Adam Monk, lifestyle farmer in Wellington Mills participated in the Healthy Estuaries WA program to restore an existing waterway on his property prior to procuring livestock. He shares with us his progress and insights learned from the project which is restoring the dam and creek ecosystem on his property and contributing to protecting the health of the Leschenault Estuary into which they flow.

Adam has successfully fenced the creek and dam area to protect against the planned livestock, planted sedges to rejuvenate the area, overcome challenges to protect his efforts from wildlife with additional fencing installation, and seen considerable results with increased biodiversity. Read Adam’s story for insights into the challenges and rewards of fencing and revegetating his property, and be inspired with practical tips to protect waterways on your own property.

Background

In Autumn 2023, Adam received about 1,000 sedges of three types—Juncus pallidus, Juncus subsecundus, and Carex appressa—for planting in his dam and creek. His goal was to improve the water quality on his property, in downstream waterways and the receiving estuary, and also to encourage native flora, and support local wildlife by creating a biodiverse waterway on his property.

“As the climate heats and the land dries out, habitat for native birds, animals and frogs is becoming increasingly scarce. The cleared farmed area of our South West are full of waterways that if restored could be invaluable islands of ecosystem for our vanishing native species.

By adding marginal vegetation, aquatic plants and animals the owner gets cleaner water (much better for stock and irrigation), a cooler microclimate and a beautiful place on the farm to relax and have a swim… instead of a muddy hole full of cow shit and putrid water.

My fantasy is to have a large chain of these “re-wilded” dams and waterways all across our South West, and I couldn’t believe it when I found out the LCC will actually provide the plants and help out with the process! It's a win-win for everyone, why wouldn’t you do it,” said Adam.

Adam fenced the dam and creek to exclude livestock, preventing the nutrients from their waste from polluting the waterways. Unfortunately Adam faced challenges with kangaroos munching on the new native seedlings and so erected additional kangaroo-proof fencing. Despite the challenging, uneven terrain and high costs, he successfully enclosed the area. He even provided an external water source for the kangaroos - a cattle trough connected to the main irrigation line - hoping to reduce their motivation to breach the fence.

Adam began planting the sedges in his dam and creek areas. However, over summer, he noticed the need for irrigation to support the plants’ survival. He implemented a dripline irrigation system with a Bluetooth-controlled solenoid setup for the dam, while relying on rainfall to sustain the creek area.

Adam also re-potted the remaining sedges, placing them in water baths for the summer, effectively creating a nursery to preserve his seedlings.

Later, Adam received an additional 500 Baumea articulata sedges, known for their suitability in deeper waters. He re-potted the larger plants and stored them in water baths for the summer to give them the best chance of survival. He planted the taller Baumea sedges in deeper dam areas, ensuring they would emerge above the waterline even as levels rose. By allowing these sedges to grow larger before planting, Adam accelerated the natural propagation process, which would otherwise take years to achieve.

Results

With the plants protected, the ecosystem around Adam’s dam and the connected creek thrived. Native wood ducks and grebes have nested in the sedges, with one pair of grebes even creating a nest within the Baumea sedges. Dragonflies and frogs have also increased in number, adding to the biodiversity of the area. The sedges planted in 2023, despite initial setbacks, have shown resilience and many of the plants eaten by kangaroos rebounded after receiving irrigation throughout the summer.

Adam's experience highlights several valuable lessons:

Fencing is crucial to protect new plantings from both livestock and wildlife. While costly, it was necessary to achieve the desired outcomes and must be installed before planting occurs.
Adjusting planting methods and choice of species based on environmental conditions—using irrigation and water baths for summer survival—meant that plants survived during the challenging summer months.
By staging planting and re-potting young sedges to grow taller, Adam optimised the project’s success and accelerated plant establishment, helping avoid the long wait for natural propagation.

Adam shared with us his ongoing plans for the project, “Once the vegetation is established and stable, the next step is supporting the rest of the ecosystem. The dam already has a substantial volume of existing aquatic plants, boatmen, beetles and other small aquatic invertebrates (and the odd Marron) and fortunately it has avoided the introduction of invasive fish species (Gambusias, Redfin perch, carp etc…). The next step is a wider variety of aquatic plants (Native Lillies, ribbon grass etc…) to provide further oxygenation, absorb further excess nutrients, shade the surface and create breeding habitat. Then native fish (like Pygmy perch), glass shrimps, and eventually long necked turtles will hopefully return.

The dam has been established for over 50 years and is connected to the creek, so it has an existing ecosystem of sorts in it, but it lacks many components to give it full balance, my aim is to replicate a natural South West waterway ecosystem as fully as possible and have it be self-sustaining.

The final stage will see more trees planted around the margins to shade the dam and creek line, break the wind (bloody easterly takes more water than my garden over summer) and provide further habitat.”

This project demonstrates the rewards of patience, adaptability, and proactive land management. Adam’s dam and creek ecosystem are now alive with native vegetation and wildlife, and a great example of the benefits of investing in fencing and revegetation. With the collective efforts of landholders across the estuary’s catchment restoring waterways on their properties, this will also help protect our precious Leschenault Estuary.

If Adam’s story inspires you, reach out to our Healthy Estuaries WA project officer Tony Battersby to explore how you can begin your own waterway fencing and revegetation project. We would love to help you protect biodiversity, improve water quality, and create a thriving ecosystem on your property.

Healthy Estuaries WA is a State Government program that aims to improve the health of our South West estuaries.