With the population of Metropolitan Perth tipped to hit 3.5 million by 2050, a 70% increase on today, there are more questions than a Q and A TV show to be asked and answered. Delivering an efficient, liveable city, at the same time protecting the unique environment and the things that West Australians love about our home state, is a serious challenge. The Government of WA has produced a draft “Perth Peel Green Growth Plan for 3.5 million” in response.
The concept of this plan is to integrate environmental protection and land use requirements as well as industrial development in a master plan that cuts through bureaucratic silos. This is an inspired work that sets out to balance, what are often competing interests, and enable more people to experience what we love about the region.
One of the major planks of the Green Growth Plan is the push to preserve and even enhance the natural environment. This involves revegetation and rehabilitation of wildlife habitat and creating connected corridors for birds and animals to move safely between refuges. There is also strong emphasis on protecting fragile wetland environments. C-Wise can be considered as a benchmark in the region, because it has established a wetland environment on the Nambeelup facility property as a refuge for migratory shorebirds as well as a considerable collection of local birds.
Fertiliser planning and monitoring for farms in the Peel and Perth catchments has been introduced for the first time to combat nutrient pollution of our two largest river and estuary systems. Properties of more than 40 hectares, in these catchments, will need to do annual soil tests and get their fertiliser program signed off by a registered Fertcare officer. C-Wise has recently taken on Soil Carbon Agronomists to assist customers with their soil testing and transform their soils into carbon rich soils that don’t leak nutrients.
The State government is seeking comments from the public by the 8th April. You can access this at www.dpc.wa.gov.au/greengrowthplan. We would encourage you to view and comment on the plan. Not just things with which you disagree but it’s important to support aspects that you agree with, that you want to go ahead.
