Cities for nature

Cities are ecosystems that include nature, people and the built environment.

Although Sydney might seem green, the abundance and diversity of our native plants and animals are decreasing. This is largely due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and the declining quality of habitat; for example, by introduced pests and weeds.

Cities as ecosystems

Find out about important features that help nature thrive across a city landscape.

Protect core remnants

Core remnants are large, healthy, intact areas of bushland, like our national parks. They usually contain more native species and habitats than smaller remnants. Larger remnants are less vulnerable to the effects of fragmentation, like increased numbers of invasive species and degradation of habitat.

Find out more about native vegetation.

Waterway health

Healthy bushland and wetlands help ensure healthy waterways, which support aquatic biodiversity and provide recreational opportunities for Sydneysiders. Healthy rivers mean healthy estuaries, which provide sheltered, nutrient-rich breeding grounds for fish, crustaceans and other marine life.

Find out more about waterway health.

Look after urban remnants

Urban bushland remnants are refuges for local native animals and are important stops for migratory species that need a rest and feed when they are passing through. They include council reserves, which also provide green space for the community to enjoy nature. But their proximity to people and housing can also cause problems: the spread of weeds from dumped garden waste, and the threat to our wildlife from roaming cats and dogs.

Find out how to help bushland near you.

Connect remnants

Connecting smaller fragmented remnants, like council reserves, to large remnants of bushland will allow native animals to move safely throughout their range to find food and suitable habitat. Corridors of vegetation also allow the spread of native plant species, leading to a more genetically diverse and therefore healthy remnant.

Green your neighbourhood for better nature connections.

Wildlife stepping stones

Wildlife stepping stones are small pockets of habitat. These can include gardens rich in a variety of plants that support birds, lizards, frogs and invertebrates, or even a balcony with flowers for passing bees and butterflies.

Find out how your space can become a wildlife stepping stone.

Key conservation actions

The National Green Infrastructure Network’s Urban Ecology Research Investigation, funded by the NSW Environmental Trust, recommends key conservation actions to improve urban biodiversity in large cities in New South Wales.

Listed in order of importance, these actions will help our native plants and animals thrive in growing cities.

Protect and restore existing bushland

Protecting remaining habitats is essential to avoid the further loss of our native plants and animals. Established trees and native bushland help clean air and water, store carbon, cool our streets and provide homes for wildlife.

Bigger is best when it comes to healthy bushland. Larger areas of bushland – ideally above 50 hectares – tend to remain in better condition and support a greater variety of habitats and species.

Habitat restoration, such as bush regeneration and weed management, improves the health of damaged ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems support more animals, and benefit people too.

Protect our rivers and streams

Planting native species along rivers and streams will help prevent soil erosion and keep waterways healthy, as well as create wildlife habitat and green corridors.

We can also improve waterway health by capturing rain and stormwater runoff to store and filter water and reduce local flooding using:

• porous or permeable paving that allows water to soak through
• bioswales or trenches planted with grasses, flowering herbs, shrubs and mulch that slow water runoff and filter out pollutants: for example, from a car park
• planted detention basins or depressions that slow, store and filter stormwater runoff
• rain gardens, or gardens with a shallow depression, which are designed to capture stormwater that runs off hard surfaces when it rains.

Connect habitats with waterways and green corridors

Habitat fragmentation, or the loss of connectivity due to clearing, is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in Sydney.

Connectivity of our natural bushland is vital for the movement of animals, plant pollen and seeds to maintain healthy resilient populations able to adapt to threats such as climate change.

Green areas can be connected with a mixture of native trees, shrubs and groundcover. This will increase biodiversity, provide wildlife corridors, shade and public access to green spaces.

Conserved or restored bushland corridors need to be large enough and undisturbed to enable species to have refuge and safely move between patches of bush. Lost connectivity can be restored by bush regeneration.

‘Buffer zones’ on the edges of bushland corridors can provide homes for wildlife and beautiful places for all our communities to enjoy. 

This includes riparian zones, where the land meets the river. Riparian zones are nature’s corridors and often support unique wildlife. The protection and restoration of Sydney’s riparian zones will ensure a greater variety of native plants, birds and other animals, and contribute to the health and wellbeing of our rivers and ourselves.

Create networks of green and blue across the city

A healthy city is one with linked parks, rivers, wetlands, and bushland. Along with street trees, these areas support our native wildlife, provide areas for relaxation and recreation, and help keep our climate comfortable and clean. 

The NSW Government is committed to the design of healthy cities, for example:

• The Draft Bushland and Waterways Guide – Green infrastructure for habitat and ecological health looks at the importance of urban habitat and proposes strategies and actions to help connect, protect, restore and enhance ecological systems.
• The Sydney Green Grid is a project that promotes a network of high-quality green space that connects town centres, public transport hubs, and major residential areas.
• The Greater Sydney Commission is working to deliver a vision for a more productive, liveable and sustainable Greater Sydney.
• By planting 5 million trees in streets, parks, schools and yards, the NSW Government aims to increase Sydney’s tree canopy to 40% by 2030.

Enhance your local area by increasing green spaces

‘Informal’ green spaces along railway tracks, vacant land, industrial sites, verges, roundabouts, and footpaths can provide places for nature to thrive and move through a city.

As well as growing plants, you can increase reflective and permeable surfaces in private and public gardens, pocket parks, streets, car parks, and on shade structures, green walls and green roofs.

You can also create habitat stepping stones for local wildlife on your green roof, front and backyard or street verge.

Help Sydney nature thrive

You can help Sydney’s urban ecosystems thrive. Take some time to:

• protect and restore existing bushland – volunteer with your local bushcare group through your local council, NSW national parks or a conservation group 
• create habitat or habitat stepping stones in your balcony, roof, backyard, and neighbourhood
• get support to enhance native bushland on your property, including when you are absent
• encourage your neighbours to join together and create bushland corridors
• plant a rain garden to capture rain and stormwater
• design ‘living’ buildings
• learn more about greening Australian cities through the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub.

Movement matters for koalas

The koala has preferred habitat for eating, sleeping and living the koala lifestyle.

Koalas also need adjoining green corridors to allow them to mix with other koalas. This helps maintain healthy populations.

We are working to support koala populations in the wild with the NSW Koala Strategy. Part of this work involves making sure koalas have access to better quality bushland away from urban threats like dogs and cars.

We also monitor koalas in Western Sydney to manage threats to this population and stabilise their numbers.

Kids learn how to help nature in the city

As custodians for more than 60,000 years, Aboriginal groups including 29 clans of the Eora Nation have continuously occupied the landscape now called Greater Sydney. Learn about how vital Indigenous knowledge is when designing our cities in this video by the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub.

This video, An Urbanising Planet, reveals the huge potential there is to design cities in which nature and people can thrive together.