Figure 30 Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve

Mick Tuck Riverside Reserve 7012 1118212 DPI - Crown Lands Managed Council Mick Tuck Riverside Reserve 26 759099 DPI - Crown Lands Managed Council NA 25 759099 MidCoast Council

NA NA

24 759099 MidCoast Council 23 759099 MidCoast Council NA 22 759099 MidCoast Council Wingham Riverside Reserve 7304 1149521 DPI - Crown Managed Lands - Council

Figure 30 Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve

Notes: • light green denotes area to be included in the regeneration plan • red denotes unformed roadways • blue denotes Council managed parkland • orange denotes Wingham Brush Nature Reserve.

6.6.2 Flying-foxes

Wingham Brush Nature Reserve is a nationally important flying-fox camp, providing a key maternity and continuously used roost site. It is the only known continuously occupied camp for the Grey-headed Flying-fox between the Hunter Valley and Coffs Harbour. Black Flyingfoxes are also known to roost at this camp. The Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve has a landscape position and vegetation regeneration potential similar to that of the adjoining Wingham Brush Nature Reserve. It therefore provides an important supplementary environment to Wingham Brush.

With regeneration of the Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve, there is a high likelihood of Grey-headed Flying-foxes and Black Flying-foxes roosting within the Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve, at least as a spill-over roost. This has previously been observed in February 2021, although the roosting carrying capacity would increase with regeneration. While Wingham Brush is not a target camp in this Plan, this regeneration work may benefit the subject camps by providing improved alternative roosting habitat that provides access to similar foraging resources in the eastern portion of the LGA (i.e. the nightly flying-fox foraging range from Wingham Brush overlaps four of the five subject camps; refer to Figure 23).

6.6.3 Past regeneration works

MidCoast Council began regenerating the Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve in 2001. In 2017 MidCoast Council received a three-year Environmental Trust Grant to regenerate lowland rainforest within the Reserve. The grant also aimed to diversify the number of plant species within the reserve to strengthen the flood tolerance of the Reserve whilst providing foraging and roosting habitat for flying-foxes.

6.6.4 Future regeneration works

The benefits of regenerating the Wingham Foreshore Recreation Reserve include: • complementing previous vegetation regeneration works • increasing the overall carrying capacity of the Wingham Brush camp • providing roosting habitat away from residential areas thereby reducing conflicts between humans and flying-foxes • reducing impacts on vegetation within Wingham Brush Nature Reserve from ongoing flying-fox roosting by providing additional roosting habitat • regenerating lowland rainforest TEC • increasing riverbank stability • other riparian vegetation benefits.

Key steps to be implemented and considered as part of Action A08 prior to undertaking onground works include: • investigate and secure external grant funding to complement Council contributions • prepare a Vegetation Management Plan to guide onground works and takes into consideration current and future land uses to avoid future conflicts.