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The focus
While the Strategy applies to the whole of the MidCoast, many of the Strategy’s principles focus on the urban areas.
Our towns and villages are home to the majority of our residents and are under pressure to grow, particularly along the coast. Urban land uses, structures and sealed roads/carparks all contribute to the Urban Heat Island Effect, increasing radiant heat and making neighbourhoods hotter. By focusing greening initiatives in these areas and building partnerships with businesses and residents, we can move towards reducing temperatures in our urban areas. In our rural and natural landscapes, there is a different scale of activity - typically the properties are considerably larger, activities are not as intense and the landscapes are not subject to the same growth pressures of urban areas. Existing Council projects like the Biodiversity Framework, Rural Strategy and Catchment Management Programs apply to these areas, capturing a range of projects aimed at protecting the important environmental and rural values of these landscapes. A number of organisations and government agencies also contribute to the management and protection of these landscapes, like local Landcare groups, the NSW Rural Fire Service, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Hunter Local Land Services and National Parks and Wildlife Services.
Given the significant activity already occurring in our rural and natural landscapes, the Strategy recognises and supports this work and focuses on initiatives in our urban areas to increase vegetation and tree coverage. There are strong linkages to a range of Council strategies and plans aimed at achieving biodiversity, climate change, catchment, coastal, economic or rural outcomes. Cross references to each body of work are included throughout this Strategy to show that the strategies and plans are working together to improve the liveability of the MidCoast. The Strategy recognises that there is a complex web of legislation and controls that protect vegetation, which come into play through different triggers, including development and tree clearing. The Strategy examines both of these triggers, identifying ways to improve the retention of trees and vegetation across the MidCoast.
