Overview
“Preservation of Urban Bushland Society” (PUBS)
PUBS activities and news – 2000
Menai bushland and indoor sports complex
Threats to bushland in West Menai
Overview
The Sutherland Shire has significant areas of bushland. Most significant are those that are relatively safeguarded in national parks, including the Royal National Park, Botany Bay National Park, Towra Point Nature Reserve, Georges River National Park, Heathcote National Park and several Recreation Reserves. As well, bushland corridors still exist along the foreshores of Port Hacking, Georges River, Woronora Valley, and escarpments around Menai and Engadine. But all bushland areas are under threat from urban development. Harmful effects of urbanisation are numerous and include: over use, abuse, weeds, dumping, pollution, housing and commercial development and development for playing fields. These are incrementally reducing bushland cover, its biodiversity and its viability.
Local, state and federal governments are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of bushland to the sustainability of the environment, which supports the quality of life, and welfare of urban societies. Legislation seeks to minimise the detrimental effects of urbanisation on bushland; for example, the federal government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the state government’s Native Vegetation Conservation Act and Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, and various local government development control plans. Central to much of this legislation are the fundamental principles of sustainable development accompanied by the precautionary principle.
While the intent of governments to protect bushland is enshrined in laws, government resources and expertise to implement that intent is often lacking. Urban development pressures often lead to compromises that are steadily reducing the native vegetation cover of the Shire – estimated at 8% per annum.
Through its Standing Group, the Preservation of Urban Bushland Society (PUBS), the Centre advocates:
No compromises should be made that reduce the total bushland cover in the Shire. Removal of native vegetation from sites to be developed should be discouraged and revegetation plans be submitted together with development applications, and no development given a compliance certificate till revegetation efforts are deemed satisfactory. In the case of re-establishing canopy trees and middle-storey vegetation, this may take several years.
All efforts should be made to increase bushland cover through increased planting of natives on private and public lands. The Centre supports activities by volunteer and government groups to educate residents on the value of favouring native vegetation gardens, especially ones that comprise local indigenous vegetation.
Bushland corridors should be established, and where they already exist, maintained, to enable natural interactions of seed stock and movement of fauna. These corridors should be given a highly protected zoning to restrict types of development.
Appropriate management plans, funding and resources should be provided by public authorities for the removal of noxious and nuisance weeds from bushland areas.
Appropriate management plans, funding and resources should be provided by public authorities to encourage appropriate access to bushland and discourage access, which leads to degradation.
Encouragement should be given to schools to foster a love of bushland and native gardens.
The Centre provides advice to community members and groups to help them in their efforts to safeguard bushland. It also has its Ministerial appointees on the National Parks and Wildlife Service Advisory Committee, on the Southern Catchment Board and Southern Sydney Catchment Board, and has an appointed representative on Sutherland Shire Council’s Integrated Environment Committee. The status of native bushland in the Shire and its bioregions will be highlighted on the Centre’s website by the end of 2000.
Urban Bushland Report – 2000
My last report to the AGM re PUBS (Preservation of Urban Bushland Society) was a positive one with plans to map remnant vegetation in the Sutherland Shire, a policy to be proactive in retaining Shire’s vegetation and a commitment to work together with other stakeholders to advance the aims of PUBS.
The mapping, program, unfortunately, has not progressed. Partly because of an excess of commitments to other priority projects within the Centre’s office, partly because Council itself is moving to establish its Greenweb program and is carrying out that mapping exercise. We are hoping to have good access to Council’s data on urban vegetation, hoping too that we will find the resources to be able to advance our own aims for a good database.
The matter at Menai, where there has been a disagreement between Sutherland Shire Council and residents, with the Centre support, regarding the siting of an indoor sporting complex on bushland at Allison Crescent, has consumed much energy throughout the year. The Centre involved the Environmental Defender’s Officer and obtained Legal Aid to oppose Council in the Land and Environment Court on the matter if necessary. At the eleventh hour, Council surrendered its DA to build the indoor sporting complex on the site. The Council, however, has publicised its intention to resubmit the DA. The Centre and the community have been discussing the future of the indoor sporting complex and the future of the bushland at Menai. Regardless of the outcome of these discussions, we sincerely hope that in the very near future, the bushland will have a protective fence built around it and that rubbish will be cleared.
We are also looking at ways of saving remnant bushland in Sylvania. Unlike the Menai bushland, that in Sylvania is privately owned, with the developer looking to safeguard potential profits. The Centre is keen to ensure that such profits are not at the expense of reduced public amenity for current residents and future generations. In dollar terms, this means that housing prices in general do not reduce because of proximity to poorly planned medium density development, and the environment in general does degrade in ways that will require remedial works in future that will need to be funded by the public purse.
Many areas throughout the Shire have ongoing and bubbling concerns regarding community-Council-developer disputes over remnant bushland and overdevelopment. Where residents take an active interest and are prepared to carry the campaign, the Centre has consistently sought to provide whatever help it can.
What has become abundantly clear throughout this year is that there is a place for an independent and effective PUBS. The hope for the coming year is that the organisation can become more proactive and less reactive.
PUBs – Preserving Urban Bushland
PUBS was formed as a committee of the Environment Centre in May 1999 by a number of residents who were concerned at the continued threat to bushland in the Sutherland Shire.
Throughout Sutherland Shire, urban bushland is under threat:
From development
From neglect
From overuse and abuse
PUBs objectives are to:
Campaign actively to preserve urban bushland in the Sutherland Shire.
Increase public knowledge about the benefits of urban bushland to community welfare.
Work together with Sutherland Shire Council’s Bushcare to advance their aims.
The first activity PUBS engaged in was to protest against the development of an indoor sporting complex on the Menai B site (behind the Menai shopping centre). In June 1999, PUBS submitted over 800 signatures (gathered from around the Shire) to Sutherland Shire Council petitioning Council to not approve the development. Although Council has voted to approve the DA, PUBS continues to petition that this is an inappropriate development.
PUBS major focus will be to set out its processes for achieving its objectives – including registering members to its cause. Contact the Centre for more details – Miriam Verbeek