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Water is our most valuable, natural resource. It has many diverse and important values - providing habitat sources for wildlife, water for households, factories and farms and recreational and educational benefits for us all. Because of this it is vital that we protect our waterways.

The Importance of Vegetation Along Waterways

Native vegetation along banks plays a very important role in:

  • the lifecycle of many native animals
  • improves productivity of surrounding land
  • decreased erosion
  • improved water quality
  • healthy ecosystems and restored biodiversity
  • reduced flood damage
  • increased property value
  • food source for native animals and refuge during times of drought and fire
  • improved soil fertility
  • sediment control and filtration of nutrients

Recognising our riparian land

The land that adjoins, or directly influences a body of water is also known as riparian land and includes:

  • land immediately alongside small creeks and rivers, including the river bank itself
  • gullies and dips which sometimes run with water
  • areas surrounding lakes and dams
  • wetlands and river floodplains which interact with the river in times of flood

Why our riparian land matters

The vegetation that grows in this area is called Riparian Vegetation and is also known as a Riparian Corridor.  These vegetated corridors act as the 'skin' that provides protection to a waterway, acting as a buffer between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and maintaining the health and viability of the waterway, by:

  • holding bank soil in place and reducing the risk of bed and bank erosion
  • filtering sediments and nutrients from surface run-off and groundwater
  • regulating water temperature
  • providing shade, shelter and organic matter for aquatic organisms, and
  • 'shading out' exotic weed species

Riparian corridors are also an important socio-economic asset, providing an integral link between suburbs, supporting people movement, offering recreational opportunities and improving the visual amenity of the surrounding area.

Council initiatives

Ipswich City Council prioritises and delivers waterway restoration work, and supports landholders to improve waterways on private property, through a range of initiatives.

This can include, but is not limited to:

Additional Resources