The Sydney Metropolitan CMA (SMCMA) is the key regional organisation for delivering urban natural resource management in Metropolitan Sydney.

The 13 NSW Catchment Management Authorities are the key delivery mechanism for Australian and NSW Government investment to address various land, water and native vegetation problems.

The SMCMA provides leadership on key natural resource management issues in the Sydney Harbour, Cooks River, Georges River, Botany Bay and Hacking River catchments. For example, the Water Sensitive Urban Design in Sydney Program and the Botany Bay Water Quality Improvement Plan build capacity and commitment at the local level to manage urban stormwater, rehabilitate degraded urban waterways and implement the Botany Bay Strategy.

The SMCMA has a Vision for Sydney – this is to achieve healthy waterways and bushland that all Sydneysiders can enjoy now and into the future.  The SMCMA covers these catchments: Hacking River, Georges River, Woronora River, Botany Bay, Cooks River, Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers, Middle Harbour and the Northern Beaches to North Narrabeen.

The SMCMA will strive to….
• Enhance practices to achieve sustainable and cooperative management of ecology and natural resources
• Provide leadership to engage whole communities to accept responsibilities for management of natural, cultural and heritage values and assets in the metropolitan Sydney area.

What is the SMCMA doing?
• The SMCMA is coordinating investments in natural resource management activities through partnerships with community groups, local government, and government agencies in the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment area.
It is providing leadership to improve urban natural re-sources. Natural resources include water, soil, land, flora and fauna be they aquatic or on the land.
• Working with the community and partners the SMCMA has developed programs and projects which will deal with the bottom line – environment, cultural and heritage concerns – to make sound investments in Sydney’s natural resources.
• The SMCMA wants to inspire and help the community build knowledge, share information, share resources and improve the understanding and decision making on the management of natural resources and cultural heritage.

How will this be done?
The SMCMA is being innovative in its approach to seek out solutions by:
• Adopting a “place based” approach to give support to natural resource management
• Joining together previously fragmented environment management by facilitating multi-stakeholder advisory groups
• Adopting new approaches and encouraging innovation
• Developing economic incentives and strategies
• Being a knowledge broker and applying expertise
• Hosting regular community workshops

The SMCMA has a plan…
This plan is the Catchment Action Plan (CAP). This is the guiding document for outcomes in the catchment community and investments in Sydney’s natural resources. It will drive long term strategic natural resource management and direct investment of public resources in line with community expectations.

The CAP has 5 themes – these are
• Community
• Biodiversity
• Water
• Estuaries
• Land & Development

SMCMA 2-year Priority Programs
• Waterways Health Strategy
• Greenweb (amount, condition and linkages of native vegetation
• Stormwater Management
• Botany Bay Coastal Catchment Initiatives
• Metropolitan Strategy Actions & Sub-regional Strategies
• Icon area projects
• Community capacity Building program