Why is saving urban bushland from destruction so hard?
Look at one battle as an example of many fought piece by piece, year after year, again and again across the metropolitan area.
This is the battle to protect Bush Forever 242: the rich and rare Anstey–Keane Dampland.
What do we have in place to protect urban bushland?
– Communities that deeply value unique, rich and diverse natural heritage
– A policy framework designed to protect these values – Bush Forever, established in 2000 but not completed
– A budgetary mechanism to support this policy framework – the $400 Million Metropolitan Region Improvement Fund
– Government agencies to implement Bush Forever and manage the conservation estate – WAPC, DBCA
– Legislative environmental protections of the EPBC Act – TECs, RAMSAR wetlands, MNES etc
Yet have they protected Anstey-Keane?
Balannup wastewater pipeline through Anstey-Keane
This wonderful place, so enormously biodiverse and in such excellent condition remains under threat from:
– Significant damage through illegal access
– Parts being still in private ownership
– The site is not managed as one
– State agencies regularly propose projects deleterious to environmental values.
Who cares and advocates for Anstey-Keane? The Friends of Forrestdale Lake care. Since 1990, they have campaigned to protect this rare jewel.
And elsewhere, these efforts are played out again and again across the metropolitan area, in pockets of our last-remaining beautiful bushlands and wetlands.
Conserving our urban bushland for our grandchildren requires perseverance and resilience. We must increase community awareness of environmental issues and continue our advocacy and activism. Let’s build a united voice to speak on behalf of our native flora and fauna through friends’ groups or peak bodies such as the UBC. Advocate for stronger environmental laws.
NatureLink Perth Symposium
Register for the NatureLink Perth Symposium on Thursday 4 July.
Many of you will have been following the development of NatureLink Perth during 2019. You might also have heard Dr Jane Chambers and her team talk about their project. It is an initiative to create a network of people committed to sustaining our world-class biodiversity and engaging in nature sensitive urban design across Perth to the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.
The Symposium on Thursday will bring many stakeholders together. Be part of the audience so that you can find out ‘What needs to be done to enable nature sensitive urban design and nurture a biodiverse and livable city?’.
As presented to the 
Register for the NatureLink Perth 
