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The Swan River Trust is an advisory body created by the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Act 2006. The Swan River Trust provides independent, high level strategic advice to the Minister for Environment and the Director General of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions on matters affecting the rivers.
Under the Act, the Swan River Trust is vested with the care, control, and management of the River Reserve with various responsibilities including developing policies, and preparing and reporting on strategic documents relating to the Riverpark.
The Trust’s other key role is overseeing the development and implementation of a Swan Canning River Protection Strategy to ensure coordinated management efforts across government to help protect the Riverpark.
The Trust is made up of eight members, who meet regularly to discuss Riverpark matters.
The Swan River Trust is supported by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions which has significant operational and management responsibilities within the Riverpark and Development Control Area as outlined under the Act.
Swan Canning Riverpark
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is responsible for planning and managing the waterways and conservation reserves of the Riverpark. It has joint responsibility for the Riverpark’s shoreline in conjunction with other foreshore land managers, including local government authorities and several State Government agencies in which the land is vested.
Development Control Area
Land use planning and development in the Development Control Area (DCA) is subject to the approval processes of The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions under Part 5 of the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Act 2006 and the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Regulations 2007. This area includes the waterways of the Swan and Canning rivers and the adjoining parks and recreation reserves (extending upstream from the Fremantle Traffic Bridge to Moondyne Brook on the Avon River, to the Lower Diversion Dam on the Helena River, along the Southern River to the Allen Road crossing and the Canning River to its confluence with Stinton Creek). In some cases, the DCA includes private property. Maps of the Development Control Area are available on the The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions website.
Swan Canning Catchment
The Swan Canning Catchment covers 2,090km2 of the total catchment area in the Swan Avon system. The Swan Avon Catchment is approximately 126,000 km2 - about twice the size of Tasmania. Groundwater and surface water flow into the Riverpark from tributaries and drains across the Swan Canning Catchment. The land and water management of the surrounding and outer catchments directly influences the water quality in the Swan and Canning rivers.
A catchment to coast approach is employed to manage the health of the Riverpark. The work undertaken by many organisations extends beyond the immediate boundaries of the Riverpark and into the broader catchment. Natural resource management groups and local governments play a particularly important role when undertaking these broader catchment restoration activities, which support the ecosystem health of the Riverpark.
