Environmental lands study for Cessnock LGA a spatial database for the Cessnock LGA

Abstract

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Biodiversity, Conservation and Science – Regional Delivery collaborated with Cessnock City Council in 2021 to 2022 to deliver a report and package of spatial data layers to inform an environmental lands study. It comprises 6 comprehensive map layers that collectively cover the entire Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA) and identify lands of environmental or ecological value. This information can be used to enable informed landuse planning, environmental protection or conservation investment decisions, and to support local or regional environmental initiatives. This study verifies a best practice model to deliver evidence-based biodiversity data at a precise scale to fulfil stakeholder expectations and improve NSW Government service delivery outcomes for landuse planning and biodiversity conservation.