Approximately 6% or 43.5 hectares (ha) of the Local Government Area of Hunters Hill is remnant bushland. 38.5 hectares of this is in public open space under the care, control and management of Council, and a further 5 ha is on privately owned land along the Lane Cove and Parramatta River. There is a further 8 ha that is revegetated or modified vegetation.
Considering the extent and intensity of urban development in the region as well as the proximity to the Sydney CBD, these bushland areas are significant not only on a local, but also on a regional scale. Remnant vegetation in Hunters Hill provides a link between Sydney Harbour and Lane Cove National Park.
In the Municipality there are several large areas of remnant bushland, such as Boronia Park, Buffalo Creek Reserve and Kelly’s Bush, as well as smaller areas, such as Ferdinand Street Reserve, Riverglade Reserve, Gladesville Reserve and Betts Park, which act as important biodiversity corridors along and between the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers.
In Hunter’s Hill bushland reserves there have been over 120 species of animals recorded, excluding invertebrates, and over 350 species of plants. This does not include the animals and locally indigenous native plants in gardens.
Threats to Bushland
The protection and conservation of native vegetation is essential to maintain biodiversity. Habitat loss and degradation is directly related to species extinction through the removal of species themselves as well as those resources and processes upon which they depend. Threats to bushland in urban areas such as Hunters Hill include:
- predation and disturbance by feral and domestic animals (foxes, cats, dogs)
- weed infestation
- dumping
- unauthorised clearing by residents and park visitors
- stormwater run-off
- infection by the phytophthora fungus (known as root rot and die back) in canopy trees
- absence of the natural fire regimes
- track erosion and degradation
- fragmentation due to unauthorised walking and bike tracks
- unauthorised removal of flora, fauna, rocks, soil etc
- inappropriate mowing regimes at bushland perimeters.
How you can help our native wildlife
Residents can help to protect native animals by:
- keeping domestic cats in at night
- keeping dogs secured in their yard away from bushland
- keeping dogs on leash when walking on bushland tracks
- picking up after their dog
- emptying grass clippings into the green waste bin not in the bushland.