Koala plan par excellence

LISMORE City Council’s recently adopted Koala Plan of Management has been recognised by winning a Local Government Excellence in the Environment Award.

Minister for the Environment Robyn Parker presents the Local Government Excellence in the Environment Award to Lismore City Council's ecologist, Damian Licari; integrated strategic planner, Steve Denize; environmental strategies coordinator, Nick Stephens; and Bernie Bugden from Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority.

LISMORE City Council's recently adopted Koala Plan of Management has been recognised by winning a Local Government Excellence in the Environment Award.

The 'Development of the Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management for south-east Lismore' scored a gong in the Natural Environment Policies, Planning and Decision Making category.

Lismore City Council's ecologist Dr Damian Licari said it was exciting that the hard work put in by a team of staff over many months had garnered recognition from the Local Government and Shires Association.

"The plan included a 12-month community consultation and the involvement of 10 stakeholders representing industry, landholder and environmental interest groups," Dr Licari said.

"Up until this Plan the Environmental Services Team hadn't done that type of widespread consultation before so we have learnt a great deal from the experience and have further honed our consultation processes since then.

"We are about to embark on the Draft Biodiversity Management Strategy and we will definitely use everything we know and everything we have learnt to make that an even more robust, transparent and inclusive process."

Winners were announced at an awards presentation at Darling Harbour this week.