Natural gems of central Victoria listed on new 'Register of Special Places'
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Media release
The Victorian National Parks Association and local environment groups today released a new online 'Register of Special Places' for areas of high conservation significance needing better protection across central Victoria. The website showcases 20 high conservation areas on public land covering 115,000 hectares, including the iconic Wellsford and Wombat state forests. "This interactive new website makes it easy for people to find out more about the hidden gems of central Victoria and provides a permanent site in cyber space which highlights and records the values of these unique areas," VNPA spokesperson Nick Roberts said today. |
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"Whoever forms government after the state election should take action to ensure these places are better protected and managed so that they can be enjoyed by locals and visitors forever.
"We hope the new website will encourage people to get out and explore the area for themselves.
"Providing more resources for the management of these central Victorian natural icons will benefit the environment, tourism and local people," Mr Roberts said.
The groups are asking Labor and the Coalition to commit to:
- Protect the 20 priority areas listed on the website under the National Parks Act.
- Initiate a new Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) investigation to design the park boundaries as part of a larger biolink across the region.
- Provide a significant boost in management resources for new and existing parks in the region.
- Establish a $15 million initiative over four years to support landscape-scale habitat links, including in central Victoria.
Many of the areas featured on the 'Register of Special Places' website were identified as 'Flagship' and 'Biolink' areas in the Brumby Government's 2009 land and biodiversity White Paper, Securing Our Natural Future.
The Bendigo District Environment Council's Stuart Fraser said greater protection of these areas will help many native plants and animals survive changes brought on by climate change.
"Improving the protection of these areas in parks will create stepping stones for wildlife and building blocks for a large-scale habitat link, which will improve the chance of species surviving climate change," he said.
"Victoria is the most cleared state in Australia and the only remaining large areas of habitat are on public land.
"It is critical that areas such as the Wombat and Wellsford state forests are recognised for their key role as foundations for ensuring the survival of threatened species and rebuilding the Victorian landscape.
"The Wombat forest particularly is unfinished business as the ALP committed to protect it in 2002, but never followed through by making the area a park."
The Victorian National Parks Association will be working with local conservation groups over the coming years to build up the 'Register of Special Places' so that it covers many special places across Victoria.
The new website can be viewed at www.specialplaces.vnpa.org.au.
Special Places featured on the site include: Wombat, Wellsford, Pyrenees, Muckleford & Harvest Home state forests.
For comment
- Nick Roberts, Victorian National Parks Association - 0429 945 429.
- Stuart Fraser, Bendigo District Environment Council - 03 5443 1326.
