North Coast Local Land Services is seeking comments from members of the community on what’s important about travelling stock reserves (TSRs) throughout the North Coast region. Comments are welcome as part of the first statewide planning process that will help manage nearly 500,000ha of TSRs under the care, control and management of Local Land Services throughout the state. Jo McGoldrick, Manager Biosecurity and Emergency Services, said the draft NSW Travelling Stock Reserves Planning Framework would help identify the values local people hold important for TSRs, including biodiversity and Aboriginal cultural heritage values. “Historically, the majority of these TSRs were used solely to move livestock from farms to markets or railheads,” Jo said. “Today, TSRs offer a range of values to the community and environment and many in our local area have more than one use, from grazing stock, to camping, mountain bike riding and biodiversity conservation. “Our challenge is to understand what’s important to the community so we can find the right balance of economic, cultural, recreational and environmental uses over time.” The statewide framework will allow North Coast Local Land Services to develop a regional management plan for its TSRs, taking into consideration what matters to the community. “This consultation process is an important opportunity to return decision making to the local community and to help strengthen our local environments,” Jo said. Local Land Services has extended the consultation process on the draft State NSW Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR) Planning Framework until 4 December 2015. The one-month extension has been designed to allow time for the wide range of interest groups and TSR users to have the opportunity to comment on the framework. The Draft NSW Travelling Stock Reserves State Planning Framework can be downloaded from the North Coast Local Land Services website www.northcoast.lls.nsw.gov.au and comments should be lodged by email to tsr.feedback@lls.nsw.gov.au.