Chats for the Goals: Chain of Ponds

Many discontinuous waterway systems in Australia are degraded, unmapped, and are rapidly being lost to increasing urbanisation. Their regeneration has the potential to renew biodiversity, foster urban resilience, and contribute to localised mitigation of climate change risks, including flood, drought and extreme heat. This presentation will provide an overview of a collaborative research project involving UTS, Sydney Water, NSW Local Land Services, and Macquarie University. The research investigates the ancient and once-prolific network of chain-of-ponds systems across western Sydney’s Cumberland Plain. It aims to map their condition and extent; investigate their potential for recovery in contemporary land-use contexts; explore adaptive and integrative landscape and urban planning design solutions; and find support for policy and governance improvements. The work offers urgent and significant knowledge for the design, planning and management of urban/riparian interfaces in rapidly expanding cities and landscapes in Australia and internationally. This event is part of UTS Global Goals Month 2026. Explore more of the Global Goals Month program here.