Conservationists are concerned that WA’s Greater Brixton Street Wetlands are at threat from proposed industrial developments by the City of Gosnells. 

The council plans to rezone 257 hectares, including parts of the wetlands, for an industrial park. The same area in Perth's south-east is home to 11 threatened ecological communities and over 600 native plant species.

Despite a meeting between the Save the Greater Brixton Wetlands group and Mayor Terresa Lynes, the council has not withdrawn its plans. 

It comes after the state’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) advised against the rezoning, citing the area's complex hydrology. Cr Lynes has suggested that the EPA's advice would be contested. 

The council argues that the plan includes protective measures, with 57 hectares to be rehabilitated into high-quality bushland and buffers to safeguard the wetlands. Lynes noted that 95 per cent of the rezoned land was already degraded.

Emeritus Professor Hans Lambers of the University of Western Australia has described the wetlands as “the jewel in the crown of the biodiversity hotspot”.

Save the Greater Brixton Wetlands says it will not go silent, and is continuing to push for the wetlands to be designated a regional park, linking the Canning River with the Kalamunda hills to ensure long-term protection.

More details are accessible here.