Assets of National Environmental Significance

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The Sydney Metropolitan CMA area contains assets recognised by the Australian Government as being of National Environmental Significance.

The assets of National Environmental Significance include: endangered ecological communities, threatened species, migratory species, marine protected species, Australian heritage sites, a RAMSAR wetland site and other important wetlands and conservation reserves (see Table below).

Assets of National Environmental Significance in the Sydney Metro Region

Asset type	Asset name	Comment
Threatened ecological communities (Nationally listed)	* Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion * Cumberland Plain Woodland * Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region * Shale/sandstone transition forest * Turpentine-Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion	5 endangered communities
Threatened species (Nationally listed)		80 species
Migratory species		41 species
Marine protected species		64 species
World Heritage Areas	Nil	Nil
Australian Heritage Sites		36 natural sites 17 indigenous sites
Wetlands of International Significance	* Towra Point Nature Reserve	1 Ramsar wetland site
Other Important wetland sites	* Bicentennial Park * Botany Wetlands * Eve Street Marsh, Arncliffe * Liverpool Military training area * Newington wetlands * O'Hares Creek Catchment * Towra Point Estuarine wetlands * Voyager Point	8 important wetlands
Conservation Reserves	* Boat Harbour Aquatic Reserve * Botany Bay National Park * Bronte-Coogee Aquatic Reserve * Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve * Cape Banks Aquatic Reserve * Dalrymple-Hay Nature Reserve * Dharawal Nature Reserve * Garigal National Park * Georges River National Park * Heathcote National Park * Lane Cove National Park * Long Reef Aquatic Reserve * Narrabeen Aquatic Reserve * Newington Nature Reserve * North Sydney Harbour Aquatic Reserve * Royal National Park * Shiprock Aquatic Reserve * Sydney Harbour National Park * Towra Point Aquatic Reserve * Towra Point Nature Reserve * Towra Point SZ Stink Pot Bay Aquatic Reserve * Towra Point SZ Weeny/Quibray Bays Aquatic Reserve * Wallumatta Nature Reserve	* 23 conservation reserves - 11 Aquatic reserves - 7 National Parks - 5 Nature Reserves

Source: DEH (August 2005)

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, actions that are likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance require the approval of the Commonwealth Environment Minister. An action includes a project, development, undertaking, activity, or series of activities.