The Draft Habitat Compensation under the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy document, just released, outlines the approach taken to cost recovery for the Melbourne Strategic Assessment (MSA). For landowners undertaking urban development within Melbourne’s growth corridors this represents the method for obtaining offsets for the removal of native vegetation or habitat for matters of national environmental significance regulated by the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

The final Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Sub-regional Species Strategies for the Growling Grass Frog and Golden Sun Moth have also been released.  The strategies, the first of their kind under the strategic assessment process under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), provide an overarching strategy for the long-term protection and management of biodiversity throughout Melbourne’s Growth Areas. More information see the Melbourne Strategic Assessment publications

The book is edited by James Fitzsimons (The Nature Conservancy), Ian Pulsford (Global Learning Pty Ltd), Geoff Wescott (Deakin University)

CSIRO are the publishers and the website says that – “this book draws out lessons from a variety of established and new connectivity conservation initiatives from around Australia, and is complemented by international examples. Chapters are written by leaders in the field of establishing and operating connectivity networks, as well as key ecological and social scientists and experts in governance.

Networks of land managed for conservation across different tenures have rapidly increased in number (and popularity) in Australia over the past two decades. These include iconic large-scale initiatives such as Gondwana Link, the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative, Habitat 141°, and the South Australian NatureLinks, as well as other, landscape-scale approaches such as Biosphere Reserves and Conservation Management Networks.

Their aims have been multiple: to protect the integrity and resilience of many Australian ecosystems by maintaining and restoring large-scale natural landscapes and ecosystem processes; to lessen the impacts of fragmentation; to increase the connectivity of habitats to provide for species movement and adaptation as climate changes; and to build community support and involvement in conservation.”

In the last few days the Museum Victoria has been letting people know about the “BowerBird” project. The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) funded Museum Victoria to develop Australia’s first social science website and iPhone App dedicated to the globally growing workforce of Citizen Scientists.

If you take an interest in recording what you find you may be interested in the “BowerBird” project where you can upload images and GPS coordinates, provide identifications, add comments and write descriptions. You may just like to follow a project or to contribute to a particular project.

Here are the links to the relevant sites of BowerBird and the user guide and possibly the best place to start is the online help and feedback blog The creators suggest using the latest versions of Chrome or FireFox and if you must use Microsoft IE, then get version 9.

The following advice is taken from the latest edition of the Tussock Times Edition 13 In order to prevent these events occurring again, work has to begin before serrated tussock flowers. Now is the time to get active on your serrated tussock management.

If chemical control is part of your management of serrated tussock, Autumn is a good time to use flupropanate-based herbicides. Spraying flupropanate on the vegetative stage of growth allows time for the herbicide to take effect before flowering.

Autumn is also a great time to begin thinking about cultivation of land and creating healthy pastures. Continued cultivation kills serrated tussock plants. When sufficient moisture is available, work on sowing crops or pasture to provide strong competition against serrated tussock.

Trying to solve the problem of seed head dispersal while it is happening is too late. Work needs to be done early in the season to prevent these events. Remember to source targeted advice on chemical use and pasture or crop management for your particular situation from a chemical reseller or agronomist.

Find the manual and the brochure here and under the documents section there is a property management plan template.

Land managers amongst our readership may be interested in the post by Ian Lunt on the analysis of grazing studies that Josh Dorrough has just completed.

New 2 wire fence to limit vehicle access to the grassland

Last Monday it was great to see the new fencing had been completed. The Trust received funding to fence the perimeter to exclude rabbits and to fence to deter people from parking or driving over the grassland.

It is a pity it has come to this but a couple of incidents in the last few years meant that the exclusion of vehicles became a priority and it is always good to keep rabbits out. A simple 2 wire fence with steel stakes has been erected either side of the driveway and has signage attached  – “thank you for not parking on our endangered grassland”.

The fence is designed so that the grassland may still be burnt and so that visitors may still walk on the grassland if they go under or between the wires or via the “spring gates” on the fire breaks. The area has been recently burnt and fire trucks still have easy access.

Thank you for not parking on our endangered grassland

A new entrance has been made into the cemetery grounds to take the overflow funeral parking. The cemetery trustees and CFA brigade have been involved in the planning for the new fences and the funds come from a Communities for Nature grant. Both these local community groups are largely responsible for the great condition the grassland is still in.

If you plan to visit the cemetery grassland in the spring please be aware that African Weed Orchid is present at the site and take appropriate hygiene precautions. About 20 flower heads and  tubers were removed from the north west end of the grassland last November.

The Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith recently announced the 80 groups receiving  funding of up to $10,000 each, totalling up to $700,000, for small projects focusing on practical actions to achieve environmental outcomes in their local areas.

More than 260 applications were received for this round of small grants, and the high quality of those applications reflects the significant environmental works being carried out by community groups throughout Victoria.

Grants are targeted towards local community groups and organisations, including schools.

Information on the history of listing threatened reptiles in Victoria and contemporary threats including disturbance processes and their impact, the use of translocation as a management tool and human attitudes to reptile conservation will all be presented.

WHEN: 9.45am Thursday 18 April 2013

WHERE: Ballarat State Public Offices Level 4 Video conferencing room, 402 to 406 Mair St Ballarat – Contact Andy Arnold 53366720 and let him know if you are attending.

SPEAKERS:
Listing of Threatened Reptiles in Victoria – Nick Clemann, Program Leader, Threatened Fauna, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria.
Evaluating the effectiveness of salvage and translocation of Striped Legless Lizards – Megan O’Shea, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria.
Overview of Carpet Python Research in Victoria – Peter Robertson, Wildlife Profiles.

If you are new to these meetings they are held at various Video Conference locations across the state. Community members are welcome to attend but please let the location organiser know you are coming.

Please note that video conference equipment has been upgraded or is due for upgrade at a number of sites. We are hopeful this will overcome some of the problems experienced last year.

If you can’t attend then a summary of the presentations will be available on the SWIFFT website

Many roadsides and rail reserves have been burnt regularly for years and this is one of the main reasons why we still have a diversity of natives species in grasslands and grassy woodlands reserves on the Victorian Volcanic Plain.

The corridors are chosen for their strategic importance in fire prevention have existing fire breaks which are maintained mainly by grading, cultivation and occasionally by spraying. Concern is sometimes expressed about fire prevention activities.  While the natural temperate grasslands and the grassy eucalypt woodlands communities have been listed as critically endangered under national environment law, day to day land management activity such as maintaining access tracks and firebreaks and routine burning is considered unlikely to trigger approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation  Act 1999 (EPBC Act) as long as the guidelines are followed.

When a new burn is proposed and no fire break exists a site visit with the relevant authorities is required to see the work is likely to cause irreversible or permanent loss of nationally threatened species or key habitats.  In cases where the vegetation does not meet the threshold under the relevant legislation a graded break may be permitted. Where it does meet the criteria alternative ways to carry out the  burn without soil disturbance such as slashing a break may be considered.

Landholders and brigade members who do work on roadsides without consultation and written approval from the land manager such as Vicroads or the local Council leave themselves open to severe penalties. Even quite small remnants of the ecological communities may have important conservation value.  Activities that may trigger investigation include widening a fire break by cultivation or spraying or putting in a new fire break where one previously did not exist.