Nature conservation

Threatened species

Recovering bushland on the Cumberland Plain: best practice guidelines for the management and restoration of bushland

The NSW government's vision for managing and recovering the unique bushland communities of the Cumberland Plain is to create a network of restored bushland across the plain, on both private and public lands.

Best-practice guidelines have been developed, to provide theoretical and practical guidance to land managers who have remnants of Cumberland Plain bushland on their properties. The guidelines will:

  • assist agricultural enterprises to manage endangered Cumberland Plain ecological communities on farmland
  • guide councils and other land managers on restoration of these communities within rural and urban lands.

The guidelines were developed in consultation with state and local council representatives, agricultural landholders, and development and agricultural peak bodies.

Alongside the guidelines, four demonstration sites have been developed to provide land managers with practical on-ground examples of many of the restoration techniques outlined in the guide. You can find out more about each of the demonstration sites below.

These best practice guidelines, and the associated demonstration sites, are just several of the many tools that will be used to assist with the process of bringing back the bush through the Cumberland Plain Recovery Plan.

Documents to download

These guidelines are available in two versions. If you have a broadband internet connection, you may wish to download the complete 3.6MB file:


If you have a dial-up internet connection, you can download sections of the plan below.

  • Recovering bushland on the Cumberland Plain - best practice guidelines for the management and restoration of bushland

    • Preliminaries (PDF - 815KB)
    • Chapters 1-2 (PDF - 1.0MB)

      • The Cumberland Plain and its vegetation
      • Guidelines for managing native vegetation
    • Chapters 3-5 (PDF - 900KB)

      • Identifying management options through site assessment
      • Bush regeneration and the use of 'triggers'
      • Restoration through revegetation
    • Chapter 6 and appendices (PDF - 971KB)

      • Monitoring
      • References
      • Appendices
Printed copies of the guidelines are also available from DEC Information Centre.

Demonstration sites

Alongside the publication, four demonstration sites have been developed to provide land managers with practical on-ground examples of many of the restoration techniques outlined in the guide.

Camden Town Farm demonstration site
This site demonstrates how bushland recovery and management can be integrated into a productive medium-sized farm. Restoration works have concentrated on retaining, enhancing and expanding a corridor of riparian woodland along the Nepean River. Get directions and more information for the Camden demonstration site (PDF - 507KB).

Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute demonstration site, Menangle
This site demonstrates how bushland recovery and management can be integrated into a productive large farm. Restoration works have concentrated on retaining, enhancing and linking bushland across the property. Get directions and more information for the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute demonstration site (PDF - 946KB).

Western Sydney Parklands demonstration site, Eastern Creek, Doonside
This site demonstrates how to recover and manage riparian bushland on an intermediate scale. Restoration works have concentrated on retaining, enhancing and expanding a corridor of riparian woodland along South Creek. Get directions and more information for the Eastern Creek demonstration site (PDF - 585KB).

Western Sydney riparian corridors demonstration site, South Creek, Erskine Park
This site demonstrates how to recover and manage riparian bushland on a large scale. Restoration works have concentrated on retaining, enhancing and expanding a corridor of riparian woodland along Eastern and Bungarribee Creeks. Get directions and more information for the South Creek demonstration site (PDF - 571KB).

More information


The format and structure of this publication may have been adapted for web delivery.

Page last updated: 13 December 2013