Being Aware about Biodiversity

A workshop for local government outdoor officers

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Welcome the participants. Thank them for taking the time to come to this important awareness raising session.

Provide brief background about how the workshop program was developed. This workshop program was developed in 2010 by the Parramatta Catchment Group to support outdoor staff working for 11 councils in the catchment.

Protecting biodiversity is a challenge for local councils and a requirement of their charter under the NSW Local Government Act (1993). This workshop will outline the main issues for councils and provide tools and information to help manage these complex challenges.

 About the presenter (Facilitator to insert own information)

• Name • Background • Qualifications • Current employment/business • Connection with/ interest in the Parramatta River catchment

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Introduce yourself. It is important to establish a connection with the participants. Give some background about your experiences and why you have something to offer on the topic of biodiversity. Give some background (if applicable) of your connection with/interest in the health of the Parramatta River catchment (e.g. previous jobs, grew up nearby etc).

List some relevant experience and qualifications. Add any personal anecdotes that may apply to the participating audience – for example “I worked in the depot at xx Council before moving to my current role and I know the challenges that council operations staff face.”

 What is today about?

• Understanding yours and council’s legal responsibilities • Checking your performance • Sharing experiences with peers • Tips for what to do - and not do • Knowing who else to talk to in council

NOTE TO FACILITATOR It is important to build trust with the participants, right from the start.

Review the objectives of the workshop – one at a time. Highlight the interactive nature of the workshop format, i.e. the participants are encouraged to participate, share their experiences and anecdotes, and (most importantly) to ask questions.

Reassure them: “The workshop today is about helping you to do your job.” The information will reinforce what they are doing correctly, and highlight where there is room for improvement (providing some tips and suggestions).

Reinforce that there will not be any assessments or tests of the participants.

The second dot point: “Checking your performance” There will be some checklists to go through, so they can assess themselves and their practices. They will not be required to hand those checklists in. They are useful tools, and the participants are encouraged to discuss these with their supervisors when they return to work.

Overall, the workshop is about supporting them in their every day jobs by providing ideas on how to deal with this very important role of local government; one which creates many challenges for all levels of council operations.

 Who is here today?

Please introduce yourself • Name • Where you are from • Your job at council

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Allow some time for this activity, especially if it is being done as a whole group. This encourages the participants to get comfortable, start opening up and find out who else is in the room.

GROUP ACTIVITY (in small groups or the whole group) Do this with the whole group or in small groups – depending on how much time available, numbers of people, preference of the facilitator etc. Ask all participants to introduce themselves and their job at council.

TIP Even if all of the participants are from the same council, don’t assume that they all know each other well, find out what roles each person does at council.

After the introductions are complete, briefly go through the “Housekeeping” for the day: • Remind participants to switch mobile phones off (or to silent) • Location of toilets • Any emergency procedures

 The main issues:

• Looking after habitat • Managing weeds • Using chemicals in the workplace • Understanding impacts on water quality - nutrients - erosion - sediment control - stormwater runoff

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Introduce the workshop program (the participants should also have this as a handout). Briefly explain how the workshop will be run: presentation & discussions, stop for tea break, field session/site visit at the end.

Explain that there is a lot of information that can be covered on this topic. To avoid overwhelming them, the workshop will concentrate on four main areas. Read through the list and emphasize briefly why each issue is important for biodiversity management. • Looking after habitat • Managing weeds • Chemicals in your workplace • Impacts on water quality (and the main things that affect water quality)

Reinforce that their questions, comments and personal observations are welcome throughout the whole workshop.

 Workshop organised by the Parramatta River Catchment Group

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Provide some brief background context of the Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) and how the workshop program came about.

This workshop program was developed by the PRCG, an organisation formed by 11 local councils (seen on the map) and a number of state government agencies. Each of the General Managers of the 11 councils has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work co-operatively to sustain the health of the catchment and River. There are also other catchment groups like this in the region for the , , Coastal Councils etc

The idea for a “biodiversity awareness” program came directly from some council officers in the PRCG who recognised the need to support council outdoor staff in dealing with an increasingly complex area of local government operations.

Today’s workshop is being funded by your council (or xxx organisation). By the nature of your everyday work, you have a very important role in protecting biodiversity.

 What is good about Sydney?

