About NatureLink Perth

What is NatureLink Perth?

NatureLink Perth provides a hub for a network of diverse stakeholders working together to integrate nature into our city, to preserve our world class biodiversity and provide a healthy, liveable city benefiting the economy, the environment and people.

Why do we need NatureLink Perth?

There is currently no holistic strategy or plan informed by an ecological understanding to conserve our natural estate or integrate nature into our city. Currently our world class biodiversity is being lost through individual planning decisions -“death by a thousand cuts”. This is not sustainable and will result in our remaining bushland and wetlands becoming less viable and threatened species becoming extinct.

Contact with nature has been scientifically proven to improve people’s physical and mental health –we need to integrate nature into our city for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

photo © Simon Cherriman 

What do we do? 

We champion nature linked urban design, biodiversity conservation and increasing the extent, quality and connectivity of green space in Perth, thereby enhancing sustainable development and quality of life for both people and our native plants and animals.

NatureLink Perth’s role can be summarised in the anagram: LIVE 

  • Link: Connecting people to people, people to nature, nature to nature
  • Inform: Connecting people to factual information they need to nurture a healthy, liveable city connected to nature
  • Vision: Providing a practical, on-the-ground vision of Perth, based on an ecological understanding of what is required to preserve our world class biodiversity and provide essential greenspace for people in a growing city.
  • Empower: our stakeholders by championing nature linked urban design, greenspace and biodiversity conservation in our city.

What is Urban Nature?

To retain our biodiversity into the future we need to Protect and enhance conservation reserves. However, on their own they are insufficient to preserve biodiversity into the future as conservation areas in the city have become increasingly isolated, small and fragmented.  

So, we need to: Restore urban nature, enhancing biodiversity in remnant bushlands and wetlands on public and private land, providing places where people can directly engage with nature. 

Create novel ecosystems in existing and new urban developments to restore ecological function, optimise ecosystem services and the benefit of nature to people and wildlife.

Bring Nature to People by invigorating our green spaces to provide multiple recreational opportunities and landscape diversity for people in higher density living. 

Nature at Home encourages people to incorporate native plants and greenery into their gardens, rooftops and balconies of apartments, homes and schools.


What is ‘Nature-Linked Urban Design’?

Nature-linked urban design respects and integrates the way ecosystems function into urban planning and development. Natural ecosystems require linkages. Nature-linked urban design has wildlife or ecological corridors in developed areas, linking and sustaining high value conservation areas. These corridors can be natural areas or nature sensitive urban greenspace – parks, road verges, streams and drains, or even your own back yard. If you create a habitat garden these can provide invaluable stepping stones – the links across the city that nature needs. These green linkages provide an invaluable place for people too – close proximity and contact with nature improve our wellbeing – just think of walking under a tree shaded path.

Another example of nature-linked urban design would be where development is occurring adjacent to natural areas. Nature-linked urban design would ensure the hydrology of the natural area is not affected. Many of our bushlands and wetlands are groundwater dependent ecosystems –even slight changes in their water regime can destroy their ecological balance.


What is our scope? 

We have five platforms under which we seek information and design our programs.



Where are our natural assets in Perth? What do we know about them and what do they need to be sustained?

What are the critical information gaps in biodiversity and how can we obtain the information needed and collect it innovatively?




How can we better integrate nature into past, current and future development?

What are the challenges in getting approval for nature-linked urban design and how can we improve design regulations to mainstream it?



What facilities, education and community engagement programs should we target to better connect people with nature and sustain biodiversity?



Integrating nature into the city requires careful management. What do we need to know to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people and nature.

Policy and Planning

How can State and Local Governments work together to better integrate biodiversity and greenspace into planning at all levels?

What can you do?

Sign up for our fortnightly newsletter. This will keep you up to date with news, events and new programs.  

To become a NatureLink Perth member and receive our weekly updates and resources, enter your email  address into the green “sign up” box below.

If you or your organisation have information, reports, knowledge, or activities you would like to share, can see an opportunity to work with us, if you want to be involved in NatureLinkPerth or have question email NatureLinkPerth@murdoch.edu.au

Join us now and nurture a healthy liveable city connected to nature