Landscapes and landforms
Topic 5
The Cumberland Plain Woodland-
A Case Study
STAGE 4 TEACHER RESOURCE
Years 7-8
In this unit, students will learn more about what a plain landscape is by focussing on the Cumberland Plain, west of Sydney, and observe the landforms that exist within it.
At the end of this topic, students will:
take a close look at some of the flora and fauna that live in the Cumberland Plain,
understand some of the issues facing this landscape and how these will be mitigated in the future, and;
learn about what the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan is and what it hopes to achieve.
What is the Cumberland Plain?
The Cumberland Plain is a large region to the west of Sydney’s CBD. The area stretches from Ryde in the east to the Nepean River in the west from Cattai in the north to Thirlmere in the south. As the name would suggest, it's a plain landscape, which you may remember from topic one, is defined as a large, relatively flat and open area. To the west of the plain, the Blue Mountains rise sharply and by comparison, the Cumberland Plain has only small undulating hills as landforms within the landscape.
The Cumberland Plain is considered a biogeographic region that expands over eight local councils, including Wollondilly, Camden, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Fairfield, Penrith, Blacktown and Hawkesbury. Some of these areas remain relatively untouched as woodland. Some of it has been turned into farmland and some of it is urban. Much more development is about to occur in the area to accommodate the growing population of Sydney and the new Western Sydney Airport. The building of homes, schools, roads and other infrastructure has already begun.
In order to protect the remaining woodland, which is currently at about nine per cent of the total area, there has been a conservation plan developed by the NSW state government. The Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan covers approximately 200 000 hectares of land to the north of Windsor, to the south of Picton and from the Hawkesbury-Nepean River in the west to the Georges River in the east.This plan is in place to protect this rich and diverse landscape as it has been earmarked to grow substantially over the next few decades. Currently, about one million people are living in Western Sydney but it is projected that by 2056 there will be 1.5 million calling it home.
The Cumberland Plain is a large area that encompasses woodland and suburbs in Western Sydney. Photo: Nick Cubbin/DPE
The spiked rice flower (Pimelea spicata) is one of the threatened species on the Cumberland Plain. Photo: Gavin Phillips/DPE
Conservation status
Once widespread across Western Sydney, the Cumberland Plain Woodland is sadly now a critically endangered ecological community (EEC) with only patches remaining, fragmented between urban areas and cleared farmland. It is estimated that only nine per cent of the original ecological community remains in the area. The biodiversity of the Cumberland Plain Woodland is considered among the most threatened in NSW. It is listed as critically endangered by the state government under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
The woodland occurs on soils derived from Wianamatta shale and is a mix of trees, shrubs and low lying vegetation.
An ecological community is a group of species (plants, fungi and animals) found together in a particular area, usually with similar soil, landscape and weather. The twelve endangered ecological communities of the Cumberland Plain are found nowhere else in Australia. They range from open grassy woodlands to rainforest, tall forests and bushy scrub. These remnants are also home to threatened plants and animals such as the endangered flowering shrub, the spiked rice flower (Pimelea spicata) and the Cumberland Plain Land Snail (Meridolum corneovirens).
History
Long before European settlement in Australia, the Aboriginal peoples of the Cumberland Plain used the plants in the area for food, shelter, canoes, tools, weapons, containers and medicines. The Dharug or Darug people, the Dharawal people and the Gundungurra people are the traditional custodians of the area that the Cumberland Plain is situated on.
The floodplain area of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River had a significant food source in the form of underground tubers and bulbs of orchids, lilies and swamp plants. Concentrations of artefacts found and oral history tell us that the Cumberland Plain was an important meeting place and camping area for the Aboriginal peoples travelling over the mountains. Written historical accounts of the expedition led by Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788 to Prospect Hill support this. The travelling party saw evidence and made mention of Aboriginal encampments such as huts, smouldering fires, and kangaroo carcasses.
The Cumberland Plain is a floodplain that has been used by Aboriginal peoples and colonial settlers. Photo: Rosie Nicolai/DPE
Aboriginal canoe scarred trees. Photo: Rosie Nicolai/DPE
The gently undulating landscape and the rich shale derived soils of the Cumberland Plain made it an attractive area for agricultural production in the early years of colonial settlement.
The fertile soils meant that much of the land was cleared for growing crops and grazing animals.
In 1802, Governor King reserved an area for a government farm located within the approximate boundaries of modern day Blacktown CBD.
