October 28 - November 30, 2024: Issue 636

 

Sydney Coastal Councils Group selected as Finalist in LGNSW 'Excellence in the Environment Award' for Manly's Little Penguin Education Campaign

The Sydney Coastal Councils Group’s Little Penguin education video has been selected as a finalist in the Communication, Education, and Empowerment category of the LGNSW Excellence in the Environment Awards. 

The awards ceremony will take place on December 4th 2024, at Cockle Bay Wharf.

The Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) was also named a finalist for its Little Penguin Education Video at the 2024 Sustainable Cities Awards. 

The video brings attention to the threats facing the Little Penguin colony at Spring Cove, including boat strikes, dog attacks due to dogs being taken into foreshore areas, and damage to their foraging habitats, such as seagrass beds. 

The project also highlights actions that the community can take to protect these penguins and secure their future at Manly.

SCCG was shortlisted in two key award categories:

  • Biodiversity Conservation Award: This award recognises projects that regenerate, conserve, or advance scientific understanding of biodiversity in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
  • Waterways and Marine Protection Award: This award celebrates programs and actions that restore and enhance natural waterways and beaches.

The awards recognise outstanding initiatives that inform and empower communities, increasing their capacity to actively contribute to sustainability efforts.

The 2024 Sustainable Cities Awards were announced October 10 2024.

Although the project did not take out the final, ‘Artificial Hollows - A new novel approach’ by the City of Parramatta Council winning that category, and the ‘Nepean River Restoration’ project by Camden Council winning the Waterways and Marine Protection Award, a Highly Commended was given to the Urban Night Sky Place Project by the Northern Beaches Council in the Heritage & Culture category.

Worth noting is another aspect of looking after our waterways and beaches, with a fundraiser launched here on Pittwater in 2019 as the idea commenced in Australia, the Seabin Foundation, was named Winner and Highly Commended in a few categories. The Seabin Foundation was the winner in the Litter Prevention (Sponsored by NSW EPA) category for its ‘Clean Waterways Keep the Turf Out of the Surf’ and Highly Commended for its ‘Ocean Health Course’ in the Waterways and Marine Protection category.

Australian boat builders Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski developed  Seabins. After spending four years developing a prototype, the first commercial Seabin was to be installed at a marina in Portsmouth, UK, in late 2016.

Seabin Foundation is committed to working with communities to address marine plastic pollution. One way that local students can get involved is through internships. This Spring, Seabin Foundation partnered with the Macquarie University's PACE program to welcome a second cohort of masters students. 

For more information on the Sustainable Cities Awards and other winners, highly commended projects and finalists, visit Keep Australia Beautiful NSW here. 

The Manly Little Penguins Campaign project, developed in collaboration with the Northern Beaches Council, NPWS, TfNSW, and local penguin wardens, forms a key part of SCCG’s broader sustainability strategy to protect marine biodiversity and promote compliance with boating regulations.

As Pittwater has a Little Penguin colony on Lion Island, known to frequent the estuary and beaches south from Barrenjoey, being informed on how we may all help to look after this population and the seagrass beds of Pittwater's estuary is of benefit to local and visiting boaters as well.

More in:

The Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) is urging all recreational watercraft operators to follow boating rules in Spring Cove, at Manly designed to protect a critically endangered population of Little Penguins. The education film highlights the threats faced by the colony at Spring Cove including boat strike, dogs and damage to important foraging habitat such as seagrass beds. 


Photo: These little penguins, released at North Curl Curl beach, were treated by the Sydney Taronga Zoo wildlife clinic after suffering injuries from a dog attack. (Reuters: David Gray (File picture) - 2008 Taronga Zoo).

The Monitoring reports for Manly's little penguins, published by the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage, state:

The 2022–23 breeding season is still showing signs of impact from the 2015 fox predation event. There were 29 breeding pairs with 60 eggs and 56 fledglings, showing a small increase compared to the last 3 years. These numbers are still much lower than pre-2015. This season was unusual for the Manly population and other populations across the state. Pairs started breeding later into the season than usual, resulting in a limited number of pairs able to produce a second clutch. Despite this, there was a high rate of success for the clutches that were produced.

The 2023–24 breeding season saw low relative gains compared to previous decades, with only 19 breeding pairs. There were positive signs with slight increases in breeding numbers at certain locations. There was only one double clutch confirmed at Manly this year, but the success rate was high for those able to breed. The baseline population is much lower than it was before the fox attack and population growth will be slow.

Little penguins look for food throughout Sydney Harbour and along the Sydney coast. You might see them around Bondi, Botany Bay, Mosman, Narrabeen, Palm, Whale, Avalon, Newport, Bungan, Mona Vale, Warriewood, and Turimetta beach as well as in Pittwater. Some of Manly's penguins have even travelled as far as South Australia.

They come back to Manly and Lion Island each year to breed between May and February.

Importantly, there are things we can all do to protect the Little Penguin population and ensure they have a future at Manly. Simple boating rules for Spring Cove, Manly are: 

  • Reduce speed to four knots or below when entering North Harbour, Manly 
  • Be extra careful at dawn and dusk 
  • Don't anchor in seagrass beds 
  • Don't bring dogs onto beaches 

To find out more, visit sydneycoastalcouncils.com.au  

The Sydney Coastal Councils Group stated; ‘’we are honoured to be among the finalists in this category, which celebrates environmental education programs and initiatives that foster community engagement and consultation.’’

The Sydney Coastal Councils Group Inc. (SCCG) was established in 1989 to promote collaboration between Member Councils on environmental issues relating to the sustainable management of the urban coastal and estuarine environment.

The Group currently consists of 9 Councils adjacent to Sydney marine and estuarine environments and associated waterways, and represents nearly 1.3 million Sydneysiders.

Guided by the SCCG Strategic Plan 2019-2029 and annual Operational Plan, the SCCG is providing benefits to Councils across a range of coastal management issues including; climate change adaptation and resilience; coastal infrastructure and asset management; strategic and land use planning; biodiversity restoration and conservation; natural hazard and emergency management; and integrated water management.

The strength of the SCCG rests in engagement and shared expertise of the elected representatives, executive and technical staff of the Member Councils, and the capacity of their Secretariat to facilitate coordination, collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the Group and provide general and specialised expertise in delivering a range of services and programs that build the capacity of members in the management of Sydney’s urban coastal and estuarine environments.

Held annually, LGNSW's Excellence in the Environment Awards aim to recognise outstanding achievements by NSW councils in managing and protecting the environment.

Councils, county councils, regional groups of councils and other council-based organisations are eligible to enter.

For each of the awards, there are four divisions based on the type of organisation and a council's population base:

  • Division A: for councils with a population less than 30,000
  • Division B: for councils with a population of 30,000-100,000
  • Division C: for councils with a population of more than 100,000
  • Division D: for JOs, ROCs and County Councils 

What the judges are looking for:

  • Demonstration of innovation and best practice for an organisation of a council's size, location and resourcing
  • A sound rationale for the project
  • Challenging objectives that go beyond core business
  • How thoroughly the project has been implemented
  • Whether the project objectives were achieved
  • Creation of new opportunities and anticipation of future challenges.

Stay tuned for the results and the SCCG's continued efforts in protecting the Little Penguins and our other vital marine ecosystems.

The video for Manly's Little Penguins, as a call-out to respect and protect ALL our local 'other residents', runs below.