Environment Matters Spring/Summer 2021

What makes a healthy

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1. RIPARIAN VEGETATION Native plants create stable stream banks which can resist erosion, maintaining water quality and in-stream habitat. It also provides stable sites for platypus to burrow. Dense vegetation along a waterway acts as a buffer between waterways and human land uses. It also provides valuable wildlife corridors to land-based animals.

3. HABITAT FEATURES Log-jams, aquatic vegetation beds, rock bars and overhanging vegetation are essential for native fish species. Complex habitat features provide cover, ambush points,

2. DIVERSITY OF DEPTH Healthy waterways follow a general repeating pattern of pools, riffles and runs. A variety of water depths and flow conditions provide habitat for a wide range of aquatic species. Deep pools are critical for the dry season.

breeding sites and refuge during high flow events.

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