FROM bushland corridors and waterways to the habitats that support threatened native species, Ipswich’s natural environment underpins the city’s identity, liveability and future resilience.
As the city continues to grow, protecting these landscapes is essential to ensuring development and conservation progress hand in hand.
That role is brought into sharp focus in the newly adopted City of Ipswich Enviroplan Program and Levy Progress Report 2024-2025, which highlights major conservation milestones – including Ipswich’s first-ever Voluntary Conservation Covenant and the acquisition of a significant new conservation property.
Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Councillor Jim Madden said the past financial year delivered strong outcomes, reflecting the importance of sustained investment in environmental protection.
“The Ipswich Enviroplan Program supports the identification, protection and long-term management of vital ecosystems and natural environmental values across our city,” Cr Madden said. “These results show how careful planning and investment can deliver lasting benefits for both our environment and our community.”
During the 2024-2025 financial year, Ipswich City Council invested $5.48 million through the Enviroplan Program across four key areas: the acquisition of significant conservation land and associated loan servicing, community nature conservation partnerships, nature conservation planning, and capital and operational management across Council’s natural area estate.
One of the year’s most significant achievements was the purchase of 32 hectares of land at South Ripley, which has now been formally incorporated into Ipswich’s conservation estate. The site strengthens a critical wildlife corridor linking the Flinders–Goolman Conservation Estate with the White Rock–Spring Mountain Conservation Estate.
“This land acquisition strengthens an important wildlife corridor and provides vital habitat for rare and threatened species, including koalas and glossy-black cockatoos,” Cr Madden said.
