Coastal Saltmarsh

Mangroves play an important role in estuarine and marine ecology, providing food and shelter to many small birds, animals and fish, as well as protecting the shoreline from erosion caused by wave action. Mangroves also help to create the conditions necessary for fragile Coastal Saltmarsh species to survive in this otherwise harsh, saline environment.

The City of Canada Bay is one of the few Council areas in Sydney where Coastal Saltmarsh vegetation communities still survive. This assemblage of salt tolerant species grow in the inter-tidal zone, usually behind a band of protective mangroves. Coastal Saltmarsh is listed as an Endangered Ecological Community under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995).