Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
Key
site specific
region wide
Restoring native vegetation
Less than 19 per cent of the bushlands of North Central Victoria now remain.
"The extent and quality of native vegetation is the best predictor of catchment health," said Aaron Gay, Biodiversity Team Leader with the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA).
"That 19 per cent figure is why we have such severe problems with water quality, salinity and biodiversity decline."
Funding
Now an innovative new project will boost regional efforts to restore the area's natural vegetation with more than $300,000 from the Australian and Victorian Governments.
"The task of restoring the protective mantle of native vegetation is so big that we need to use the most effective - or best practice - methods," said Aaron.
Activities
The first two years of the project built up a seed bank of native plants. Now the focus is on getting the right kinds of plants growing in the right spots, for the least cost.
"Although this sounds simple, over our whole region it's quite complex," Aaron said. "We have more than 100 different types of bushland and well over 2,000 native species of plants!"
The CMA wanted an easily accessible, comprehensive tool that could be readily updated with new local knowledge, to help staff and the community in the task of restoring native vegetation.
"The web was really the only possibility to do this, so we're building a website that provides locality-specific information," Aaron said.
Achievements
The website will help people:
- identify what species grow or should grow on their property or in their locality
- propagate and grow these plants
- know where any plant should be planted in the landscape
- replant using low cost techniques and
- improve the habitat value of remaining patches of native vegetation.
The first version of the website has more than 1,000 plant species illustrated by 4,000 photos and more than 100 different vegetation types. There is comprehensive information about many of these plants as well as plant lists for anywhere in North Central Victoria.
"It's a one-stop-shop for people who want to know anything about the natural vegetation in their area," said Aaron. "We think this is the first attempt in south-east Australia to provide this information via the web and we hope it's adopted across the whole State."
More information
- Aaron Gay, Biodiversity Team Leader North Central Catchment Management Authority: (03) 5448 7124 or aaron.gay@ncc.vic.gov.au
- North Central Catchment Management Authority website: www.nccma.vic.gov.au
See also
Key
Links to another web site
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