The term ‘native vegetation’ refers to trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses that have grown naturally in Victoria prior to European arrival. It does not include plants that originate from other parts of Australia or from other countries.
Victoria has a wide range of vegetation types, including alpine meadows, mallee, grasslands, grassy woodlands, forests, heathlands, wetlands and coastal scrub. Some of Victoria’s plants are endemic to the State which means they are found nowhere else in the world.
- Provides habitat for plants and animals
- Prevents land degradation, such as salinity and erosion
- Minimises impacts of the greenhouse effect
- Maintains long-term productive capacity of land
- Provides shade and shelter on farms, improving crop and stock productivity
- Protects water quality
- Provides opportunities for future use of genetic resources
- Maintains our distinctive Australian landscape
Historically, a vast amount of native vegetation has been cleared in the Goulburn Broken Catchment for the agricultural and timber industries. Today only 30% of the pre-European coverage remains.
The Victorian Government has developed a Native Vegetation Management Framework
to conserve, enhance and revegetate Victoria's native vegetation.
The framework has four guiding principles:
- Retention and management of remnant native vegetation is the best way to conserve biodiversity
- Conservation of native vegetation and habitat depends on the maintenance of catchment processes
- Costs should be equitably shared according to benefits that the landholder, community and region get
- A landscape approach to planning native vegetation management is required and priorities should be based on bioregions within Catchment Management Authority regions.
(or Bioregions) depict the patterns of ecological characteristics in the landscape and are the basis for planning and managing biodiversity in Victoria. Bioregions are the basis from which the conservation status of Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs)
and priorities for managing threatened species are determined.
EVCs are units that describe and map the local patterns of vegetation diversity. EVCs represent one or more plant communities that occur in a similar environmental niche (e.g. geology, soil, aspect, rainfall). The conservation status of remaining patches of EVCs is determined for each bioregion. Landowners must contact Council before removing native vegetation
(including grasses and shrubs as well as trees) to determine if a planning permit
is required. The need for a planning permit is determined by the Native Vegetation Management Framework and the local Planning Scheme.
In applying the Framework, there are three key steps for land managers and owners to address when considering vegetation clearing:
- Avoid adverse impacts, particularly through vegetation clearance;
- If impacts cannot be avoided, minimise impacts by careful planning, design and management; and
- If clearing must occur, the clearing must be offset
If a planning permit is required this three-step approach is an integral part of the decision making process relating to the permit. Offsets are determined by the conservation status of the EVC the vegetation proposed for removal represents.
Broad-scale clearing that has historically occurred for economic development has caused environmental problems such as stressed ecosystems, salinity, poor water quality in streams and rivers and reduced populations of native animals, many to the point of extinction.
To help combat this, individuals, organisations and regulatory authorities can revegetate areas of cleared land with native vegetation. There are two documents, specific to indigenous native vegetation of the Mansfield Shire, which assist with what species to plant and how to most successfully revegetate land. These are: 1. Local Plants – A guide for the Mansfield Shire
This guide was published by Landcare and is available for purchase at the local bookstore or by contacting John Gilson on (03) 5779 1155. 2. Revegetation Guide for the Goulburn Broken Catchment
This book was published by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) in 2001. It can be purchased by contacting DSE or can be accessed on the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority website
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
North East Regional Office
86 Sydney Road
Benalla Vic 3672
03) 5761 1611
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
168 Welsford Street
PO Box 1752
Shepparton Vic 3632
03) 5820 1100