Natural Areas Generic Plan of Management
The Natural Areas Generic Plan of Management (PoM) applies to land owned by or under the care, control, and management of Council that is categorised as Natural Areas and is not otherwise the subject of a Specific Plan of Management. The PoM identifies the key management issues facing Ku-ring-gai's natural areas, outlines permissible uses, and establishes a management strategy. Management of natural areas is based around a three-step process involving prioritisation of the natural areas using the Bushland Rating Matrix and Decision Support Tool that allows the condition of each reserve to be ranked against its value, followed by development and implementation of Site Management Plans, and finally Specific Objective Monitoring to evaluate outcomes and enable adaptive management.
View the Natural Areas Generic Plan of Management(PDF, 5MB)
Management of Council’s bushland reserves includes the creation and maintenance of tracks, trails and other built assets (such as signs) and bushfire hazard reduction works (asset protection zones and hazard reduction burning), vertebrate pest management, and strategic weed control. Bush regeneration within Council’s bushland reserves includes Bushcare (volunteer program) and Council bush regeneration works within priority bushland management sites, as well as vegetation management related to the ecological burning program.
Bushland management program
Our bushland prioritisation matrix rates each bushland reserve, with the highest ranking (highest value / lowest threats) reserves being prioritised for management within the available budget.
Step 1 Prioritise
Council has developed a bushland prioritisation matrix that provides an understanding of the values of each of Ku-ring-gai’s 122 bushland reserves and the extent of site impacts and pressures that need to be addressed in order to maintain those values and prioritises those bushland reserves that will receive management funding.
Ku-ring-gai’s 122 bushland reserves have been rated based on a number of criteria:
- The significance of the vegetation community/species within the reserve.
- The resilience of the reserve.
- The site impacts (or threats) occurring within the reserve.
Two of these reserves, Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens and Cowan Creek Reserve, have been divided into two sites which were each assessed separately. These splits reflect a distinction in site characteristics and management requirements. Those reserves that received the highest ranking (highest value/lowest threats) have been prioritised for funding within the available budget. The matrix is updated biannually.
Step 2 Create/implement
Council is currently developing and implementing site management plans for its priority bushland management sites. These plans provide detailed information on the site’s values, management zones, management actions and monitoring program
Step 3 Evaluate
Specific Objective Monitoring (SOM) provides a standardised but flexible monitoring framework for a bushland reserve depending on the management issue/s that have been identified and the subsequent management actions that are undertaken. The SoM allows Council to collate data on specific objectives related to weed control, improvements to native vegetation structure and/or diversity, protection or recovery of threatened species or other objective related to the protection or enhancement of Ku-ring-gai’s biodiversity and measures the success of our bushland management program.
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix scorecard July 2023 - June 2025(PDF, 1MB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix scorecard July 2021 - June 2023(PDF, 2MB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix results July 2021 - June 2023(PDF, 477KB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix scorecard July 2019 - June 2021(PDF, 3MB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix results July 2019 - June 2021(PDF, 407KB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix scorecard July 2017 - June 2019(PDF, 1MB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix results July 2017 - June 2019(PDF, 402KB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix scorecard July 2015 - June 2017(PDF, 3MB)
Bushland Prioritisation Matrix results July 2015 - June 2017(PDF, 385KB)
Methodology for Bushland Prioritisation Matrix(PDF, 353KB)