The future of the Strathbogie and Mirboo North forests

The Strathbogie Ranges IPA, is on Taungurung country and is made up of the entire Strathbogie State Forest located about 120 kilometres north east of Melbourne, east of the Hume Highway at Euroa. The IPA is approximately 24,000 hectares of public land, currently classified as state forest, of which 5000 hectares is Special Protection Zone. 

There has been a long running and active campaign by the Save Our Strathbogie Forest (SOSF) community campaign, which VNPA supported, to protect the area from logging and other threats. The area is a hotspot for Greater Gliders, and a range of other threatened species including the Eastern Horseshoe Bat, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Powerful Owl, and Murray Spiny Crayfish, Grey Rice-flower, Tall Leafy Greenhood, and Hairy Hop-bush. 

According to the VEAC Assessment report a Conservation Park is considered the most appropriate public land use category commensurate with the values of the central and northern parts of the Strathbogie Ranges IPA. For the remaining south-western part of the IPA, Forest Park is considered the most appropriate land use category.  

Conservation Parks do not yet exist as formal land category but are proposed to replace nature conservation reserves under the National Parks Act, but will be introduced as proposed reforms of National Parks Act and the creation of new Public Lands Act. Local groups have long called for the area to be protected under the National Parks Act. More recently, these groups have expressed support for the formal recognition of Traditional Owners, the Taungurung Land and Waters Council, as custodians of the forest. In their assessment report, VEAC also clearly signal the possibility and desirability of Traditional Owners playing an active role in reserve management. 

Conservation Parks:  

• Protect the natural environment including biodiversity 
• Protect and maintain natural, cultural, or historic features and natural landscapes. 
• Provide opportunities for informal recreation associated with the enjoyment of nature, and education, where consistent with the purposes above.

According to VEAC, areas of the IPA in a Conservation Park would be managed for the protection of their natural and cultural values, while allowing access for a range of recreational activities. Important threatened species habitat, including many large, hollow-bearing trees, would have a high level of protection. Under-represented Ecological Vegetation Classes, including those in the Central Victorian Uplands bioregion in the northern part of the IPA and in the east near Lake Malaconotid, would also be added to the protected area system

When completing your community consultation survey, you may like to include some of the following points: 

• The Strathbogie Forest in northeast Victoria supports one of the healthiest known, and densest populations of the Greater Glider in the state. Most of the Strathbogie Forest’s Greater Glider population is found in the vegetation type Herb-rich Foothill Forest, in State Forest, where its highest-quality habitat is being progressively degraded by a combination of timber harvesting and planned fuel-reduction burning.  Greater Gliders are suffering a significant state wide decline.  
• This Greater Glider habitat should also be protected using a critical habitat determination (CHD) under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 FG Act and a subsequent habitat conservation order (HCO). 
• Strathbogie Ranges State Forest is a biodiversity hotspot and supports Greater Gliders, and many other threatened species including the Eastern Horseshoe Bat, Brush-tailed Phascogale, Powerful Owl, and Murray Spiny Crayfish, Grey Rice-flower, Tall Leafy Greenhood, and Hairy Hop-bush
• In the last 150 years, the Strathbogie Ranges have lost 74% of their native forest cover and at least three local species are known to have become locally extinct. In the future, key species should be starting to recover, to improve resilience to the impacts of climate change. 
• The 24,000 ha Strathbogie Forest is by far the largest remnant of native forest remaining in the Strathbogie Ranges and the last ecologically intact refuge for forest-dependent species. It also fills important gaps in representativeness of Victoria’s reserve system. In the future, this forest will be important as a climate refuge for native species, for clean water supply, and for ecosystem services such as pollination.  
• The Victorian Government should enable the formal protection of the Strathbogie Forest under the National Parks Act, as a Conservation Park or other suitable category encompassing all of the existing State Forest and other associated public land.  
• This forest should become a place where indigenous cultural values and practices underpin a flourishing forest ecosystem, one that becomes and remains part of the National Reserve System to the benefit of all Victorians.  
• There is a huge opportunity to also support Traditional Owner cooperative or joint management of the area, with the relevant conservation protections in place. 
• This forest should become a place where indigenous cultural values and practices underpin a flourishing forest ecosystem, one that becomes and remains part of the National Reserve System to the benefit of all Victorians.   
• The Strathbogie Forest IPAs should be legislated as Conservation Parks under the National Parks Act to protect habitat and natural values of the forest and associated public land in perpetuity. This is an important legacy to leave for future generations. 
• The IPAs should do as they promised to do, and that is to protect habitat and natural values from harmful activities such as mining, logging and firewood harvesting. 

