The grant will fund landscape-scale biodiversity planning, revegetation and pest control to connect and improve habitat corridors across the Western Port Biosphere Reserve region.

The region includes Western Port and the five local government areas that together cover most of the Western Port catchment – Bass Coast Shire, Cardinia Shire, City of Casey, City of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Under the grant, a multi-stakeholder steering committee will develop a regional biodiversity action plan, enhance key reserves, revegetate landscape gaps to establish habitat links, improve low-cost integrated pest control, and provide and audit carbon storage with new enabling systems.

Partners include Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, the region’s five local governments, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, South East Councils Climate Change Alliance, Trust for Nature, Cardinia Environment Coalition, Bass Coast Landcare Network, Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information, Natural Resources Conservation League of Victoria, Chisholm Institute of TAFE and others.

The Western Port Biosphere Reserve is pleased to be able to attract funding for such an important landscape-scale project, says executive officer Cecelia Witton.

“We are looking forward to working with like-minded community groups, land-owners and volunteers to connect habitat and provide urgent protection for the region’s fragile biodiversity.”

UNESCO biosphere reserves aim to foster conservation and sustainable development. The Western Port Biosphere Reserve was designated in 2002 because it has outstanding natural values, including two Ramsar wetlands of international importance, highly diverse ecosystems, and many threatened species and habitats on the fringe of Melbourne. Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats as Melbourne’s population grows and the climate changes.

• Do you own or manage land on the Mornington Peninsula?
• Would you like to learn more about effective land management?
• Would you like access to local support, advice and funding assistance?

Come along and

• Talk to local land managers who have experienced the benefits of effective land management.
• Gather advice from local land management experts.
• Find out about the support and funding opportunities available to help you more effectively manage your land.
• Enjoy free lunch and kids entertainment..

Please register online for catering purposes.

Presented by the Peninsula Pastures and Produce Program (see event flyer). For further information contact Matthew Khoury, Community Natural Resource Management Coordinator: matthew.khoury@ppwcma.vic.gov.au or 03 8781 7945

Revegetated bank of Watson Creek at Inghams Enterprises.

Western Port Biosphere’s Watson Creek project won a prestigious Victorian Coastal Award for Excellence last week in the Community Action and Partnerships – Integrated Catchment Management category.

Watson Creek flows into the Yaringa Marine National Park and has been identified as one of the most polluted creeks in Victoria.

The Watson Creek Integrated Catchment Management Project has led to greater cooperation between groups who both affect and manage the creek. The project uses a “no blame, all responsible” approach to dealing with problems such as excess nutrient runoff and pest plant and animal impacts. Using imagination and collaboration with local landholders, businesses and community members, the project has achieved significant outcomes in raising awareness and engaging the community in an effort to improve water quality in the creek.

Western Port Biosphere Executive Officer Cecelia Witton said the award recognised the dedicated effort of Watson Creek project officers, Michelle Wright and Anna Roach, and former project officers Janet Borley and Virginia Richardson.

“It also reflects the support and guidance provided by the Watson Creek steering committee, which includes representatives from Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria, Mornington Peninsula Shire, City of Casey, Victorian Vegetable Growers Association, business and the community,” she said.

Western Port Biosphere secretary Jack Krohn said the award reflected the capacity of the Biosphere to broker partnerships and respond effectively to key sustainability challenges in the region.

“Congratulations to all who over the years have contributed in big and small ways to the success of this project,” he said. “Congratulations also to the other award winners, especially to our Biosphere partners, the City of Frankston and Phillip Island Nature Parks, and to the finalists in the various categories.”

“There have clearly been some wonderful efforts and achievements along the Victorian coast over the past year, which makes the Biosphere’s recognition in winning this award all the more significant.”

Free entry.

Forum 1: Is it real?.
7.30pm, Wed 9 May, Wonthaggi Town Hall

Hear from:

• Geomorphologist, Rob Gell
• CSIRO climate scientist, Damien Irving
• Bureau of Meteorology Oceanographer, Dr Neville Smith

Forum 2: Solutions. Can we do it and is it economically achievable?
7.30pm, Wed 23 May, Wonthaggi Town Hall

Award-winning energy expert Matthew Wright will present an internationally acclaimed zero carbon strategy.

For further information, please contact Groundswell Bass Coast.

Events:

• Western Port Biosphere Reserve Extraordinary General Meeting, 1 May 2012. Financial members may vote.
• Sharing the Love – Parks Victoria workshop for marine friends, Barwon Heads, 12-13 May 2012

Recommended reading:

• ‘WesternPort Treasures’ fact sheet and posters – City of Casey
• ‘Understanding the Western Port Environment: a summary of current knowledge and priorities for future research’ – Western Port scientific review by Melbourne Water
• Western Port Welcomes Waterbirds – Central Coastal Board project outcomes
• Proposal to expand Yaringa boat harbour – EPBC Act assessment process
• Field Guide to Victorian Fauna app (free) - Museum Victoria

New on the Western Port Biosphere web site:

• UNESCO Dresden Declaration on biosphere reserves and climate change, November 2011
• Best Bites – Recognition program for sustainable food-related businesses.

The Ramsar Convention was signed in 1971

Join us to celebrate World Wetlands Day at this free information session about our wonderful wetlands:

When: 7.30pm, Thursday, 2 February 2012
Where: Dolphin Research Institute, Western Port Marina, Hastings
RSVP: 5979 2167 or cecelia@biosphere.org.au

World Wetlands Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).

The Western Port Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance listed under the convention.

