Shoalhaven City Council is seeking community feedback on the Draft Shoalhaven Tree and Vegetation Vandalism Prevention Policy currently on public exhibition until Wednesday, 28 August 2019.
Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley said the draft policy has been developed in light of the persistent tree and vegetation vandalism on Council owned and managed reserves.
"The objective of this policy is to reduce and prevent the incidents of continued vandalism to trees and vegetation throughout the Shoalhaven," Clr Findley said.
"The physical nature of tree and vegetation vandalism can occur in a variety of forms, including poisoning, pruning, burning, removal and unauthorised mowing and slashing of native vegetation. Vandalism is not just centred on the foreshore but can occur at other parks and reserves in the Shoalhaven."
"Vandalism has a significant and cumulative impact on the environment. Particular impacts include reduced visual and community amenity, loss of environmental services such as carbon storage and sequestration, air pollution reduction, urban heat mitigation, wind-breaks and erosion control, and the loss of wildlife habitat and biodiversity values. Tree and vegetation vandalism can have substantial financial and human resource costs for Council including the direct loss of the asset value of the trees or vegetation, the cost of the investigation, rehabilitation/repair costs"
"I encourage residents who are passionate about preventing or the incidence of tree vandalism in our region to read the draft policy online and give their feedback online, via email or by mail before Wednesday, 28 August 2019."
Details on Shoalhaven City Council's Draft Tree and Vegetation Vandalism Prevention Policy can be found at https://getinvolved.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/tree-and-vegetation-vandalism-prevention
