Pymble Business Park - Ku-ring-gai Council

13.6 NO NET LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
(continued)
- Where the removal or thinning/underscrubbing of a large
patch of a threatened community is unavoidable, the more
formal offsetting mechanisms should be considered.
Note: It is strongly recommended that for developments considering
offsetting that pre-lodgement discussions are held with Council.
7 Any proposal involving a formal offsetting mechanism, on or off site,
must be in accordance with the following principles:
i) Principle 1: Avoid, Minimise and Mitigate
• Offsetting should only be considered once all efforts to avoid, minimise
or mitigate any negative impacts have been exhausted.
ii) Principle 2: The Precautionary Principle
• In conducting an offsetting action the precautionary principle must be
applied. This principle requires that a conservative approach be taken,
where there is uncertainty or lack of scientifi c confi dence in an action
and there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage.
iii) Principle 3: Net Gain
• Offsetting must lead to a net gain in native fl ora and fauna and their
respective habitats and improve the condition of the environment over
time.
• Offset sites should be identifi ed and selected in accordance with regional
and local conservation priorities. Offset actions must aim for long-term
viability.
iv) Principle 4: Avoiding the Effects of Cumulative Impacts
• Offsetting must not be used as a justifi cation for granting approval to
developments, where the cumulative environmental impacts are greater
than the benefi t to be obtained from the offset action.
• Offsetting should also consider vegetation that is not lost, but retained on
site and is reasonably expected to become degraded over the course of
the life of the development.
v) Principle 5: Like-for -Like Protection and Management of
Biodiversity Values
• The area protected and managed must be of the same vegetation
community as the community disturbed.
vi) Improvement in Value of Habitat
• The area to be protected and managed must be of equal or greater
size and biological potential than the area lost. Where the area to be
protected and managed is of equal potential, a larger area of habitat will
be required to ensure a net gain is achieved. The composition, structure
and function of a community should be considered. Offsets can be
calculated using Biobanking or Council’s Biodiversity Offset Policy.
vii) Enforceability
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Draft Ku-ring-gai Pymble Business Park Development Control Plan 2012
• Formal offsets must be enforceable, secure and permanent. Techniques
include:
- Purchase and dedication of land for conservation, or,
- Conservation agreement or covenant over land on the same title or
elsewhere, or,
- Financial contribution to a land manager such as Council or