The trend to co-manage parks and protected areas with Indigenous traditional custodians is set to continue in Australia and around the world. At Centennial Parklands the Trust has established an Indigenous Reference Panel and this is recognised in the new Model LEP for NSW.

Programs like the ‘Climate Friendly Parks Program’ in Canada provide a high profile for a voluntary, intergovernmental effort to respond to climate change. In this program, the parks take action to mitigate impacts and improve sustainability, and this is communicated to the public.

Sustainability in its broadest sense requires community engagement and participation. Urban parks are ideal places in involve the broader community in a range of urban environmental and catchment issues, and to encourage participation in solutions to those problems. Examples include a sustainable means of travel to the park or involvement in native vegetation management. Such community involvement requires a strategic and integrated approach to promotion and monitoring.

How has the Trust responded?

Over recent years, the Trust has been active in best-practice rehabilitation of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub on its land. This has included a popular volunteer program that has involved training in bush regeneration.

As noted above, volunteerism may grow over the coming decades, particularly in the environmental sector. Retaining volunteers’ interest and involvement in programs over the longer term is essential.