Home / Environment /
The City of Swan is geographically the largest local authority in the Perth Metropolitan region, covering an area of 1,043 square kilometres or around 20% of the Perth region, with a population in 2001 of 82,126, projected to double by 2021 to 168,100 people.
Some environmental facts relating to the Swan Region* include:
-
three distinct landforms in the region, the Swan Coastal Plain, Darling Plateau and Dandaragan Plateau
-
23 distinct vegetation complexes
-
parks and reserves under National, State and local management
-
Swan and Avon River systems, associated riverine catchments and wetlands.
-
Land uses vary widely in the region from agricultural, rural, urban, commercial to industrial
-
more than 40 declared rare and priority listed flora species
-
several threatened fauna species
-
approximately 60% of its original native vegetation being cleared up to 1996 (SoE,1996)
-
The local indigenous people historically have a strong presence in and connection to the region, and as a result have and will continue to, influence its management, use and culture.
Due to this geography, mix of land uses and anticipated population growth, there are a significant number of environmental issues that face the region, which are discussed on the following pages. The challenge for the City of Swan will be to manage the projected population growth in a sustainable way, protecting the unique environmental values of the region whilst managing the balance of social and economic issues.
To this end the City has produced Foundations for the Future – Quality of Life in the City of Swan that proposes a set of ideal goals that will provide a high level of quality of life for the community. It is also hoped that this web site will assist in raising an awareness and greater understanding of the issues facing the City of Swan’s natural environment, and as a result there is a ongoing partnership between the community and the City of Swan in its protection and management.
* For the purposes of this section, the definition of the ‘Swan Region’ is the City of Swan Local Authority Boundary.
|
