1.1 Executive Summary

1.5 Green Corridors in the Catchment

1.6 Study Tasks and Method

1.7 Vegetation Mapping

1.9 Identification Of Vegetation Management Zones

1.1 Executive Summary

The Green Corridor Management Strategy identifies a network of green corridors in the Upper Parramatta River Catchment, which are to be protected and managed for biodiversity conservation. The strategy provides an overview of the catchment’s indigenous vegetation and habitat and identifies opportunities for achieving their conservation and enhancement. It provides useful information for implementing strategic and statutory planning mechanisms that would enable the Upper Parramatta Catchment Trust, Local Councils and the community to develop policies and projects that enhance the catchment’s indigenous vegetation. Overall, it aims to raise issues relating to the protection of ecological processes, scenic amenity and the natural heritage of the catchment.

The green corridor strategy can assist local councils and community groups in identifying areas of greatest need and importance for the re-establishment of vegetation within a catchment context. It provides a regional planning framework to prioritise the allocation of resources, for individual plans of management, work programs and funding applications. The strategy may be used to guide landscape design and planning, site-specific maintenance programs, weed control and revegetation works. The adoption of the proposed Green Corridor Management Zones and blueprint planning instruments by all stakeholders would lead to more consistent and ecologically sustainable management practices of habitat corridors across the catchment.

The Strategy comprises of seven parts:

The maps identify land suitable for the establishment of green corridors, ecological communities and habitat types occurring in the catchment. The maps are available in digitised GIS format and can be incorporated in stakeholder’s databases and updated. Printed maps are at a scale of 1:16,000. The remnant vegetation was assessed for its conservation significance and condition. Based on the significance and condition of the remnant vegetation, three types of vegetation management zones were applied so that existing remnant vegetation be conserved, expanded and linked.

The vegetation management zones identified on maps, can determine where bush regeneration, bushland restoration and revegetation works need to be undertaken. The corridor inventories and recommendations can be used as a basis for the preparation of Plans of Management, landscape restoration plans and funding applications for individual reserves within the corridor network.

The strategy builds on the information already available in other documents such as regional planning strategies, flora and fauna surveys, and council plans of management. Part of the study was an extensive literature review of relevant references. Of particular relevance are the broad scale, metropolitan-wide vegetation management plan Green Web-Sydney and the Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey (UBBS). They provided the baseline information for the mapping, identification and assessment of significant vegetation and habitat. Similarly, the findings and recommendations from both studies have been adopted and applied at a more detailed scale at the catchment level. An annotated reference list of relevant reference material is attached as an appendix.

The Strategy document has been compiled in a loose-leaf folder format, with each page numbered and dated. This allows for regular revision and allows updating and the inclusion of additional information or projects.

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The strategic vision for creek corridors and bushland within the Upper Parramatta River Catchment is:

The Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust could consider including the vision statement as a general policy statement in its strategic plan.

The vision includes the following objectives for the catchment: 

1. To protect and increase the remnant native vegetation and biodiversity as healthy ecological systems in natural ‘Green Corridors’.
2. To enhance and restore habitat for indigenous plants and animals.
3. To maintain and enhance the scenic, social, scientific, educational, and ecological values of the natural heritage of the catchment.
4. To prevent further degradation of native vegetation and habitat, to minimise physical disturbance to ecological processes, and to restore currently degraded land to healthier conditions.
5. To protect and provide local, high quality nature based recreational opportunities.
6. To promote and foster awareness and support for the Green Corridors Management Strategy and to encourage community involvement.
7. To undertake and to foster research and monitoring of the Green Corridors to document their significance and to assess and improve management practices.

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In November 1997, the Upper Parramatta Catchment Trust commissioned a team of Environmental Planners to develop the Green Corridors Management Strategy for the Upper Parramatta River Catchment. The consultant’s team comprised of Birgit Seidlich, Director of OCULUS, Libby Gallagher and Harald Strutzenberger both Landscape Architects with OCULUS Environmental Planning, Martin Fallding, Principal of Land & Environmental Planning and Steve Douglas, Principal of Ecological Surveys and Planning.

