The New South Wales state government has committed A$100 million ($65 mln) to a conservation plan designed to protect koalas while at the same time deliver housing in southwestern Sydney.
The government’s Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) is a biodiversity certification scheme, providing up-front biodiversity approvals and speeding up planning processes, according to the state government.
CPCP covers around 200,000 hectares in Western Sydney, extending across eight local government areas.
Under the enhanced plan, A$49 mln has been committed to deliver the first stage of a new national park in the Gulguer area to provide critical wildlife corridor connections.
Another A$31 mln will be used to protect and restore small, isolated patches of rare, at-risk native vegetation in areas such as Orchard Hills, that might otherwise degrade over time, the government said.
Additionally, A$22 mln will be allocated to fast-track the preservation of 60 ha of critically endangered Cumberland Plan Woodland.
“Our enhancements to the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan take real and concrete steps to protect koalas in southwestern Sydney, and are funded,” NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said.
“The plan also gets the balance right between the urgent need for housing and infrastructure in our growing city and conserving and protecting our native habitat and wildlife.”
The left-leaning Labor government said it was enhancing protection for Sydney’s only disease-free koala colony by creating a new southwestern Sydney koala map, and a requirement to preserve the mapped land.
Labor promised in the lead up to the last election that it would speed up the implementation of the CPCP to three years, compared to the 17 years originally proposed by the previous Liberal government.
Other enhancements to the plan the government announced updating planning controls to clarify that plan avoided land, such as koala corridors, should be zoned as a C2 Environment Conservation Zone, or similar, at the planning proposal stage.
It will also publish koala fencing guidelines, provide precinct planning level guidance on protecting native vegetation, and commit A$2.5 mln to deliver the Indigenous Caring for Country strategy.
“These improvements will make a big difference. They’re not just good for nature – they will also provide more green open spaces and cooling across southwestern Sydney,” Sharpe said.
“Improving the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan so it’s fit for purpose is a win-win; it will give certainty to households, business, and industry while protecting our iconic koala and the precious biodiversity of the Cumberland Plain.”
The 73,000 homes slated for the area covering the plan will still be built, according to the government, with the CPCP’s enhancements designed to strengthen biodiversity outcomes while still delivering on housing targets.
“Improvements to the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan will enable the NSW government to better work with industry to deliver more housing for western and southwestern Sydney while providing better safeguards for our valued biodiversity,” NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said.
By Mark Tilly – mark@carbon-pulse.com
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