The Southern Mt. Lofty Ranges contain some of Australia's most unique plants and animals. Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps contain some of the rarest plants and animals found in South Australia. Like the Southern Emu-Wren, these plants and animals depend on the Swamps for their survival.
Fleurieu Peninsula swamps are home to 207 plant species. 167 of these are indigenous to the Mt. Lofty Ranges, 96 (57%) are of regional conservation significance and five are nationally threatened plant species like the Osborn's Eyebright and the Maroon Leek Orchid.
Many invertebrates use swamps and some - like the Black Ground Beetle (a type of Carabid beetle thought extinct until rediscovered in 1997) - are found only in Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps. 15 types of reptile, 10 amphibians, 7 mammal species and 43 bird species have been recorded within Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps. The Southern Emu-Wren is the most endangered of these.
The solution for the swamps and their inhabitants is to prevent further damage to the swamps that remain, restore degraded areas, and create corridors between isolated areas.
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