• What do you like doing in your spare time? • What do you like most about the natural environment in Sydney? • Have you had any interesting experiences with native wildlife or in natural areas?

NOTE TO FACILITATOR The aim of this discussion is to start identifying some links between biodiversity and the participants’ own individual lives and jobs. It is to show that everyone has the potential to impact on biodiversity, and that everyone can play a role in protecting biodiversity. Allow approx approximately 5 minutes for discussion and 5 minutes for reporting back. Wrap up the discussion by reviewing the key environmental themes that come out and, as much as possible, link them to the topic areas to be covered in the workshop. It may be useful to use a white board to write up some of the responses as a reference for later on.

PROMPT QUESTIONS (to the whole group) Does anyone here like to go fishing? Does anyone have a boat or kayak? Who likes to surf and swim at the beach? Any bushwalkers or birdwatchers here today?

GROUP DISCUSSION (to be done in pairs, small groups, tables) If possible, get people who don’t know each other to sit together for this discussion. Discuss the questions on the screen. Ask someone in the group to report back to the whole group some of the interesting things discussed.

TIP: Some people may be shy, others will be happy to talk a lot. If a group is having trouble getting started, walk over to them and prompt with questions, e.g. do you like getting outdoors on weekends? What’s your favourite part of your local suburb? If you see that a group is being dominated by one person, engage the group and encourage comments of others in the group. With regard to wildlife and natural experiences, encourage people to share positive or unique experiences of biodiversity in their local environment where they work or live.

Recap the discussion by pointing out how fortunate we are to live in Sydney and to be able to have these experiences! Biodiversity and natural places are things to be protected, not to be taken for granted.

Left photo: David Harasti Right photo: Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority

 Biodiversity œ what is it?

The variety of living things and their interactions.

• Individuals - populations of single species and their habitat needs • Ecosystems - the interactions within and between species • Gene pools - the “coding” for the variety within species Example: Wollemi Pine

In Sydney there are thousands of plant and animal species. M ore div erse than all of G reat B ritain!

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Highlight the key elements of biodiversity. It is not just about individual species, but protecting and conserving the interactions that sustain them.

The concept of “gene pools” or genetic diversity is a complex one. Explain it simply e.g. if there are too few parent animals or plants, their offspring are less likely to thrive. The more diverse the gene pool, the more vigorous a species might be (and therefore the less vulnerable to environmental change or disturbance).

The more that can be done to maintain diversity, the more viable that species will become.

 Biodiversity in the Parramatta River catchment

M any im p o rtant fis h b reeding s ites

32 Endangered F au na S p ec ies 31 Endangered P lant S p ec ies 1 2 Endangered Ec o lo gic al C o m m u nities

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Highlight the value of bushland and waterways in the Parramatta River catchment in general (not just the threatened species and communities, as important as they are).

Some statistics for the Parramatta River catchment are shown. Promote the significance of Sydney Harbour and its , in comparison to in some large cities of Europe that appear to be clean, but are ecologically “dead”. There are many plants and animals found in the Parramatta River catchment that are at risk and are protected by environmental legislation.

Examples (photos from left to right): • Powerful Owl – A large predatory bird that ranges over large areas of habitat, and is vulnerable to clearing and feral animals • Sea Grass Beds – important fish breeding areas that are damaged by sediment runoff and pollution • Coastal Saltmarsh – sensitive plant communities found on the foreshores of the Parramatta River and other coastal estuaries. Very important breeding area for insect larvae and crabs that are a food source for fish. (Photo: City of ) • Wahlenbergia multicaulis (Tedgells Blue Bell) – A small herb, endangered species.

Remember the small things we sometimes can‘t see..

and what lies beneath

NOTE TO FACILITATOR When talking about biodiversity, it is very important to remember that all species are important, not just the cute and cuddly ones like Koalas and Penguins, as important as these species are.

Protecting biodiversity means protecting ALL species and their habitat requirements.

Photos from left to right: • Common Sydney Octopus (Octopus tetricus) (Australian Museum, Kevin Deacon) • Red Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi) (Australian Museum, David Gray) • Seahorse (Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority) • Aquatic insects – the building blocks of our waterways (Sydney Fish Finder website)

 Interactions of living things

NOTE TO FACILITATOR This slide is to demonstrate the interactions between living things. Highlight the importance of linkages in maintaining diverse natural populations. Each level can be dependent on other levels. Complex ecosystems need all the levels to be maintained. Even in the most urbanised areas, native fauna can persist if it has the right habitat!

