Executive Summary
Ipswich supports a highly diverse natural environment with rainforests, dry vine forests, eucalypt forests and woodlands, swamps, and wetlands making up the City's habitat network. These natural areas provide habitat for a range of native flora and fauna, including the nationally significant brush-tailed rock wallaby and koala.
Ipswich City Council has a solid background of delivering nature conservation outcomes through mechanisms such as the Ipswich Enviroplan and the Ipswich Planning Scheme. The 2015 Nature Conservation Strategy (the Strategy) is a seminal document that will be used to inform and guide the continual successful delivery of Ipswich Enviroplan to achieve nature conservation outcomes across the City.
The intent of the Strategy is to provide direction for Ipswich City Council to create a resilient natural environment and lessen the impact of detrimental processes. It is designed to provide guidance to inform multiple mechanisms, including regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to nature conservation.
The actions arising from the Strategy will inform current and future activities, including programs and planning to be done in partnership with key stakeholders.
The Strategy aims to:
- Provide a strategic vision for achieving nature conservation outcomes in Ipswich
- Set directions with practical and flexible solutions for getting there
- Provide a central reference point for an integrated approach
Six key threatening processes were identified as driving the need for a coordinated strategic approach to mitigate further degradation of nature conservation values in Ipswich.
These are:
- Loss of native vegetation
- Climate change
- Inappropriate fire regimes
- Introduced pest plants and animals
- Dryland salinity
- Lack of community awareness and engagement
Building upon the foundations achieved through preceding Strategies, Council will address these threats by implementing the priority actions set within this Strategy to achieve the overall vision, objectives and key targets.
Download
Nature Conservation Strategy (PDF, 2.2 MB)
Nature Conservation Strategy Background Report (PDF, 6.8 MB)