Author Description

"The upland swamps that lie on the sandstone plateaus around Sydney are Endangered Ecological Communities and storehouses of records of climatic and fire histories of the region over the past 40,000 years or more. They are vital to the health of Sydney's water catchment areas because they supply clean water even during periods of prolonged drought. Yet they are threatened by sever impacts from urbanisation, forestry and underground mining of coal. They are the 'canaries above the mines', giving the first evidence of water loss from the streams on the plateaus. This book bring together the research on the upland swamps in a readable and clear form. It is written as a tribute to the researchers who are unravelling the complex scientific questions about the swamps and to the dedicated conservationists who continue to fight for protection of these important communities."--Back cover.