COUNCILS' VISION FOR GOSFORD CITY

"An excellent quality of life based upon minimum population growth, ecologically sustainable development, the provision and maintenance of effective services and the creation of new employment opportunities"

The State of the Environment Report is an annual report that Council produces in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1993.

This report provides up-to-date information on the condition of the local environment and assesses the current impact of humans on the environment. Council can then use this report as recommendations for making informed decisions when managing the environment.

The State of the Environment Report is a public document and provides an opportunity to enhance community knowledge and understanding of local environmental issues. Council has key aims which it tries to achieve when producing the annual State of the Environment Report and these are identified in the introduction to this years report.

Each individual State of the Environment Report forms a useful current document for Council and the community. In the longer term, when considered alongside previous and subsequent reports, the information contained within the State of the Environment Reports enables the identification and assessment of environmental trends.

Monitoring trends will provide a sound basis for judging whether or not the policies and programs implemented by Council are successfully achieving environmental goals.

The report is divided into five principle sections and these are preceded by an introduction chapter which gives background information on the general characteristics of the Gosford City Local Government Area.

The five sections include atmosphere, land, water, biodiversity and towards sustainability, and a brief descriptive introduction is given at the beginning of each section.

To assist those readers who "just want the facts" an at a glance table exists at the beginning of each section in an easy to read table format. In addition to this a brief general statement has been prepared in this executive summary for each section.

The above 'snap-shot' of the State of the Environment Report 2000 is an 'at a glance' summation of the report. It is strongly suggested that a more detailed review of any area of interest be pursued within the comprehensive report.