Vegetation

Prior to white settlement, the Jervis Bay region was covered by many different vegetation types, such as: coastal heaths; rainforest; tall open forests of eucalypts, banksias and casuarinas; wetlands of salt marsh and mangroves; and the grasses and sedges comprising sand dune vegetation. These terrestrial environments together with the riches from the oceans and lagoons would have provided plentiful resources for Aboriginal people in traditional times. Unlike many other places on the south coast, most of the original vegetation is still intact today, due mainly to the existence of national parks and the Department of Defence estate in New South Wales and the Jervis Bay Territory, which have placed limitations on the clearing of vegetation for development. The intactness of the original ecosystems has helped to protect the spiritual values of the landscape, as well as a range of plant and animal species that appear nowhere else in the world. The relatively unspoiled nature of the landscape is one of the reasons why both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people treasure the Jervis Bay region.