Natural resource management is about people managing landscapes to sustain the needs and values of communities, within the biophysical limits of our natural systems. This becomes a balance between maintaining, restoring and protecting landscapes and how we use them to support people’s aspirations. We need rich and diverse land and water resources to sustainably support industries like agriculture, tourism, fisheries and forestry.

Natural landscapes and communities function together as an interdependent system and as such should be managed in an integrated and coordinated way across tenures.

About 85 percent of land in NSW is privately managed. The health of our diverse landscapes relies on both public and private stewardship of environmental assets, such as soil, native vegetation, rivers and wetlands to improve biodiversity, production, and community outcomes.

Natural resource management also recognises that environmental and social conditions are constantly changing. Therefore, we need access to the best available knowledge and to help communities adapt to change in ways that support their long-term well-being.