State Planning Policy 2.8 - Bushland Policy for the Perth Metropolitan Region.

This policy aims to provide an implementation framework that will ensure bushland protection and management issues in the Perth Metropolitan Region appropriately addressed and integrated with broader land use planning and decision-making. This will secure long-term protection of biodiversity and associated environmental values. The policy recognizes the protection and management of significant bushland areas as a fundamental consideration in the planning process, while also seeking to integrate and balance wider environmental, social and economic considerations. The policy applies to the Perth Metropolitan Region, and deals with two distinct subjects, being Bush Forever areas and local bushland. The South-West Botanical Province is one of the most biologically diverse regions. Aside from its botanical and habitat values, bushland plays a crucial role in meeting a variety of environmental, social and economic needs such as: maintaining water and air quality; wetland protection and hydrological functions; the prevention of land degradation; visual amenity and areas for walking and informal nature-based recreation and education.
Its three key objectives are: establish a conservation system at regional level (through Bush Forever areas and to operate with the clearing controls under the Environmental Protection Act 1986) that is comprehensive, adequate and representative of the ecological communities of the Swan Coastal Plain portion of the Perth Metropolitan Region; seek to protect and manage significant bushland recommended for protection and management for conservation purposes through a range of implementation mechanisms and as a collective and shared responsibility of government, landowners and the community; provide a policy and implementation framework for significant bushland areas recommended for protection and management to assist conservation, planning assessment and decision-making processes. This implementation framework will ensure: consistency, transparency and certainty for landowners, decision-makers and the broader community; integrated and balanced environmental, socio-economic outcomes; existing planning or environmental commitments or approvals are recognized; and development and land uses which are compatible with bushland protection and/or provide for an improved environmental outcome are supported and incorporate best practice, performance-based planning, design and management outcomes.