Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan A conservation plan for Western Sydney

The Western Parkland City is projected to grow from 740,000 people in 2016 to 1.1 million by 2036, and to well over 1.5 million by 2056. A thriving, liveable Western Parkland City will need to include dedicated areas to protect the region’s many unique native plants and animals and publicly accessible open and green spaces that local communities can enjoy.

Through strategic conservation planning, the NSW Government has developed a conservation plan for Western Sydney to help meet the future needs of our community while protecting threatened plants and animals in the long term.

The Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (the Plan) is one of the largest strategic conservation plans to be undertaken in Australia and is the first strategic biodiversity certification to be undertaken under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

The Plan will contribute to the Western Parkland City by supporting the delivery of housing, jobs and infrastructure while protecting important biodiversity such as threatened plants and animals.

The Plan will deliver on commitments and a series of planned and managed actions designed to improve ecological resilience and function, and offset biodiversity impacts from housing and infrastructure development. Taking a landscape-scale approach to conservation and assessment will deliver the greatest safeguards for Western Sydney’s natural environment over the long term.

What's happening now?

The Draft Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (draft Plan) was on public exhibition from 26 August 2020 until 2 November 2020.

Thank you to those who took the time to make a submission on the draft Plan. We are currently reviewing and considering all feedback received to help finalise the Plan.

For more information about the draft Plan and where we're at in the review process, please visit our Community engagement page.