We have developed the Northern Beaches Flying-fox Camp Management Plan to guide management of flying-fox colonies (or ‘camps’) located on bushland reserves at Balgowlah, Warriewood and Avalon.

The plan seeks to balance the need to protect flying-foxes as a threatened species while reducing their impact on residents who live near the camps.

We have set out a three-tiered management approach with a focus on:

• routine reserve maintenance (e.g. mowing, path maintenance, revegetation, weed control, hazardous tree management)
• support for affected residents
• community education
• maintenance of existing buffers between properties and flying-foxes
• habitat restoration in less populated areas.

Between 21 October 2022 and 20 November 2022, we publicly exhibited the draft Northern Beaches Flying-fox Camp Management Plan (CMP) and asked for your thoughts on our proposed approach and actions. We received 44 submissions. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.

Feedback received was used to inform development of the final CMP, which has now been approved by Council.

In terms of implementing the plan, the first actions will include planting additional roost trees in appropriate areas and maintaining existing buffers at the Balgowlah and Avalon camps.

If you have any questions, please call us on 1300 434 434 (during business hours) or email us.

Feedback received on the draft CMP indicated a high level of interest in flying-fox conservation, with 36% of submissions highlighting the ecological importance of flying-foxes, and 20% of submissions stating opposition to any dispersal of the camps.

In contrast, some submissions raised concerns about impacts to residents living near a camp, with 20% of submissions advocating for dispersal and/or culling of flying-foxes to address these impacts.

Overall, the feedback received highlighted the diverse range of perspectives on flying-fox management, and the importance of a considered management approach in balancing the needs of the community and the natural environment.

Changes were made to the plan where appropriate to address the issues raised in the feedback. One key change in response to consultation is an action to consider expansion of the eastern buffer at Balgowlah to alleviate impacts to residents in this higher density residential area.

During the consultation period, we presented the draft plan in different ways. If you did not have time to read the full document, you could read the snapshot or jump straight to a section of interest. We included some frequently asked questions on this page.

We also invited you to attend a webinar presentation by Council staff and our consultants at Ecosure.

*The documents below were used during the public exhibition and have since been revised.