Remnant vegetation is preserved in a number of conservation areas within the SMCMA area, including:

• 7 National Parks
• 5 Nature Reserves
• 3 State Conservation Areas
• 1 State Forest
• 11 Aquatic Reserves
• 7 Intertidal Protection Areas
• the SCA managed water catchment area (surrounding Woronora Dam)
• Local Government bushland reserves (see table below).

A large area of remnant vegetation (19,000 ha) also occurs in the Holsworthy Military Reserve.  This vegetation is not protected in perpetuity.

Approximately 42 % of the SMCMA area is conserved within the above mentioned national parks, nature reserves and State conservation areas.  Of the national parks, Sydney Harbour National Park is the most readily accessible national park in NSW and attracts around two million visitors each year (NPWS 1998).  Similarly the Royal National Park also attracts over two million visitors a year.

Marine and coastal environments in the catchment are protected through several mechanisms (including Aquatic Reserves and Intertidal Protected Areas). The Aquatic Reserves protect biodiversity and representative samples of marine life and habitats.

There are seven Intertidal Protected Areas (IPAs) that are located in the catchment with the purpose of protecting selected rocky habitats and intertidal species.  The objective of the IPAs are to:

• protect intertidal community biodiversity and structure;
• provide biological reservoirs of breeding stock so that nearby exploited areas can be recolonised or sustained; and
• help ensure harvesting of intertidal invertebrates is undertaken at sustainable levels.

All IPAs extend from the Mean High Water Mark to 10 m seaward from the Mean Low Water Mark.

Conservation Areas in the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment

 - [1] published data from DECC (NPWS)
 - (*) the bushland area does not include figures for council bushland in the following LGAs Baulkham Hills, Burwood, Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai, Liverpool, Manly, Pittwater, Warringah, Wollondilly, Wollongong, Woollahra