Environmental management

We protect natural resources including water, soil, plants, and animals. We partner with other agencies to manage public land in NSW more effectively.

Our work includes controlling weeds and pests, planting new vegetation, cleaning up illegal dumping, managing waterways, providing recreational access, and preventing soil erosion. We also support Crown land managers through the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund.

To safeguard the land from illegal activities that harm its environmental values, we focus on 4 key principles:

• Education and awareness.
• Monitoring.
• Auditing.
• Compliance investigations.

Additionally, we take a whole-of-government approach to emergency management, including bushfires and floods.

Contaminated land is a major issue on Crown land. Some Crown land sites include old rubbish tips, abandoned mines, and coastal slipways. The dumping of asbestos and building waste is also a growing issue.

Contamination can occur due to certain land uses, poor storage, handling, or disposal practices. It poses risks to human health and the environment, making land unsuitable for certain uses. Managing contaminated land is crucial to protect human health and ensure the land is usable.

We have a Contaminated Land Management Strategy to address these risks. This includes keeping a register of known and potentially contaminated sites, doing risk assessments and working with public land managers to share knowledge. We also manage high-risk site remediation and coordinate reports to the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) when needed.

For more information, view the EPA public register for contaminated land.

To report a possibly contaminated site or request more specific information, email [email protected]

As a land manager we have a general biosecurity duty to uphold. We use best practice to manage weeds and pests while maintaining sustainability and conservation as a priority. When needed, we notify the public about pesticide use through signs, letters, media, or direct communication. We work with DPIRD, Local Councils and LLS to implement the NSW Biosecurity Strategy.

The first Crown Lands Biosecurity Strategy is currently being developed and will be available once finalised.

For more details, refer to the Crown land Pesticide Use Notification Plan,  which outlines our activities to inform the community about pesticide applications in outdoor public places controlled or owned by the minister/s administering the Crown Land Management Act 2016.

Grants for weed and pest control are available under the Crown Reserves Improvement Fund.

A dangerous tree is any tree or plant that may risk life or property by dropping limbs or leaves.

To manage dangerous trees, the following steps are taken:

• Consider environmental, heritage, and cultural factors.
• Perform a risk assessment.
• Meet all legal requirements.
• Ensure that the work is necessary to reduce hazards from dangerous trees.

If overhanging trees are dropping limbs or leaves onto your property, you can engage a qualified tree contractor to prune or lop the overhanging limbs without formal approval from us, provided that:

• the work is done from your private property only
• your local council’s Tree Preservation Order allows it
• the works are completed in accordance with Australian Standard 4373 – Pruning of Amenity Trees.

For information about removing trees on your property, including Tree Preservation Orders, visit Service NSW. If you have incurred damage to your property from a dangerous tree on Crown land, it is recommended that you lodge a claim through your insurer.

To report a dangerous tree on Crown land, complete the dangerous tree notification form. Include as much detail as possible, including photos if available, so we can locate the site and arrange for appropriate follow-up.

Fires pose a big risk to people, homes, and nature. To reduce these risks and protect our communities, good management and planning are essential. We work with emergency services, public land managers, local councils, and community members through Bush Fire Management Committees (BFMC).

These committees, led by the NSW Rural Fire Service, make sure everyone works together to plan and fight bushfires, including maintaining fire trails.

Find out more about fire management.

Floods can be very dangerous for people, property, and the environment. It is important to manage and reduce these risks to keep communities safe.

Land associated with tidal and non-tidal waterways, including oceans, rivers, and lakes, is Crown land. This means most river, creek, and lake beds, estuaries, and beaches fall under our management. We work with various government agencies and local councils, to assist in the mitigation of flood events across NSW. This includes the implementation of levee walls and monitoring systems on Crown land.

Learn more about some of our projects.

During a flood or bushfire event, many of our assets, including showgrounds, are used for emergency service agencies to undertake operational activities. This could include using Crown reserves as staging and evacuation areas, as well as locations for disaster recovery efforts. To help our Crown land managers during and after emergencies, we may be able to assist with financial disaster recovery support.