Sustainable Cities Awards 2021

World-beating research into propagating ecologically-vital River Mangroves, conducted by Hornsby Shire Council's Natural Resources Branch, has been acknowledged with a major prize in Keep Australia Beautiful NSW's annual Sustainable Cities Awards.

River Mangroves (Aegiceras corniculatum) are notoriously difficult to grow from seed and previous attempts internationally to propagate them have met with only very limited success. After extensive research, though, Council's own environmental scientists found a more effective way to propagate and plant River Mangroves by using germinating seeds and cuttings. They dubbed the project ‘A Helping Hand for Our Smelly Friends’!

River Mangroves are an essential part of the coastal environment, improving water quality, stabilising and improving soil, protecting shorelines from erosion, providing habitat for prawn spawning grounds and fish nurseries and contributing to global blue carbon storage by locking-up carbon in the mangrove ecosystem.

Mangroves are legally protected, but they are under increasing pressure from coastal development, pollution and increased water activities like boat wake and wave wash.

Council’s environmental scientists partnered with enthusiastic Hornsby Bushcare volunteers and undertook on a long journey of intense observation, numerous field trials and challenges to find a solution to propagate them.

Hornsby Shire Council was also an overall finalist in the Sustainable Cities Awards, Keep Australia Beautiful acknowledging Council's "diverse and effective range of sustainability strategies and actions, whilst working with a broad range of partners who have a very strong focus on community engagement and support".

For more about River Mangroves, watch our video on Mangroves - our smelly friends.