Saving our Species

Persoonia nutans

We’ve partnered with the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) to work towards securing the future of the endangered Nodding Geebung (Persoonia nutans) found within the Penrith local government area under the NSW Government’s Saving our Species (SoS) program.

We have been working together in a successful collective partnership with DPE at Castlereagh Reserve, Rickabys Creek Reserve and Berkshire Park Recreation Ground, where populations of the Nodding Geebung are found and are thriving well. We are managing and conserving this species by:

• Undertaking targeted threatened plant survey and habitat assessment
• Augmenting the existing population by planting additional ex-situ propagated plants
• Long-term monitoring
• Installation of fences to mitigate habitat destruction
• Installing signage to protect core habitat areas
• Controlling weeds and non-natives
• Community engagement

What can you do?

Many threatened plants and animals have large sections of their habitat on privately owned lands, which means the conservation of these lands is crucial for their survival.

Whilst we are working hard on Council land to protect this species, you can help too! Private landholders can protect populations, of Nodding Geebung or other threatened plant species found on their property. Please contact either:

• The Saving our Species team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• The Hawkesbury-Nepean Landcare Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Get involved

If you are interested in joining us to help protect threatened species, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Find out what we’ve been doing to help conserve this species!

This is how we're conserving the Persoonia nutans.

Persoonia nutans, commonly known as the Nodding Geebung, is a shrub to 2.5m tall with yellow drooping flowers. Image provided by the Saving our Species program.

The Persoonia nutans seeds were tested prior to propagation to check viability by the Royal Botanic Gardens Australia.

Field work was undertaken prior to planting to pick the best locations for planting which included checking the soils for suitability.

All existing Persoonia nutans found across these sites were assessed, tagged, recorded, and measured.

Hibbertia puberula subsp. glabrescens

Penrith Council and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) are partnering to conserve the Hibbertia puberula subsp. glabrescens through the NSW Government’s Saving our Species (SoS) program.

Source P. Cuneo.

What is Hibbertia puberula subsp. glabrescens?

Hibbertia puberula subsp. glabrescens is a prostrate shrub with spreading wiry branches up to 40cm in length and is endemic to NSW. The only known species population exists at Bankstown Airport Site, comprising less than 100 mature individuals distributed in four small subpopulations.

This species is legally listed as ‘critically endangered’ under both state and federal government environmental legislation due to its small known population size and restricted geographic distribution.

This is where we come in!

The NSW Government’s Saving our Species (SoS) program is an innovative and strategic approach to threatened species management. The program aims to maximise the number of threatened species that can survive securely in the wild in NSW and to control the key threats that affect them.

Our project will include:

• Weed control to improve habitat to promote the species natural regeneration and establishment.
• Planting of 190 specimens to establish insurance populations for the species across two locations.
• Species monitoring to build a baseline dataset on the species.

How can I get involved?

There are some great opportunities for you to volunteer and get involved in helping us restore habitat through our Bushcare Volunteering Program and our nature-themed events.

Eucalyptus benthamii

Penrith Council and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) are partnering to conserve the Camden White Gum (Eucalypus benthamii) through the NSW Government's Saving our Species (SoS) program.

Source Damien Vella.

What is Eucalypus benthamii?

Eucalyptus benthamii, also known as Camden White Gum, is endemic to NSW and is currently known from Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains in the Sydney Basin Bioregion. It occurs on riverbanks and alluvial flats in tall open forests and is associated with River-flat Eucalypt Forest on Coastal Floodplains, which is listed as a threatened ecological community. Trees generally grow up to 40 metres in height with smooth, white bark shedding in short ribbons or flakes.

The species’ original habitat was on the flats of the Nepean River and its tributaries, but since European settlement, much of this habitat has been cleared.

The current geographic distribution is highly restricted with populations recorded along the Kedumba River, the Nattai River, and the mid-lower Nepean River between Wallacia and Camden.

The combined population size is moderately low with the total number of mature individuals estimated to be 9,000.

This is where we come in!

Our project will include:

• Weed control to improve habitats to promote the species natural regeneration and establishment.
• Planting of 90 specimens to establish insurance populations for the species across three locations: Fowler Reserve, Wallacia; Factory Road Reserve, Regentville; and Emu Green Reserve, Emu Heights.
• Species monitoring to build a baseline dataset on the species.

How can I get involved?

There are some great opportunities for you to volunteer and get involved in helping us restore habitat through our Bushcare Volunteering Program and our nature-themed events.