Adelaide's urban forests to live on

Communities across Adelaide are taking action to halt a dramatic loss of native plants and animals and to safeguard biodiversity for future generations.

Heavy clearing of native bushland for grazing, agriculture and urban growth has destroyed most of the native plant cover that existed before European settlement. 

Not only have trees, shrubs and groundcover been lost, but clearing native habitat has resulted in a steep drop in native birds and animals.

The Urban Forest Biodiversity program aims to protect what remains of Adelaide’s precious natural heritage by raising awareness and spurring action among local councils, landholders, community groups and all levels of government.

Funding

The Australian Government has provided funding for the program since it began in 1997. The program is administered by the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage.

All activities are directed by a steering committee, with members from local and state government and conservation groups. These organisations have also given substantial funding and assistance.

Activities

program Manager Ross Oke said the initiative, now in its 10th year, takes in a 185,000-hectare area of the city and suburbs.

“We focus on conserving native bush on private land, along creeks, in council reserves and other open spaces to add to the natural areas already established as wildlife reserves,” Ross said.

Initially, these areas were mapped to identify priority sites for conservation work, such as revegetation to link bush fragments as wildlife corridors. The program helps landholders and councils, in particular, to plan, fund and carry out these activities.

“Just in the last couple of years the program has seen local native species planted on nearly 350 hectares to buffer and link remnant vegetation,” Ross said.

Since 2004 about 1,500 hectares of native bush have been protected through activities such as fencing, and weed and feral animal control.

“These efforts will help to preserve a representative portion of the range of native vegetation types, including the magnificent Adelaide Hills Candlebarks,” Ross said.

Practical conservation measures are balanced by training and support for local councils and developing education and resource materials for schools.

Achievements

In 2000 the program produced the first Metropolitan Adelaide Biodiversity Plan. This outlines where remnant bushland is to be found and contains information on plant communities and habitats and animal species living in these locations.

The wider Adelaide community is also conserving urban biodiversity, with more than 260 community groups and individuals involved in the program in the past two years alone.

More information

1. Ross Oke, program Manager, Urban Biodiversity Unit, SA Department for Environment and Heritage: (08) 8278 0611 or oke.ross@saugov.sa.gov.au

Australian Government NRM Team
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
1800 552 008 (toll-free)

DEWHA  | DAFF  | australia.gov.au  | NAP  | NHT 
Caring for our Country is an Australian Government initiative jointly administered by the Australian Government departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts