An area where important environmental work is being done locally is with the Caring for Country Working Groups that meet bi-monthly across nine Western Sydney councils – Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Penrith and Wollondilly. Designed to foster a partnership between councils, state agencies and communities, the ultimate goal is for a healthy ‘Country’ going forward that implements traditional land management practices and combines a celebration of culture while still providing the added support for the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan and its encompassing ecosystem. Grants are issued in that respect with each council area allowed to apply for up to $130,000 to facilitate the best way to deliver on-ground projects that meet the needs and aspirations of the Traditional Custodians and Aboriginal communities within the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan region.
The Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) was approved by the NSW Government in August 2022 and by the Federal Government in March 2024. The CPCP thus far has 26 commitments and 131 actions that are designed to improve the ecological resilience of Western Sydney and to protect its biodiversity through to 2056. Under the plan, the government will create new public reserves and private conservation land, connecting important areas of habitat and ecological significance, and helping to restore degraded and denuded landscapes.
The Georges River Koala Reserve is a notable result of this plan, an important wildlife corridor that protects the primary koala movement areas along the Georges River between Appin and Long Point. A total of 970 hectares has been transferred to National Parks and Wildlife with up to 6 hectares of assisted regeneration to restore koala habitat having so far been achieved and further assessments and approvals for further ecological reconstruction to come.
The establishment of an ecological restoration working group to guide these restoration activities under the CPCP has been crucial. The collaborative group is responsible for developing and implementing strategies for managing and protecting the land and waterways according to traditional Indigenous knowledge, practices and a cultural connection to Country. They work closely with the local councils, National Parks and Wildlife, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, and Sydney Water to implement the strategies of the plan to provide the best outcomes.
The bi-monthly group ultimately endeavours to improve the condition of existing vegetation, to create or improve the connectivity between important remnant forests and to reconstruct over-cleared areas of vegetation such as the Cumberland Plain Woodland in particular, which was classified as a critically endangered ecological community. The sites and locations are selected for their regional significance from a biodiversity point of view and areas that have the greatest potential to deliver long-term ecological outcomes for the Cumberland Plain.
Thousands of trees and shrubs have been planted as a result of this important work and crucial habitats have begun to be restored. Members of the group are encouraged to learn about Country, to read Country and to move with it and care for it in order to protect it, not only for its ecological importance now but also for the generations ahead.
To learn more visit Caring for Country.
