Biodiversity

Victoria's Bioregions | Biodiversity Action Planning | Biodiversity in Agriculture | Vegetation

This section of the VRO website is a collaborative effort between the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) (external link) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI). DSE has wide ranging responsibilities for the management of plant and animal issues across Victoria, including the conservation of native flora and fauna, and the control of pest plants and animals. Visit the Plants and Animals section of DSE's website (external link) for up to date information. Biodiversity conservation and management is a fundamental part of DSEs integrated programs - find out more on DSE's Biodiversity page (external link) - including information on: Natural Landscapes, Bushfire Recovery, Rivers and Wetlands, Natural Seascapes, Rural Landscapes, Urban Landscapes and Victoria's Biodiversity Strategy. The Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI) (external link) is the biodiversity research base for DSE in Victoria and is a leading centre for applied ecological research. ARI is located in Heidelberg, Melbourne.

Biodiversity conservation is recognised as an essential component of responsible environment and natural resource management. Conserving biodiversity is also fundamental to both quality of life and economic well-being, both now and into the future. Victoria's Biodiversity - Directions in Management (NRE 1997) (external link) is also known as Victoria's Biodiversity Strategy. It sets the strategic framework for the management of biodiversity in Victoria. It is enforced through both the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988) (external link) and the Planning and Environment Act (1987) (external link). The Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (FFG Act) was proclaimed in 1988 and is the key piece of Victorian legislation for the conservation of threatened species and communities and for the management of potentially threatening processes. Further information on the FFG Act is available on the DSE website (external link). The Planning and Environment Act establishes the State Planning Policy Framework (Victorian Planning Provisions) - for planning the use, development and protection of land in Victoria. Bioregions are the broadscale mapping units for biodiversity planning in Victoria and have been adopted under Victoria's Biodiversity Strategy (1997) (external link) and the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) (external link). Bioregions capture the patterns and ecological characteristics in the landscape.

The Biodiversity Action Planning (BAP) Program is a structured approach to identifying priorities and mapping significant areas for native biodiversity at landscape and bioregional scales across Victoria. Information relating to the BAP Program will be made available on this website soon.

Related Links

A wide range of Victorian biodiversity data can be accessed via the Biodiversity Interactive Map (external link) on the DSE website. This information includes vegetation (e.g. tree cover and tree density), wetlands (e.g. Ramsar sites), and management boundaries.

Information on the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity (external link) is available on the Department of the Environment and Heritage website.

Information on the Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2002 (external link) is available on the Department of the Environment and Heritage website.

SOE Biodiversity Theme Report (external link) - information and downloadable documents prepared for State of the Environment (SOE) 2001 reporting - on the Department of the Environment and Heritage website. Includes information on the impact of agriculture on conservation land in Australia.

Information on Fire and the Environment on the DSE website (external link) - contains information relating to the use of, and effects of fire on the environment, as well as fire ecology and recovery techniques used after fire.

The Museum of Victoria's Bioinformatics website (external link) provides provides public access to some of Victoria’s vertebrate and invertebrate biodiversity. The core of the web site is an enriched dataset that combines over 230 000 faunal specimen records from the Museum's collections, the Victorian Government Wildlife Atlas, Parks Victoria and several private collections. The user can query about the name of an animal, find out when and where it has been recorded as well as other relevant information. It is also possible to find out about the ecological, conservation and protection status of Victoria’s biodiversity. Except for birds and fish, the present web site covers all species of Victorian vertebrates: mammals - 139 species with 162,467 records; lizards - 87 species with 16,819 records; frogs - 34 species with 23,328 records; snakes - 27 species with 2,332 records; together with Victorian butterflies - 143 species with 31,139 records. It is updated as new information is recorded.

Information on biodiversity related research carried out at DSE's Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (external link).

The frogs website (external link) provides a wide range of information and links on frogs and frog related projects.

The Royal Botanic Gardens website provides information about Australian fungi in it's Fungimap site (extrnal link). Fungimap is a collaborative project between professional and amateur mycologists and naturalists to gather information about the distribution of fungi throughout Australia. The website includes photos and descriptions of species as well as maps showing recorded distribution Australia-wide.

Information on the Advisory List of Rare or Threatened Plants in Victoria is available on the DSE website (external link)

Presentations provided at the Implementing Rate Incentives for Biodiversity and Land Management Forum (April 2003) are available for download from the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) website (external link).

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