REAL LIFE EXAMPLES • The Bandicoot colony discovered in disused goods yards in Marrickville. • The Green and Golden Bell Frog (threatened species) found in an old brick pit at prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. • In a previous workshop, one Council officer told of how he noticed that fairy wrens needed tall grass and dense shrubs for food and protection. He left some small patches of each of these in his park, and was very pleased to see the wrens returning to breed year after year.

Photos from left to right: Kangaroo grass http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3423/3214544187_6a9c3cf0f2.jpg Bandicoot - http://partnershipsixteen.bridge.wikispaces.net/roushan Australian Bass - http://www.fishbase.gr/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=288&areacode Native bee - http://claudius.smugmug.com/Animals/Insects-spiders-of-Australia/Native-bee3/119713545_7PKbr-S.jpg Spider - http://designedbynatalie.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/bug2.jpg Saltmarsh - http://medent.usyd.edu.au/projects/homebush%20olympics.htm Blue Wren http://media.photobucket.com/image/blue%20wren/ElizabethNation/SplendidWrenM.jpg Eastern Brown Snake - http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Images/5955/Juvenile-Eastern-Brown-Snak.jpg Brown Goshawk - http://birdsinbackyards.net/images/factsheets/full/Accipiter/fasciatus/405036_browngoshawk.jpg

 Why is Biodiversity important?

• It enhances our quality of life • Natural areas provide breeding places for native animals • Greater species diversity promotes survival of all life forms • Genetic diversity is valuable for science and medicine • It is the right thing to do. Plants and animals have a right to exist. • It’s the law!

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Have just the question up on the screen and first ask the participants if they know “why?”

Show the bullet points after they have offered suggestions. (This is to show the participants that the workshop will not all be lecture style, their views and participation are invited). There will usually be a couple of things that don’t get covered from the participants responses. Just recap all of them briefly and elaborate only if something has not been covered already.

It enhances our quality of life Sydney is a great place to live in and visit, largely because of its natural areas. Natural areas provide breeding places for native animals Our local wildlife is a nice part of living in Sydney, but our natural areas also play an important role in our economy – e.g. fisheries are a huge part of our social and economic life. They also provide “ecosystem services”, which means a functioning ecosystem helps to clean up our environment through filtering pollutants and processing nutrients in waterways. Greater species diversity promotes survival of all life forms Ecosystems with a variety of plants and animals tend to be more stable. With climate changes occurring, the more diverse the communities the more they will be able to adapt to future change. Genetic diversity is valuable for science and medicine Native plants and animals give us opportunities to grow our economies. Certain organisms and plants have economic value - such as rainforest plants and Australian bush tucker plants being made into medicine. Protecting biodiversity is the right thing to do! The wider community has shown in many surveys that it views the protection of the environment and biodiversity as a high priority. Few people now disagree with this idea. It is also the law!! Laws protect biodiversity and require that it be considered in the activities of the wider community. Strong penalties can be imposed for breaches of laws that aim to protect biodiversity.

 Any good news?

If you had to tell a visitor a good news story about the condition of the Parramatta River, what would you say?

NOTE TO FACILITATOR By now you have been talking a lot. This slide is to break things up and start some discussion.

If there are no responses from the participants, use directed questioning and name some individuals “So Donna, have you heard of any good environmental initiatives in xxx Council where you work?”

Still if there are no responses, offer some examples.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLES • Parramatta Council is constructing fish ladders at the Marsden Street weir, to allow native fish the ability to migrate upstream unimpeded for the first time in 200 years. • Blacktown City Council’s Regenesis project shows a great deal of initiative where local revegetation is helping to offset carbon emissions. A partnership has been established with farming groups in the Liverpool Plains Shire (western NSW) to help with revegetating degraded landscapes. • Community volunteers and Bushcare groups across the wider Sydney region are contributing hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours each year to rehabilitate our degraded bushland areas and waterways (Source: The Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority conducts a survey every 2 years counting the number of volunteers, and volunteer hours, involved with programs such as Bushcare).

