Identify, protect and enhance valuable biodiversity and habitats.

Enhance community understanding, resilience and adaptability for the impacts of climate change and a bushfire prone environment.

Reduce the number and impact of bushfire incidents.

Create a community focussed approach to bushfire, a coordinated approach between key agencies and the communities of Nillumbik and ensure strong advocacy in relation to bushfire and bushfire risk.

Conserve the bush and rural landscapes to maintain the natural beauty of the green wedge.

Undertake stocktakes of environmental assets and agricultural activity and practices, including hobby farming, that need to be protected for the future and the pests that need to be managed by sourcing information from formal research bodies and landowners. Seek government funding assistance to establish and maintain this data base into the future for landowner information, program prioritisation and policy development.

Subject to the findings of the data base described by A3.1, review the Environmental Significance Overlay in the Nillumbik Planning Scheme.

Implement a whole of organisation approach to community resilience addressing climate change, emergency management and a range of matters in an integrated manner. This will include difficult conversations on the natural environment and biodiversity values, bushfire risk reduction, economic development, agriculture, economic and community rebuilding post events, human health, well-being and safety and water catchment planning.

Increase and prioritise Council’s focus on feral animal and pest plant species reduction, education and programs on private and public land.

In partnership with relevant government agencies, encourage biodiversity conservation and responsible land management on public and private land by:

• implementing Council’s Biodiversity Strategy 2012; Roadside Management Plan and Invasive Species Action Plan 2015
• support supporting Landcare and Friends groups
• providing an advisory service for land management
• providing rebates for Trust for Nature covenanted land and agriculture with a land management plan
• delivering Council’s land management incentive program and other conservation protection projects
• administering state planning policies that apply to native vegetation and
• delivering targeted environment and sustainability education experiences.

In conjunction with key stakeholders, review Council’s approach to climate change to develop a best practice response. This will incorporate our statutory requirements and respond to all key state government frameworks but will need to remain agile and adaptive to changing policy settings. It will adopt an integrated approach that brings together the key local issues that have been identified in every goal in this plan. This will result in either :

• an updated climate change action plan and/or
• a new climate change and community resilience strategic framework built from a local context that recognises the unique features of our communities, its landscapes and natural environment. It will be informed by appropriate evidence, independent expertise and strong community participation.

Finalise and implement Council’s draft Bushfire Mitigation Strategy 2019-23.

Advocate for improved mobile and broadband connectivity to help improve the ability to communicate information and improve community safety, particularly to those most vulnerable during extreme weather events.

As part of a future review of the Nillumbik Planning Scheme consider identified landscape character and quality through the current policies and overlays that apply.

Consider, through development approvals and management of Council property, the limitation of light spill not directly associated with safety or community activity to reduce impacts on nocturnal animals and the night time amenity of the landscape.

Investigate opportunities to support community-based renewable energy solutions.

Promote water sensitive design, balance amenity uses of our waterways with environmental considerations and balance demand for private use of water flows through extraction and diversion with broader community and environmental considerations.

Finalise and implement Council’s Domestic Waste Water Management Plan 2019.