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Revegetation to restore foreshore bushland reserves

Revegetation of bushlands, supporting habitat for native animals and increasing the resilience of landscapes.

By news@gippsland - 10th May 2021 - Back to News

Bass Coast Shire Council has started preparation works to plant 10,000 indigenous plants on the Cowes West and Ventnor foreshores, in response to Crown Land encroachment. This revegetation is part of Council’s Encroachment Program, which focuses on rehabilitating public land sites. In many of these cases, the original coastal vegetation was cleared many decades ago and has since been maintained as grassed areas and used, sometimes unknowingly, by adjacent properties as an extension of their yards.

Some sites are now being prepared to start the revegetation program of the council to rehabilitate public land sites

Significant reduction of coastal vegetation

Four sites at Cowes West and one at Ventnor are currently being prepared for planting, which includes spraying of environmental weeds such as kikuyu. Planting will be carried out during winter and spring, when conditions are best suited to plant establishment.

Bass Coast Shire Acting Mayor, Cr Michael Whelan said that Council is committed to restoring coastal vegetation where encroachment into Crown Land has occurred. "Unfortunately, due to various reasons including illegal clearing activities, the quality and extent of our coastal vegetation has been significantly reduced, with only about 10 per cent remaining, coastline areas are often more prone to the effects of climate change and vegetation is vital in protecting these areas from storm fronts."

Providing long-tem strategic direction

Vegetation supports a number of ecological services, including provision of habitat for native animals and increasing the resilience of landscapes in a drying climate. In 2018, in response to ongoing encroachment activities and community feedback, Council adopted the Foreshore and Bushland Reserves Encroachment Policy, to provide long-term strategic direction to manage ongoing encroachment issues.

Council will continue to work closely with landholders to resolve encroachment issues and rehabilitate degraded sites. For more information about the Encroachment Program please visit the encroachment program or contact Council’s Foreshore Encroachment Officer on 1300 BCOAST (226 278) or (03) 5671 2211 or email basscoast@basscoast.vic.gov.au.

Pictures from Bass Coast Shire Facebook page.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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