 Some Good News: Parramatta River Catchment

• Air quality is improving • Water quality is improving • Community awareness and involvement is on the increase • Laws have more teeth and have been applied strongly in some cases • Councils in the Sydney region are world leaders in rehabilitating degraded natural areas • Council funding allocations have increased

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Highlight the positive things that are happening.

Examples: Air quality has shown ongoing improvement, specifically following a tightening of pollution legislation and the introduction of lead free petrol. Water quality has improved dramatically in Sydney Harbour, and we are now seeing fish species returning to upper sections of the River that have not been seen for years. Community involvement in natural resource management is increasing, with hundreds of volunteers now working to protect bushland, creeks, beaches and the Harbour by removing rubbish, planting and growing native species, testing water quality and monitoring wildlife. Each council involved with the Parramatta River Catchment Group has implemented world class environmental management programs.

Reinforce that there are many positive things happening. Acknowledge the challenges of issues such as climate change and sea level rises – don’t get bogged down on this though! Point out that there are many serious issues that need attention and that we cannot be complacent.

 How we damage natural areas

• Pollution of land and water • Clearing and damaging bushland areas • Introducing weeds or feral animals • Domestic animals • Over use and inappropriate recreation

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Ask the participants what they think we do to damage natural environments? Elaborate on these and how natural areas are impacted.

Some examples: Pollution of land and water Can sterilise land Contaminates water and toxic to aquatic life Can limit people’s use of waterways for recreation

Clearing and otherwise damaging bushland areas Clearing for recreation and views Removing trees and shrubs destroys habitat for many native fauna species

Introducing weeds or feral animals Compete with native vegetation Costs for agricultural productivity Change environments Destroys habitat for many native fauna species

Domestic animals, common examples; Cats left out at night go hunting Dumping unwanted aquarium fish into waterways

Over use and inappropriate recreation Trail bikes, mountain bikes in sensitive areas

Photo: WWF

 Poor work practices

• Sediment and erosion control • Tree management • Chemical use and disposal • Nutrient and stormwater runoff • Dumping • Poor clean up procedures (sites and equipment) • Damage to soils (compaction and disturbance)

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Elaborate on these points and give examples that are directly relevant to the everyday jobs of the participants.

Sediment and erosion control Chokes waterways & drains and promotes weeds Tree management Damage and loss of trees through lack of care or poor awareness Chemical use and disposal Pollution of soil and waterways Nutrient and stormwater runoff Damages water quality and aquatic ecosystems Dumping Causes weed spread, changes site conditions to favour weeds Poor clean up procedures of sites and equipment Damage to soils e.g. compaction, unnecessary soil disturbance

 Who cares about the environment?

• B io div ers ity is o ne o f th e to p 5 is s u es o f c o nc ern

• 7 8 % o f p eo p le s u rv ey ed w ere c o nc erned ab o u t env iro nm ent p ro b lem s S o u rc e: W h o C ares A b o u t th e Env iro nm ent s u rv ey D EC C W 20 0 9

PROMPT QUESTION/GROUP DISCUSSION Do you think people are more or less interested about the environment than 20 years ago? Why, what has changed? What has caused a shift in attitudes and practices?

REAL LIFE EXAMPLE Back in 1998, giardia outbreak in Sydney’s drinking water supply (Warragamba Dam). This made many people take notice of water quality and waterway health.

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Give brief background about “Who Cares About The Environment”, a community attitudes survey conducted every few years by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW). The key message here is that the wider community cares about the environment, including biodiversity. The community has high expectations of local councils and other organisations seen to be responsible for environmental management.

TIP It is important to highlight the positive as well as some of the negatives. Too much focus on the negative aspects can quickly lose the interest of the audience, making people feel that the problems are too large for them to be able to make a difference.

 Community Expectations of Council

PROMPT QUESTIONS Who do you think is doing their bit? Who do you think should be doing more to protect the environment?

NOTES TO FACILITATOR These statistics are from the 2006 “Who Cares About The Environment?” survey. The statistics state that 27% of people are happy with the current efforts of councils and 71% would like councils to do more. It highlights the community expectations of government at all levels, but particularly local councils Emphasize that State and Federal Government also face high community expectations, although local councils are at the forefront of environmental management and this result shows that the community have high expectations of their councils.

TIP The red box will highlight the council row with a mouse click.

