[3] Aboriginal presence in the area was likely due to the availability of resources such as the Bogong moth (Argotis infusa)[4] and the daisy yam (Microseris lanceolata).

[5] The Murrumbidgee River would have been a good source of fish including the trout cod (Maccullochhella macquariensis)[6] – currently listed as endangered under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

The river would have provided water for many species of terrestrial fauna the local Aboriginal people are known to have utilised for food including the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus gigantus) and the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor).

In addition to propagating the more common species expected to be present in the vegetation communities mentioned above, Scottsdale is host to the silver-leafed mountain gum (Eucalyptus pulverulenta).

[9] In New South Wales, grassy box woodlands are characterised in the over-storey by distinct Eucalypt species that change with diminishing rainfall the further one travels from the coast.

Higher historical levels of agricultural activity such as cultivation, grazing and degraded land being invaded by weeds tend to lead to less natural regeneration of eucalypt species[23] and other desired vegetation[24] from the threatened communities.

[25] Grazing intensity appears to be the primary determinant of Eucalyptus regenerative success as changes to the seedbed occur due to pasture grass introductions and seedlings are often browsed by either stock[26] or pests reducing their survival rate.

[1] This level of success can be attributed to the absence of stock in paddocks where the plantings have been implemented and the use of sturdy tree guards to help reduce pest browsing by animals such as the swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)[28] and rabbits.

Threatened species include rosenberg’s monitor (Varanus rosenbergi''), the speckled warbler (Pyrrholaemus sagittatus), brown treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus), macquarie perch (Macquaria australasica) and striped legless lizard (Delma impar).

This Australian native freshwater fish is endemic to the south eastern component of the Murray-Darling River System and prefers clear, flowing water.

[35] Researchers from the University of Canberra are currently working to protect this species together with the team at Scottsdale through the identification of spawning areas (utilising underwater listening posts and acoustic tags) which can then be analysed to help understand factors affecting recruitment.

[44] One of the management actions at Scottsdale is supporting the relocation of a number of vulnerable striped legless lizards (Delmar impar) from development sites in Canberra.

[41] Following human disturbance, the threatened lizard has a restricted range existing in fragmented secondary grasslands (where trees have been removed) in temperate areas of south eastern Australia.

[53] The most serious environmental weed on the property is African lovegrass – which has invaded much of the previously cleared pasture land and forms monocultures in many similar locations in the Kosciuszko to Coast management areas in south eastern NSW.

[54] This weed is highly invasive, choking out native growth in degraded soils[55] and changing the fire behaviour of an area potentially transforming the ecosystem.

[56] In addition, the subdivision of large rural lands into smaller properties that are often bought by people with little weed knowledge is exacerbating an already severe problem through their lack of effective action.

[58] The carp is highly invasive, and is considered a pest in most Australian states due to a vast appetite for predation[59] and its ability to recruit in hydrologically altered waterways where native fish often have a need for greater current variability.