remaining in good condition. Many grassland plant and animal species are endangered. If Victoria continues to develop grassland areas for cropping and housing, this vegetation type and the species that rely on it are at risk of extinction.

Figure 1. Extent of native vegetation in Victoria. Areas of relatively intact native vegetation correspond closely to public land.

Current land uses threaten remaining native vegetation

Land use patterns in Victoria are changing, and these changes have impacts on native vegetation and biodiversity. Our population is increasing rapidly – by 2020 it is expected that there will be 6 million Victorians. Population growth, along with urban planning frameworks, high housing costs and the preference of some Victorians for living in coastal or rural areas close to Melbourne, is driving urban development in Melbourne’s fringe areas and parts of regional Victoria. The use of this land for residential purposes further threatens its biodiversity and means that agriculture must become more intensive to compensate for the loss of productive land.

Figure 2. Expansion of Melbourne’s urban area 1851–2004.

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Mildura

Portland Warrnambool

Lakes Entrance

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Albury

Geelong

Bendigo

Ballarat

0 100 20050Kilometres

Modelled Native Vegetation ExtentArtificial impoundmentExotic woody vegetationHighly likely native vegetation - grassyHighly likely native vegetation - structurally modifiedHighly likely native vegetation - woodyPossibly native vegetationUnlikely to support native vegetationWetland habitat

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Vegetation Loss & Land Use Change

December 2008 Fact Sheet No. 4

Commissioner Environmental SustainabilityVictoria

Key findings

• AtleasthalfofVictoria’snativevegetationhasbeencleared,including 80% of the original vegetation cover on private land.

• Theremaining20%ofnativevegetationonprivatelandprovides habitat for at least 30% of Victoria’s threatened species populations.

• Victoriaisstilllosingnativevegetationatarateofapproximately 4,000 hectares (ha) per year, mostly endangered grasslands.

• Victoria’spopulationisexpectedtoreach6millionpeopleby 2020. The resulting demand for housing and resources is producing strong pressure on native vegetation and biodiversity.

• Climatechangeislikelytocompoundexistingpressuresonnative vegetation.

Native vegetation & land use

Approximately40%(8.9millionha)ofVictoriaispublicland,managed by or on behalf of The Victorian Government, and 60% (13.8 million ha) is private land, managed by individual and corporate land owners. Public land is mostly State forests (3.2 million ha of which about 0.25–0.3% is available for logging), National and State parks, and other conservation reserves (4 million ha). State forests are used for timber harvesting, recreation and conservation, while other parts of public land are managed mostly for biodiversity conservation and protection of water catchments. Private land is mostly farmed (13.3 million ha) but also contains urban and rural residential areas.

Victorians’ historic use of land has produced a patchy cover of native vegetation on private land, which has caused a serious and ongoing loss of habitat for Victoria’s native species. Victoria is now experiencing a biodiversity crisis, especially on private land. Current trends in land use also have implications for biodiversity.

How much native vegetation is left in Victoria?

Most of Victoria’s public land has not been extensively cleared, so the native vegetation is reasonably intact and generally in goodcondition.About80%oftheoriginalvegetationonpublicland still remains.

Much of Victoria’s private land was cleared before broad scale clearingwasbannedin1989.Onlyabout20%oftheoriginalvegetation in private land areas remains and it is mostly of low quality. Victoria is still losing about 4,000 ha per year and it is mostly being lost from endangered native grasslands.

The areas that have lost the most native vegetation are those that are the most suitable for agriculture and urban development, especially the flat, fertile Victorian Volcanic Plain, west of Melbourne. This region has only 0.1% of its original vegetation

This fact sheet is one of a series, developed from material presented in Victoria’s first comprehensive State of the Environment Report. The Report is a major undertaking of the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability and covers a broad range of environmental issues affecting the State. Its purpose is to improve community understanding of Victoria’s environment, and through the use of recommendations, to enhance its condition for present and future generations. The report was released in December 2008 and is available at www.ces.vic.gov.au

Pressures on native habitat from our use of land

www.ces.vic.gov.au

Year18511883189919271954197120012004

State of the Environment Victoria 2008 Fact Sheet SeriesPublished by the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Melbourne, Victoria, 2008©The State of Victoria, Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability 2008This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisionsoftheCopyrightAct1968.

AuthorisedbytheVictorianCommissionerforEnvironmentalSustainability,16/570BourkeStreet,Melbourne, Victoria 3000

For further information contact the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, phone +61396378000orvisithttp://www.ces.vic.gov.au/SoE

DisclaimerThis report may be of assistance to you and every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is correct. It is based largely on data and information provided by the Victorian Government. The Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability does not guarantee that the report is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.

TheareaofcropsinVictoriahasincreasedby85%since1990and native pastures (grasslands) have been largely replaced by introduced species. The area of Victoria under irrigation hassteadilyincreasedsince1990,althoughwaterscarcityiscausing changes in the location of irrigation and the crops irrigated. Centre-pivot irrigation for horticulture in the western Wimmera region, traditionally a dryland area, is threatening theendangeredRed-tailedblackcockatoobecausetheBuloketrees that are the main food source for the cockatoos have been removed from paddocks to make way for large sprinkler booms.

What are we doing to rescue native vegetation?

BroadscalevegetationclearingwasbannedfromVictoriain1989and a Native Vegetation Management Framework was adopted in 1992.Since1989,therateofclearingofwoodyvegetationhasbeen reduced from about 15,000 ha per year to 1,600 ha per year.

Victoria has developed a method to monitor gains and losses of native vegetation to assess progress towards the State’s goal of a Net Gain of native vegetation. Vegetation is monitored by satellite imagery and aerial photography.

To encourage retention and restoration of native vegetation and habitat on private land, the Victorian Government has introduced a range of market-based instruments, such as BushTender. These programs incorporate the value of ecosystem services provided by native vegetation into the economy by providing land owners with income for maintaining or improving native vegetation on their land. The Victorian Government program, Land for Wildlife, encourages habitat retention on private land. Non-government organisations, such as the Trust for Nature, also offer programs encouraging retention and restoration of native vegetation on private land.

The Victorian Government is currently reviewing policy for landandbiodiversity.AfocusoftheGreenPaper,Land and biodiversity in a time of climate change, is building connections between existing patches of native vegetation.

What the Commissioner says

“Urgent action must be taken to reduce the threats to Victoria’s endangered grassy ecosystems, and to provide habitat for Victoria’s biodiversity in the face of climate change.

“The restoration of native vegetation and the building of connections between remaining patches of vegetation must be encouraged. As a component of this private land holders should be compensated accordingly for the environmental stewardship that they provide. “Catchment Management Authorities and Local Government planning authorities must work together to co-ordinate activities and share information, so that areas of high biodiversity value can be readily identified and protected from the impacts of land-use change and development.

“Native vegetation must continue to be monitored and targets set so that progress towards the Government’s goal of a Net Gain of native vegetation can be evaluated.”

What you can do

• Useplantsthatarenativetoyourlocalareainyourgarden.• Visitthebush–gocampingorhiking.Butbesuretolook

after the natural environment when you do.• Ifyouownpropertywithremnantnativevegetation,become

involved in a vegetation conservation program – chose the one that best suits your needs.

For more information

See the State of Environment Report Victoria 2008, Part 4.2 Land and Biodiversityathttp://www.ces.vic.gov.au

Figure 3. Area of private land conservation agreements in Victoria.