Environment Levy

The Levy helps funds conservation projects and events to support local biodiversity.

• Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project – supporting koala research and conservation, and increasing available koala habitat.
• Southern Highlands Platypus Conservation Project – supporting initiatives to improve our understanding of local platypus populations.
• Glossy Black Cockatoo Conservation – partnership with the NSW Government and the community to deliver the Glossies in the Mist project.
• Private Land Conservation – assisting landowners through programs like Habitat for Wildlife and Land for Wildlife.
• Native plant giveaways through the Land for Wildlife program.
• Lake Alexandra Turtle Tour – engaging the community in turtle conservation.
• Biodiversity monitoring initiatives, such as the Gibbergunyah Reserve bat survey and small fauna survey.

Healthy waterways are essential for biodiversity and the wellbeing of our community. The Levy supports projects such as:

• riparian habitat restoration, including weed management and revegetation.
• waterway improvement initiatives, like the recent Mittagong Creek Project in Mansfield Reserve.

The Levy also partly funds water monitoring across the Wingecarribee Shire. 

The Levy funds a variety of activities to manage and improve the conservation values of Council managed Bushland Reserves, including:

• weed management – reducing the impact of invasive plants on native vegetation
• revegetation – increasing available habitat for native wildlife
• vertebrate pest control – managing populations of introduced species to protect native wildlife. 

Helping the community connect with nature and learn more about sustainability is a big part of what the Levy supports. Many of these programs and activities come under the banner of Sustainable Us, a program of events and activities that encourage sustainable lifestyle practices.

• Sustainable Us video series.
• Earth Flix – screening inspiring environmental films.
• Southern Highlands Future Forum – bringing together community leaders to discuss environmental solutions.
• Froctober – inspiring and educating residents on how to reduce fashion's environmental impact.
• Schools Environment Day – a biannual event engages up to 200 primary school students in environmental and sustainability-based activities.

The Levy enables community participation in environmental stewardship.

• Bushcare  – supporting volunteer groups that care for local bushland.
• Citizen Science – empowering community members to contribute to local biodiversity research and conservation.

The Levy also helps secure additional grants to expand and enhance environmental initiatives.

• Cultural Burning Strategy - the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Funding has enabled the reintroduction of Cultural Burning to bushland reserves, led by members of the Aboriginal Community.
• Southern Highlands Shale Woodlands project – conservation efforts to protect a threatened ecological community.
• Wall to Wollondilly – enhancing riparian corridors along the Wingecarribee River.
• Southern Highlands Koala Conservation - projects to support research, conservation and habitat restoration for one of Australia's iconic species.