Other areas of the plain were declared “common” for the prospecting farmers to clear and work the land. Over time the Government stock farm was broken up and given as land grants to be farmed and provide food for the growing colony.
Much of the woodland was cleared at this time for grazing and agriculture. More recently, there has been land clearing due to the urban expansion of Sydney.
Why is Cumberland Plain an important landscape?
This beautiful bird is unfortunately listed as critically endangered both by the NSW government and the Commonwealth. Its bright yellow colours with black head and scalloped pattern on its breast make it easily recognisable. Its population numbers have dramatically declined over the last thirty years, with its range of distribution shrinking.
In NSW, the distribution is patchy and mainly confined to two main breeding areas, Capertee valley and Bundarra-Barraba. It is attracted to the Eucalyptus trees and shrubs and needs to feed on the flowers and insects present there. Since this bird likes to forage in dry sclerophyll vegetation, it has been sighted in the Cumberland Plain Woodland also.
This little creature may look a lot like the common garden snail you have seen before, but it is quite a different native species. The familiar garden snail is an introduced species that gardeners don't like as they eat the leaves of their carefully grown plants.
By comparison, the Cumberland Plain land snail is a fungus specialist and does not eat green plants. It lives under leaf and bark litter on the forest floor and shelters in loose soil around grass clumps. They have even been found sheltering under rubbish. Its burrowing action and diet ensure the health of the forest's undergrowth. They are listed as endangered as they primarily inhabit the Cumberland Plain Woodland, a critically endangered ecological community.
These majestic trees are found along the east coast of Australia. They grow up to about fifty metres high and are considered one of the dominant species of the canopy on the Cumberland Plain. They have smooth bark that is grey or white and they shed it in large strips or flakes. It is one of the key canopy species and it is an important part of the ecosystem.
It is a habitat tree for many endangered species that call the Cumberland Plain home. Birds such as the Regent Honeyeater, the Gang Gang Cockatoo and the Swift Parrot. Mammals such as the Grey-headed Flying Fox and the Koala. Many insects rely on the nectar from the flowers and the fallen bark provides hiding places for ground dwelling animals such as the Cumberland Plain Land Snail.
Fun fact: Eucalyptus oil can be extracted from the leaves. The antibacterial and antifungal qualities mean you can clean your house with it.
Issues affecting the Cumberland Plain
There are many issues that need to be considered when managing a landscape. The Cumberland Plain landscape has been affected and changed, over the last 200 years, by agricultural activities, urban sprawl, feral animals, introduced species and weed proliferation. It also is often seen by the general public as just ugly scrub. But there’s so much more to it. Watch the video shot at Mount Annan Botanical gardens and learn about some of the regeneration work that can be done to protect this important ecosystem.
How is the Cumberland Plain Woodland managed?
Because the Cumberland Plain Woodland is listed as a critically endangered ecological community, it is protected by the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. However, it is not enough that this type of ecological community is only preserved within National Parks and other protected areas.
Successful conservation therefore relies on a collaborative effort by all Western Sydney landholders. The NSW Government’s vision for the region sees conservation occurring across the whole landscape. That means a mix of reserves, conservation agreements, appropriate land management in rural areas by land owners and even planting native vegetation in local residents' gardens.
Cumberland Plain woodland. Photo: The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan/S. Cottrell/DPE
Urban wildlife corridor. Photo: Rosie Nicolai/DPE
Government organisations such as National Parks cannot financially afford to acquire and manage all of the remnant bushland in the Cumberland Plain. Successful conservation relies on the restoration of areas that have previously been cleared and maintaining green corridors to link remnant bushland areas. The joining of these green corridors is known as connectivity.
Connectivity is important for species to survive and to maintain wildlife biodiversity. Restoration is mainly undertaken by bush regeneration teams that are part of organisations from state and local governments, local landcare groups and various volunteer networks.
Protecting the Cumberland Plain into the future
Introducing the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan [2:14]
The DPE has developed a conservation plan for the Cumberland Plain. In this video, you can hear a summary of all the different stakeholders that will be involved in implementing this plan.
Introducing the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan [1:39]
In this video you will hear from the executive director and other employees of the department about the species that will be protected and how.
Activities
Virtual tour of the Cumberland Plain Woodland
Take the virtual tour and answer the questions about the various species that exist there. Use worksheet 5.1 to record your answers.
Botanical Art
Look at the botanical illustrations on the Australian National Botanic Gardens website. Discuss why these drawings were so detailed, then choose one species and have a go at creating your own botanical drawing. Use worksheet 5.2 to complete your investigation.