North-east New South Wales is a highly diverse region, extending from the coast to the slopes of the Great Divide. It supports a great variety of plants and animals, of which over 370 species, populations and ecological communities are in decline or under threat of extinction (NSW NPWS, 2002).
Weeds are threatening the sustainability and integrity of many native vegetation remnants in this part of the world and farmers have identified weeds as one of the major issues in the sustainability of their farming enterprises.
The warm temperate climate and high rainfall on the mid-north coast promote fast growth of all plants and the changing climate will change our plant composition over time.
Using the appropriate species of native plants in the rehabilitation of native environments is one of Landcare’s overriding principles and much work goes into observing and recording local species compositions to establish what is appropriate.
Whilst there are many species lists specific to an area, some relevant documents to assist with understanding different vegetation communities and information on planting/erosion and general riparian health are:
Bellingen River System Landholder’s Booklet.
Revegetating Streams in the Bellinger & Coffs Harbour Catchments,
Bellinger River Estuary revegetation guide,
Managing erosion in the Bellinger and Kalang river system,
Managing River Oaks and other in-stream vegetation
Bellinger Shire Council’s Bellinger Valley BIODIVERSITY OF THE BELLINGER AND KALANG RIVER SYSTEM
Coffs Harbour City Council’s guide to species selection for revegetation projects in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area
If you have wetlands on your property, this scanned guide is locally specific, common-wetland-species-of-the-bellinger
If you are regenerating native plant species, it is also worth thinking about conserving native bees on your land, and possibly installing some artificial hollows- see these quick guidelines, or these very comprehensive ones, and visit this site for some specific designs for birds and mammals.