Byron Shire Council identified bush regeneration on Council land as a high priority action in the Byron Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2004 and subsequent biodiversity and environmental levy works programs.
Prioritisation of works
Sites included in the current work program have been prioritised based on ecological values and community significance. Many of these sites have progressed to maintenance phase and as they do so new sites may be taken on.
Monitoring of the sites provides significant additional information with regard to site values, threats and works undertaken.
Council's Bush Regeneration team delivers significant ecological outcomes, addressing threatening processes to conservation values including threatened fauna, flora and endangered ecological communities.
All sites included in the current works program contain areas of high conservation value vegetation:
- 65% provide habitat for threatened species and/or endangered ecological communities
- 79% occur in identified wildlife corridors.
Much of the regeneration team’s work focuses on weed control. More than 160 environmental weed species have been identified at project sites, including weeds of national significance such as Bitou Bush and Lantana.
The team also targets weeds identified at a regional and State level as key threats to the survival of endangered ecological communities. These include:
- Morning Glory
- Madeira vine
- Cat’s Claw Creeper
- Winter Senna
- Ochna
- Camphor Laurel.
A Bush Futures audit of bush land health has reported that 100% of the 350 hectares of Council-managed bush land is affected by threats including weeds, dumping and encroachment.
Bush regeneration action plans
Bush regeneration action plan for Mcleods Shoot(PDF, 3MB)
Bush regeneration action plan for Pioneer Bridge(PDF, 2MB)
The bush regeneration team works collaboratively with community volunteers on a range of sites.
Positive community benefits are achieved through:
- The commitment of Council to improving ecological values of public lands
- Significant community engagement and support outcomes including direct support of community regeneration projects
- Establishment of networks with relevant community, industry and agency stakeholders
- Capacity to contribute to cross tenure projects with other land managers in the region
- Development of community capacity in bush regeneration through delivery of community training sessions, coordination of works program with contractors, community groups and engagement of casual staff.
Other services
The bush regeneration team contributes significantly to the management of public lands through delivery of bush regeneration services on 28 council-owned and managed sites throughout the Byron Shire. This comprises all categories of Council land including road reserve, operational land, community land and council-managed Crown land.
Council's Utilities section has specifically engaged the team to address high conservation value vegetation areas in capital and operational phases of sewerage treatment plant operations at Ocean Shores, West Byron and Vallances Road.
The team also provides bush regeneration and technical support services to the Infrastructure Services directorate as required.