The Swan and Canning rivers have changed dramatically since the establishment of the Swan River Colony. Widespread clearing for urban, agricultural and industrial development, shoreline reclamation, dredging and drainage, the removal of the rock bar at Fremantle and the establishment of water impoundments including dams within tributaries have altered the system and caused habitat loss.
While the waterways are changed from their natural state, they support a wide array of important habitats including open water, sand shallows, tidal mudflats, tidal samphire marshes, fringing sedges and rushes, fringing woodlands, submerged macrophytes, seagrass and macroalgae, riffles and pools, marine intertidal zones, woody debris and interconnected wetlands.
Artificial structures (e.g. jetties, groynes and posts) provide additional habitat.
Natural disturbance events such as fires, floods and storms often impact these habitats, which can recover through regeneration and recolonisation by species spreading from nearby areas. However, if the scale of disturbances is too great or where multiple threatening processes exist simultaneously, species and communities may be affected and biodiversity may decline.
Processes that continue to pose a threat to habitats and biodiversity in the Riverpark include:
Parks and Wildlife aims to minimise the impacts of these stressors and protect habitat by addressing water quality and ecological health, managing development pressure, ensuring adequate environmental flow and responding to climate change. It partners with foreshore land managers to improve habitat and reduce erosion pressure and invasive weeds through improved foreshore management.
Parks and Wildlife is a signatory to the Biosecurity Charter and supports the Department of Fisheries to manage invasive fauna in the Riverpark.
Foreshores are dynamic boundaries between land and water and are constantly changing in response to natural geomorphic processes and shifts in natural conditions in the surrounding catchment.
Human disturbance can affect the integrity of foreshores through:
In the Swan Canning Riverpark, foreshores comprise two main types:
Protection and rehabilitation of foreshores is critical maintain environmental and socio-economic values within the Riverpark. An assessment of shoreline condition in 2008 as part of the Swan and Canning Rivers Foreshore Assessment and Management Strategy determined that:
Parks and Wildlife has a number of initiatives to protect and rehabilitate foreshores.
Swan and Canning Rivers Foreshore Assessment and Management Strategy10.04 MBBoating Management Strategy for the Swan Canning Riverpark914.92 KBDinghy Management Policy34.68 KBGuidelines for developing foreshore management plans in the Swan Canning Riverpark1.32 MBGuidelines for developing foreshore restoration plans in the Swan Canning Riverpark327.76 KBBest management practices for foreshore stabilisation
The 2023-24 Riverbank Grants Funding round is now open.
The Riverbank Program protects and enhances the Swan and Canning river foreshores. Its objectives include:
Riverbank Funding
Riverbank Funding initiates and funds foreshore protection and rehabilitation works on public land through partnerships with State and local government. Since the Riverbank Funding program's inception in 2002, the State Government has contributed more than $27.2 million across Riverbank projects. This has been matched by riverside foreshore land managers across 352 projects sites, and in total represents a $59 million investment in the health and amenity of the Riverpark.
In February 2023, the Minister for Environment announced the opening of the 2023-24 Riverbank Funding round. See the Minister’s media statement for more information. The funding round will close at 4pm on 21 April 2023. Find out more about the application process.
Proactive
Proactive funding allows priority shoreline areas to be targeted with large projects that may span many years. Unlike the Grants scheme, sites for proactive funding are selected through a set of assessment criteria to priority sites. Once selected, State and local government agencies are proactively approached to develop partnerships and project plans. Partnership arrangements and project schedules between Parks and Wildlife and the land manager are defined in legal collaborative arrangements.
Items funded through the Proactive scheme must be consistent with the objectives of the Riverbank Program and contribute to improving the condition of shorelines and reducing the impact of threatening processes on biodiversity, infrastructure, cultural and/or social amenity values.
Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest program
In March 2021, the McGowan Government committed $3 million in funding over four years (2021-22 to 2024-25) to the Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest program. The program supports public land managers to deliver urban forest restoration projects within the Riverpark including tributaries and drainage lines in the Swan Canning catchment. This is a unique opportunity, with funding available for projects that address the following priorities:
Applications for funding can be made at any time during the year and will be assessed to ensure they meet established criteria. Public land managers are encouraged to discuss project ideas with DBCA’s Urban Forest Coordinator, who can be contacted on 9278 0900 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to arrange an online appointment or site visit. The Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest program grant opportunity guidelines are available in the downloads section below. This initiative is part of the WA Government’s Kep Katitjin-Gabi Kaadadjan (Waterwise Perth action plan 2) to establish leading waterwise communities for Boorloo (Perth) and Bindjareb (Peel) by 2030.
Best management practices for foreshore stabilisation
The best management practices for foreshore stabilisation aim to improve shore stabilisation management in the Swan Canning Riverpark.
