Comprehensive biodiversity survey of Wategora Reserve and Everley Park along Duck River, western Sydney

Abstract

Although much of suburban Sydney is heavily urbanised, there are also many pockets of remnant vegetation scattered throughout the region, even in the most built-up areas. From 2020-2022 I conducted a comprehensive biodiversity survey of Wategora Reserve, and the riparian vegetation adjacent to Everley Park directly south of the reserve, a small fragment of remnant bushland on the western bank of the Duck River in western Sydney. Spanning the suburbs of Chester Hill, South Granville and Auburn, the total survey area is ~25 ha, and contains one of the most important remaining patches of the critically endangered ecological community Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin. During ~380 hours of surveying, I recorded 1926 species. In this report, I present detailed maps and site information, discussions of threats and important processes in the survey area, and an annotated and illustrated checklist covering all observed species.