Measures meant to protect our last grasslands are seeing them trashed

A 200-metre locomotion southbound from Conservation Area 8 into neighbouring Conservation Area 9 reveals however the statement is failing.

A developer dumped asbestos-contaminated spoil each implicit Conservation Area 9 successful 2022 and 2023, successful a lawsuit that is inactive being investigated by the Environment Protection Authority. Broken asbestos chunks are inactive disposable among the dumped dirt, rubbish and galore weeds.

Asbestos remains among the dumped spoil successful reserved critically endangered grasslands successful Truganina. Credit: Eddie Jim

“Conservation Area 9 was wholly obliterated,” Marshall says.

The EPA declined to comment, saying the probe is inactive nether way.

Even successful Conservation Area 8 determination are signs of biology degradation. Documents released to the Grassy Plains Network by the City of Melton this period nether freedom-of-information laws uncover the country was assessed by the authorities situation section arsenic being successful “exceptionally high-quality condition” successful 2015.

But the documents besides uncover signs of “unauthorised works” successful country 8, including rock-crushing and broad-scale non-selective herbicide application.

Even wherever it remains undisturbed, invasive weeds specified arsenic Chilean needle writer and serrated tussock person begun to sprout, and the kangaroo writer has grown truthful heavy it is blocking retired the airy and h2o that other, little robust autochthonal taxon request to flourish.

“It’s going downhill; the effect slope is getting exhausted,” Marshall said. “This hasn’t been grazed oregon burned for a decennary oregon so, truthful the kangaroo writer is choking retired everything else.”

Though viable, this uncommon spot of autochthonal grassland could dice without quality help.

“The bones of the ecosystem are inactive here,” Jordan Crook of the Victorian National Parks Association said. “You tin reconstruct it backmost to thing truly good. It’s got its tussock structure, embedded rocks; its waterlines haven’t been messed up. This is recoverable.”

The 36 grassland and woodland conservation areas were acceptable speech erstwhile the Brumby Labor authorities expanded the municipality maturation bound successful 2010. They were subsequently mandated successful an statement betwixt Victoria and the Commonwealth called the Melbourne Strategic Assessment.

Eastern barred bandicoots are among the autochthonal taxon that trust connected grasslands to thrive.

The conservation areas are intended to support endangered frogs, lizards, bandicoots, and plants specified arsenic the spiny rice-flower, arsenic good arsenic grasslands and woodlands.

“These conservation areas are the champion we person near of critically endangered grassland and grassy eucalypt woodland,” Marshall said.

Under the Melbourne Strategic Assessment, conservation areas person been placed nether a nationalist acquisition overlay but are not secured and protected by the authorities until municipality improvement successful the country is completed.

Some areas are perchance decades distant from being developed and are being neglected and losing their biology worth to weed infestation and rubbish dumping.

The audit recovered that 20 of the 36 areas person besides been reduced successful size, with 425 hectares - 16 per cent of the wide country that was archetypal acceptable speech – nary longer reserved for conservation.

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“What’s truly shocking is the authorities and national governments person allowed much than fractional to beryllium chopped successful size. It’s spineless, a acquisition to developers,” Marshall said.

The Allan authorities defended its show protecting the grasslands, stating that onshore crossed 16 of the areas has been protected.

“The Melbourne Strategic Assessment Program is 1 of Australia’s largest municipality conservation programs and is captious to protecting autochthonal grassland habitats and taxon successful Melbourne’s maturation corridors,” a authorities spokesperson said.

“To day we’ve secured and permanently protected onshore crossed 16 conservation areas, funded done the MSA levy which is paid by developers.”

Developers wage the levy arsenic municipality improvement is unlocked, and the authorities besides works with section councils to unafraid the land.

Marshall said advancement connected the acquisitions was “dangerously slow” and that immoderate conservation areas were losing the biology values that made them worthy protecting successful the archetypal place, either done neglect oregon abuse.

The authorities expects the acquisition of 4000 hectares of conservation areas to beryllium completed betwixt 2040 and 2050. To date, the authorities has secured astir 20 per cent of the areas.

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