Greening and nature

We’re working to create an urban forest and support biodiversity to provide demonstrated benefits of plants and animals in our city.

Why we’re doing this

Sydney’s natural landscape has changed dramatically and is nearly unrecognisable from its state before the arrival of the First Fleet more than 2 centuries ago.

There has been a huge drop in the number of native trees, plants and flowers with the clearing of forests, filling of swampland and changes to the shoreline, not to mention the construction of buildings, streets and footpaths.

However, we know that urban nature plays a vital role in the health, social framework and economic sustainability of a city.

The benefits of urban biodiversity are numerous. It is well known that urban biodiversity contributes to mitigating flooding and heat. The health and wellbeing benefits are well documented and access to urban nature is known to reduce stress.

Trees work for us every day, improving our environment and quality of life. In just 12 months, one mature tree can absorb 3,400 litres of stormwater, filter 27kg of pollutants from the air and provide a cooling effect equivalent to running 10 air conditioners continuously.

Action areas

Trees in our area create an urban forest that contributes greatly to the city’s character. They’re integral to making Sydney a green, global and connected city. We’re working to create an urban forest with greater tree cover and more diversity to provide these proven benefits of plants and trees in our city.
We have more than 400 parks for the enjoyment of everyone. They help green the city as well as provide recreational benefits.
We are working hard alongside our communities to protect our precious urban wildlife and green spaces. We are running a range of biodiversity projects in different parts of the city.
Spaces owned by the state government's public transport and utility authorities occupy large tracts of land, which is often in prime locations and within potential green corridors. Increased greenery in these spaces can help boost the urban canopy and wildlife habitat, so we aim to work in partnership with the relevant authorities.
We have landscaped more than 28,000 square metres of public space. Greening local streets and open spaces can have a flow-on effect as people are inspired to exercise, get some fresh air, hang out with old friends and make some new ones.
Local streets we have upgraded are also doing their bit for increased environmental sustainability as they help collect and filter stormwater.

How we can achieve these goals

Sydney will become even leafier and healthier under our plans to green the city, helping reduce power bills as well as beautifying inner-city properties. Our urban forest is set to grow up to 50% by 2030.

Here’s a look at some of our strategies around greening and nature:

Strategies & action plans
Greening Sydney strategyPublished 11 July 2023
Strategies & action plans
Environmental strategy 2021-2025Published 27 July 2021
Strategies & action plans
Urban forest strategyPublished 26 July 2023
Strategies & action plans
Urban ecology strategic action planPublished 30 December 2014

Our programs and initiatives

Sydney is one of the global cities that is still home to many green places and native wildlife.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any large-scale project and there can never be enough hands to help green our city.

Our residents have already shown an interest and commitment in spreading the green goodness with efforts such as the Glebe Bushcare Group, Rozelle Bay Community Nursery, the Pyrmont Ultimo Landcare Group and the Glebe Society’s Blue Wren Group.

We are developing and supporting green initiatives in the community by offering clear and ongoing communication, education and support as well as its range of grants for specific projects.

We are planting hundreds of shrubs, grasses and groundcover plants in Glebe Foreshore Parks to improve the diversity of locally indigenous plants and to create dense understorey habitat for small birds. Understorey plants are a key contributor to healthy ecosystems and provide particularly important habitat for small birds and insects. Through this project, we hope to increase habitat that supports higher levels of biodiversity and provide a more interesting landscape for people.

We have also installed rock features and logs at ground level which will create more habitat for native animals like lizards.

This project is intended to contribute to the creation of an almost continuous biodiversity corridor connecting the Glebe foreshore to Orphan School Creek in Forest Lodge.
Wetlands help to manage floods, reduce urban heat and support local wildlife.

Thousands of locally indigenous reeds, sedges, grasses and shrubs have been incorporated into a piece of land designed to absorb nutrients from stormwater at Sydney Park wetlands.

Wetlands are important habitat for many species, and this area will support local wildlife, including superb fairy-wrens, black-winged stilts, frogs and eastern long-necked turtles. It is also proving to be a regular rest point for migratory birds such as the Latham’s snipe on their way back and from Japan.
Each year, we host a series of events for the community to learn about and connect with nature in our urban environments.

It’s widely known that people who experience regular contact with nature are more likely to feel connected with nature. Our annual workshop series gives people an opportunity to learn about nature in our city, and how we can help the environment.

Subscribe to Urban Ecology newsletter to find out about upcoming programs and events.
Hives of a native stingless bee have been installed in 12 of the city’s community gardens and 8 of our bush restoration sites to date. Native bees play an important role in pollinating some of the fruit and vegetables being grown locally, as well as native plant species.

Adopt a native bee hive

Each year, a small number of native bee hives are available to adopt by community garden organisations, Landcare groups and interested residents on City of Sydney owned or managed land.
Concrete flowerpots have been attached to seawalls in Sydney Harbour to attract vulnerable marine life back into areas where natural shores have been replaced by foreshore development. Marine ecologists were involved in monitoring the marine wildlife as the project progressed. In Blackwattle Bay, 28 marine species were newly recorded in the area after the pots were installed.

We delivered the project in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities and the Royal Botanic Garden and Domains Trust. This project was supported by Sydney Coastal Councils Group through funding from the Australian Government.
We monitor our native plants and animals every 5 years to compare how we are tracking against a baseline survey developed in 2011. Other projects such as Budding Birdos, Microbat tracking and Wildlife Watch supplement these surveys with additional data.

Between 2016 and 2018, we surveyed a sample of bush restoration sites and discovered:
- 5 insectivorous bat species
- a total of 76 birds, including 9 non-native species and s (2016 and 2017)
- 4 frog species and 11 reptile species (2018).
We will complete the next formal surveys in 2021 and 2022.

Other programs and initiatives

You can find out more in our programs below about how you can get involved and how we can all work together to protect our local wildlife and natural areas.