Biodiversity Strategy 2019-2029 Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners The City of Whittlesea recognises the rich Aboriginal heritage of this country and acknowledges the Wurundjeri Willum Clan as the Traditional Owners of this place. Contents Overview ................................................................................................................1 Policy Context ........................................................................................................2 Implementation and evaluation ..............................................................................3 Biodiversity in the City of Whittlesea ......................................................................3 What is biodiversity? ......................................................................................................................3 The story of biodiversity in the City of Whittlesea..........................................................................4 City of Whittlesea's key landscapes ................................................................................................5 Significant flora and fauna .............................................................................................................7 Council’s role in protecting biodiversity ..................................................................9 Legislative responsibilities .............................................................................................................9 Managing Council reserves ...........................................................................................................10 Council’s role on private land .......................................................................................................10 Engaging with the community ......................................................................................................11 Data collection and management .................................................................................................12 Threats to Whittlesea’s Biodiversity ......................................................................13 Opportunities to improve our biodiversity ...........................................................15 Improving data collection and management ................................................................................15 Strengthening the Planning Scheme .............................................................................................16 Working with rural landowners ....................................................................................................17 Involving community in urban environments ...............................................................................18 Managing Council's conservation reserves ...................................................................................19 Working with other agencies ........................................................................................................20 Appendix 1 ...........................................................................................................21 Whittlesea 2040 Goals Date of adoption by Council Directorate Responsible Goal 4: Sustainable Environment 4 June 2019 City Transport & Presentation 1 Overview The City of Whittlesea Biodiversity Strategy (2019-2029) provides directions to improve the management and protection of biodiversity across the Municipality into the future. It builds on the many efforts already underway by individuals, community groups, and government and aims to develop a coordinated approach that will allow for our natural environments to thrive as the City continues to grow. In 2018, consultation was undertaken to develop the vision for our community Whittlesea 2040 – A place for all. As part of this process the community identified the value they place on our natural landscapes and biodiversity. This strategy builds on that theme, with its overarching goal: To protect and improve local biodiversity To achieve this goal, the Biodiversity Strategy sets out six objectives, to: Improve our Encourage awareness 1knowledge and 4and participation in understanding of local urban biodiversity and biodiversity improvement Strengthen the Manage Council land 2Planning Scheme 5to reduce threats and to achieve better improve habitat quality biodiversity outcomes x Support our rural Collaborate 3landowners to 6with other land protect biodiversity on management agencies their land In implementing this Strategy, the City of Whittlesea will be committing to working with community and other agencies, to ensure that our natural values are there for future generations. 2 Policy Context Every level of government has an important role in the protection of biodiversity. Council’s role falls within a global policy context and as the level of Government closest to the community, Council sits in a unique position to focus on local impacts and work directly with residents. The chart below provides more detail on the policy context and overarching goal of the City of Whittlesea Biodiversity Strategy. Australia is a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (1993) and the Cancun Declaration on Mainstreaming the Conservation and International Sustainable Use of Biodiversity for Well-Being. These set out a goal of stopping global loss of biodiversity and recognise that this protection is not only the responsibility of government environment ministries. The vision of Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010 – 2030 is for Australia’s biodiversity to be healthy and resilient to threats and valued in its own right and for its essential contribution to the existence of humans. National The Victorian State Government’s Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 (2017) sets a statewide vision for building ecosystem resilience, improving habitat connectivity and protecting natural assets in priority locations. State City of Whittlesea's Whittlesea 2040 identifies the need for valued natural landscapes and biodiversity as a key direction under Goal 4: Sustainable Environment. The Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2012-2022 lists biodiversity Local as one of seven focus areas. GOAL: To protect and improve local biodiversity Biodiversity Strategy 3 Implementation and evaluation The implementation of the Biodiversity Strategy will be guided by an Action Plan. The Action Plan identifies the tasks associated with completing each of the identified Priority Actions in the Strategy. Each task has a defined measure or output of that task. An Evaluation Plan will be developed which incorporates these tasks and measures. This will be managed by Sustainability Planning. A Project Control Group will be established to oversee the Strategy’s implementation. This will include key internal stakeholders responsible for the priority actions within the Action Plan. A mid-cycle review of the Action Plan’s success against the Strategy’s objectives will be undertaken in year 5, which will involve a review of all actions and establishment of new actions where required. Biodiversity in the City of Whittlesea What is biodiversity? Biodiversity is the number and variety of living things on the planet. It is the mix of plants, animals, and other organisms that make up landscapes from deserts to oceans. Natural areas provide ‘ecosystem services’ such as nutrient cycling, air and water purification, soil stabilisation, flood control and climate regulation. These services are vital for human health and wellbeing. They provide us with the air we breathe, water we drink, and food we eat. The natural environment also provides important recreational opportunities and a strong cultural connection to place. 4 The story of biodiversity in the approximately 490km². It is bordered by Kinglake National Park and Mount Disappointment State City of Whittlesea Forest to the north, Merri Creek to the west and Plenty River to the east. The Eden Park Hills to the Much of central Victoria including the City of north-west connect the Victorian Volcanic Plains Whittlesea was covered by a shallow sea 420 to the Great Dividing Range and an area of mostly million years ago. As Australia collided with other continuous vegetation that stretches up the east land masses, uplift occurred forming the Great coast of Australia. Along with the Merri Creek and Dividing Range with Mount Disappointment Plenty River, the City of Whittlesea also supports at its southern end (Map 1). Moving forward Darebin and Edgars Creeks. 240 million years and Victoria was covered by rainforest with a range of mammals, birds, Whittlesea’s recent agricultural land use history reptiles and plants calling it home. has resulted in natural areas being retained in fragmented pockets within the municipality. By the start of the Quaternary Period (2.6 million Approximately 35% (17,000 hectares) remains years ago) these rainforests were shrinking. The of the original extent of native vegetation climate was warming and drying, giving way to within Whittlesea. Of this area, approximately the more familiar local landscapes dominated by 29% (4,860 hectares) of remnant vegetation Eucalypts and Wattles. Volcanoes were also active is retained under permanent protection on across the western region of Victoria, resulting crown land. The Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) in the basalt volcanic plains that are found in the separates the well-established and developing west of the municipality. suburbs to the south, and designated Green Today, the City of Whittlesea is a growth