Natural resources in the ACT are at risk. Despite more than half the territory being protected in conservation reserves, some 31 plant and animal species and two ecological communities are either vulnerable or endangered. These species and habitats occur mostly in the lowland open woodland and grassland areas where the city is located and rural activities take place. At the same time, the population of the ACT is increasing, placing a higher burden on the territory’s land, water and biodiversity.

The ACT also imposes a very high (by world standards) ecological footprint on the Earth – higher than any other city in Australia. It was measured at 2.65 million hectares in 2003/04 which is more than 11 times its actual size.

Wildflowers in an urban setting: Xerochrysum viscosum on Mount Majura. Photo Sarah Ryan

This plan is about repairing and maintaining the landscape of the ACT so that it is sustainable. It is integrated with other ACT plans that take account of natural resources, and recognises the ACT’s place in the local Murrumbidgee catchment and the wider Murray–Darling Basin.

This plan for managing the ACT’s natural resources is a revision of the territory’s first plan published in 2004. It takes account of progress made since that plan, and changes in values and environmental status.

Management of natural resources needs to be sustainable ensuring that land, water and biodiversity remain healthy and viable,
to support a healthy and viable ACT community. Issues of immediate concern in the ACT include:

• urban expansion – threatening remaining areas of woodland and grassland, and species that depend on them, and placing an ever greater pressure on water resources
• fragmentation – resulting in at-risk plants and animals only occurring in less viable isolated pockets
• pest plants and animals – threatening ecological communities particularly at the edges of developments
• climate change – increasing demands on water and energy, and severely affecting the ability of native plants and animals to survive
• water extraction and waterway modification – threatening natural river flows and reducing water quality and quantity for downstream users
• bushfire hazard – ensuring hazard is reduced while not threatening natural values and strengths.

In this plan, the management of natural resources has been divided into the categories of community, land, water and biodiversity. Sixteen targets have been developed addressing issues of concern. These targets are to guide natural resource management actions for government and community. They do not impose data collection responsibility on any specific agency. The targets will also be used to support funding proposals.