Native Vegetation & Waterways

Biodiversity represents the range of native plants and animals present on a farm and in a local district. Biodiversity on-farm can be encouraged by taking care of areas of remnant vegetation, streams and rivers or replanting native vegetation for habitat or shelter belts.

In the past, extensive native vegetation was removed to make way for pasture and crops.  Farmers now look to identify areas of the farm that are better kept or replanted with native vegetation to add to the aesthetics of the property and help improve overall farm  management.

The future survival of much of Australia’s native biodiversity depends on the management and protection of native vegetation and habitats on farms. The future success of agriculture may also depend on the protection and restoration of native vegetation, as farmers address issues such as salinity, the need to provide stock with shelter from high temperatures and cold winds, preventing topsoil erosion, and retaining soil moisture during dry conditions. Conserving native vegetation and habitats such as wetlands on-farm is an important component of sustainable land management.

What you gain and what it costs

At work on the farm

Bruce and Rae Knee, Toora, Victoria

Fencing and revegetating key areas of the farm can improve stock management, create a better place to work and provide areas of native habitat.

Bruce and Rae Knee, and their son Daniel, have a 360-hectare dairy property in the undulating hills of South Gippsland. The property has 5km of river frontage on the Franklin River.

The Knees initially began fencing off parts of the river to prevent stock movement between paddocks and neighbouring properties.

Since 1987 a total of 27.9 hectares of the milking area has been fenced off. The cost of the on-ground works has been estimated at $58,000, plus in-kind labour, funding from grants and the local catchment management authority.

The on-ground works were completed in conjunction with the local Landcare group, whose objective was to provide a habitat corridor, particularly for koalas, by fencing off the whole river.

Fencing off and revegetating riparian zones and creating shelter belts has meant:

• improved management of stock movements and grazing by excluding stock from the river, subdividing the farm and including shelter belts;
• healthier stock protected from the elements by sheltered areas; and
• a sense of pride for the owners as they improve their farm’s biodiversity.

River water quality has also improved, with levels of dissolved nutrients and sediments falling due to the on-ground works. Now river water quality leaving the property is the same as the water entering the property.

“The financial benefits of improving biodiversity are hard to quantify, however the improved aesthetics of the farm make it nicer to work,” Bruce said.

Do any of these look familiar?

What you need to know (Victoria only)

1. Useful Definitions

   Biodiversity - the natural diversity of all life: the sum of all species of fauna and flora, the genetic variation within them, their habitats, and the ecosystems of which they are an integral part.

   Riparian area - any land that adjoins, directly influences, or is influenced by a body of water. Areas that could be included in the definition are wetlands (swamps and lakes, either seasonal or permanent), rivers, creeks, intermittent watercourses and soaks.

   Remnant vegetation - naturally occurring, locally native plant species, or vegetation communities, that have existed before and since European arrival.

   Protect - avoid further loss and degradation of, or retain remnant native vegetation, habitats and native fauna that is present (e.g. fencing to exclude grazing in order to avoid the browsing or trampling of vegetation).

   Enhance - improve the condition or quality of degraded native vegetation and habitats for native fauna (e.g. weed control).

   Restore - reintroducing flora or fauna that is indigenous to, or naturally occurring in, a site by either revegetation, regeneration or reintroduction (e.g. revegetating or replanting native species in cleared areas, including corridors that also connect remnant native vegetation).

   Ecological Vegetation Class (or EV C) - vegetation classification system derived from groupings of vegetation communities based on floristic, structural and ecological functions.

   Indigenous species - plant species that occur naturally in a localised area.

2. Regional Catchment Strategies and Native Vegetation Plans are administered by Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) - they describe catchment targets and actions for natural resources and native vegetation.
3. Biodiversity Action Plans are administered by the Department of Sustainability & Environment, in conjunction with CMAs and local community groups. They describe detailed priorities for protecting, enhancing and restoring native biodiversity at the regional, landscape and local (on-farm) scale.

4. Planning and Environment Act 1987 administered by the Victorian Department of Sustainability & Environment and all local councils.

   A planning permit must be obtained from your local council to remove, destroy or lop any native vegetation. Native vegetation includes any combination of locally native trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses.

   Local councils and other authorities have legislative power over vegetation clearing. If you require a permit, you should apply to the planning department of your local council.

5. Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1987 administered by the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.

   Describes the conservation and management objectives for all of Victoria's flora and fauna, and provides action statements that give appropriate actions for the management of some threatened species.

6. Wildlife Act 1975

   It is an offence to posses, harass, injure or kill any native wildlife. See the Pests and Weeds section of this document if you are having difficulties with native species. It is also an offence to damage, disturb or destroy any wildlife habitat.

Disclaimer: The following is only a guide to the law affecting farmers in the environmental field. The general area is quite complex and affected by numerous Acts and Regulations, some of which are very detailed. In addition, changes are made on a regular basis to the legislation. The precise effect in a given situation will require expert advice and this should be sought from an appropriate professional or the relevant government agency.

Additional information

These resources can help you develop your Action Plan (Organisations, their contact details and website information were correct at the time of publication. Information may change without notice).