Riverbank Extension Plan
The Riverbank Extension Plan provides information, support and training to State and local governments directly responsible for the planning and implementation of foreshore restoration and erosion control projects in the Swan Canning Riverpark.
Foreshore Assessment and Management Strategy
The Riverbank Program has been working in the Swan Canning river system since 2010 to develop a management system that assesses the value of shorelines in protecting assets and geomorphology and providing riparian ecology and amenity value to Western Australians.
The Riverbank Shoreline Management System documents type, extent, condition and value the entire 330kms of Swan Canning natural and built shorelines. This Management System enables analysis of shorelines via asset management systems, asset-threat-response models, and social impact assessment of facilities. The system results in up-to-date data collation, immediate priority identification, clear risk communication, value for money financial resource distribution.
Local Government users can now access DBCA datasets that are restricted to use by LGAs, via the Shared Location Information Platform (SLIP). Four Datasets are available from www.data.wa.gov.au
Queries can be directed to Riverbank officers at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (08) 9278 0900
Swan Canning Riverpark Urban Forest program Funding Guidelines 2022-23271.23 KBSwan and Canning Rivers Foreshore Assessment and Management Strategy10.04 MBBest management practices for foreshore stabilisation
Fringing (or riparian) vegetation is an integral part of a riverine ecosystem and includes the terrestrial and emergent vegetation that borders and is influenced by the waterway. Fringing vegetation provides food and shelter for many bird species and other small animals.
A dense network of roots enables fringing vegetation to stabilise riverbanks and protect them against erosion from boat wash, river flow and surface water run-off.
Fringing vegetation helps to reduce nutrients and sediment entering waterways by slowing the rate of overland runoff, enabling sediments to settle and nutrients to be trapped and used on land.
Overstorey species provide shade to waterways and reduce water temperature. They also drop leaves, bark and insects into the waterway, providing food to aquatic invertebrates and fish. Woody debris in the form of fallen trees and branches provide structure, food and habitat along the shoreline. Woody debris provides important shelter for fish and helps deflect erosive forces away from the banks.
Riparian vegetation is reduced or removed from a foreshore through disturbance including:
Grasses and weeds often replace native fringing vegetation, and often have only shallow roots making the banks more vulnerable to the hydraulic forces that cause erosion. Bank undercutting and slumping can occur which contribute to increased sedimentation of waterways. More rapid runoff increases nutrients and sediment entering the waterways.
In-stream light availability and temperature increase without overstorey shading and, where nutrients are available, encourages the growth of submerged aquatic plants, periphyton (the collection of organisms such as algae and bacteria that live on the surface of submerged plants and other underwater objects) and filamentous algae. Where plant growth is excessive it can increase the amount of decomposing organic matter instream, reducing oxygen levels. In-stream plant growth also helps to trap sediments moving downstream, promoting channel infilling and smothering habitat.
Reduction in terrestrial insects, woody debris and leaf litter in-stream and increased growth of submerged plants, periphyton and filamentous algae changes habitat and food for fish and invertebrate communities. This reduces diversity, with degraded waterways often dominated by fewer species.
It is an offence under the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Regulations 2007 to damage vegetation in the Swan Canning Riverpark or Development Control Area (DCA). Parks and Wildlife encourages appropriate planning and development in the DCA and has a range of planning control measures and processes to facilitate and evaluate development applications around the rivers, depending on where the development is located.
Occasionally foreshore vegetation is damaged by people who did not realise they needed a permit to carry out maintenance. However, in some cases, trees have been systematically poisoned, have had their limbs removed or are cut down. Tying boats or dinghies damages foreshore vegetation and is an offence.
Parks and Wildlife regularly receives complaints from the public about deliberate foreshore vegetation damage in the Riverpark. These are thoroughly investigated in consultation with land managers.
Offenders may face penalties of up to $5000 under the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Regulations 2007.
Signs are installed at some tree damage sites to educate the community about the value of vegetation and encourage reporting of tree damage.
Generally new trees are planted and damaged trees left standing (as long as it is safe to do so) while the new tree grows.
The public are encouraged to report any acts of environmental vandalism to Parks and Wildlife on 9278 0900, or after hours on 0419 192 845.
River and estuary foreshores are dynamic places. In the Swan Canning Riverpark, foreshores respond to seasonal variations in water level, storm surges, wave action, sediment flux, tidal currents and river flow.
Landward movement of foreshores (erosion) can effect human amenity value and threaten valuable infrastructure. Offshore movement of foreshores (accretion) may affect navigation, smother benthic habitats and decrease channel carrying capacity.
Problems with foreshore movement generally occur when instability threatens social, environmental or economic values. Much of Perth is built on reclaimed foreshores and there is a history of locating important infrastructure close to the river without adequate setback. In order to protect that infrastructure from erosion, river walls and revetments have been built along shorelines. These are often inadequate due to their age, insufficient maintenance or inappropriate design for the conditions.
