City of Stirling [DEV] - Conservation management

This page includes information about the City’s plan for the conservation, restoration, and preservation of biodiversity.

The City of Stirling is committed to conserving, protecting, and enhancing our community’s natural spaces and biodiversity. The City is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, many of which are unique to the region and require careful management to ensure their survival. The City, together with the community, has a responsibility to support biodiversity in our natural and urban environments to create connected, healthy ecosystems. It is critical that we care for these areas to ensure their existence for future generations.

The City’s Parks and Environment team is dedicated to the planning, conservation, and management of the City’s biodiversity and natural spaces.

Local Biodiversity Strategy and management plans

The City manages its natural areas under the strategic guidance of its Local Biodiversity Strategy and site-specific management plans for significant bushlands and wetlands.

The strategy provides a set of strategic visions and governing principles for conservation in the City which includes:

Preserving current and future areas for protection
Policy recommendations for legislative protection
Recommendations for managing and addressing key threatening processes
Strengthening local biodiversity
Involving the community through engagement and education.

Degradation and threats

Urban bushlands are increasingly under threat from a range of degrading processes. Understanding the reasons behind bushland degradation and the specific factors that lead to it is crucial for effective conservation and management.

Activities such as walking off track, vegetation clearing, and off-track biking or BMX can cause destruction of habitat and native plants through trampling and spreading diseases.

Invasive plant species can outcompete native vegetation, altering habitat structure and reducing biodiversity.

Feral cats, foxes, European carp and rabbits can predate on or compete with native wildlife, leading to declines in native species populations.

Accidental or intentional fires can cause significant ecological damage, particularly if they occur too frequently and do not allow for natural recovery.

Pesticides, fertilisers, and other chemicals from urban areas can enter bushlands and wetlands through runoff, contaminating soil and water, and harming plants and animals.

Phytophtora dieback, caused by the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi, affects a wide range of native plant species, and leads to plant death resulting from lack of water and nutrient absorption.

Urban waste, including plastics and other debris, can degrade the visual and ecological quality of bushlands, posing risks to wildlife that may ingest or become entangled in litter.

Alterations in climate patterns as well as increased frequency of storms, droughts, and fires can cause direct damage to bushlands, exacerbate existing threats, and disrupt ecological processes.

Conservation and management programs and projects

Dedicated programs and projects assist in the conservation and management of the community’s natural spaces and biodiversity.