Policies and initiatives > Direction 7. A greener city > Policy 7.7

Policy 7.7 – Protect native habitat and areas of important biodiversity through appropriate land-use planning

The Port Phillip and Westernport catchments constitute one of Victoria’s most biologically diverse regions. The protection and enhancement of native vegetation communities are fundamental to State and regional biodiversity, and preserve sinks for greenhouse gases. Native habitat is threatened by the clearing of indigenous vegetation, intensification of land use and development, and sedimentation arising from soil disturbance and construction.

Victoria’s Biodiversity: Directions in Management 1997 (the Biodiversity Strategy) provides comprehensive directions for responding to these threats in managing Victoria’s biodiversity assets. These are complemented by actions in regional catchment strategies and are further supported by many municipalities through their planning schemes, and environment or sustainability strategies and plans. Throughout the catchments, individual landholders and community groups, supported by State and Commonwealth funding, are undertaking vegetation and habitat protection and restoration programs.

Regional catchment strategies will guide Landcare projects, local landscape plans – a key tool in implementing the Biodiversity Strategy – and whole farm plans.

Victoria’s native vegetation management framework and native vegetation management plans will guide reversal of the continuing loss of native vegetation, helping achieve a net gain through improvements and habitat creation. Comprehensive regional vegetation maps and bioregional plans will also help.

In many urban areas, land-based and aquatic biodiversity assets have yet to be adequately identified. Local governments will be encouraged to undertake biodiversity audits before initiating protection programs.

The proposed urban growth boundary will ensure the permanent protection of critically important flora and fauna habitat and important landscapes such as the coastlines in the region, the Dandenong and Yarra Ranges, the Yarra Valley, Westernport and the Mornington Peninsula.

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