Coast & Estuaries
Page 196
Pressure Indicator
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Ecosystem decline of seagrasses (by %)
•
Caulerpa taxifolia
growth in the upper Port Adelaide River.
•
Caulerpa taxifolia
growth in the Port Adelaide River/Barker Inlet.
•
Introduced marine species identified in the Port Adelaide area.
Barker Inlet & Port Adelaide River - Condition & Pressures
Ecology of the Estuary
The protection of the ecological significance of the estuary reserves and
sanctuaries that exist in the area are considered high priority by State
Government agencies and the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and are listed
below:
•
Barker Inlet St. Kilda Aquatic Reserve (2055 ha)
•
Torrens Island Conservation Reserve (79 ha – proposed to be increased
in 2013/2014 )
•
Port Gawler Conservation Reserve (418 ha)
•
St. Kilda/Chapman Creek Aquatic Reserve (870 ha)
•
Dolphin Sanctuary
Note that the Port Gawler Conservation Park and St. Kilda/Chapman Creek
Aquatic Reserve are not in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield area.
These protected areas have been established to help preserve important local
habitats such as low-lying dunes and chenier ridges, supratidal flats, intertidal
mangrove woodlands, intertidal mud and sand flats, tidal channels and sub-tidal
seagrass meadows (EPA, 2005).
Despite these areas being designated as reserves, there are no management
plans in place to guide management of these areas. The Dolphin Sanctuary is
the exception, with a management plan that was developed in 2008 by
Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH), now known as the Department
of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). The Plan is
structured around the achievement of each of the six objectives of the Adelaide
Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005. For each objective, the Plan describes issues to
support its achievement, defines a strategic direction, makes a priority
assessment, identifies government agency responsibilities and proposes
actions to implement the strategy (DENR, 2010).
Barker Inlet - St Kilda Aquatic Reserve
Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) classify the 'Barker
Inlet' St Kilda Aquatic Reserve as the largest and most ecologically significant
reserve within the Council area.
