Caring for Dhawura Ngunnawal: A Natural Resource Plan provides a 20-year environment protection roadmap

Restoration of the environment with a focus on threatened species will also be prioritised during what is anticipated to be a period of rapid population growth in Canberra.

The ACT Natural Resources Management Plan, prepared as part of an obligation for federal natural resource management funding, opened for public consultation on Thursday.

Renaming places, animals and plants, and incorporating Ngunnawal language into education were all identified as key actions during initial consultation with stakeholders.

River rangers working alongside Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians to improve water health has been identified for future exploration, as has the establishment of a Cultural Heritage Plan.

Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said places like Black Mountain or Mount Ainslie, which have been important for women's business, could be candidates for a Ngunnawal name change.

"One of the things that we have the opportunity to do is really look at how we can do things like decolonisation of some of the areas we have made quite colonial and European," she said.

Ms Vassarotti said ensuring working with Indigenous knowledge holders utilised their valuable skills rather than being tokenism or simply ticking a box was important.

"When we look at the challenges, such as our changing climate, we actually need to look at traditional practices," she said.

The third iteration of the natural resources management plan made public on Thursday has been informed by reviews of management plans from 2004 and 2009.

Of 16 targets outlined and reviewed in the previous plan, the ACT is considered to have made good progress on seven, some progress on five and needing to do a lot more work on four.

The decline of important vegetation, such as box gum woodlands and natural temperate grassland was identified as requiring more work.

Understanding the impacts of an expanding urban footprint and incorporating climate change and biodiversity in land use planning was also highlighted as needing attention, in order to keep the ACT healthy over the next 20 years.

The need for cooperation and collaboration with bordering regions to ensure best possible environmental outcomes was detailed in the 2022 plan.

A new cross-border committee is being established by the ACT and NSW governments. It's responsibilities include establishing and maintaining relationships between different jurisdiction agencies and assisting in the management of cross-border resource issues.

Ngunnawal Elder Uncle Wally Bell said, while there had been instances in the ACT were culturally significant sites had not been protected, including scar trees in Wanniassa which were turned into wood chips, he now felt hopeful about the future.

"They're beginning to listen to us," Uncle Wally Bell said.

"We have ministers in place now who are quite cooperative and understanding, in relation to our culture, and believe that we have a lot to offer in relation to protecting the natural environment."

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The ACT government said the plan was supported by the best available science, including the 2019 State of the Environment report, which collated a broad range of research findings that provide a snapshot of the state of environmental resources in the ACT.

The plan's success will initially be reviewed in five years time, with implementation of each action dependent on "agreed priorities, the complexity of the action and availability of resources".

Ms Vassarotti said the plan was important for setting a vision for the protection and sustainable use of natural resources across the region.

It reflected current and emerging challenges in areas like climate change, pest plants and animals, urban expansion, waterways, and bushfires, she said.

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