 NSW Local Government Act (1993)

Council’s responsibilities fall within the requirement for:

Ecologically Sustainable Development

• Takes into account ‘future generations’ • Puts environmental protection measures in place • Values biodiversity

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Briefly introduce the NSW Local Government Act (1993), the key NSW legislation governing their council’s operations. It just needs to be quick reference to the legislation without getting to bogged down in detail.

Discuss briefly each of the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development and give an example for how councils can implement each of these principles: • Takes into account the future state of the environment and ‘future generations’ • Puts in place reasonable environmental protection measures for problems that are likely to arise from council’s actions • Values biodiversity as an important community need

Reinforce that biodiversity protection is a core responsibility of council, the same as “rates, roads and rubbish”. Local councils in Australia now spend more than $5 billion dollars per annum on environmental management.

 Your everyday actions

• Think about something that you know to do/not do in the workplace for environmental reasons. E.g. Do put waste in the bin Do not pour waste oil down a drain

C ouncil staff are role models! Y o u are v is ib le to th e c o m m u nity and th ey w atc h y o u r p rac tic es as a b enc h m ark fo r w h at is ac c ep tab le.

GROUP DISCUSSION (in pairs or small groups) Discuss some things that you consciously do/do not do to protect the environment in your everyday job. At the end of the discussion, participants will be asked to report back to the whole group with a few examples.

NOTE TO FACILITATOR This discussion is to start identifying the activities that they already consciously avoid doing, or consciously do. Walk around the room whilst the discussion takes place listening and prompting discussion. If few ideas are being offered, choose someone and ask them, e.g. “so Jenny, you mentioned xxx happens in your workplace..” Look for someone who you know was discussing something of interest, but hasn't yet offered it up.

TIP Give positive feedback about contributions offered and link them to the topics of discussion throughout the day.

Highlight these points throughout the discussion/reporting back/concluding comments: • That community awareness and behaviours have also changed over time, e.g. hosing chemicals in to the road gutters was once common place, but is now viewed as inappropriate (not to mention illegal!). • The collective importance of many small actions that we do and the way that community “norms” have changed over the last few decades. This ranges from simple things like putting rubbish in the bin, picking up after dogs & storing chemicals properly. • Council operations staff are at the frontline of council services and therefore the most visible. How you behave sets the standard for the community and their expectations of council. It is important that council staff are doing the right thing, and are being seen to do the right thing.

PROMPT QUESTION Before introducing the box saying Council staff as role models, ask the whole group: “Does anyone see themselves as a role model to the wider community?” If anyone answers yes, ask how and why? Point out that Council is the most visible regulator who has the most direct contact with the local community. When government asks the community and industry (builders, developers etc) to raise its standards of environmental protection behaviour, the first response is usually – “well what are you doing about it? “. Ask the audience whether anyone has been in that situation? Ask what would happen if you were working on the main road of your council area, and you hosed an oil spill into the gutter? If someone saw you, how long would it take for them to phone someone at council?

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Something that was raised in previous workshops is that often it is the council contractors or sub-contractors who do the wrong thing, and the community sees this also. Acknowledge that this is a big challenge for councils; to ensure the contractor’s work also meets standards of good practice.

 Your council‘s actions

Name one thing that you or your council does well in relation to environmental management.

• How does this protect biodiversity? • What have been the main reasons for this action taking place?

PREPARATION FOR THIS DISCUSSION Find some examples of good initiatives being done by the councils involved in the workshop. Ask the technical bushland and environment officers for examples. Make reference to these initiatives as part of this discussion and as opportunities arise at other times in the workshop. Make sure to give positive reinforcement to the participants, as well as suggesting areas for improvement. Council’s outdoor staff are often ‘out of the loop’ and may not know of some of the good projects being done by their own organisation (councils are often not good at promoting their own good work internally).

NOTE TO FACILITATOR This group discussion is to reinforce that councils can do and are doing good things. Councils are often given complaints and negative media coverage. This exercise reinforces the many good things that councils do, while acknowledging there is always room for improvement. Listen for examples where councils have initiated change. Link back to these initiatives in later discussions about improving practices. Remind the participants that if something positive has been done on a site, or found on site, advise staff within council who can promote the positive story within council and to the wider community.

