Council prepared a Draft Central Coast Conservation Fund Policy to set up a fund that Council can use for projects to protect and manage nature and biodiversity across the whole Local Government Area, consistent with the Biodiversity Strategy (2020). The Fund will provide financial support in Council’s management and conservation of the Central Coast’s natural environment.

To do so, the Central Coast Conservation Fund is proposed to only be utilised for the following purposes:

• purchase, acquisition, or transfer of environmental land for the purpose of biodiversity conservation, the protection of wildlife corridors and landscape connectivity
• reasonable ancillary costs associated with the above purposes
• improvement, embellishment, rehabilitation, and management of environmental lands for the purpose of biodiversity conservation
• costs associated with legal protection of environmental lands; and,
• administration of the conservation fund.

The Central Coast is home to beautiful and diverse environmental landscapes and wildlife and Council strives to identify appropriate ways for preservation. The Draft Central Coast Conservation Fund Policy looks to enhance long-term protection of environmental land through the establishment and operation of a conservation fund to support this initiative.

The community was invited to provide feedback on the Draft Central Coast Conservation Fund Policy between Wednesday 24 May and Tuesday 4 July via:

• an online submission form (now closed)
• email
• post