PARK WATCH Article June 2026 |
Ben Gill, Nature Conservation Campaigner, on the bushland reserves in the waiting
Three new national parks, several conservation parks, and dozens of nature reserves from the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council’s (VEAC) 2019 Central West Investigation have been proclaimed. Due to come into effect in October, they’ll bring long-awaited protection for habitats and wildlife. But 18 bushland reserves recommended in the Mount Cole-Pyrenees area have been left in the lurch.
They’re scattered across farming country between Amphitheatre, Avoca, Lexton and Lamplough. Together, they cover around 1,081 hectares of forest and woodland. Most are small: 16 of the 18 are ten hectares or smaller. The standout exception is the Glenmona Forest Bushland Reserve at 984 hectares, sitting north of the Pyrenees Highway. Box-Ironbark forest dominates this landscape, with other rare woodlands nestled along creeks and a few surviving massive old trees.
Beyond the forested ranges, the Mount Cole-Pyrenees area is mostly cleared agricultural land. In this cleared landscape, small reserves are island refuges. VEAC said these refuges provide vital links between the larger intact patches of forest.
Most are currently uncategorised public land with no formal protection. They’re home to many habitats: Grassy Woodland, Box Ironbark Forest, Alluvial Terraces Herb-rich Woodland, Creekline Grassy Woodland, Riparian Forest, Grassy Dry Forest and Heathy Dry Forest. They’re also home to many threatened plants and animals.
The unprotected forests are spread across Dja Dja Wurrung and Eastern Maar Country. The government committed to partnering with Traditional Owners to create and look after the new reserves, including the use of Aboriginal place names. But that partnership can’t happen until the new reserves are created.
The government accepted VEAC’s recommendations in 2021. Five years on, legislation hasn’t followed. These aren’t contested landscapes; there’s no competing commercial interest. We’ve been pushing for these forests to be protected as promised.
The 18 central west bushland reserves are still waiting.
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