The theme of World Wetlands Day 2012 is “Wetlands and Tourism”. To celebrate, we’ve put together five of the best wetland walks in the Western Port Ramsar site, as voted by wetland  protection experts.

Graham Hunter, President United Nations Association of Australia (Vic Div); Councillor Veronica Dowman, Mayor Bass Coast Shire; Professor Kate Auty, Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, Victoria; and Rob Gell, Chair Western Port Biosphere Reserve, at the Western Port Biosphere Reserve AGM at Hastings on 18 November 2011.

The Western Port Biosphere Reserve hosted over 50 people at its AGM last week, including Victoria’s Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Professor Kate Auty as guest speaker.

The meeting was attended by a broad cross-section of people, including representatives from business and industry, tourism and hospitality, government agencies, councils and community organisations.

Prof Auty, who will deliver Victoria’s State of the Environment Report in 2013, described the Western Port Biosphere Reserve as an excellent opportunity for the community to create change and innovation to better cope with sustainability challenges.

Western Port Biosphere Reserve Chair Rob Gell agreed, outlining his vision of the biosphere as a showcase for innovative, sustainable ways of living and doing business.

“I want Kate to be able to point to the Western Port Biosphere and say, that’s what sustainability looks like,” said Rob.

Rob invited community members to participate in this vision.

“Let us know if you have a bright idea,” he said. “We are a small organisation without a large funding base, but we will do our best to work with you to make it happen.”

Rob discussed examples of this kind of cooperation and innovation over the past year, noting that these efforts would not have been possible without support from funders, particularly the five local governments of the Western Port Biosphere Reserve, Bass Coast Shire Council, Cardinia Shire Council, City of Casey, City of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.

Western Port Biosphere Reserve highlights over the past year include:

• Partnering with the Mornington Peninsula Shire’s new “Best Bites” program, under which local food businesses nominate to be assessed on environmentally sustainable business practices, safe and healthy food, and safe and accessible premises. The Western Port Biosphere Reserve will provide public recognition for businesses that attain standards of practice that meet and demonstrate biosphere objectives. It will also investigate the rollout of similar programs in other parts of the region.
• Engaging the community to clean up one of Victoria’s dirtiest waterways, Watson Creek – something never done successfully in the past. In addition to reducing nutrient flows into Yaringa Marine National Park in Western Port, this project has become a model for use in other parts of the region. It has also produced a manual to assist Horticulture Australia to work with vegetable growers near sensitive waterways interstate.
• Continuing on-ground work, community engagement and collaborative efforts to ensure the regional survival of the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot. This includes the recent formation of a twenty-member Southern Brown Bandicoot Regional Recovery Group, which includes scientists and representatives from national and state agencies and the community.
• Helping to deliver the Ramsar Protection Program, which is being facilitated by the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority with Caring for our Country funding. The project brings together a range of agency and community stakeholders to reduce threats to two Ramsar sites, including Western Port. Efforts include fox and rabbit control, weed control, fencing, and community engagement to increase understanding of the importance of these wetlands and how to protect them.

Rob thanked Prof Auty for her contribution to the Western Port Biosphere Reserve’s AGM.

Further information on the work of the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability is available at www.ces.vic.gov.au. See also Prof Auty’s blog post on her visit to the Western Port Biosphere Reserve.

The regional recovery group brings together representatives from local governments, state agencies and the community to ensure the survival of the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot in the Western Port Biosphere Reserve region. Once common, the bandicoot is now rare in the region, except for a relatively secure population at the Cranbourne botanic gardens and some small, scattered groups.

During the meeting, Sarah Maclagan, a PhD student at Deakin University and member of the regional recovery group, shared preliminary results of her GPS tagging project, which is revealing new information about bandicoot movements. This knowledge will help to create effective biolinks to allow safe dispersal of bandicoots, protecting genetic diversity and allowing the species to move across the landscape as the climate changes.

The regional recovery group was established following strong community support at a public meeting convened by the Western Port Biosphere Reserve in June.

It will build on the work already done by the Biosphere’s bandicoot recovery program and its partners, including the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Melbourne Water and local governments. This work has been funded by Australian Government Caring for our Country grants, the Victorian Government and philanthropic grants.

The regional recovery group will take a landscape-scale approach and enable key stakeholders to better coordinate their bandicoot conservation efforts.

Further information is available from David Nicholls, Western Port Biosphere Reserve, ph. 03 5990 7166 and Dr Bram Mason, Department of Sustainability and Environment, ph. 136 186.

The seminar will bring together a panel of experts to consider the environmental challenges and opportunities ahead in the Frankston region, via presentations and a “Q&A” session.
 
Details about the guest experts can be found at www.frankston.vic.gov.au, and discussion papers will be available for reading prior to the seminar from 21 Nov. Questions can be submitted for the panel before the night.

RSVP by 21 November to environment@frankston.vic.gov.au or phone 1300 322 322.

Further information: see seminar flyer or visit www.frankston.vic.gov.au

The paper provides an excellent summary of the regional status of this endangered species and threats to its survival. It also makes recommendations about planning to ensure the bandicoot’s survival in the face of pressure to expand Melbourne’s urban growth boundary.

The recommendations draw on research by the Western Port Biosphere Reserve bandicoot recovery team. They also build on the outcomes of the public meeting convened by the Western Port Biosphere Reserve in June 2011, which demonstrated strong community support for the formation of corridors linking the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne with the other key Southern Brown Bandicoot habitats in the region.