We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land to which the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan applies.
The Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) supports growth in Western Sydney until 2056 and beyond. The CPCP supports the delivery of housing, jobs and infrastructure while protecting important biodiversity, including threatened plants and animals.
We are now implementing the CPCP, which was approved by the NSW Government in August 2022 and by the Australian Government in March 2024.
The Caring for Country Aboriginal Outcomes Strategy contributes to the vision of healthy Country and thriving communities. The strategy will foster meaningful partnerships in western Sydney to ensure Aboriginal people are at the forefront of implementing the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan and will benefit from its opportunities.
Your land may be home to rare and important native vegetation not found anywhere else in Australia or the world. If you live or own land with native vegetation in any of the 8 local Government areas of the Cumberland Plain, you need to know about the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan.
The conservation plan
The CPCP has 26 commitments and 131 actions designed to improve ecological resilience and protect biodiversity in western Sydney by 2056. A further 8 ecological biodiversity enhancements were announced jointly by the NSW ministers for planning and environment in March 2024.
Read about the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan and the series of actions to improve the CPCP’s biodiversity outcomes.
Read about the Department's spatial map and the process for landowners to request a CPCP modification request.
Delivering the plan
The NSW Government has announced a series of actions to enhance the CPCP's biodiversity outcomes to ensure we get the balance right between the need for additional housing and protecting western Sydney’s unique biodiversity. Read below on how we are delivering the plan.
Shaping the future of western Sydney
From 21 October to 11 November 2024, we conducted a survey to gather insights into how residents in western Sydney use and value green spaces. We also asked how they feel about their local environment, health, wellbeing, and social connections.
Thank you to everyone who participated and provided feedback. We’re excited to share the results of the survey (PDF, 2.2 MB).
Your feedback is important and helps us understand what it's like to live in western Sydney and will help us deliver the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan.
Key achievements
Key achievements delivered in 2024–25 as part of the CPCP’s commitments and actions.
Conservation lands
- Bought 337 hectares of land to extend the Gulguer Nature Reserve (452 hectares bought in total).
- Transferred 6 hectares to National Parks and Wildlife Service for the Warranmadhaa National Park (Georges River Koala National Park). 971 hectares in total have now been transferred.
Biodiversity offsets
- Protected 117 hectares of threatened native woodland, grassland, and riparian vegetation.
- Bought 833 biodiversity credits. This is the equivalent of 104 hectares of Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016-listed threatened species and threatened ecological communities: Cumberland Plain Woodland, River-Flat Eucalypt Forest, Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark Forest, and Shale Sandstone Transition Forest.
Protecting koalas
- Restored 8 hectares of native vegetation at Appin (15 hectares identified for future restoration at Long Point).
- Constructed 1.86 kilometres of koala protection fencing at Wilton.
- Installed 8 escape hatches at the Hume Highway sites as a trial to allow koalas and other wildlife to return safely to their habitat.
- Made progress on the 3 koala-safe crossings, including:
- an upgrade to the existing Kings Falls Bridge koala-friendly crossing to better encourage koalas to utilise it for safe passage, and to be more vandalism-resilient
- bought 2 properties in Appin that were necessary to allow for the construction of the Ousedale Creek Koala Underpass, and for ecological restoration at the crossing site
- WaterNSW completed works to provide under-fence structures to help koalas cross more safely at the Upper Canal in the Ousedale corridor.
- Funded a Koala and Wildlife Care Coordinator at the University of Sydney Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, to coordinate koala care in south-west Sydney and help improve data collection.
Caring for Country
- Co-developed a Caring for Country Aboriginal Relationship Framework and Toolkit with Aboriginal Communities in western Sydney.
- Continued work on the Caring for Country grants programs in partnership with the NSW Local Lands Services, including:
- establishing a First Nations-led steering committee to guide the delivery of the Aboriginal Ranger Pilot Program
- completing 5 cultural burns across 3 different Country types, of which 3 were completed in 2024–2025, with pre- and post-burn monitoring in place
- starting Healthy Water, Healthy Communities Program projects at 3 sites along the Nepean River.
Research program
- Released the Research strategy for the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan, (PDF, 3.8 MB)
- As part of the first 4-year research program, Western Sydney University:
- started over 20 Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) research projects to support the conservation efforts. A masters scholarship is supporting research on cultural burns, and 4 research project applications were successful under the 2024 research grant round
- delivered a restoration research workshop (attended by 33 participants) on approaches to restoring Cumberland Plain ecosystems
- held a successful Cumberland Plain Research Symposium (attended by 150 people, including 20 speakers), dedicated to advancing research in the restoration and conservation of the Cumberland Plain woodland, with a keen focus on its impact on Aboriginal communities and the broader population of western Sydney.
More information
For enquiries:
- phone 02 9585 6060
- email [email protected]
For translation, phone 13 14 50 and ask for an interpreter in your language to connect you to 02 9585 6060. Then ask for the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan team.