Bankstown City Council Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025
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Bankstown City Council Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 INTRODUCTION 5 PLANNING FOR GROWTH & CHANGE 31 Content Purpose of this Strategic Plan 6 The Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI) 33 1 Defining Biodiversity 6 3 Current NSW Biodiversity Valuation Techniques and Offsetting 34 Biodiversity of the Bankstown LGA 8 • Offsetting 34 Ecological Communities, Plants and Animals • Bio-banking 34 of Bankstown 12 • Carbon Sequestration 35 Remnant Trees on Public Land 36 2 THE CONTEXT 21 Meadow/Grassland Creation 36 Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 Bankstown City Council The Aichi Biodiversity Targets 22 Green Roofs and Permeable Surfaces 37 2 Australian National Strategy 22 Community Gardens 37 Legislative, Planning Context 23 Mapping: Current BCC Biodiversity Initiatives 37 • International 23 Operations: Current BCC Biodiversity Initiatives 39 • Federal 23 • State 23 Organisational Capacity 39 • Regional 24 • Bankstown 24 Processes Resulting in the Loss of Biodiversity 25 Threat Abatement Plans 25 Recovery Plans 26 Saving our Species 27 Conservation Corridors – Previous Works 29 Cover image by Mark Sweeney THE STRATEGY 41 APPENDICES Bankstown Community Vision 42 Appendix 1: Abbreviations and Acronyms 68 4 The Corporate Vision 42 Appendix 2: Glossary of Terms 69 Bankstown Values 42 Appendix 3: An Historical Overview from “Taken for Granted: The Bushland of Sydney and Its Suburbs” Bankstown Biodiversity Vision 42 by Benson & Howell 71 Goals and Objectives 43 Appendix 4: References 73 • The Goal 43 • The Objectives 43 3 Conservation Corridors 44 LIST OF FIGURES Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 Bankstown City Council • Conservation Corridors and Section 149 45 Figure 1: Map of Bankstown City Council Suburbs and • Conservation Corridor Management Principles 45 Local Area Plan Area’s. 9 • Priority Actions for Core and Transition Corridors 47 Figure 2: Map of Community Land and National Parks in the Bankstown LGA 10 Biodiversity Protection Lands 49 Figure 3: Map of Bankstown Soil Landscapes 11 Offsetting Principles for Bankstown 51 Figure 4: Bankstown Bushland Map 16 Bio-banking 56 Figure 5: Legend to OEH SMCMA Veg Map 1 17 Carbon Sequestration Initiatives 56 Figure 6: OEH SMCMA Vegetation Map 1 18 Figure 7: OEH SMCMA Vegetation Map 2 19 STRATEGIES 60 5 Figure 8: ‘Saving our Species’ site managed species for Planning 61 the Bankstown LGA. 27 Bushcare and Vegetation Management 62 Figure 9: ‘Saving our Species: species level Bushfire Protection 63 management for the Bankstown LGA. 28 Ongoing Conservation Management Strategies 64 Figure 10: Bushfire Prone Lands and APZ Map 38 Education and Community Participation Strategies 65 Figure 11: Conservation Corridor Map 47 Funding, Research and Monitoring Strategies 66 Figure 12: Potential Biobanking Sites in Bankstown LGA 57 Bankstown City Council 4 Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 1Introduction Purpose of this Strategic Plan Defining Biodiversity This BSP has been prepared to ensure that According to the Australian Government Council is best able to meet its statutory Department of Environment website “Biological obligations regarding biodiversity protection, as diversity (or biodiversity) is the variety of all well as ensuring that the wealth of biodiversity life forms - the different plants, animals and that exists in Bankstown is protected for future micro-organisms, their genes, and the ecosystems generations. This BSP replaces the Bankstown of which they form a part. It is not static, but Biodiversity Strategy of 2002 and links to constantly changing. Biodiversity is increased the purpose and objectives of the Bankstown by genetic change and evolutionary processes, 6 Community Plan and City Directions. and reduced by processes such as extinction, Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 Bankstown City Council “We share the Earth with many other life population decline, and habitat degradation”. forms that have intrinsic value and warrant our Ecology is understood within the framework respect, whether or not they are of benefit to us” of biodiversity as “dealing with the relations (Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy of organisms to one another and to their 2010-2030). physical surroundings” (Oxford Dictionary), this definition is not exclusive of the human species nor within an urban context such as the Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA). The Department of Environment further defines that the concept of biodiversity emphasises the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life on earth and can be considered at three levels: • Genetic diversity - the variety of genetic the last 200 years. Within NSW, biodiversity • creating suburb