The presence of trees and sedges helps to naturally stabilise foreshores by reducing bank sediment mobility and buffering erosion from wave action and river flow. Widespread clearing for urban and agricultural activity means foreshore vegetation often exists as only a single line of mature trees bordering the river. This provides no room for vegetation retreat and makes the vegetation itself vulnerable to erosion.
Waves derived from boat wakes that exceed the intensity and duration of natural waves also undermine fringing vegetation. Structures on foreshores such as drains can disturb natural sediment transport patterns along shorelines. Discharge from drains on to or above riverbanks can also undermine bank stability.
Through the Riverbank Program, Parks and Wildlife is working in partnership with 21 local and six State Government agencies to address localised areas of erosion.
The cumulative increase in vessel wake can damage riverbanks and infrastructure and adversely affect other aquatic users. With an increase in boat ownership in Perth and greater proportions of large recreational vessels, the effects of boat wash on shorelines stability is becoming increasingly topical. However, it should be noted that in some areas of the river, affects from boat wash may have less influence on shoreline erosion than tidal movements, wind waves and drainage.
In 2009, research and trials were undertaken to investigate boat speeds and wash in the Riverpark.
Based on these results a speed reduction from 8 knots to 5 knots was introduced to the upper Swan River upstream of Belmont Ski area in November 2011. The speed reduction is expected to reduce shoreline erosion and damage to wildlife habitat. It also reduces conflict between boat users and other users of the river.
The results have also been used to help inform a major review of aquatic usage on the Swan and Canning rivers in the draft Aquatic Use Review and Management Framework.
Invasive species are the greatest threat to Australia’s biodiversity after habitat loss. Once established, invasive species can alter an ecosystem and reduce local biodiversity. New species may be competitors, disturbers, consumers, or prey. They can cause local extinctions through predation, competitive exclusion, niche displacement and altered genetics of native species. The Swan Canning Riverpark is widely affected by affected by introduced weeds, fish and invertebrates.
A weed is an alien or introduced plant that is invasive. Weeds on the foreshore and in the water can be a serious problem for the Swan Canning Riverpark, competing with local plants for space and light. They usually don’t suffer from pests or diseases, and animals may not feed on them, so they spread easily. They can overtake the natural vegetation, reducing native species diversity and habitat value.
Foreshore weeds mostly come from nearby gardens, farmland and market gardens. Seeds are blown or washed into bushland near streams and into drains leading to streams. Birds can introduce them in droppings and people often thoughtlessly dump garden waste containing seeds, bulbs or cuttings in bushland near the river.
Aquatic weeds may clog the waterway with their own biomass or by causing sediment build up. Stagnant waters are more likely to be deprived of oxygen, causing the death of aquatic life. Habitats for birds and other animals may be lost, recreational areas ruined and irrigation pumps clogged with plant material.
Invasive fish species Swan Canning Riverpark include pearl cichlids (Geophagus brasiliensis), goldfish (Carassius auratus), koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrookii), silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus), spangled perch (Leiopotherapon unicolour) and redfin perch (Perca fluviatilis). Their introduction and spread can cause problems in waterways as they flourish, breed and compete with native species.
Introduced fish can:
The Department of Fisheries is the lead agency for managing feral fish.
Many exotic fish common in the aquarium trade are hardy and have wide environmental tolerances and will survive and thrive in our local waterways. Pearl cichlids (Geophagus brasiliensis), a popular aquarium fish native to coastal rivers of Brazil and Uruguay, were first found in the Bennett Brook in March 2006 and are now well established in the upper Swan and Canning rivers.
Three invertebrate species introduced to the Swan Canning Riverpark are described here.
In Western Australia, the Department of Fisheries is the lead agency responsible for responding to and managing invasions of introduced fish and invertebrates. Actions are often a cooperative approach between the departments of Parks and Wildlife, Fisheries and Water, local government authorities and other major stakeholders.
The community’s help is needed to curb the spread of invasive species in the Swan Canning Riverpark and the wider catchment.
The Department of Fisheries has launched a Don’t Dump that Fish campaign to promote awareness of the damage aquarium species can cause if they are released.
You can also join in the fight against aquatic pests by reporting sightings of Asian Paddle Crab, the White Sea Squirt and other unwanted species. Download the PestWatch app.
Weeds
Invasive fish
Pearl cichlid fact sheet104.29 KBAssessment of the distribution and population viability of the pearl cichlid in the Swan River Catchment931.15 KBIntroduced invertebrates
Australian mud whelk fact sheet99.55 KBDrift algae, invasive snails and seagrass health in the Swan River: patterns, impacts and linkages4.93 MB - a brief report on ecological interactions of Batillaria australis