birding-aus

Major threat to Melbourne's Basalt Plains Grasslands

To: "Birding-aus" <>
Subject: Major threat to Melbourne's Basalt Plains Grasslands
From: "Wendy" <>
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:37:25 +1000
Hi Birders,
I am urging you to make a submission (closing date this Friday 17 July 09) and 
to contact politicians expressing your concern about the proposed expansions to 
the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) in the Grasslands to the North and a West of 
Melbourne. Areas between Cranbourne and Pakenham are also impacted by this 
proposal. This proposal could see Melbourne's sprawl extended by a further 
46,000 ha.

Basalt Plains Grasslands once covered a significant portion of Victoria from 
Merri Creek west to Portland and the SA border. It is estimated that less than 
1% of the original grasslands remain, and these remnants are often severely 
degraded. The extended UG area also contains important remnants of Red Gum 
Grassy Woodland - recently EPBC listed as a threatened community. Significant 
populations of flora and fauna depend on these grasslands and woodlands. The 
ancient Red Gums estimated to be 200-400 years old provide nesting hollows for 
many species.

The Merri Creek valley contains significant remnants of these communities. This 
proposal involves opening up most of the surviving non-urbanised areas to 
development. The development will extend almost to Wallan that is also 
undergoing a southward development push. At least 35% of the area will be 
handed over for housing and industrial development plus an enormous new 
freeway. Many other areas shown as 'constrained' for development are the site 
of current and proposed quarrying operations (then later landfill) and buffer 
zones for these. Apart from stream buffers of unspecified width there is little 
suggestion of even high quality remnant grasslands or grassy woodlands being 
reserved or protected.

Similarly significant remnant grasslands to the west of Melbourne are also to 
be lost development.

This sprawling development threatens many species. Many birds will be impacted 
through extensive loss of habitat and the fragmentation of movement paths of 
migratory and nomadic birds like robins and honeyeaters.

Further information can be obtained from websites such as:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~fomc/pages/posts/aids-for-a-submission-on-the-urban-growth-boundary24.php

http://www.vnpa.org.au/subsection.php?subsection_id=145

http://www.mcmc.org.au/content/view/312/120/

http://www.gwc.org.au/node/73

Wendy Moore
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com

To unsubscribe from this mailing list,
send the message:
unsubscribe
(in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
to: 
=============================
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU