the natural area for future generations. The contemporary management practices for the wetlands include early contemporary, which did more damage than help, and late contemporary, which is proving to be effective.
The inter-tidal wetlands at Bicentennial Park required vital alteration due to the extensive negative impacts from early Europeans. Legislation and policies were employed as a late contemporary management strategy to obligate change and avoid further damage, particularly to the saltmarsh community which suffered extensive damage and is now listed as an endangered species. The major laws employed are the RAMSAR convention, JAMBA (Japanese Australian Migratory Bird Agreement), CAMBA (Chinese Australian Migratory Bird Agreement) and the Commonwealth and New South Wales wetlands policy. The sustainability of this contemporary