Exploring the Tensions between Bushfire Protection and Biodiversity Conservation in the New South Wales Planning System

In Australia, naturally vegetated areas are known colloquially as ‘bushland’ and the wildfires arising from such vegetation as ‘bushfires’. Imperatives to house an ever-increasing population are driving urban development into bushland areas: land which is both biodiversity-rich and fire-prone. This requires a critical understanding of bushfire safety and biodiversity conservation issues, and the interactions between them. It also demands a reconsideration of what constitutes effective land-use planning and vegetation management at the urban edge.