BACKGROUND

What is

biodiversity?

“biodiversity is the variety of all life forms: different plants, animals, the genes they contain and the ecosystems in which they live”

SYDNEY BASIN BIOREGION SYDNEY SURROUNDS SATELLITE IMAGE

Biodiversity in Sydney

=

BACKGROUND

Native Garden or Park

Minimal ecological value Intense Horticulture Minimal diversity of species Aesthetically pleasing (generalised) Unsustainable Recreation

Eg’s Western Sydney Regional ParklandsCentennial Park

Undisturbed Plant Community

Complete ecosystem Remnant vegetation Vast diversity of species Aesthetically boring (generalised) Self Sufficient Cure for AIDS??

Eg’sCumberland Plain WoodlandSydney Ironbark-Turpentine Forest Sandstone Heathland

What’s The Difference?

BACKGROUND

“Once a ecosystem has been removed, it can NEVER be replaced”

Doug Benson (Senior Plant Ecologist Botanic Gardens Trust,

Sydney) Source: Personal Interview 13th February 2009

1788 2009 2032 ?

BACKGROUND

Sydney’s Urban Expansion swallowing up ecosystems

30%

Cumberland Plain Wood-land

70% 70%

BACKGROUND

Sydney Metro covering 125,446 Ha: Pre 1750 European

2.4% Cumberland Plain Wood-land Remain-ing

Sydney Metro covering 125,446 Ha: Today

Threatened Species Conservation Act

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

SOLUTIONS

Stage 1: Protection of Remaining 11,000 hectares Stage 2 Scientific Classification and Rezoning

 Stage 3 Formation of a National Heritage Area

12.5%

Woodland in ThreatWoodland in Conservation Reserve

87.5% at risk of Development

12.5%

Woodland to be Pro-tected

87.5%

Source: Mark TozerNSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Cunninghamia 8(1): 2003

SOLUTIONS

Current Situation

Proposed Solution

Stage 1: Protection of Remaining 11,000 hectares

Stage 2 : Scientific Classification and Rezoning Stage 3 Formation of a National Heritage Area

AREA

1. Agnes Banks Nature Reserve2. Bellevue Reserve3. Bruce Cole Reserve, Winston Hills4. Castlereagh Nature Reserve5. Fairfield City Farm, Abbotsbury6. Glossodia Park, Freemans Reach7. Gundungurra Reserve, Narellan Valley8. Ingleburn Reserve9. Kindelan Road Reserve10. Lansdowne Park11. Leacock Regional Park12. Longneck Lagoon Field Studies Centre13. Mount Annan Royal Botanic Garden14.  Noorumba Nature Reserve15. Nurragingy Reserve, Doonside16. Pembroke Park17. Plumpton Park, Plumpton18. Prospect Lower Canal Regional Park19. Rouse Hill Regional Park20. The Crest Reserve21. Timbercutters Reserve, Winston Hills22. Walshaw park23. Western Sydney Regional Park24. Wianamatta Regional Park25. William Howe Regional Park

MANAGED BY

New South Wales Scientific Committee 2002Bankstown City Council 2003LandArc Pty Ltd 2003NSW NPWS 1999; NSW Scientific Committee 2002Vlaming 2005Vlaming 2005Environmental Partnerships 2004Campbelltown City Council 2003Vlaming 2005Benson 1992; Bankstown City Council 2003Department of Environment & Conservation 2005Benson 1992NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service 2002cNSW National Parks and Wildlife Service 2002cMorris & Wood 2001Campbelltown City Council undatedVlaming 2005Douglas 2000Douglas 2000Bankstown City Council 2003 , NSW NPWS 2002cLandArc Pty Ltd 2003bBankstown City Council 2003Douglas 2000NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service 2007Hunneyball 2007 Source: www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

SOLUTIONS

the above areas may include remnants that are not part of the ecological community listed under the EnvironmentProtection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth). Such remnants still have conservation values as biodiversity reservoirs, faunal corridors etc.

Stage 1: Protection of Remaining 11,000 hectares

Stage 2 Scientific Classification and Rezoning

Stage 3: Formation of a National Heritage Area

SOLUTIONS

SOLUTIONS

Stage 1: Amendments to School Curriculum  Stage 2 Public Awareness Campaign

 

Get the word biodiversity into the policy

Contemporary understanding of relationship between built and natural environment

An absolute change of attitudes in one generation

SOLUTIONS

Stage 1: Amendments to School Curriculum

 

Stage 2: Public Awareness Campaign  

What is biodiversity ?

Federally funded program aimed at general community including:

•Extensive media campaign

•Community forums

•Fact sheets

•Education through children

•Community participation

•Community vigilance

SOLUTIONS

CONCLUSIONS

Our presentation is based on a local issue.. However loss of biodiversity is a regional, state, national and global issue

It is a design crisis, we are capable of preventing the willing destruction of bio-diverse systems through education, public awareness and community participation

We need to change our value system from one of ignorance and pure economics to one of intrinsic qualities.

Biodiversity cannot be replaced, once it is gone it is gone for good

THANKYOU

Bibliography Benson, D.H. 2009, 14th January. Personal Phone Interview. Senior Plant Ecologist of Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney. Benson, D.H. & Howell, J. 1990, Taken for granted, Kangaroo Press in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Flannery, T. 2003. ‘Beautiful lies - population and environment in Australia’, Quarterly Essay, Black Inc., Melbourne. Flannery, T. 1994, The future eaters, Reed New Holland, Sydney.

Nature Conservation Council of NSW, viewed 13th January 2009 http://nccnsw.org.au/index.php

<http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/cumberlandplainpd.htm>

Flannery, T. 1994, The future eaters, Reed New Holland, Sydney.

Nature conservation council, viewed 16th January 2009, <http://nccnsw.org.au>

NSW Government Sydney Metropolitan Strategy 2005, Crown Copyright 2005

Personal comments, in Interview with Lotte von Richter (Technical Research Scientist, Ecology, Mount Annan Botanic Garden), recorded 16 January 2009.

Personal comments, in Interview with Debra Little (Senior Horticulturist Natural Heritage, Mount Annan Botanic Garden), recorded 16 January 2009.

Personal comments, in Interview with Doug Benson ( Senior Plant Ecologist Royal Botanic Garden Trust, Sydney), recorded 13 January 2009.

School of Earth Sciences, viewed 16th January 2009, <arthsci.unimelb.edu.au/antarctica/plateTectonics.html>

Total environment centre, viewed 16th January 2009, http://www.tec.org.au

Wilkins, S.,Keith, D., Adam, P., 2003 Measuring Success: Evaluating the restoration of a grassy Eucalypt Woodland on the Cumberland Plain, Sydney, Australia, Restoration Ecology Vol.11 No. 4 pp.489-503

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/bioregions/SydneyBasin-Biodiversity.htm

https://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/cycle

http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/dev/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=81&languageId=1&contentId=557

http://sydney.cma.nsw.gov.au/

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/

http://www.anra.gov.au/