From 10 March to 20 April 2021 community and stakeholder feedback was sought on Green Adelaide’s draft Regional Landscape Plan.

Over 700 people were actively involved in our engagement process that comprised a community forum, targeted stakeholder workshops, conversations with young people, online survey and information session and social media campaigns. You can find out more about the engagement process, what we heard and how we responded in our Consultation Report.

Following the analysis of all the feedback gathered, Green’s Adelaide Regional Landscape Plan (2021-26) has been finalised and is now available on Green Adelaide’s website.

Feedback on potential project ideas has also been considered as part of the preparation of Green Adelaide’s Annual Business Plan (2021-22), which allocates funding to implement programs and projects across the Green Adelaide region.

You can read a summary of Green Adelaide’s plan and overview of the projects to be delivered this financial year here.

Alternatively, visit our website to find out more about our plan or if you have any questions, contact Green Adelaide at DEW.greenadelaide@sa.gov.au.

Plan Summary

Green Adelaide will deliver practical outcomes across 7 key priorities.

Below is a summary of the priorities, and how the draft Regional Landscape Plan addresses these.

The Summary of Green Adelaide’s Draft Regional Landscape Plan PDF is available for download.

7 Key Priorities overview

1. Coastal management

Goal

Coastal and marine habitat biodiversity is restored and conserved

Focus areas

• Facilitate a partnerships approach to adaptive coast and marine management
• Partner and invest in the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine environments
• Conserve and restore Blue Carbon habitats

Outcomes

• Coordinated conservation and restoration of natural coast and marine environments
• Improved biodiversity outcomes, including habitats and species of key conservation concern
• Enhanced climate resilience and adaptation and increased environmental and social benefits

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Reef condition improves
• Seagrass extent and condition improves
• Coastal habitat condition of significant sites improves
• Populations of species of conservation concern increase or remain stable

2. Water resources and wetlands

Goal

Water resources deliver environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits

Focus areas

• Protect, enhance, and restore water resources and water-dependent ecosystems through partnerships and on-ground delivery
• Build water knowledge and management capacity of practitioners and community
• Simple and enabling water management policy frameworks

Outcomes

• Biodiverse blue and green spaces that enhance the quality and sustainability of water resources
• Effective management of watercourses by landholders (public and private)
• Best practice, sustainable water management

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Aquatic ecosystem condition improves
• Fish abundance and diversity increases
• Surface water (flow and quality) improves

3. Biodiversity sensitive urban design (BSUD) & water sensitive urban design (WSUD)

Goal

Community and industry capacity to design cooler, biodiverse and greener urban landscapes is improved

Focus areas

• Facilitate and incentivise best practice BSUD and WSUD in new developments, major transport corridors, public open spaces and local streetscapes
• Coordinate and partner on research and other tools to address barriers to implementation and identify opportunities for innovation
• Build community, council and industry knowledge, motivation and capacity to deliver best practice outcomes

Outcomes

• Best practice BSUD and WSUD outcomes in both the private and public realm
• Implementation barriers are solved and opportunities harnessed
• Improved WSUD and BSUD implementation success by community, councils and industry

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Uptake of WSUD and BSUD in new development increases
• Uptake of WSUD and BSUD in council projects increases

4. Green streets and flourishing parklands

Goal

The extent and quality of urban green cover is increased

Focus areas

• G1 Drive coordinated, accelerated greening of streetscapes and public spaces
• Encourage the protection of trees and incentivise greater greening of private land through the new planning system and other levers
• Identify priority locations for improved urban greening and define what success looks like in different contexts

Outcomes

• Improved regional coordination to achieve more resilient, water smart and sustainable urban greening outcomes
• More new infill housing keep mature trees and plant more than the minimum landscaping requirements
• Strategic, high quality greening reflective of local context and need

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Tree canopy and green cover increases
• Reduction of localised heat islands

5. Fauna, flora and ecosystem health in the urban environment

Goal

Urban habitats for native flora and fauna are restored, conserved or expanded

Focus areas

• Facilitate and invest in improving knowledge about species and ecological systems and their management
• Invest and partner in protecting, improving and/or creating terrestrial habitats
• Identify and support the implementation of recovery actions for threatened plants and animals

Outcomes

• Flora and fauna conservation management practices are improved
• Terrestrial habitat condition improves at sites with significant investment
• Quality (or extent) of habitat is enhanced and threatened species’ population decline is halted (or reversed) at targeted sites

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Terrestrial habitat condition improves for specific sites
• Populations of species of conservation concern increase or remain stable

6. Controlling pest plants and animals

Goal

The impacts of pests and overabundant native species are well managed

Focus areas

• Facilitate research and provide expert advice to support effective management of overabundant native species and pest plants and animals
• Work with partners to conduct surveillance to detect incursion of new and emerging pest plants and animals.
• Establish partnerships to develop and implement innovative pest and overabundant species management strategies and educational programs

Outcomes

• Knowledge and delivery of effective management strategies improves
• Identification and control of new and emerging pest animals and plants before they are widely established
• Mitigated threat to native species and the community and protection of key biodiversity assets and primary production

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Number of emerging weeds (populations/sites) controlled, reduced or eradicated
• Number of pest incursions identified and eradicated

7. Nature education

Goal

Community members value, connect with and are stewards for nature

Focus areas

• Raise awareness and build capacity about Aboriginal cultural knowledge, values and lore
• Facilitate cross-sector nature education community campaigns to reach diverse audiences
• Enable a movement of diverse nature ‘stewards’ through school/educational partnerships, community learning and development, nature play, citizen science and sustainability activities

Outcomes

• Traditional practices are embedded in community-led projects and programs
• Increased community awareness, understanding and inspiration to connect with and care for nature
• Increased environmental values and broad participation in nature stewardship and sustainability activities across diverse communities

Example Outcome Indicators (5 years)

• Community environmental values, knowledge and behaviours are improved
• Community knowledge, recognition and attitudes towards Kaurna culture are increased

Potential Iconic Projects (across all priorities)

Specific projects for each priority are to be determined.

• Rewilding our rivers and coastlines – opportunities exist at:
  • Lower Field River Valley
  • Dry Creek
  • Sturt River
  • Aldinga Washpool
  • Mutton Cove
  • delivering Breakout Creek Stage 3
• Greening our streets and backyards – bringing together multiple partners to drive an ambitious and coordinated approach to greening our city
• Making Adelaide a National Park City – lead the process to creating a National Park City
• Reigniting Culture – led by Warpulai Kumangka and includes a partnered Cultural Burns Program

Example Annual Indicators (across all projects)

• Levy dollars invested
• Additional funding leveraged
• Number of project partners
• Number of grants
• Spread of investment socially and spatially
• Media/social media reach
• Number of research trials funded
• Number of projects led by, or with input from, Kaurna
• Kaurna employment (Green Adelaide projects/programs)
• Hectares of habitat maintained/restored
• Number of volunteers/citizen science events
• Number of trees and other vegetation planted
• Hectares of pest plant and animal control
• Number of capacity-building events