identity (most often information contained in all of the individual losses have also been substantial. In NSW over increasing real estate value of the locality); plants, animals and microorganisms that 80 species of plants and animals have become • breaking the urban concrete heat sink effect inhabit the earth. Individual genes are the extinct, and more than 600 species are by providing cool, shady and heat absorbing basic unit of biodiversity, and explain why considered either endangered or vulnerable. areas (significantly reducing the need for there is so much variation amongst individuals 22% of NSWs’ mammal species have expensive air-conditioning services); become extinct and a further 41.5% are now of a particular species. For example, why some • protecting natural and cultural (both pre and considered threatened; people have blue eyes and others have brown post-contact) heritage; eyes – DNA replication (within the cell • Ecosystem diversity - the variety of habitats, • reducing soil erosion and land degradation, nucleus) is the primary determinant of genetic biotic communities and ecological processes. 7 • provide habitat for wildlife; diversity; Sydney has a broad range of ecosystem Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 Bankstown City Council • Species diversity – the variety of species on types ranging from the sandstone woodland • protecting the water quality of creeks, rivers earth. It is the most common way people vegetation and littoral rainforests, to the and drinking water; think about biodiversity. Estimates on the mangrove forests found in many of our • sustaining recreational, scientific and range of species on Earth vary but it is that estuarine waters. educational activities; 1.7 million species have been classified, In this BSP, biological diversity encompasses all • oxygen production; and estimates of total species number vary but 8.7 native species, genetic variations, populations, million species is an accepted figure although • carbon dioxide uptake. ecosystems and ecological processes. this could be as high as 30 million species or Living with or close to biodiversity is shown Biodiversity, often found in the urban bushland more. Locally, 80% of Australia’s plants and to significantly improve health, lifespan and environment, as well as within the smallest nook mammals, and 45% of our birds are found happiness. In areas of high biodiversity it has of the city centre, is a major resource for local nowhere else in the world. Australia is one of been recognised that the natural environment governments. 17 ‘mega diverse’ countries – the 17 countries is more easily able to withstand significant The services that biodiversity provide are real combined harbour more that 70% of the environmental changes and disturbances. and meaningful and in nearly all cases have a Earth’s species (WWF). It is estimated that Biodiversity is often the originator of foods, significant dollar value or dollar saving associated Australia has over 1 million species of which medicines and often industrial products, and with it. For example, when speaking of bushland, 850,000 have yet to be identified. During the critical processes such as the maintenance services provided include: past 200 years the Australian environment of clean air, the pollination of plants and the has been drastically modified. Australia has • reduction of noise, air and visual pollution; production of oxygen further emphasises the lost 75% of its rainforests and has the world’s • effective rainfall and/or flooding catchment importance of biodiversity. (Taylor & Hochuli, worst record of mammal extinctions, having zones; 2014) lost approximately 15% of mammals over • providing places for people to feel peace and space; Biodiversity of the Bankstown Local as indicated by the presence of aquatic birds, Government Area (LGA) including those listed under theAustralia, Japan, China and Republic of Korea Migratory Bird The Bankstown LGA is approximately 77 km2 Agreements. in size. There are approximately 525 hectares The prevalence of large mangrove beds, which of bushland within its boundaries, consisting are important as a nursery for young fish, and of ~276 hectares in Council reserves, ~174 unique river flat vegetation including sensitive hectares in the Georges River National Park salt marsh communities and Eucalypt forests also and ~74 hectares on private land or other State detail Bankstown’s waterways significance. 8 Government land. The LGA is divided into seven Planning Areas which assist Council’s strategic The diverse range of ecosystems within Biodiversity Strategic Plan 2015-2025 Bankstown City Council planning processes. (see Figures 1, 2 and 3) Bankstown include aquatic ecosystems that centre around the Georges River and its Bushland is distributed throughout the LGA in tributaries (including river foreshore, tidal and reserves which vary greatly in size, shape