Kathy Shields

Method & Technic:

• Bush Regeneration
• Track Maintenance

Project Outcomes:

Between April and June 2024, our team successfully carried out targeted bush regeneration across eight key zones within Lane Cove National Park. Funded by the North Western Sydney Area of NPWS under the Visitor Precinct Improvement Program, this project focused on enhancing visual amenity and reducing weed densities in high-use areas.

Our efforts led to a significant reduction of woody weeds, exotic vines, and herbaceous weeds, particularly around high-visibility areas such as the entrance to the Great North Walk, the NPWS Depot slope, and the Kukundi play area. We also conducted follow-up and maintenance works to ensure long-term vegetation recovery.

Through these works, we contributed to the ecological health of the park, supporting native biodiversity and improving the visitor experience. Our team remains committed to the ongoing restoration of Lane Cove National Park and looks forward to continuing this important work.

Before	After

Before	After

Method & Technic:

• Broadscale Herbicide Spraying
• Bush Regeneration
• pre-burn, and post-burn Weed Management
• Habitat Piles

Project Outcomes:

In 2024, Dragonfly Environmental conducted extensive bush regeneration works at the NSW Golf Club, located within the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, which contains approximately 16 hectares of the critically endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS) in 21 distinct fragments. The project, fully funded by the NSW Golf Club, involved regular site visits once to twice a week throughout the year. The focus of the works was on primary, secondary, maintenance, pre-burn, and post-burn activities across the site, with particular emphasis on high-visibility areas such as fairways and zones adjacent to tee boxes and greens, in order to maintain and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the club.

Efforts were concentrated on managing and reducing difficult-to-control ‘coloniser’ species, including Turkey rhubarb (Rumex sagittatus), Pampas lily of the valley (Salpichroa origanifolia), Lantana camara, Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera subsp. rotundata), Ludwigia peruviana, African love grass (Eragrostis curvula), and Giant paspalum (Paspalum urvillei). Regular maintenance and follow-up works targeted herbaceous and woody weeds, exotic grasses, vines, and groundcovers, while periodic primary works addressed woody weed incursions in less prominent bushland areas.

Additionally, Dragonfly Environmental carried out comprehensive primary burn preparation and post-burn maintenance activities in one of the zones, supporting ongoing restoration efforts. The team’s work throughout 2024 played a key role in the continued preservation and enhancement of the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, contributing to the health and resilience of this critically endangered ecological community.

Before	After

Before	After

Before (Planting Work in 2025)	After

Method & Technic:

• Aquatic Weed Treatment
• Bush Regeneration
• Revegetation
• Habitat Restratio

Project Outcomes:

Since the project began in 2019, significant progress has been made at VIVA Energy’s Clyde Terminal Hub in restoring and rehabilitating habitat for the Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea). The construction of new breeding ponds was completed in 2019, providing critical new habitat to support the frog population, especially as original pond areas shrank due to drought.

Now, with the construction phase complete, a large portion of the site has entered the maintenance phase. Our team continues to focus on habitat management, including weed control, perimeter clearing to enhance light penetration, and careful monitoring of Acacia pubescens. Efforts to reduce the spread of invasive species such as Juncus acutus, Olea europaea, Ligustrum lucidum, Casuarina species, and Cortaderia selloana remain ongoing in both wetland and terrestrial areas.

We are proud of the work achieved so far and remain committed to making the site even better through our dedicated efforts now and into the future. Now we look to the skies — ready for the rain to help bring new life to the ponds and support the next chapter of this important restoration project.

Green and golden bell frog	Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki)

The introduction of Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in Australia was around the 1920’s, introduced by military and local councils to control mosquito populations. Brought in from North America the biological control for mosquitos was unsuccessful. However, they began a disturbance in the natural habitat of the GGBF and has decimated many of the amphibian population due to their aggressive behaviour preying on eggs and larvae of native fish and amphibians.