The
North Coast Regional State of the Environment (RSoE)(PDF, 14MB) Report 2016 is the second RsoE Report prepared for the North Coast Region of NSW. It involved collaboration between the 12 general purpose councils along the Region’s coast, (from Port Macquarie-Hastings Council in the south to Tweed Shire Council in the north and including Lismore and Kyogle councils), three county councils (now Rous County Council), and the North Coast Local Land Services (formerly the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority). It aims to report on environmental condition at both a regional and local level primarily for the 2012 to 2016 reporting period, but including information from the 2012 RSoE where relevant.
State of the Environment reporting is a requirement for local government under the Local Government Act 1993. Amendments to the Act in 2009 altered the reporting schedule and structure, requiring a comprehensive SoE report every 4 years (in the year of an ordinary election). The SoE reports are part of the NSW Government’s Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) framework. This framework guides each council’s strategic planning and reporting, and requires the creation of a community strategic plan which incorporates environmental objectives among other things. The RSoE provides environmental benchmarks which councils and natural resource managers can use for better decision making.