The Mirboo North IPA is on Gunaikurnai country about 150 kilometres east of Melbourne in South Gippsland. 

The Mirboo North IPA (approximately 440 hectares) is part of the Strzelecki Ranges, one of the most heavily cleared bioregions in Victoria. It retains less than one third of the original extent of native vegetation and one of the lowest proportions in the protected area system, at just 1.5 per cent. 

The Mirboo North State Forest provides habitat critical for the survival of many animals and plants threatened with extinction including the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act listed Greater Gliders, Powerful Owls, Burrowing Crayfish, Lace Monitors, and Platypus as well as the iconic Superb Lyrebird. 

The VEAC assessment concluded that given the small size of the Mirboo North IPA, Regional Park would be considered the most appropriate land use category for the IPA. However, the recommendation noted that “… if size and management viability were not a consideration, the land use category commensurate with the identified values of the Mirboo North IPA is Conservation Park. As a conservation park, under-represented Ecological Vegetation Classes in the Strzelecki Ranges bioregion would be added to the protected area system and the IPA would be managed for the protection of its natural values, while allowing an appropriate level of access and a range of recreational activities valued by the community.”  

Conservation Parks do not yet exist as formal land category but are proposed to be added as new name for nature conservation reserves under the National Parks Act, but will be introduced as proposed reforms of National Parks Act and the creation of new Public Lands Act. Regional Parks are not be considered as part of the formal protected area system. 

With VEAC’s recommendation of the inclusion of the Mirboo North IPA into the existing Mirboo North Regional Park, alongside its finding that the area holds very high conservation value, it is clear that assurances must be made for future management. 

Additionally, a Conservation Management Plan has been requested by the Mirboo North community to add ensure the timely and meaningful management of high conservation values and maintenance of ecological health of the Mirboo North IPA.

When completing your community consultation survey, you may like to include some of the following points: 

• Preserve our Forests Mirboo North group have produced an extensive report on the values of the area found here which is highly supported by the Mirboo North Community  
• Mirboo North IPA should be incorporated into the existing Mirboo North Regional Park with a greater emphasis on conservation of the values within the area including water production, carbon storage and wildlife and ecosystem conservation.  
• There is an opportunity to prioritise Traditional Owner cooperative or joint management of the area, with the relevant conservation protections in place.
• This forest should become a place where Indigenous cultural values and practices underpin a flourishing forest ecosystem, one that becomes and remains part of the National Reserve System to the benefit of all Victorians.  
• Whatever the final land tenure adopted, the key habitat for the Greater Glider in Mirboo North should be protected using a critical habitat determination (CHD) under the Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 FG Act and a subsequent habitat conservation order (HCO).  
• The Mirboo North IPA and surrounding bushlands are part of the Strzelecki Ranges bioregion, one of the most heavily cleared bioregions in Victoria with one of the lowest proportions in the protected area system at 1.5 per cent. We need to manage more of this bioregion for its conservation value. 
• The Mirboo North IPA and surrounding bushland supports a wide array of rare and endangered wildlife such as the Greater Glider, Powerful Owl and Lace Monitor, without the area being protected for conservation these species will continue in their population declines that could result in regional extinctions.  
• The Mirboo North IPA and surrounding Regional Park needs a conservation management plan to assure the protection of the high conservation values in the area. 
• The IPAs should do as they promised to do, and that is to protect habitat and natural values from harmful activities such as mining, logging and firewood harvesting.