Protected and enhanced natural environment
A healthier environment for future generations.
Key strategies to achieve our objective include:
Current projects
Find out what we’re doing to support a protected and enhanced natural environment in Yarra Ranges.
Our major initiatives
Environmental health
- The Ribbons of Green program has been able to maintain engagement with participating landholders throughout the last six months, despite COVID-19 restrictions, and facilitate provision of materials and plants to participating landowners. The program officer planned for post restrictions, to support some landowners whose plantings have been affected by inability to engage volunteers on private land. There is a waiting list for the program for 2021, as there a very strong interest in this program across the community.
- The Biodiversity Offsets Program has reached cost neutral which is amazing as this has been reached 8 years into a 10 year program. This program continues to facilitate offset trades, supporting on ground conservation actions in our high quality offset sites across four locations.
- 26,700 plants were planted during the planting season using a combination of existing Parks and Bushland resources, along with a Plant Care team that joined Council through the Working For Victoria program and environmental volunteers as they were permitted to return to activity.
Improved parks and reserves
- Progressed work at Mac Sparke Reserve Warburton and Wandin North Reserve. With cricket due to resume at Warburton and the ground to be ready for the upcoming footy season at Wandin North.
- Completed the new synthetic soccer pitch at Esther Park in Mooroolbark. Along with new ground surfaces, pavilion re-developments are also taking place at Esther Park and Wandin North, bringing them up to modern standards and making them more fit for purpose for modern participation trends.
- Play space renewals were completed at Warburton Water World, Castle Hill and Summerhill Reserves, both in Mooroolbark . With these new play spaces opening up after the stage 4 lockdown and with 5km travel restrictions in place, they received significant use and have already proven themselves to be important community assets.
Other highlights
- Ran a Women’s Connection to Nature workshop to encourage women from diverse backgrounds, women with accessibility issues and women who have experienced family violence trauma to reconnect to nature in a safe and therapeutic way. Twenty women have since created nature based art with positive feedback.
- Created a new car park and other landscaping works near the old Yering Station to help increase parking for those utilising the new Yarra Valley Trail.
100% of Council Plan actions are on track