What is a Vegetation Management Plan (Bushland Management Plan) ?
A Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) is often required when developing land or when undertaking activities close to a drainage line. The purpose of a Vegetation Management Plan or Bushland Management Plan is to provide active management actions for the management of vegetation for conservation purposes to improve its integrity and viability. Often they are written to offset clearing and maintain and improve vegetation to reduce environmental impacts including erosion and its impacts on water quality. At Anderson Environmental Pty Ltd we have been providing Vegetation Management Plans since 1992 when we first started working in Mining Rehabilitation. Vegetation Management Plans are undertaken in accordance with local and state guidelines. Although they are called Vegetation Management Plans we also undertake them in accordance with best practice internationally and in accordance with the principles of Ecological Restoration. Ecological Restoration includes all facets of ecosystem management and also considers fauna habitat management and restoration. We have been leaders in this industry since 1992 as we have not just focused on “getting some plants in the ground” but have considered the ecological community present, its viability and threats and the interaction of this community and its resources to the importance of local fauna and threatened flora and fauna species, soil stability and erosion control.
Therefore, a Vegetation Management Plan or Bushland Management Plan is often requested by most Sydney and NSW Regional Councils however Vegetation Management Plans are also undertaken in Queensland and Victoria. Most councils require a VMP to be undertaken by the developer as part of their Development Application for development sites. Such developments which require Vegetation Management Plans or Bushland Management Plans include: land development, residential and rural residential subdivisions, extensions to dwellings, roads, powerline easements, golf courses, mining, building construction and rezoning.
We are highly experienced at writing Vegetation Management Plans and Bushland Management Plans but most importantly we are highly experienced Ecological Restoration Specialists and Bush Regeneration Specialists. We undertake the actual work on the ground of planting, threatened flora species management, erosion control and fauna habitat creation, restoration and management. With experience in this area since 1992 stemming from Mining Restoration and Mining Rehabilitation we have an innate understanding of soils and soil remediation, vegetation and fauna habitat and their inter-relationships and therefore we can undertake Bush Regeneration at the highest level above and beyond other providers of this service. The advantage for our clients is savings in cost and time with high quality outputs achieved through an innate understanding of site factors and methods to achieve the required outcomes. We are highly respected by government and councils so much so that our advice and methods has been written into many of their guidelines for undertaking Vegetation Management Plans.
In NSW any “Controlled Activity” which occurs on waterfront land or near to a creekline, river or drainage line or lake is controlled by the NSW Department of Water and it is a legal obligation under the NSW Water Management Act 2000 to prepare a Vegetation Management Plan. This plant must be prepared in accordance with their requirements as per the link below.
