Wellington Shire Council URBAN BIODIVERSITY PLAN Page 1 INDEX Background What is Biodiversity? ......................................................... Page 3 Why is Biodiversity important? ................................................. 3 Local Government and Biodiversity ........................................... 3 Purpose ..................................................................................... 4 Objectives ................................................................................. 4 Links to Existing Plans and Strategies ........................................ 4 Methodology ............................................................................ 5 References ................................................................................ 5 Township Masterplans Heyfield ............................................................................. Page 7 Longford .................................................................................... 12 Maffra ....................................................................................... 16 Rosedale ................................................................................... 23 Sale – South .............................................................................. 31 Sale – North .............................................................................. 39 Stratford .................................................................................... 47 Wurruk ...................................................................................... 53 Yarram ...................................................................................... 58 Page 2 Background What is Biodiversity? The word Biodiversity is a contraction of the term “biological diversity” and refers to the variety and variability of life. This includes the diversity within species and between species. Ecosystem biodiversity includes the relationship between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components, and all the different habitats that exist. Why is Biodiversity important? There are many reasons why biodiversity should be enhanced and protected. Biodiversity is important for its own sake because it provides natural living conditions and a supply of food for all creatures (including humans). Additionally, we depend on the natural world (and biodiversity within) for natural resources, supply of medicines and other products, and knowledge about the natural world contributes to human innovation. It is important for people to have a connection to nature to sustain our cultural identity, and provide opportunities for aesthetic appreciation and to experience nature in the wild. “Nowadays, people tend to have little awareness of their lives being dependent on nature. By inhaling air, eating food and metabolising it, they are in a constant state of exchange with nature. Therefore, not only man’s very survival, but also every cultural activity is contingent on an intact nature” (Lanzerath & Friele, 2014) Local Government and Biodiversity Wellington Shire Council recognises the importance of protecting, maintaining and enhancing biodiversity on Council-managed land such as roadsides, parks, reserves and open space. Each year Council’s staff actively manage and restore areas of native vegetation in urban and rural settings for the benefit of biodiversity conservation and public amenity. The Victorian Government’s strategy, Protecting Victoria’s Environment - Biodiversity 2037, has formally recognised the importance of the community connecting with nature for physical and mental wellbeing, including outdoor play contributing to building resilience and social connections in children. “Evidence shows that connecting with nature is linked to positive long-term health outcomes, but that increasing urbanisation is leading to a decrease in people accessing nature, which in turn has been linked to poorer physical and mental health” (DELWP, 2017) Local Government managed parks and reserves are important in providing the community with easy access to natural experiences in urban landscapes. Wellington Shire Council is committed to help people connect to nature via parks, reserves and open space, a concept explored in depth in Council’s Open Space Plan 2014-2024. To encourage the Wellington Shire community to connect to nature, Council supports appropriate biodiversity themed projects organised by local community groups and Government Agencies, and, where possible, Council will create partnerships to improve biodiversity outcomes. Page 3 Purpose The purpose of this Wellington Shire Council Urban Biodiversity Plan is • To articulate Council’s approach to managing and sharing our biodiversity assets • To align Council’s operations with the objectives of the Victorian Government’s: Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 Objectives This Biodiversity Plan will 1. Develop individual Town Biodiversity Masterplans 2. Identify and prioritise opportunities for maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and natural values in urban areas within Wellington Shire. 3. Guide operational delivery of Wellington Shire’s land and natural environment projects 4. Identify partnership and engagement opportunities to enhance interaction and appreciation of natural environment Links to Existing Plans and Strategies: The key documents whose principles and goals were integral to guiding the development of the Urban Biodiversity Plan: • Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 Goal 1: Victorians value nature – Victorians understand that their personal wellbeing and the economic wellbeing of the state are dependent on the health of the natural environment (DELWP, 2017) Goal 2: Victoria’s natural environment is healthy – Victoria has functioning plant and animal populations, improved habitats and resilient ecosystems, even under climate change (DELWP, 2017) • Wellington 2030 Maintain and enhance access to the Natural Environment for a wide range of outdoor pursuits at our beaches, high country, open spaces and waterways. This access to the natural environment is balanced with the need to conserve and protect Continue to have diversity of healthy native plants and wildlife with well protected habitat areas free of invasive species Manage Natural Environment assets recognising their impact on health and wellbeing • Wellington Shire Council Plan 1.1.3 Provide and manage open spaces and infrastructure that enable and encourage healthy and active lifestyles 3.1 Conserve and protect our natural environment through responsible and sustainable management practices 3.3 Build resilience in our communities and landscapes to mitigate risks from a changing climate Page 4 • Wellington Shire Council - Public Open Space Plan 2014-2024 Vision: Have communities engaged with, valuing and using a diverse range of sustainable open spaces that are safe to use, are welcoming, engaging and accessible. These spaces will be well distributed and connected, increase the biodiversity of our urban centres and provide quality public open space that makes a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of our communities, the liveability of our urban centres and a significant contribution to our Wellington 2030 strategic vision (Wellington Shire Council, 2014) Other plans and strategies that the Urban Biodiversity Plan aligns with include • Wellington Shire Council Environmental Sustainability Strategy • Town Development Plans Methodology The following approach was taken for developing Town Biodiversity Masterplans • Desktop mapping and ground truthing to identify Council assets contributing to urban biodiversity values • Document known history, features, values, current management, and future management opportunities for each identified Council asset • Subjective assessment and valuation of Council assets, relative to the urban area being assessed. The Priority Matrix (Figure 1) was created as a structured decision-making tool to assist in the valuation, prioritisation, and allocation of resources for on-ground works • Identification of other biodiversity assets and their relevant land managers occurring within the study areas • Identify Urban Biolinks that may be enhanced or created through well planned activities such as street tree planting, waterway revegetation and management, subdivision planning. • Identify one-off works actions for Council assets that will enhance existing site biodiversity values and/or create increased community engagement. Record associated costs, possible funding sources, potential delivery partners, and timeframe for delivery. References DELWP (2017), Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037, The State of Victoria, Department of Environment Land Water and Planning, Melbourne. Lanzerath, D., & Friele, M. (2014). Concepts and Values in Biodiversity (Routledge Studies in Biodiversity Politics and Management). Florence: Taylor and Francis. Wellington Shire Council (2014), Public Open Space Plan 2014-2024, Wellington Shire Council, Sale Wellington Shire Council (2014), Council Plan 2017-2021, Wellington Shire Council, Sale. Wellington Shire Council (2014), Wellington 2030, Wellington Shire Council, Sale. Page 5 Figure 1. Priority Matrix for WSC on-ground works in natural areas and reserves Page 6 HEYFIELD Biodiversity in Heyfield is dominated by the Heyfield Wetlands on the south-eastern side of town. This area has an interesting history as town common for a variety of functions including Light Horse Brigade parade ground, rifle range, a horse race track and