Conservation
Environmental Sustainability
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Environmental sustainability is about managing our development to maintain a high quality of lifestyle for humans, including maximising future economic growth, whilst maintaining and conserving the ecological processes on which all life depends. It is about making sure that the world is at least as good as today, and preferably better, for future generations.
Frankston City Council is committed to working towards an environmentally sustainable future, and successfully won the Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria's Sustainable Cities Award for 2008.
Further information on ecologically sustainable development can be found on the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Art's website.
What is your ecological footprint?
An ecological footprint is an important accounting tool used to calculate how much pressure we are putting on the planet. It calculates how much land area or planets are needed to support your lifestyle.
Take the quiz and calculate your own personal ecological footprint on the Global Footprint Network's Web site and learn how you can tread more lightly on our earth.
By finding ways that we can reduce our impact on the environment, we are all helping to create a more sustainable planet and conserve our precious plants and animals.
Read about Victoria's ecological footprint in a study conducted for the Environment Protection Authority - The Ecological Footprint of Victoria: Assessing Victoria's Demand on Nature.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms which occur in an area. This includes all the different animals, plants, micro-organisms, their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part.
Australia is one of the most diverse countries in the planet. Many of our plants and animals are endemic to this country, meaning they cannot be found anywhere else in the world. In Australia we are still clearing native vegetation at a rate ten times greater than we are replacing it. Even if we do replant some of the vegetation being lost it never replaces the variety of species present in remnant vegetation.
Whilst we are lucky enough in the Frankston municipality to still have a wide array of biodiversity being conserved within public land, much indigenous vegetation has been cleared on private land. Patches of remnant vegetation on private properties are often left severely degraded. Linking habitats (insert jump to heading below on Linking Habitats) together is an important way of conserving biodiversity.
The introduction of pest plants (insert jump to heading below on Pest Plants) and pest animals (insert jump to heading below on Pest Animals) also pose a major threat to Frankston's biodiversity. Whilst Frankston City Council is actively committed to protecting our flora and fauna, and working to address these threats, the success also relies on the involvement of the local community, and working together to create a more sustainable future.
In December 1997, the State Government released "Victoria's Biodiversity" paper
comprising of three parts - "Our Living Wealth", "Sustaining Our Living Wealth" and
"Directions in Management". These documents comprise the strategy required under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. They provide key management approaches and challenges to ecological land and water management, and describe the biodiversity in each of Victoria's 21 terrestrial and 6 marine bioregions, and the management responses required for protecting and restoring them.
The documents can be found on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Web site under 'Biodiversity'.
Biodiversity and climate change
Climate change will have significant impacts on ecological systems and biodiversity. Research is being undertaken to determine how successfully ecosystems will be able to adapt to climate change. It is likely that the ability for ecosystems and individual species to adapt to climate change is directly linked to their health and their connectivity within the landscape.
The State Government has been developing a 'Land and Biodiversity at a Time of Climate Change White Paper' which is due for release in late 2009. This paper will set policy and investment priorities in natural resource management, land health and biodiversity for the next 20-50 years. Further information can be found on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Web site under 'Conservation and Environment'.
Habitat connectivity
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Patches of native vegetation that are left are often degraded and isolated from one another by barriers such as roads, bare paddocks and houses. These degraded patches do not provide the quality habitat and refuge that our wildlife needs to survive. Isolated habitat patches or 'islands' are also more vulnerable to local catastrophic events such as disease and bushfires, as well as changes like climate change. When wildlife cannot move between patches of habitat to find mates, inbreeding is also likely to occur over time. This threatens the wildlife's survival.
The benefits of connecting and enhancing patches of native vegetation together to maintain, improve and conserve biodiversity values has been well documented.
Frankston City Council works within our reserves and with the community to regenerate, conserve and enhance these remnant patches. Our creek reserves at Kananook Creek, Sweetwater Creek and Boggy Creek provide natural corridors which allow wildlife to travel between these different habitats. The Council also acquires new land to create future reserves and add to existing reserves to link habitats together.
We are currently working with the Port Phillip and Western Port Catchment Management Authority and other organisations on the Living Links Project which aims to create habitat linkages throughout the entire catchment area.
By maintaining and improving our ecosystem health through protection and connection, and preventing further decline within existing vegetation patches, our biodiversity has a much better chance of surviving for current and future generations to enjoy.
Land for Wildlife
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Land for Wildlife is a State Government (Department of Sustainability and Environment) program, supporting and encouraging landholders or managers to provide habitat for wildlife on their land. Frankston City has 64 registered properties, this includes three of our Natural Bushland Reserves.
For further information see the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Web site and search for 'Land for Wildlife'.
Trust for Nature
Trust for Nature is a non-government organisation that provides land protection, management support and monitoring of our natural heritage.
Just one of the ways Trust for Nature is conserving the environment is with conservation covenants. These covenants are voluntary, but legally-binding agreements between landholders and Trust for Nature to permanently protect the natural heritage of a property.
For further information visit the Trust for Nature Web site.
Fire and the environment
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Frankston Council maintains fuel reduction zones around our reserves to protect private properties. Rangers work with the Country Fire Authority and heighten patrols of natural reserves during the summer months and on days of Total Fire Ban. The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has produced a booklet 'Living in the Bush' to help prepare your property for bushfires.
The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission is exploring a range of issues following the fires of early 2009. These include the preparation and planning by emergency services, the community and households for bushfires in Victoria, touching upon current laws, policies, practices, resources and strategies for the prevention, identification, evaluation, management and communication of bushfire threats and risks. As a result some of the CFA information may change. Keep yourself up to date by visiting the CFA Web site.
Remember for any emergencies dial 000.