Birgit was project manager and editor and responsible for the overall direction, development of study method and co-ordination of the strategy. The OCULUS team undertook the information collection and literature review, base map preparation, corridor inventories, identification of vegetation management zones, identification of opportunities for implementation and prepared the design guidelines for the green corridors.

Martin prepared the Blueprint LEP and DCP and assisted in developing criteria for vegetation assessment. Steve undertook the ecological analysis and mapping of ecological plant communities and habitat. Nick Skelton, principal of GIS Environmental Consultants, digitised the mapped information and set up the GIS data base for the maps.

The Steering Committee for the project comprised:

• Steve Lees, Chief Executive Officer UPRCT
• Peter Higgins, Engineer UPRCT

• Frank Gaspari, Environmental Officer, UPRCT

• Tony Walker, Landscape Planner, Parramatta Council

• Kurt Henkel, Landscape Architect, Baulkham Hills Council
• David Banbury, Landscape Architect, Holroyd Council
• Gynt Drynan, Landscape Architect, Blacktown Council
• Theresa James, Botanist, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
• Simon Cook, Friends of Toongabbie
• Shaun Hooper, Community Representative
• Bob Catford, CAMWEST
• Roland Boer, CAMWEST

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The Upper Parramatta River Catchment Trust’s main functions are to mitigate flooding and drainage surcharge, improve water quality and to enhance environmental and recreational values of stream banks within the catchment. The Trust's mission is to improve the social, economic and environmental well-being of the catchment community by providing protection from flooding and trunk drainage surcharge, and enhancing streams and stream banks, through the development of high technical standards, community support and co-operation with other agencies.

The Trust acknowledges the importance of protecting the natural environment in the course of flood mitigation works and adopted the following corporate objective:

In March 1996, this commitment was strengthened when the Trust adopted a Green Corridors Policy, as follows:

• environmental sustainability and improvement of natural flora,
• habitat for native fauna,
• protection of riparian areas, and
• improved opportunities for recreational use of these areas by the community."

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The Upper Parramatta River Catchment is all that land which drains to the Parramatta River upstream of the tidal limit at Parramatta. The catchment covers 110 square kilometres and is the major headwater area of the Parramatta River and Sydney Harbour. It includes portions of the four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Holroyd and Parramatta.

The catchment is almost entirely urbanised, however there are significant areas of remnant bushland along the creek corridors. Air photos of the catchment show the stream system as a branched network of `green corridors' extending from Parramatta to most parts of the catchment. Remnants generally occur on steeper banks along natural creeks, particularly in the centre and north of the catchment, where landform and flooding create natural barriers to access and development. The green corridors investigated in this strategy are formed by the open space and drainage reserves that exist along the creek lines in the catchment.

Three types of green corridors have been identified based on the geological and ecological landscape in which they occur. These are the Cumberland Plain Corridors, the Sandstone/Shale Transition Zone Corridors and the Hornsby Plateau corridor.

The following corridors were identified and briefly described in this study:

Cumberland Plain Corridors

• Blacktown Creek Corridor
• Grantham Creek Corridor
• Greystanes Creek Corridor
• Coopers Creek Corridor
• Finlaysons Creek Corridor
• Pendle Hill Creek Corridor

• Upper Parramatta River Corridor

Sandstone/Shale Transition Zone Corridors

• Toongabbie Creek Corridor
• Quarry Branch Creek Corridor

Hornsby Plateau Corridors

• Darling Mills Corridor

• Hunts Creek Corridor

The catchment contains a range of endangered ecological plant communities and flora and fauna species. All of the vegetation types of the catchment, which occur on Wianamatta Shale, on the Shale/ sandstone transition zone and Quaternary alluvium are endangered. This includes the Cumberland Plain Woodland Complex, River-flat Forest, Shale/Sandstone Transition Forests and Blue Gum High Forest. Cumberland Plain Woodland and Blue Gum High Forest are listed as endangered ecological communities under Schedule 1 of the Threatened Species and Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). Turpentine Ironbark Forest and Shale/Sandstone Transition Forest have preliminary determinations made by the scientific committee to list them as endangered ecological communities on Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the TSC Act. Final determinations are most likely to be made in the near future. Listing of River-flat Forest has been proposed and a preliminary determination will be made in the next few months. The catchment’s endangered communities occur along Toongabbie Creek, in the creek corridors of the Cumberland Plain in Parramatta and Blacktown and in the North of the catchment with Blue Gum High Forest on the Hornsby Plateau.

