Victorian Volcanic Plains

A Biodiversity Hotspot

The Victorian Volcanic Plains grasslands once covered 2.3 million hectares of southwest Victoria. Since European settlement the grasslands have been extensively cleared for agriculture and less than one percent remain.

The Victoria Volcanic Plains is one of 15 biodiversity hotspots in Australia that supports more than 25 nationally threatened flora and fauna and a number of endangered and vulnerable vegetation communities. The grasslands are of great significance for Aboriginal people.

Under threat

Key threats to the grasslands include clearing, inappropriate burning and grazing regimes, fertiliser application, urban development, fragmentation and climate change. Most of the high-quality grassland left in the Corangamite region is limited to small, isolated pockets on roadsides and rail reserves.

What we do

Since the mid-2000s we have worked with land managers and agencies to improve the management of nearly 10,000 hectares of threatened Victorian Volcanic Plains grasslands in the region through weed and pest animal control, fire and grazing management and community education.

Protecting the Victorian Volcanic Plains

This project has been run successfully for a number of years and aims to protect remnant habitat, species and communities in the Victorian Volcanic Plains through enhancement of remnant grassland reserves, cultural burning and a landholder stewardship program.

This project is funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Cultural Burning

Cultural burning is being led by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners in conjunction with Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Country Fire Authority and relevant agencies in Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands and Natural Temperate Grasslands on public and private land.

Summary

Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands Cultural Burning Program, supporting Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) to conduct cultural burns on public and private land. This project aims to improve the understanding of the use of cultural burning as a management tool in Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands and embed Traditional Owner practices into natural resource management. The program is a partnership between land managers and stakeholders including the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Parks Victoria, Forest Fire Management Victoria, Golden Plains Shire Council, CFA and private landholders.

Highlights:

• Completed 8.4 ha of cultural burning in two high value grassy eucalypt woodlands site lead by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and supported by project partners.
• Completed 30ha of cultural burning in grassy eucalypt woodlands at You Yangs Regional Park, Bakers Lane Reserve and private property near Lethbridge.
• Published Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands Wiyn Murrup video series.
• Established a long term Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands Cultural Burning Monitoring Program to track the change in condition of grassy eucalypt woodlands under the use of cultural burning as a management tool. Monitoring undertaken by CCMA, DEECA and WTOAC, with training by Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research. Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands Wiyn Murrup Monitoring Program (2020-2023): Evaluation report.

This project will run until 2023 and is funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Linear Reserves Project

The Linear Reserves Project commenced in 2014 and aims to enhance the condition and resilience of native grasslands on narrow strips of public land along roadside and rail reserves, through weed control and prescribed burning.

DEECA manage the Linear Reserves Project with support from a wide range of stakeholders including the Country Fire Authority, Catchment Management Authorities, local government authorities, Regional Roads Victoria, rail authorities, and Traditional Owners.

Highlights:

• Delivered 1344ha of weed control (by specialist contractors) and 440ha of ecological burning (by CFA volunteers) on high value public reserves.
• Delivered 2022/2023 rapid vegetation assessments to evaluate the condition change in a large number of linear reserves since the 2018/19 rapid vegetation assessments.

This project is supported by the Glenelg Hopkins and Corangamite Catchment Management Authorities through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and the Victorian Government’s Biodiversity Response Planning program.

Resources

LRP Newsletter issue 10, June 2023

LRP Newsletter issue 9, January 2023

LRP Newsletter issue 8, July 2022

LRP Newsletter issue 7, December 2021

LRP Newsletter issue 6, July 2021

LRP Newsletter issue 5, December 2020

LRP Newsletter issue 4, July 2020

LRP Newsletter issue 3, December 2019

LRP Newsletter issue 2, July 2019

LRP info flyer for landholders 2020

Native Grasslands and Our Roadsides – Ecological Responsible Roadside Fire Management (CFA brochure)

Fire and Our Roadsides – Ecological Responsible Roadside Fire Management (CFA brochure)

Grassy Eucalypt Woodlands Stewardship Project

This project will improve the condition, connectivity and extent of these critically endangered woodlands through the delivery of a private land stewardship program and improved management of public linear reserves.

Landholder Guide for Grassy Woodlands and Grasslands

Highlights:

• Protecting 458ha of grassy woodlands and native grasslands on private land under 10yr management agreements.
• Supporting co-management agreements with Wadawurrung Traditional Owner Aboriginal Corporation and public/private land managers, to protect and enhance 20ha of grassy woodlands.
• Established a long term Grassy Eucalypt Woodland Stewardship Monitoring Program with Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research

This project will run until 2023 and is funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Resources