GROUP DISCUSSION (with the whole group) “Name one thing you or your council does well…”

NOTE TO FACILITATOR If few examples are offered from the participants, mention some examples that you know of (see list of real life examples on page 13). Provide positive feedback where people have been the initiator of workplace change. Reinforce the value of their actions and initiative.

After the tea break, the discussion will concentrate more on their practices and things that could be done differently or better.

 The bigger picture

Rain falls here Or here

Flows to here

A c atc h m ent is an area w h ere all s u rfac e ru no ff c o llec ts to a c o m m o n p o int

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Explain the bigger picture of their own actions and their council. Their council is one of 13 local government areas covering the Parramatta River catchment.

Outline the concept of catchments and how all drainage within a catchment collects to one point eventually. The river is the centre of the landscape and all of the impacts end up there.

Highlight the collective benefits of positive council actions across the Parramatta River catchment. If all of the councils were consistently doing the positive actions… just think!

 C o u rtes y o f F is h eries Ec o s y s tem s s ec tio n, Indu s try & Inv es tm ent N S W

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Highlight the connections between the upstream and downstream areas of a catchment, and how what happens on the land impacts on the health of our waterways. This is a representation of a natural estuary showing movement and offshore spawning of many of our commercial and popular recreational fish species. Many of these fish species spawn in the near shore zone outside of estuaries. Most are very fecund (prolific spawners). E.g. the female bream release between 300,000 – 3 million eggs during the spawning season Female whiting 30,000 – 380,000 eggs, Female luderick produce between 300,000 – 400,000 ova. A single female sea mullet produce between 1.6 – 4.8 million pelagic eggs.

Diagram: Fisheries Ecosystems section, Industry & Investment NSW

ANOTHER USEFUL RESOURCE Tell the participants about a short video on You Tube of fish using the Wolli Creek . Just do a search of “Wolli fish ladder”.

 The Parramatta River catchment from above

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Yellow line = Parramatta River catchment boundary. Catchment extends from Blacktown LGA in the west (near ) to Clarkes Point (Hunters Hill LGA) in the east, before flowing into Sydney Harbour.

Highlight: • The connectedness of the landscape by waterways • The importance of the green spaces as refuge for wildlife and habitat for conservation. • The waterways and green bits as ‘corridors’

Reinforce the importance of how the councils (as land managers) can manage these landscapes to sustain the health of the Parramatta River and Sydney Harbour.

 Looking closer

C o nnec ting B idjigal R es erv e, L ak e P arram atta R es erv e and U p p er T o o ngab b ie C reek

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Example of Reserve in Sydney's north west. Highlight the values of good central cores of natural bushland and the connections between them along waterway corridors. These connections can include formal landscapes like parks, golf courses, and even schools, as well as vegetation on private land and land managed by other public authorities.

 Closer again

D u c k R iv er and W addangali W o o dlands

FACILITATOR NOTE This is good local example, highlighting the foresight of a council outdoor officer and the importance of connecting reserves within the landscape.

Waddangali Woodlands in the Parramatta LGA was a bit of surplus golf course land that was never developed. Combined with Campbell Hill Pioneer Reserve it is now one of the best quality remnants of Cumberland Plain Woodland in the Parramatta LGA. The regeneration program was initiated by a horticulturist from the outdoor staff in the early 1990s who took it on himself to control the Bridal Creeper infestation. That started a long program of bush regeneration that continues to this day!

 Look at the aerial photos laid out

• Find an area you’re familiar with • Can you see a site you work at? • Your home? • Where are some of the sensitive environments in your vicinity? • How are they connected to your work activities and the Parramatta River?

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Promote the connections between local natural sites (where the participants work) such as parks, bushland reserves and creek corridors and the Parramatta River. Highlight the negatives: the way that catchment connections can accelerate degradation through pollution. Highlight the positives: the benefits of maintaining and enhancing existing connections of natural areas.

GROUP ACTIVITY This activity is to get people up out of their seats, get engaged with their local environment and to start talking to each other.

RESOURCES NEEDED 1:25,000 topographic maps covering the catchment/relevant council areas, laid out on a large table. Lower scale maps would be more useful if the workshop covers only one council area.

 Tea break

NOTE TO FACILITATOR Announce the break for a cuppa and a chat. Ask the participants to return to their seats by XXX (time).