Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government

• Loss of climate habitat caused by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases
• Predation by feral cats
• Predation by the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
(Australian Government 2008)
The key threatening processes identified by the State Government that are potentially relevant
to our area include:
• Bushrock removal
• Clearing of native vegetation
• Competition and grazing by the feral European rabbit
• Competition and habitat degradation by feral goats
• Completion from feral honeybees
• Ecological consequences of high frequency fires
• Entanglement in or ingestion of anthropogenic debris in marine and estuarine
environments
• Exotic vines and scramblers
• Feral pigs
• Hebivory and environmental degradation caused by feral deer
• Human caused climate change
• Infection of frogs by amphibian chytrid causing the disease chytridiomycosis
• Infection of native plants by Phytophthora cinnamomi
• Invasion of native plant communities by bitou bush
• Invasion of native plant communities by exotic perennial grasses
• Invasion of native plant communities by Lantana camara
• Loss of hollow-bearing trees
• Predation by feral cats
• Predation by the European red fox
• Predation by the plague minnow (Gambusia holbrooki)
• Removal of dead wood and dead trees
(Department of Environment and Climate Change 2008)
While all the above processes are important, the ones that will have the greatest impact are
climate change; loss or disturbance of important habitats; changes to water quality via
stormwater runoff; changes to the natural water drainage and flow; fragmentation of native
vegetation; and inappropriate land clearing.
2.3 Biodiversity Management
Establishment of protected areas remain a priority for state government. Therefore national
parks and reserves continue to be created to protect biodiversity in areas of need.
The majority of Gosford's native vegetation (57.9%) is located in areas under Council or State
Government (National Parks and State Forests) control which is an advantage for biodiversity
management. However, native vegetation also remains on private properties and should not be
excluded from the biodiversity strategy. At the most strategic level maintaining the substantial
portion of native vegetation within the total LGA (noting currently 72.6% of total LGA) is a
significant way to protect our biodiversity (GCC GIS).
Protection and management of biodiversity cannot however be achieved solely by the
establishment of protected areas. The remnant vegetation on private land (which represents
14.7% of the total LGA) needs to be preserved where it provides important habitat in its own
right and/or linkages between the reserves and National Parks. The national parks, nature
reserves and COSS do not protect all of the areas of important biodiversity in Gosford. For
Biodiversity Strategy Page 17