In 2020, when local Girl Guide, Grace George, learned of a koala that walked 40 kilometres from Kurrajong to Glenbrook to find suitable habitat, she was inspired to act.

From 1 January 2022, Blue Mountains City Council’s Planetary Health Initiative will be launching a new campaign to help grow local action for planetary health. 

Blue Mountains City Council has been recognised by an internationally renowned Rights of Nature law firm and advocacy group for innovation in Rights of Nature policies.

Council is continuing to lend its support to the ecotourism industry to ease the financial burden following COVID-19 restrictions.

Council recognises its stewardship responsibility in managing the Blue Mountains sustainably within a landscape of globally significant biodiversity. With this and the recent bushfires, floods and COVID in mind, and within a philosophy of “think globally, act locally”, the Council has initiated the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. 

Council has recognised the need for urgent climate change action by joining a global initiative committed to slashing carbon emissions, ‘Cities Race to Zero’.

Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill, has condemned the release of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.

Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with University of Technology Sydney, Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) to explore opportunities to work together on initiatives that support planetary health with potential local benefits for the Blue Mountains.

Council is holding a Public Hearing on the Draft Plan of Management (POM) for The Gully Aboriginal Place in Katoomba and the proposed recategorisation of community land.

Just like the canary in the coalmine, the presence or absence of freshwater crayfish can tell us a lot about creek health in the Blue Mountains.