Gawler Environment and Heritage Association - website

Spokesperson:

Alan Jamieson, Convenor

Contact Details:

42 Finniss St Gawler SA 5118

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Key role of Member Group:

GEHA operates as a community group focussed on protection and regeneration of the natural environment in our region, promoting sustainable use of natural resources and promotion of heritage, both Aboriginal and European.  GEHA produces a bimonthly Conservation Corner column for The Bunyip and helps with a bimonthly Community Environment Page for The Bunyip in conjunction with the NRM Board and other groups.

Key Achievements and Activities for 2008/09:

Currently GEHA has over 80 members and an email network of about 200 with about bi-weekly email news.   Main 2008/09 activities have included

• Gawler Rivers project. GEHA through Gawler Council obtained a $3m Commonwealth grant for a major scheme of cycle/walking tracks along 8km of the North and South Paras in Gawler including several river crossings for major transport and recreation outcomes plus significant environmental works to improve biodiversity and habitat in riparian areas and reserves and cultural recognition and interpretation
• GEHA has been active in promoting various natural resource initiatives including support for the recently launched Gawler Regional Natural Resource Centre, a biodiversity survey of the Reeves Plains area with Nature Conservation Society and Herpetology and Birds SA groups, restoration of remnant native grasslands, accurate mapping of pre-European vegetation in the region, revegetation projects around the region, production of 10,000 plus local native plants (c150 species) in our GEHA nursery for local projects, working on a book on growing local native plant species for the Adelaide plains and hills and maintaining a database of local biodiversity
• Ongoing work on a historical database for Gawler. The database will contain historical information from Council assessment records from the 1850s onwards linked to other historical information related to particular properties
• Lobbying for sustainable policies for development in SA related to proposals for major urban expansion at Gawler East, Southern Gawler and more recently the draft 30 Year Plan.
• Working with local councils and community groups to develop and support initiatives which promote conservation goals and promote community knowledge and cohesion eg Frog Census, History Week.

Identify three key environmental issues impacting on South Australia:

• 1. Urban expansion into agricultural areas around Gawler especially Gawler East, Concordia, Roseworthy and Two Wells driven by poor economic, population and environmental analysis
• 2. Lack of adequate planning policies to implement sustainable development and to put in place better public transport, TODs, water saving and recycling and other positive initiatives and stop urban sprawl and the destruction of the character of towns on the fringe of metro Adelaide

•3.    Lack of policies and impetus for stopping the loss of biodiversity in the State - minimal action and insufficient resources on the goal of restoring 30% native vegetation in agricultural areas and stopping species loss.