Biodiversity assets on Council land are important and valued features of the district and include managing and protecting flora, fauna, and vegetation communities in urban and rural biodiversity reserves; revegetation sites (e.g. Angas River Corridor); coastal reserves and dune systems (e.g. Ratalang Conservation Area); wetlands (e.g. Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula); roadside marker sites; as well Council’s network of developed and undeveloped roadside vegetation corridors.
Council’s Nature Conservation Team looks after over 300 hectares of natural areas, including more than 50 hectares of Native Vegetation Heritage Agreement areas, and almost 300 kilometres of roadsides for the benefit of nature conservation.
The most significant remnant vegetation under Council’s care includes the, our Native Vegetation Heritage Agreement sites, such as the Goolwa Dune System, our Roadside Marker System sites , as well many of our river and lakeside reserves and unmade road reserves.
Other patches of important remnant vegetation located within our Council area, but managed by the South Australian Government, include Cox Scrub Conservation Park; Finniss Conservation Park; Kyeema Conservation Park; Mount Magnificent Conservation Park; Scott Conservation Park; Sir Richard Peninsula; Tokuremoar Reserve; Tolderol Game Reserve; Bullock Hill Conservation Park; as well as our Significant Environmental Benefit (SEB) sites.
The watershed areas around Mount Compass, Hope Forest and Ashbourne also contain significant patches of native vegetation and Fleurieu swamps on private land. This more vegetated western portion of our Council district stands in contrast to the land around Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek and Milang which is much more extensively cleared.
Alexandrina is home to four ecological communities listed as threatened at a national level (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999):
- Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula (Fleurieu swamps)
- Peppermint Box Grassy Woodland of South Australia
- Iron-grass Natural Temperate Grassland of South Australia
- Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh
Council’s ability to act effectively is partly dependent on funding for environmental activities. This is a constant challenge and Council will focus on facilitating the delivery of outcomes in partnership with First Nations peoples, our community, and all level of government, through mutually beneficial relationships.