The endangered communities are limited to the Sydney region, and therefore endangered at a National level; indeed they are unique in the world. Most vegetation remnants are severely fragmented and degraded, caused by a history of logging and clearing of the more fertile and accessible shale and alluvial landscapes for agriculture. Remaining remnants continue to be affected and degraded by the most severe impacts of Sydney’s urban growth and increased housing densities. Current threats to remnant vegetation and habitat are freeway construction, road widening, flood mitigation work, increased densities in residential development, construction of sporting facilities and cycle ways, increased stormwater runoff, weed invasion, erosion, pollution and inappropriate maintenance such as mowing and spraying of herbicides.

The well known and more common Sydney Sandstone communities are now the dominant remnant vegetation type in the upper part of the catchment. Due to their poor, sandy, stony soil and rugged landform, sandstone landscapes are unsuitable for farming and were therefore protected from initial development. The steep slopes continue to create limitations for residential housing development due to their limited access, bushfire hazards and susceptibility to flooding. Because of their natural limitations to development, relatively large areas of sandstone terrain have been conserved in Darling Mills and Cumberland State Forests and Excelsior Park. Another factor in their protection might be that these areas have long been perceived as more scenic than the flatter and/or drier areas of the ridges and Cumberland Plain.

Consequently, the retention and reservation of sandstone vegetation communities is more extensive within the catchment; as is the case in the Sydney metropolitan region. With the exception of some components of the Sydney Sandstone Complex, all of the other communities in the catchment are endangered, extant and inadequately reserved. The extent of existing remnants is far below the area where they even begin to approach the levels required for comprehensive, adequate and representative reservation (see NPWS 1997). Part of the problem is, as mentioned above, the fact that some of these communities were naturally limited in extent and distribution and thus are very prone to rapid depletion and degradation.

Most bushland remnants occur along creek lines because these areas are undesirable for development as they are flood prone and have been allocated as open space for drainage easements and playing fields. This poses a threat to remnant vegetation and habitat corridors as they are particularly vulnerable to the many forms of alteration and degradation associated with drainage lines including altered flood regimes, flood mitigation work, sewage lines, stormwater pollution and related weed invasion. However, the linear configuration and branching nature of the Toongabbie and Darling Mills Creek system also means that green corridors can be easily established. Most areas along creek corridors are zoned for open space or drainage easements and therefore protected from residential development. Reservation, restoration, revegetation and linking of currently fragmented indigenous vegetation and habitat is a great opportunity along the creek corridors of the catchment.

On the Cumberland Plain, the land allocated in the creek corridors is flat, mostly narrow and cleared which means that remnant vegetation is severely fragmented. Although set aside in council owned and/or managed open space reserves, most remnant vegetation remains under pressure due to various threatening processes. Inappropriate management such as clearing, mowing and spraying of herbicides and increasing urban runoff are the most direct barriers to natural regeneration.

Lower Toongabbie Creek for example, still contains significant remnant vegetation but most of it is degraded and under pressure due to the narrowness of the reserve and adjacent development. Clearing continues for flood mitigation, which creates weed invasion and erosion. Bush regeneration activity has been limited due to lack of funding and resources. This corridor is the most threatened. It is in need of regeneration and restoration as it contains the rarest of the endangered vegetation communities. Conservation and restoration of the Blue Gum River-flat Forest and Shale/Sandstone Transition Complex of Toongabbie and it’s upper tributaries should be a priority in the catchment.

The bushland in the Darling Mills Corridor is much more intact and under less pressure. The main management requirements here are continuing bush regeneration to control weed invasion, stormwater control and the prevention of inappropriate recreational activities such as bmx bikes, or the construction of paved pedestrian or cycle paths.

Significant areas of remnant vegetation occur mainly in larger parks and reserves along the creek corridors. They need to be set aside and protected as bushland conservation reserves as a priority within the strategy. The conservation significance of the vegetation remnants is described in more detail in the excerpts from the UBBS published by the NPWS in 1997 and attached in the Appendix.

These large sites of remnant vegetation include:

Several significant bushland remnants remain in private or State Government ownership including:

Boral Quarries Holroyd LGA Cumberland Plain Woodland

CSRIO site Holroyd LGA Cumberland Plain Woodland

Buckleys Road Parramatta LGA Cumberland Plain Woodland

Bundilla Scout Camp Parramatta LGA Blue Gum River-flat Forest

Grand United Centenary Centre Parramatta LGA Blue Gum River-flat Forest

Grantham Poultry Station Blacktown LGA Cumberland Plain Woodland

Norman Street Blacktown LGA Cumberland Plain Woodland

Sydney Water Site Parramatta LGA Cumberland Plain Woodland

Most of the vegetated areas along the creeks are Crown land under the care and control of the local councils. Some areas of open space are controlled by State agencies such as State Forests of NSW, Parramatta Park Trust, Sydney Water, Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, Department of Health, Roads and Traffic Authority or Commonwealth agencies (CSIRO at Prospect). Several parcels of significant remnant bushland along the creeks such as the Grand United Friendly Society site at Old Toongabbie are in private ownership.

As required under the Local Government Act 1993, local councils have developed Plans of Management (POM) for all reserves and natural areas under their control. Because of the large number of reserves of which many are used for active recreation, most councils have adopted generic POMs for the majority of their council reserves. Specific POMs were developed only for those of particular importance or significance. In that regard POMs have been prepared for Excelsior Reserve, Parramatta Park, Lake Parramatta Reserve, William Lawson Park, Central Park at Merrylands, the Finlaysons Creek Linear Park Network, the Greystanes Creek Reserve (Holroyd and Blacktown Councils). State Forests of NSW has a POM for Cumberland State Forest.

This Strategy includes a generic Plan of Management for the Green Corridor Network with the aim of conserving biodiversity and restoring and connecting remnant vegetation and habitat. It provides directions for the management and design of land identified as part of the green corridors.

The plan recommends that for specific site work individual and more detailed site investigation, surveys, plans of management and landscape masterplans need to be prepared which apply the principles outlined in this strategy. This Plan of Management needs to be adopted and implemented jointly by the Trust and councils.

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1.6 Study Tasks and Method

1.6.1 Study Tasks

The Green Corridor Management Strategy aimed at undertaking the following major tasks :

• To prepare a regional corridor and vegetation management strategy which applies the metropolitan-wide vegetation management plan Green Web-Sydney at the catchment level.

The Study was undertaken in four stages. Stage One concentrated on development of the study method and consultation with stakeholders. Stage Two consisted of extensive data collection, mapping of vegetation and investigation of green corridors and associated issues. Stage Three focussed on developing recommendations for the development and implementation of green corridors including design guidelines and planning frameworks. Stage Four includes public consultation and review and finalising of the strategy.

Stage One included an initial consultation meeting with the Steering Committee, which includes representatives from each of the four Councils, community representatives and a Botanist from the Herbarium. At this initial stage, the scope of work, direction of study and relevant issues were confirmed with the Committee. At this stage the consultants also refined the study method and developed the definition of terminology and the framework for data collection and assessment.

Stage two comprised of information gathering and mapping and assessment of existing bushland and open space. This process involved consultation with the Steering Committee, relevant stakeholders and a review of existing studies and reports such as the Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey, Green Web-Sydney, parks plans of management and relevant local and state government policies. An annotated reference list was prepared and is included in this report’s appendix. This provided an overview of existing data and management practices and identified information gaps.

The type and distribution of plant communities, habitat, creeks and open space were recorded on maps titled ‘Vegetation Communities and Management Zones’ (scale 1:16,000) and ‘Vegetation Overview’ (scale 1:50,000).

Once identified, inventories of each corridor were undertaken and documented with text and photographs.

The information about the vegetation and corridors was assessed with the view of determining appropriate vegetation management practices, which would facilitate the conservation of existing intact bushland and the restoration of substantially cleared bushland. The proposed vegetation management zones were designed as a means of achieving the long term goal of creating a continuous green corridor network in the catchment. This includes the restoration of degraded bushland and purposeful revegetation to create corridor links and connected habitat for biodiversity conservation.

Stage Three involved the development of recommendations for each of the corridors as a framework for the management strategy. It included the identification and mapping of vegetation management zones and the preparation of a Blueprint Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan as a planning tool for Local Government. Three vegetation management zones were mapped for the corridors. They are: Bush Regeneration, Bushland Restoration and Revegetation. The zones are shown on the maps titled ‘Vegetation Communities and Management Zones’ (scale 1:16,000).

A set of landscape design guidelines for the vegetation management zones were developed. The guidelines comprise of illustrations that show management and design principles for the implementation of habitat restoration and revegetation works. They can be used by land managers, community groups and landscape designers in developing individual plans of management, vegetation and habitat restoration plans, and landscape masterplans for individual sites within the green corridors.

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The strategy contains a set of maps showing vegetation communities, habitat, conservation status, vegetation management zones, rare species records and contours. The maps are available in GIS format and the digitised data can be used for strategic planning purposes.

The extent and location of remnant vegetation and management zones were determined based on an aerial photograph at a scale 1:10,000 (November 1997). The Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey (UBBS) published by the NPWS provided biodiversity information based on site surveys of the larger bushland remnants in the catchment. It was necessary to undertake a series of site visits to identify ecological communities and habitat on the smaller sites, which were not included in existing broad scale studies. On-site information was also required for the assessment of the existing integrity of the bushland and the potential for rehabilitation of ecological communities.

The definition of urban bushland given in SEPP 19 was used for the identification of remnant bushland in the catchment. It is critical to note that the maps do not include all remnant vegetation such as individual remnant trees and patches of groundcover. Where it could not be readily determined if an area complies with the definition of bushland, the precautionary principle has been applied such that marginal cases are mapped as such. These instances occur where an area which is small and difficult to map at 1:10 000 contains a mix of bushland and non-indigenous vegetation areas and/or where a remnant is severely degraded but may, with appropriate regenerating treatment, be restored to indigenous bushland. Note that such treatment does not include a large replanting component as this approach is more about recreating communities than it is about facilitating natural regeneration through measures such as weed removal and the use of fire.

The Green Web-Sydney provides information useful in determining and recreating the natural vegetation of areas, which are now cleared or have only parkland or isolated remnant plants. Further, more specific guidelines for restoration and revegetation is provided in Part 3 of this report: ‘Plan of Management and Design Guidelines’.

Part 2 Ecology of the Catchment provides an overview of the vegetation communities, habitat and management issues related to the conservation of biodiversity in the green corridors. This report has generally adopted the application of communities given in the UBBS with a few relatively minor differences in approach as described in Part 2.

It should be noted that some remnants contain communities which are either too altered to be readily classified or which do not readily comply with the definitions of known communities. This is due to past disturbances of vegetation including fire, weed invasion, inappropriate use and replanting, and regeneration activities, including total clearance. The ecotonal ie. intermediate nature of some assemblages contributes to the difficulties of classification.

All available vegetation information was mapped by hand from an aerial photograph at a scale 1:10,000 dated November 1997 and then digitised on a GIS database. The hard copy maps are printed in colour at a scale 1:16,000 on A3 sheets, with a set of overview maps at a scale of 1:50,000.

For the assessment of the condition of vegetation and habitat, a set of criteria was developed based on the level of disturbance and clearing that has taken place. Three conditions were identified for indigenous vegetation, they are:

• Substantially Intact Bushland, -refers to bushland in reasonable condition but with some disturbance
• Substantially Altered Bushland -refers to developed land with bushland remnants (generally open space), and
• Effectively Cleared Bushland -refers to cleared or developed land with small remnant patches of bushland.

Table 1.2 outlines the criteria for determining bushland condition. This provided a framework for determining the vegetation management zones. The vegetation management zones and associated management practices relate directly to the condition of vegetation as shown in the table below. The bushland condition criteria also assist in identifying opportunities and constraints for recreational use. For example, substantially intact bushland would be allocated for nature based recreation only to prevent degradation caused by inappropriate recreational use such as sporting fields and hard surface cycling tracks which result in clearing, weed invasion and erosion.

It needs to be kept in mind that these categories of land condition may change over quite short periods (such as 2 - 5 years) depending on the management activities, disturbance events (such as bush fires, bush regeneration works, construction works) and climatic conditions.

Information relevant for vegetation assessment is based on the findings of the Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey (UBBS) and on the Green-Web maps and LGA profile sheets, which identify the vegetation communities based on Benson and Howell (1994). The Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey (UBBS) prepared by the UBBS National Park’s Wildlife Services‘ (NPWS) expand on the Green Web information with more detailed data gathered from direct site surveys undertaken by the Service.

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In this regional Green Corridor Management Strategy, three types of vegetation management zones were identified to guide appropriate vegetation management practices and revegetation methods for different areas of land. These zones are based on the vegetation condition and potential for restoration of remnant vegetation found in the corridors. A set of management objectives, management practices and appropriate uses was developed for each of the three zones in response to the conservation status, level of degradation and effort required for restoration . The common aim of all three types of vegetation management zones is to reduce fragmentation and degradation of native plant communities and habitat by creating continuous vegetation corridors and habitat links. This will be achieved by reducing pressures and threatening processes, connecting fragmented patches of remnant vegetation, actively encouraging natural regeneration and by planting indigenous plant material. The management zones, their characteristics and proposed management approach are described in more detail below.

The vegetation management zones are shown on the maps titled "Vegetation Communities and Management Zones" (1: 16,000).

The three vegetation management zones are:

1. Bush Regeneration for maintaining and enhancing substantially intact bushland;
2. Bush Restoration restoring bushland and habitat on substantially altered bushland; and
3. Revegetation for revegetation of effectively cleared land.

Before embarking on a specific project and on-site works on individual sites, a detailed site assessment must be undertaken for each site following more extensive and detailed site surveys. This information should then be assessed and detailed recommendations and management programs prepared as part of site specific plans of management and landscape restoration plans.

The Bush Regeneration Management Zone is recommended for land with substantially intact bushland. This includes vegetation that still remains as an identifiable ecological community with a recognisable structure and representation of the species typical for this community. This zone is applied to bushland with varying degrees of disturbance but with sufficient resilience to regenerate.

It includes vegetation ranging from bushland with high diversity and intact structure, vegetation with reduced species diversity as well as previously cleared areas where regeneration is still at the primary stage with a low species diversity and no distinct structure apparent yet.

Bush regeneration includes the encouragement of natural regeneration and assisted regeneration of indigenous ecological communities. It has the objective of returning bushland and its ecosystem processes to a natural condition that excludes non-indigenous plants.

The main focus of bush regeneration is to facilitate natural regeneration, which relies on fostering natural germination and resprouting of indigenous plants. This is assisted by weed removal, control of adverse impacts of disturbance and the enhancement of natural regeneration processes. Ideally, bush regeneration does not include replanting of vegetation. However, in more disturbed areas of this predominantly urban catchment, regeneration might be assisted by intervention actions such as replanting or control of disturbance and threatening processes, in particular around the edges of bushland.

Sensitive infill planting can take place at disturbed patches with plant material derived from locally indigenous seed of the locality or from the same or similar plant community nearby. Land suitable for bush regeneration must be in reasonable condition where disturbance such as weed invasion and nutrient enrichment can be effectively controlled and minimised. This bushland would exclude threatening processes and human activities, which are likely to have adverse effects on the integrity of the plant communities.

The bushland restoration management zone is recommended for substantially altered bushland.

Bush restoration is the process of restoring degraded bushland where resilience is depleted to a healthier condition. The purpose of restoration is to restore remnant vegetation and habitat to a more resilient and authentic state modelled on the indigenous plant communities of the area. Restoration focuses on repair and rehabilitation of degraded sites in order to reinstate ecological processes and enhance biodiversity.

Restoration can include repair and reconstruction of natural elements to facilitate the recovery of natural processes and flora and fauna. It can include reintroduction of species through planting and major changes to the ecosystem structure and function on a site including ground remodelling or drainage work.

Bush restoration is appropriate in situations where there has been significant disturbance to a site. It is proposed for areas where existing remnant vegetation has been degraded to an extent that bush regeneration is not likely to be successful.

For some important plant communities (such as those listed as endangered ecological communities) special measures may need to be applied to reconstruct plant communities to the highest possible level of authenticity where they have been extensively disturbed.

The revegetation management zone is recommended for effectively cleared bushland which includes the land where the indigenous vegetation has been substantially or totally cleared.

Revegetation means the planting or establishment of plants on a site with a variety of purposes and uses whilst enhancing natural processes. The objective of revegetation is to increase native vegetation cover and habitat to enhance biodiversity, amenity and visual impact, and establishing corridor links.

In most cases revegetation will take place on land that is already cleared or extensively disturbed and will be used for multi-functional purposes. It is based on the conscious design of the landscape and planting layout to facilitate a multitude of uses whilst creating habitat and facilitating ecological processes.

Revegetation is proposed for highly degraded areas where intensive human use is anticipated such as organised sports, car parking, playgrounds, bike paths, or residential development.

Appropriate recreational activities were identified for the three management zones. Appropriateness was based on two factors that affect the natural environment. Firstly, the level of disturbance and degradation caused by the recreational activity based on intensity of use and the extent of facilities, structures, and maintenance required. And secondly, on the level of dependence on, and benefit gained from, the natural environment whilst carrying out the activity.

Three types of appropriate recreational use were identified and allocated to for each of the management zones. They are:

• nature based recreation,
• individual sports and exercise, and
• organised sports.

Nature based recreation includes recreational activities which depend on, or greatly benefit from, the natural environment. They include bush walking, bird watching, environmental education, meditation, relaxation, walking, yoga, sun bathing etc.

Individual sports and exercise includes activities that are low impact on the natural environment but do require a certain amount of construction and cleared areas. Structures can include cycling paths, picnic shelters and BBQs and involves activities that are not necessarily depended on but benefit from a natural environment such as jogging, walking, recreational cycling, general relaxation, dog exercise, etc.

Organised sports are those require extensive amenities and facilities such as toilet blocks, change rooms, parking, car access, large areas of clearings, drainage works, rubbish collection, and other intensive maintenance. This includes sporting activities that require an extensive infrastructure such as informal ball games, formal ballgames (clubs & schools), basket ball, skate boarding, roller skating, tennis and others. Table 1.1 outlines the relationship between vegetation management zones, vegetation condition and appropriate recreational use.

Note: These categories of land condition may change over time over quite short periods (such as 2 - 5 years) depending on the management activities, disturbance events (such as bush fires, regeneration works, construction works) and climatic conditions.

Note: These categories of land condition may change over time over quite short periods (such as 2 - 5 years) depending on the management activities, disturbance events (such as bush fires, regeneration works, construction works) and climatic conditions.

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 1.10 Determination of Priorities for Vegetation Management Projects

The vegetation of the corridors was assessed with the view of determining appropriate vegetation management practices, which would facilitate the conservation of existing substantially intact bushland and the restoration of effectively cleared bushland. The proposed vegetation management zones are designed as a means of achieving the long-term goal of creating a continuous green corridor network in the catchment. This includes the restoration of degraded bushland and purposeful revegetation to create corridor links and connect habitat for biodiversity conservation.

The six main criteria that need to be applied for the determination of priorities for funding of vegetation management projects are:

• The type and conservation status of indigenous plant community and habitat;

• The occurrence of rare, threatened or endangered species,

• Regional, State, National and International representation of species and ecological community,

• The condition and resilience of vegetation and its potential for conservation and restoration of indigenous vegetation;

• Size of remnant and potential for links within the corridor, and

• Need to cease threatening processes, constraints and disturbance.

Taking into account these criteria, the highest priorities for vegetation management projects within the corridors are in the following order of importance:

It should be noted that the above criteria and priorities are general and apply to strategic assessment within the whole catchment. On individual sites other important issues may require re-evaluation.