Important issues requiring to be addressed in our wetlands are weed invasion, stock access and the need for enhancement of habitat along their margins.

GeoCatch coordinated and managed wetland projects in the Geographe Catchment that aimed to improve water quality and wetland health by:

• reducing nutrient and sediment movement into the Vasse-Wonnerup wetlands, estuary and Geographe Bay from the catchment
• improving the ecological condition of wetlands connected to those contained on the current Ramsar and Directory of Important Wetlands lists.

Property owners and land managers with wetlands had been encouraged to improve their awareness of the ecological significance of their wetlands and become involved in preserving the biodiversity of their wetlands. This was achieved through planning and implementing on-ground works on properties with wetland areas. Wetland health can be improved by fencing out stock, revegetation, weed and feral animal control and engineering solutions.

GeoCatch offered landholders matched funding for works undertaken in their wetland areas. GeoCatch’s wetland projects had been funded by two separate funding sources -

• projects with a focus on improving water quality had been funded from the GeoCatch program Water Quality Improvement in the Vasse -Wonnerup System
• projects with a focus on improving wetland health (and controlling weeds) had been funded from the Healthy Wetlands Project partnership project with the Department of Environment and Conservation.