Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft Urban Bushland and Biodiversity Strategic Plan.

Council received 20 submissions during the exhibition period and after considering all feedback the plan was updated with the following changes:

• Further affirm Council’s commitment to conserve and enhance our natural environment for the protection of locally indigenous species, populations and ecological communities
• Articulate some of the submissions received during the public consultation period in the ‘what you have told us’ section
• Acknowledge that while National Parks are not directly managed by Council, better management of areas surrounding these National Parks are required to ensure they are not negatively impacted by external factors
• Identify future impacts of sea level rise on local biodiversity through the addition of a new action
• Identify how appropriate riparian corridor widths are being assessed and determined for land adjacent to watercourses through updates to an existing action
• Include a new action to create an interactive map that residents can use to identify appropriate species to plant in their backyards
• Include community education actions focused on illegal dumping, irresponsible pet ownership, bird feeding and new educational material
• Include maps with landmarks added to ensure they are more legible; and
• Review the prioritisation of existing actions and add additional detail to actions for the following focus areas:
  • Biodiversity Planning
  • Biodiversity Knowledge and Data
  • Ecological Restoration; and
  • Partnerships, Education and Community Participation.

The Plan was endorsed at the 3 December 2024 Ordinary Council Meeting See Agenda/Minutes, item 8.3.

View the plan endorsed by Council below: