Natural Areas Recreation Strategy

Hornsby Shire Council are developing a Natural Areas Recreation Strategy to ensure natural areas are being fully enjoyed.

The Local Government Act 1993 Section 36E sets out the core objectives for management of community land categorised as a natural area:

The core objectives for management of community land categorised as a natural area are—

    (a)  to conserve biodiversity and maintain ecosystem function in respect of the land, or the feature or habitat in respect of which the land is categorised as a natural area, and

    (b)  to maintain the land, or that feature or habitat, in its natural state and setting, and

    (c)  to provide for the restoration and regeneration of the land, and

    (d)  to provide for community use of and access to the land in such a manner as will minimise and mitigate any disturbance caused by human intrusion, and

Council seems to think activities that have been shown to damage natural areas such as mountain biking are consistent with the Local Government Act. That is true if mountain bikers keep to fire trails and degraded areas. However Council has allowed mountain bike tracks to be built through Critically Endangered Ecological Communities at Westleigh Park. Council seems to be doubling down on this abuse of the Act and are now trying to extend it to all natural areas.

Question 18 asks you to rate how Council is managing the balance between recreation activities and protecting the natural area. What a strange choice to make, as if recreation and natural area protection are diametrically opposed.

There are many examples of recreational activities that do not damage natural areas such as bushwalking, photography, birdwatching and adding observations to iNaturalist.

We are also concerned how this consultation will reach the very many people who use natural areas in an informal way. The local bushland is being used every day by bushwalkers who do not belong to clubs and take for granted that Council will perform its duty to protect and conserve the bushland for the community. We are concerned that the results will be heavily slanted towards groups who are motivated to destroy more bushland in their short-sighted need for thrills as has occurred at Westleigh Park. Is Hornsby Shire Council above the Local Government Act?

The survey could be used to highlight that fact that areas such as Crosslands cannot be swum in 90% of the time due to high levels of pollution in Berowra Creek.

The survey closes 19th March.

https://yoursay.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/natural-area-recreation-strategy