Urban Expansion and Sensitive Environments Assessing the role of agri-industries as landscape buffers to the neighbouring Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area RIRDC Publication No. 09/025 RIRDCInnovation for rural Australia Urban Expansion and Sensitive Environments Assessing the role of agri-industries as landscape buffers to the neighbouring Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area by J Merson, R Attwater, S Booth, R Mulley, P Ampt, H Wildman, M Nugent, S Hooper, M Campbell and R Chapple March 2009 RIRDC Publication No 09/025 RIRDC Project No UNS-18A © 2009 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 829 6 ISSN 1440-6845 Urban Expansion and Sensitive Environments – Assessing the role of agri-industries as landscape buffers to the neighbouring Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area Publication No. 09/025 Project No. UNS-18A The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances. While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct, the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication. The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, the authors or contributors. The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the RIRDC Publications Manager on phone 02 6271 4165. Researcher Contact Details A/Prof John Merson Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute Vallentine Annex University of NSW Sydney NSW Phone: 02 9385 2966 Mobile: 0412 290 840 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6271 4100 Fax: 02 6271 4199 Email: [email protected]. Web: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Printing by Union Offset Printing, Canberra Electronically published by RIRDC in March 2009 ii Foreword The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region to the west Sydney is a sensitive environment under threat from the impacts of land use change and requiring careful management. The issues are common to many landscapes managed for a balance between urban expansion, the agricultural lands providing services and amenity, and the conservation of nearby areas of natural and cultural significance. This need is recognised internationally and has led to the mandating of buffer zones between urban settlements and forested or protected areas in both Europe and the USA. The agri-industrial buffer zone plays a critical role in protecting neighbouring urban areas from bushfires and in maintaining critical catchment functions. However, small farms are under considerable pressures with the rise of land value in relation to the demand for more urban housing developments. While regional councils have attempted to provide support for their dwindling rural communities, they have often ended up producing contradictory land use regulations in an effort to address the conflicting interests of different constituencies. This project assessed the complex social, economic and environmental factors impacting on the small- scale rural communities GBMWHA. It assessed the role of agri-industries as landscape buffers to the neighbouring World Heritage Area. The project explored how local government planning might be improved to help this vulnerable but essential peri-urban farming community. In conjunction with targeted representative landholders, tools were developed to assist in enhancing the economic and environmental resilience of agri-industries involved in diverse modes of production. This project was funded by two R&D Corporations - RIRDC, funded by the Australian Government, and HAL (Horticulture Australia Limited). The project was also supported by the contribution of the four farming families who provide the focus of the case studies, and in-kind contributions from research partners including the Future of Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems (FATE) program at the University of NSW and Total Catchment Management Services Pty Ltd. This report, an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1800 research publications, forms part of our Environment and Farm Management R&D program, which aims to foster agri-industry systems that have sufficient diversity, flexibility and robustness to be resilient and respond to challenges and opportunities. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: www.rirdc.gov.au. Peter O’Brien Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii About the author Peter Ampt undertook the Landscape Function Analysis component of the project. He is the Manager of the FATE Program at the Institute of Environmental Studies (IES), University of NSW (UNSW). Dr Roger Attwater was the main staff member on the project and is a Research Associate of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute (BMWHI). Sandy Booth was a principal investigator on the project and is a Research Associate of BMWHI and Director of Total Catchment Services Pty Ltd. He is also an Adjunct A/Professor at IES, UNSW. Dr Rosalie Chapple is Director of Research at BMWHI, and a Visiting Fellow at the IES. Marnie Campbell is a social science researcher at University of Western Sydney, and is a Research Associate at BMWHI. Shaun Hooper undertook the GIS work for the project and is a Research Associate at BMWHI. Associate Professor John Merson was a principal investigator on the project. He is Executive Director of BMWHI, and Director of IES at UNSW. Associate Professor Robert Mulley was a principal investigator on the project. He is Associate Professor of Animal Science and Head of School of Natural Sciences at the Hawkesbury Campus of the University of Western Sydney. Dr Monica Nugent undertook land use planning work and is a Research Associate at BMWHI. Dr Howard Wildman was involved in the organic waste conversion component of the project. He is Chief Scientist at Microbial Management Systems, an environmental microbiology consultancy. Acknowledgments In terms of intellectual and technical advice at workshops and field days held over the duration of this project, we are grateful for the support provided by David Mason from the NSW Dept of Primary Industries (DPI). We are also grateful to Peter Malcolm (District Horticulturalist, DPI) and Gerry Gillespie (NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change) for their participation in a workshop at the University of Western Sydney. iv Abbreviations ACRIS Australian Collaborative Rangeland Information System AGREE GIS software tool BE Biological Efficiency BM Blue Mountains BMCC Blue Mountains City Council BMWHI Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation DCP Development Control Plan DECC Department of Environment and Climate Change DEM Digital Elevation Model DMR Department of Mineral Resources DPI Department of Primary industries EFA Ecosystem function analysis EOSCLIM Estimate Mean Monthly Climate EP Environmental Protection (Zone) EPI Environmental Planning Instruments ESD Environmentally Sustainable Development FATE Future of Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems GBMWHA Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area GIS Geographical Information System HAL Horticulture Australia HARtDaC Hawkesbury Agricultural Retention through Diversification and Clustering project HCC Hawkesbury City Council HELP Hawkesbury Local Environment Plan IBS Integrated Bio-System IES Institute of Environmental Studies LEP Local Environment Plan LFA Landscape Function Analysis LGA Local Government Area LS Landscape Slope Factor = length and steepness of a slope (GIS variable) PDA Potato Dextrose Agar PI Principal Investigator RC Rural Conservation SMS Soil Microbial Systems SMS Spent Mushroom Substrate SSI Soil Surface Indicator UNSW University of New South Wales UWS University of Western Sydney WARMS Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System WHA World Heritage Area v Contents Foreword ...............................................................................................................................................iii About the Author.................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................