These ecosystems continually change with tides, storms, and winds.

Plants and animals living in these often harsh conditions must be well adapted to deal with change, and are likely to see rising sea levels and more extreme events in the future.

Vegetation types associated with the lake include mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrasses, which are particularly important for providing habitat for fish.

Seagrasses grow on the bottom on the lake if the water is clear enough, providing habitat for the young of many recreational fish caught in the lake and ocean.

They are regarded as a flagship species, also indicative of the good water quality.

Monitoring over the past 10 years has shown that light penetration has improved by over a metre, allowing a measurable expansion of seagrass through re-colonisation of deeper areas.

The coast is an area of transition bet-ween the land and ocean, characterised by beaches, dunes, rocky headlands and estuaries.

You can take a close look and see where specially adapted plants and animals live.

Many of these are seriously reduced in number by recreational activities such as collecting from rock platforms or driving on beaches and dunes.

Periwinkles, crabs, starfish and cunjevoi (sea squirts) are all vulnerable to over collection.

Special habitat areas occur along the coast, such as the rock platform at Swansea Head.

This is regarded as having the highest diversity of species in the coast between Sydney and Newcastle.

However, the local area contains no ocean or lake reserves.

Many of the region’s coastal, lake and ocean ecosystems are affected by ‘marine debris’ or rubbish.

Most of this is litter washed down drains and streams, or blown by the wind.

This debris, in particular plastics, can detrimentally affect many of the plants and animals, especially fish such as the Eastern Blue Groper, a flagship ocean species.

There are opportunities for people to learn more about the coast as part of holiday activity programs undertaken by local councils.

One can also participate in the monitoring of rock platforms with community groups such as the Ocean and Coastal Care Initiative group, which has a new Lake Macquarie – Newcastle arm.