Trees and vegetation are an important part of our environment, providing habitat, supporting biodiversity and contributing to healthy, attractive places and spaces for our community. Council manages and protects vegetation across roadsides, reserves and other Council land, while also supporting the community to care for and increase vegetation on private and public land.
Find information about Council’s programs, responsibilities and requirements relating to trees and vegetation. pPlease select relevant topic pictured below., and for more detailed information see below Trees and vegetation, more detailed information.
Have your say: Greening our townships
We’re seeking community input on the importance of trees and vegetation in our townships and how we can work together to create greener, cooler and more liveable places. Open for community consultation (9 am, Thursday 5 November 2026 until 9 am, Monday 14 December 2026) via My Say Alexandrina.
For further information and the development journey of the draft Strategy, please see below Alexandrina’s Township Greening Journey .
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.