Native vegetation management
The new native vegetation legislation introduced in 2005 represented an historic change to the way we manage native vegetation across NSW. The Native Vegetation Act 2003 (NV Act) and Native Vegetation Regulation 2005 (NV Regulation) deliver:
- the Government's commitment to end broadscale clearing, to protect the health of our land, rivers and wildlife
- investment security and increased flexibility for farmers
- $436 million over four years from the NSW and Australian Governments which will go direct to farmers and other local groups to repair damaged rivers and restore over cleared landscapes, and
- new powers to local Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) to make decisions in the best interests of the community.
Through CMAs, local people make local decisions about how to best manage native vegetation in their part of NSW.
The new system is based on Property Vegetation Plans (PVPs), voluntary agreements between landholders and CMAs. Plans are developed with the support of a computer modelling program – the Native Vegetation Assessment Tools (NVAT). NVAT weighs up the positive and negative aspects of different management plans and activities, allowing farmers to make practical decisions based on the best scientific information available. Experts from the local CMA will use these tools and their professional judgement when assessing clearing proposals.
Farmers who enter into PVPs will be provided a free- high-resolution satellite image of their property. They are also eligible for funds to help with conservation initiatives such as revegetation plans, salinity strategies and soil erosion control.
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Page last updated: 31 August 2009
