Our environment

The Gold Coast is one of the most biodiverse regions in Australia. Our city is naturally unique, defined by spectacular beaches, hinterland ranges, forests and waterways – a celebration of nature.

  • The Gold Coast is within one of only 36 biodiverse hot spots across the world.
  • Approximately 50.55% of the city's land area is covered in native vegetation. We are working towards achieving a target of 51%.
  • Over 12,600 hectares of the Gold Coast's coastal wetlands and islands are Ramsar-listed wetlands of international significance.
  • The Springbrook and Lamington plateaus form part of the Border Ranges group with 4524.8 hectares of World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforests in the city, protecting areas of extremely high species diversity.
  • We have 52 kilometres of open coastline and famous surfing beaches bordering the Pacific Ocean.
  • Some 480 kilometres of rivers and streams, as well as 774 hectares of lakes, dams and canals, wind their way through the landscape to our ocean beaches.

Our Natural City Strategy

We recognise that our native wildlife and natural environments are among our most critical assets, essential to the future social, economic and environmental sustainability of the Gold Coast. Our Natural City Strategy helps to guide this work.

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