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MEDIA RELEASE: ‘Growing Adelaide’s grasslands: enhancing biodiversity at Barket Inlet Wetlands’

CVA is excited to announce it is partnering with Port Adelaide Enfield Council to establish a grasslands habitat at Barker Inlet Wetlands thanks to a Grassroots Grant from Green Adelaide. 

This 68ha site has been allocated for wetlands, riparian and terrestrial bushlands, which are important for capturing stormwater and treating flows before entering the Port River Estuary system.  

They host Rakala (Native Water Rats), turtles and over 50 species of birds, while supporting a diversity of flora, including the endangered Yellowish Sedge-Skipper. 

The site of the grasslands, currently covered in weeds.

Why is this important?

 This type of vegetation community once covered a huge area around Adelaide, but today, only around 1% of grasslands remain. However, they are crucial for our native wildlife.  

While there is a well-established native shrubland near the proposed grassland site (which continues to grow thanks to plantings by CVA volunteers), there is a limited diversity of native grass species, and many invasive weeds are present.  

Planting a grassland will provide a new habitat type for small birds, insects, and reptiles to enhance the biodiversity value of the wetlands and support rare and threatened flora species. 

How you can help

Volunteers at the wetlands.

Our goal is to establish a native grassland of mixed species within the Barket Inlet Wetlands Reserve to improve its biodiversity value, encourage invertebrate diversity, and provide habitat for smaller birds and reptiles.  

But we can’t do it alone.  

There will be a host of citizen science activities available to the local community, from conducting pre-planting weed and invertebrate surveys, fence installation to prevent pest animals from grazing on the grass, planting days and general maintenance sessions of this crucial biodiverse site. 

Visit https://volunteerportal.cva.org.au/s/make-booking and explore events under ‘Growing the Grasslands at Barker Inlet Wetlands’. 

For more information, contact [email protected].  

This project is funded by Green Adelaide. 

For more information on the importance of grasslands – and why we need them – visit Green Adelaide’s article here: www.greenadelaide.sa.gov.au/news/2025-native-grasslands-adelaide