Wetlands provide a range of values, functions and services that benefit both the natural environment and human society. As many wetlands in NSW are under increasing pressure from human activity and climatic changes, it is even more important to protect those that remain.
Natural resource management has progressed on a number of fronts since 1996, when the NSW Government released the State’s first NSW Wetlands Management Policy. This policy has achieved much in relation to wetland conservation including:
- the development of guidelines on the wise use and management of wetlands for use by the community and government agency staff
- an increase in the area of wetlands formally protected through the protected area network or under conservation agreements and international conventions
- the formal recognition of wetlands in legislation, planning instruments, management plans and strategies.
