The Adelaide Park Lands is an integral and important ecological feature of the city. It is home to many native and introduced fauna and flora species.
Protecting the environment and maintaining the Adelaide Park Lands has been at the forefront of project planning.
This means the project works will be delivered in a way that ensures the ecology and biodiversity of the parklands will endure far beyond project completion for future generations to enjoy.
Environmental assessment and planning
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
The impact of project has been assessed in accordance with the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
The assessment found that the project will not result in a real chance or possibility of significant impacts to matters of national environmental significance.
This was done by understanding the relative environment and identifying potential significant impacts, and assessing impacts on heritage, threatened species and other protected matters.
After identifying native, endemic and exotic flora and fauna species across the site, the assessment concluded that no threatened species were assessed as being potentially impacted by the project and that it is consistent with the ongoing recreational use of the site.
The measures identified for the project were deemed appropriate to protect and, in some instances enhance foraging habitats of native species.
The EPBC Act assessment:
- considered both construction and operational impacts, including tree removal, in the context of the existing highly modified recreational landscape
- applied a mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimise, restore), including design refinements to reduce impacts and a 3:1 tree replacement strategy to enhance long term vegetation outcomes
- confirmed that no threatened flora or ecological communities would be impacted, with impacts limited to temporary and localised changes to foraging habitat
- demonstrated that heritage values of the Adelaide Park Lands would be retained, with no loss, degradation or discernible alteration to National Heritage values.
View a EPBC Act self-assessment summary (PDF, 816.6 KB)
Environmental Management Plan
To further ensure environmental matters are appropriately managed, an Environmental Management Plan has been developed. This plan provides clear and enforceable measures to manage how works are undertaken across the site throughout construction and operation phases.
Sustainability
Sustainability has been a key focus of the redevelopment project.
The design of buildings and landscapes will consider a range of ecologically sustainable design (ESD) initiatives.
Some of the suitability initiatives include the donation of materials to community groups and metropolitan and regional golf clubs, utilisation of native tree species in infrastructure, artwork and furniture and revegetation of mulch across the site.
Irrigation and water supply is a crucial component in the course design. The existing golf course was irrigated from a combination of River Torrens and GAP recycled water (Glenelg-Adelaide Pipeline). The new golf course will be connected to these same sustainable water sources.
Trees
Trees are an integral part of golf course design, contributing not only to the amenity and environment, but the challenge and features of golf routing and competition.
Every effort has been taken to reduce the impact on trees. A network of specialist ecologists, fauna handlers, landscapers and arborists have worked with the design team over many design iterations.
Part of these design considerations included the thoughtful location of the driving range. As an underutilised and under-established area of the park lands, Park 27A was identified as being a suitable location allowing for a significant number of trees to be saved across Park 1.
In addition, the inclusion of Park 27A within the project site, allows for further protections of the existing Par 3 course (the known location of great cultural and historical significance) and provides future growth opportunities to accommodate for other off-course golf formats such as mini-golf.
Over 9,000 trees are located within the project area. Of these, approximately 585 are anticipated to be impacted with 111 being exempt from the regulations (these include introduced and invasive species), and a further 215 not classified as significant or regulated due to their smaller size.
As legislated by The North Adelaide Golf Course Act 2025, for every impacted tree, regardless of size, at least 3 replacement trees must be planted and as a result, over 1,700 new trees will be planted, leading to tree canopy expansion.
Replacement tree and landscaping selections will be made in consultation with ecologists, biodiversity consultants, native vegetation experts, and Kaurna Traditional Owners nominated by the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation.
Where possible and subject to availability, mature tree planting will be prioritised and planted within the project site at a later stage.
Other landscaping and naturalised rough areas will also provide for more native planting, connecting vegetation and creating more habitat corridors aimed at ultimately increasing biodiversity within this part of the park lands.
Fauna
The Adelaide Park Lands are home to an abundance of fauna.
To ensure the welfare and safe management of fauna over project works, detailed fauna identification and protection measures have been designed and implemented by expert licensed fauna handlers with over 10 years’ experience.
These fauna handlers, in conjunction with ecologists and arborists have coordinated all activities on site during tree removals to ensure wildlife is appropriately protected throughout the process.
Protection measures implemented align with the specified intent and objectives of South Australian environmental and animal welfare legislation, including the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and the Animal Welfare Act 1985 (SA), which imposes contractor obligations to mitigate potential harm, suffering, distress, and other risks to wildlife where reasonably practicable.
To enable wildlife to be identified and located directly before a tree or habitat is physically disturbed, manual methods such as identification of scratch marks on trunks, chew abrasions around hollow entrances, nesting material, visible hollows, movement patterns, or the presence of scat or faecal material at ground level are examined.
In addition to these manual methods, modern thermal imaging, optical technology, aerial observation tools, and advanced penetrative inspection equipment are also used.
These methods, significantly reducing risk to both animals and site personnel and improving overall welfare outcomes.
Where fauna is identified, the fauna handlers assess the most appropriate relocation pathway for the animals. To assist with potential relocations and support habitat continuity and welfare, 50 new possum boxes were installed throughout the project site.
Comprehensive fauna population surveys have been undertaken, with the possum population across the site specifically and carefully mapped. Following completion of works, the survey will be repeated to monitor the population numbers and patterns.