FAQs

Your input will be used to inform development of both key documents. Council is particularly interested to obtain your support and opportunity for suggestions or improvements to these draft plans.

To download the draft Environmental Action Plan click here

To download the draft Climate Emergency Action Plan click here

Hard copies of both documents can also be viewed at the Goolwa and Strathalbyn Council offices.

From 31 August 2023, we are seeking your feedback on the draft Environmental Action Plan and draft Climate Emergency Action Plan to obtain your support and opportunity for suggestions or improvements to both plans.

After the consultation closes, the feedback received from the community will be reviewed and assessed to amend, where required, the draft Environmental Action Plan or draft Climate Emergency Action Plan.

The amended draft plans, together with the outcomes of the community consultation, will be presented to Council for adoption. 

Alexandrina Council actively supports biodiversity conservation, protection of native plants and animals, and ecosystem health of our area.

The review of the actions listed in the former Environmental Action Plan 2014-2018 showed that progress has been made against the majority of actions outlined in that plan. However, over 70% of these actions remain ongoing. For example, our Nature Conservation Team looks after over 300 hectares of natural areas, including more than 50 hectares of Native Vegetation Heritage Agreement areas, and almost 300 kilometres of roadsides for the benefit of nature conservation. 

The most significant remnant vegetation under Council’s care includes the Goolwa Dune System, our Bush For Life sites, our Roadside Marker System sites, as well many of our river and lakeside reserves and unmade road reserves.

However, Council can’t do it alone, hence we are grateful for the amazing work undertaken by our conservation partners who actively manage many additional hectares of nature conservation areas.

To find out more about how Council cares of its environment, please go to the draft Environmental Action Plan 2030.

As our region is getting warmer, drier, and more vulnerable to heat stress, our residents identified township greening a priority at the Village Conversations held across Alexandrina Council (2021). Ongoing township greening and increased canopy cover is also in line with A2040’s goals. 

A Tree Canopy Baseline Study (2022) mapped for 11 townships across Alexandrina showed that tree canopies vary between 11% and 46% across towns. Our study also clearly showed the cooling effect that tree canopies and open water bodies provide to our area.

We aim to increase our vegetation canopy coverage and biodiversity in our townships or controlled land whilst advocating for similar outcomes on privately owned land.

Much of Alexandrina’s canopy cover is located on private land with 78%. In comparison, Council managed land has 21% canopy cover, and 1% of trees are found on Crown Land. 

From this information it can be calculated that only 1% loss of canopy of privately owned land would require a 20% increase in canopy cover on Council managed land.

This is why we all need to work together if we want to keep and increase our tree canopy cover.

There are currently no standard benchmarks for urban tree cover in Australia. Hence, the next steps for Council are to develop a Township Greening Strategy. In the meantime, Council will commence planting trees where they are needed most: in the townships with the lowest canopy cover. Council will also educate our community on the importance to protect existing trees on private land.

You can download the full Tree Canopy Report here.

To find out the tree canopy and heat map results for each of the 11 townships, click on the links for each township found on Council’s Tree Canopy Study website.

To find out about Council’s environmental and climate change actions, goals, strategies and achievements, go to Council’s Environment website under www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/connect/environment.

Alexandrina Council takes climate change seriously. This is why we need to prepare for, and respond to, a changing climate by reducing and recording our greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and by becoming more resilient to changes by altering our behaviour and systems (adaptation).

Click here to see an overview of the Council’s initiatives in responding to climate change, complimented by general information and definitions on climate change and what it is. 

In February 2021, Council adopted the Coastal Adaptation Study that investigated how people, the natural environment and built assets might be impacted by rising sea levels over coming decades so that Council and other stakeholders, such as State Government and private landowners, can plan for the future.

The majority of Alexandrina’s coastline has been identified as low-medium risk for future erosion and/or flooding. However, low lying areas were identified as being at a potentially higher risk to flooding and erosion in the future (2050 and 2100).

The good news is that with identified risks and adaptation options, Council and stakeholders, such as State Government and private landowners, can prepare for the future. This requires ongoing monitoring and strategic planning of long-term adaptation options that will need to be assessed and revised regularly.

Further information on Council’s coastal adaptation planning is found on our website, including all reports, factsheets, and community engagement outcomes.

Carbon or greenhouse gas emissions are greenhouse gasses which exist as a gas in the Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation (heat) that causes the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.  

In 2019/20, the Alexandrina community produced 361,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. The three main sources of emissions were:

Transport emissions reflect our dependence upon road transport, which is currently based upon internal combustion engines consuming petrol, diesel and gas. 

Electricity consumption is from everyday activities, such as heating and cooling our homes, lighting, cooking, heating water for showers and laundry, irrigating our gardens and crops as well as running our businesses.

Our high level of emissions from agriculture is reflective of the fact that agribusiness is the largest industry in the municipality and involves running machinery, extensive irrigation, and emissions from livestock.

Alexandrina Council contributes to one per cent of all emissions in our area from its corporate activities. To find out more about Council’s carbon footprint, click here.

Although Alexandrina Council accounts for just one percent of emissions in the area, it has two major roles to play in responding to climate change:

The first is through reducing its own emissions, which are made up of fuels and electricity purchased to keep facilities and services running. These include Council’s vehicle fleet, sporting facilities, street lighting and water treatment and pumping.

Already, Council is taking action by transitioning its vehicle fleet to hybrid vehicles and EVs, replacing older streetlights with light emitting diodes LED, greening public spaces, investing in rooftop solar and battery storage, and potentially purchasing 100% accredited renewable energy. 

Council’s other major role is as a leader, mentor, and facilitator on climate action for the community. How it does that depends on what emissions Council can control, how it can influence others to reduce their emissions, and how Council can advocate to others to help us.

To find out more about how Council monitors its emissions, click here.