Monash is largely an urban area but it is still home to a broad range of significant bushland reserves, wetlands and waterways. These areas are of high biodiversity value, offering natural places to enjoy and explore while providing essential ecosystems functions.
Council wants to protect and maintain this rich natural and environment and enhance our local bushlands and has prepared the Urban Biodiversity Strategy which sets out biodiversity management directions for the next 10 years, and is supported by an implementation plan which will be reviewed every three years.
The strategy looks at a range of threats such as habitat loss or fragmentation, pest plants and animals, population increase, climate change and impacts to water quality which can affect biodiversity. The strategy identifies opportunities to enhance biodiversity and a range of initiatives to minimise these threats.
For more information, call Trish McGee, Sustainability Coordinator, on 9518 3733 or email Trish.McGee@monash.vic.gov.au
Background
November 2018
At its 27 November 2018 meeting, Council noted submissions received in response to the Draft Urban Biodiversity Strategy 2018-2028 and adopted the strategy:
Report to Council Meeting held on 27 November 2018 (Item 4.1)(PDF, 164KB)
August - October 2018
Council sought community feedback (survey and community information sessions) on the strategy.
July 2018
The Draft Urban Biodiversity Strategy is released for community consultation.
More information is available under Item 4.1 (Agenda/Minutes) to the Council Meeting held on 31 July 2018.
Council's vision and approach to biodiversity
Council’s vision for biodiversity is to create:
- Thriving indigenous vegetation communities
- Stable and sustainable refuges for native bird and other fauna
- Resilient ecosystems that can adapt to environmental changes
- An active and engaged community that participates in ongoing biodiversity protection
The key objectives outlined in this strategy that support Council's vision for biodiversity will be to:
- Increase community understanding and appreciation of biodiversity
- Enhance biodiversity through re-vegetation and protection of remnant vegetation
- Collaborate with other public land managers to create broad-scale biodiversity gain
- Proactively reduce biodiversity threats
- Identify ecological baseline and indicators to monitor and assess environmental conditions
- Strengthen Biodiversity Policy and Legislation
This Biodiversity Urban Strategy builds upon the recommendations for Urban Ecology, which is a key priority of Council’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2016-2026.
Urban Ecology is the facilitation of ecological processes within an urban environment and is instrumental to the strategic vision of Monash becoming ‘An innovative and environmentally sustainable garden city: resilient, diverse and thriving.’
This strategy and its objectives aligns and builds on the priorities identified in Council’s Urban Landscape and Canopy Vegetation Strategy and Street Tree Strategy to enhance biodiversity throughout Monash.