Current condition of native vegetation
The Port Phillip and Western Port region has around 500,000 ha of native vegetation which is approximately 39% of the area. The vegetation exists in more than 33,000 individual patches.
This Regional Catchment Strategy assesses the extent and quality of:
- Patches of permanent native vegetation
- The other native Vegetation in each council area.
This strategy also identifies a number of potential nature links. These are parts of the landscape considered to offer the most worthwhile opportunities for building and improving vegetation corridors.
The current condition has been assessed (Method) and used as the basis to set targets for the future (Targets). Lead organisations are committed to achieving these targets (Leadership) and arrangements are in place to monitor progress and success (Monitoring and Reporting).
Permanent native vegetation
Permanent native vegetation comprises patches making significant contributions to the region’s ecological health and resilience and for which agencies or Councils are committed to keeping as native vegetation permanently.
The table below is a summary of the current condition of the patches of Permanent Native Vegetation identified across the region. For the full list of patches, click here. The patches can also be explored by using the Interactive Map.
Summary of the current condition of permanent native vegetation
| Total area (ha) | No. of patches in the region | Size range (ha) |
|---|---|---|
| 482,593 | 1,305 | <1 to 73,153 |
Land managers with permanent native vegetation patches
| Land manager | Total area of patches (ha) | No. of patches | Range of patch size (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parks Victoria | 383,848 | 407 | <1 to 73,153 |
| Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning | 86,158 | 22 | <1 to 13,954 |
| Manningham City Council | 4,552 | 54 | 7 to 442 |
| Phillip Island Nature Parks | 2,649 | 9 | 14 to 480 |
| Mornington Peninsula Shire Council | 1,947 | 246 | <1 to 152 |
| City of Hume | 1,559 | 132 | <1 to 173 |
| Nillumbik Shire Council | 580 | 101 | <1 to 68 |
| City of Whittlesea | 562 | 32 | 1 to 215 |
| Brimbank City Council | 338 | 151 | <1 to 41 |
| Hobsons Bay City Council | 204 | 12 | <1 to 76 |
| City of Casey | 98 | 16 | <1 to 35 |
| City of Greater Geelong | 50 | 120 | <1 to 218 |
| Crib Point Stony Point Crown Land Reserve Committee of Management | 42.4 | 1 | 42.4 |
| Mitchell Shire Council | 6 | 2 | 2 to 4 |
This assessment of the extent of permanent native vegetation is used to set targets for the future (Targets). Lead organisations are committed to achieving these targets (Leadership) and arrangements are in place to monitor progress and success (Monitoring and Reporting). Permanent native vegetation in the region can be explored on the interactive map.
Other native vegetation
Other native vegetation is defined by this strategy as native vegetation outside the permanent native vegetation patches. Other native vegetation is widespread in thousands of patches across the region’s landscapes. Patches vary widely in size, quality, ownership and management. The wide distribution of other native vegetation makes it crucial to environmental health and resilience at local and regional scales.
Other native vegetation occurs in thousands of patches, often small and of low quality. Weed invasion, diminished regeneration, loss of understorey and low species diversity are common conditions.
The extent of all other native vegetation in each Council area in the Port Phillip and Western Port region is summarised in the table below. The total extent of 390,683 hectares is comprised of approximately 180,000 patches ranging from 89,000 hectares to less than 1 hectare.
Note: the data is relatively old and should be considered as a guide only. The figures do not include areas identified as permanent native vegetation.
