Local Government NSW is investing over $1.2 million in programs designed to protect and manage roadside reserves.

LGNSW has announced 21 council projects will receive grants of up to $99,000 for managing roadside reserves - protecting significant biodiversity, connecting vegetation across the landscape and providing valuable wildlife habitats.

The total funding of $1,205,206 has been provided by the NSW Environmental Trust.

The grants are designed to assist councils to further embed management of roadside reserves into planning, reporting and asset management systems.

A number of projects are focussed on trialling a new rapid assessment methodology to assess environmental values and using this information to manage, monitor and protect roadsides.

Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett council areas will coordinate efforts regionally across 7000km of roadside, while Coffs Harbour City Council will pilot the inclusion of the environmental values of three key roads into their asset management system.

“Effective roadside reserve management is more than meets the eye,” LGNSW President Councillor Keith Rhoades said.

“Roadside reserves conserve habitat, and prevent erosion, as well as having an aesthetic and ecological value.”

The Roadside Reserves Project has developed a framework to integrate roadside reserve management into council planning and activities, as well as a range of assessment tools and templates to help councils establish a baseline to protect this natural asset.

A full list of councils receiving the grants is as follows;

  • Ballina Shire Council: $50,000 for a roadside vegetation network designed to support ecology and road safety
  • Bega Valley Shire Council: $47,200 for significant vegetation mapping and conservation using Rapid Assessment Methodology (RAM)
  • Bellingen Shire Council: $50,000 for mapping high conservation value roadsides and including them in Council’s formal planning processes
  • Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett Shire Councils: $96,000 for integrating roadside reserve management into their roads management strategy
  • Coffs Harbour City Council: $50,000 to map and incorporate natural assets for three key roads into Council’s Asset Management Plan
  • Edward River Council: $48,000 for mapping, developing a Roadside Vegetation Management Plan and formalising a Review of Environmental Factors process
  • Glen Innes Severn Council: $45,000 for mapping High Country roadside environments and incorporating them into a Geographic Information System
  • Griffith City Council: $46,500 for comprehensive surveys of vegetation communities and for embedding roadside reserve best practice into Council’s management and operations
  • Hawkesbury River County Council: $44,000 for assessing ranking and mapping over 300km of roadsides and integrating biodiversity and biosecurity into strategic documentation
  • Hunter Councils Inc: $99,306 for assessment and mapping of environmental values in the Upper and Lower Hunter regions and embedding roadside management into council’s formal planning processes
  • Moree Plains Shire Council: $50,000 for integrating roadside management into everyday practice
  • Narrandera Shire Council: $41,000 for implementing best practice management of roadside reserves
  • Oberon Council: $47,580 for undertaking mapping, training council staff on roadside reserve management and developing a roadside vegetation management plan
  • Parkes Shire Council: $50,000 for developing a new roadside vegetation management plan, undertaking roadside vegetation mapping using the RAM and integrating roadside management into council’s formal planning processes
  • Penrith City Council: $50,000 to undertake an assessment of roadside reserves, identifying high priority areas and integrating roadside reserve management into their formal planning processes
  • Port Stephens Council: $50,000 to integrate roadside management into their recently developed environmental management system, including the completion and implementation of EIA for roadside reserve maintenance activities
  • Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council: $80,000 for integrated roadside asset management, using drones
  • Snowy Valleys Council: $79,620 for updating and integrating roadside vegetation into Council asset management and across the organisation
  • Temora Shire Council: $47,000 to undertake roadside vegetation mapping and develop policies and procedures to protect and manage roadside vegetation
  • Wagga Wagga City Council and Lockhart Shire Council: $88,000 to enhance biodiversity through an assessment of roadside vegetation using the RAM, developing a Roadside Vegetation Management Plan and integrating these into Council’s formal planning processes
  • Wingecarribee Shire Council: $46,000 for an integrated roadside environmental management framework