Summary of the condition of other native vegetation
| Council | Appx. no. of patches | Appx. size range (ha) | Approximate total area (ha) | Approximate area of council in PPWCMA region (ha) | Approximate proportion of council area with other native vegetation (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banyule | 408 | 276 to <1 | 448 | 6,263 | 7% |
| Bass Coast | 8,682 | 2,132 to <1 | 7,467 | 41,055 | 18% |
| Baw Baw | 14,975 | 14,085 to <1 | 22,218 | 70,255 | 32% |
| Bayside | 127 | 16 to > 1 | 101 | 3,702 | 3% |
| Boroondara | 174 | 153 to <1 | 227 | 6,019 | 4% |
| Brimbank | 1,602 | 397 to <1 | 1,325 | 12,340 | 11% |
| Cardinia | 13,478 | 25,154 to < 1 | 33,001 | 128,168 | 26% |
| Casey | 5,929 | 933 to < 1 | 5,705 | 39,344 | 15% |
| Darebin | 302 | 48 to <1 | 248 | 5,346 | 5% |
| Frankston | 1,635 | 568 to <1 | 2,250 | 12,950 | 17% |
| Glen Eira | 31 | 3 to <1 | 3 | 3,869 | 0.1% |
| Golden Plains | 7 | 225 to <1 | 225 | 276 | 82% |
| Greater Dandenong | 2,183 | 52 to <1 | 766 | 12,950 | 6% |
| Greater Geelong | 3,892 | 619 to <1 | 4,090 | 25,199 | 16% |
| Hepburn | 168 | 1,054 to <1 | 1,124 | 1,659 | 68% |
| Hobsons Bay | 749 | 3 to <1 | 587 | 6,421 | 9% |
| Hume | 13,504 | 1,315 to <1 | 14,283 | 50,324 | 28% |
| Kingston | 744 | 56 to <1 | 364 | 9,139 | 4% |
| Knox | 804 | 771 to <1 | 1,267 | 11,388 | 11% |
| Macedon Ranges | 16,685 | 21,801 to <1 | 38,620 | 99,633 | 39% |
| Manningham | 1,165 | 1,035 to <1 | 1,354 | 11,334 | 12% |
| Maribyrnong | 234 | 10 to <1 | 56 | 3,125 | 2% |
| Maroondah | 289 | 128 to <1 | 293 | 6,141 | 5% |
| Melbourne | 160 | 1 to <1 | 20 | 3,751 | 1% |
| Melton | 13,451 | 4,924 to <1 | 21,204 | 52,771 | 40% |
| Mitchell | 4,556 | 3,860 to <1 | 9,795 | 23,914 | 41% |
| Monash | 347 | 22 to <1 | 125 | 8,148 | 2% |
| Moonee Valley | 452 | 19 to <1 | 118 | 4,311 | 3% |
| Moorabool | 18,043 | 29,900 to <1 | 48,578 | 116,760 | 42% |
| Moreland | 592 | 16 to <1 | 201 | 5,103 | 4% |
| Mornington Peninsula | 9,816 | 11,388 to <1 | 19,672 | 71,928 | 27% |
| Murrindindi | 248 | 1,655 to <1 | 1,744 | 2,788 | 63% |
| Nillumbik | 5,655 | 20,079 to <1 | 21,824 | 43,215 | 51% |
| Port Phillip | 135 | 3 to <1 | 17 | 2,050 | 1% |
| South Gippsland | 7,332 | 1,052 to <1 | 5,312 | 26,495 | 20% |
| Stonnington | 87 | 5 to <1 | 22 | 2,563 | 1% |
| Whitehorse | 327 | 53 to <1 | 244 | 6,428 | 4% |
| Whittlesea | 11,291 | 8,417 to <1 | 15,210 | 48,684 | 31% |
| Wyndham | 9,112 | 12,868 to < 1 | 18,665 | 54,091 | 35% |
| Yarra | 119 | 74 to <1 | 123 | 1,956 | 6% |
| Yarra Ranges | 16,900 | 89,828 to <1 | 90,918 | 218,324 | 42% |
| Total | 187,644 | 89,828 to <1 | 390,683 | 1,277,221 | 31% |
Potential nature links
Potential nature links are indicative parts of the landscape considered to offer major, realistic and valuable opportunities for creating large-scale vegetation corridors and improving landscape connectivity.
Nature links would generate north-south and east-west connections between existing habitat, enabling species transit and improving ecosystem resilience to climate change and habitat fragmentation.
Potential nature links do not have precise boundaries. They are identified where there is strong potential for revegetation and other activities to improve large-scale connectivity between and around existing vegetation.
It is proposed that a relatively small number of major potential nature links will be identified in this strategy so there is a focus on these links as regional priorities.
The potential nature links are:
| Potential Nature Link | Existing plan/project | Project status |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Ranges to Lerderderg State Park | Grow West | Under way |
| Port Phillip Bay western shoreline | Ramsar Protection Program | Under way |
| Kororoit Creek | Kororoit Creek Regional Strategy | Under way |
| Maribyrnong River | Greening the Maribyrnong | Under way |
| Merri Creek | Merri Creek and Environs Strategy | Under way |
| Yarra River | At concept phase | At concept phase |
| Kinglake to Warrandyte Habitat Corridor | Peri-urban Weed Management Initiative | Under way |
| Yellingbo | Yarra4Life | Under way |
| Dandenong Ranges to Port Phillip Bay | Living Links | Under way |
| Upper Bunyip | Cardinia Environment Coalition Biolinks Action Plan | Under way |
| Mornington Peninsula | At concept phase | At concept phase |
| Mornington Peninsula National Park to Cerberus | Western Port South-West Coastal Reserves Draft MOU | In planning phase |
| Western Port coast | Ramsar Protection Program | Under way |
| Western Port to Mount Worth | Western Port Land Stewardship project | Under way |
| Werribee River | Werribee River Biolinks Action Plan | Planning phase completed |
| Brisbane Ranges to the You Yangs | At concept phase | At concept phase |
| Cobaw Range to Macedon Ranges | At concept phase | At concept phase |
| Cobaw Range to Mt Disappointment | At concept phase | At concept phase |