1.3 Onshore biodiversity and ecosystems Context Victoria's onshore coastal environments contain a wide range of habitats which support a diversity of flora and fauna and vary from small pockets to broad areas. Habitat such as beaches, large dune systems, woodlands, windswept cliff tops, heathlands and dry forests are home to a variety of native mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. A key challenge is to maintain healthy and diverse coastal ecosystems particularly in areas where the coast is in high demand. Coastal habitats in these locations tend to gradually fragment or are lost as development occurs over time. Introduced animals, such as cats and foxes, and environmental weeds cause gradual decline in indigenous species. A number of species and communities are already threatened, including the orange-bellied parrot and coastal Moonah woodland. Managing these pressures is even more complex where coastal areas border privately-owned land. The likely impacts of climate change will add further challenges and complexity to the ways in which we manage these threats. Climate change will have a range of serious impacts on onshore biodiversity and ecosystem health. Increased variability in weather patterns will put additional stress on many ecosystems and threaten ecological function, often in ways we cannot predict. It may also allow some pest species to increase their population and new or dormant pest plants and animals to emerge. Connectivity is an important contributor to maintaining and improving the resilience of biodiversity to climate change. While the scale of the challenge we face is significant, climate change impacts may also create opportunities for positive land use change to support biodiversity migration and adaptation strategies. In response to these challenges, the Victorian Government has committed to developing a Land and Biodiversity White Paper. Due for release in 2009, the White Paper will: set the direction for Victorian Government policy and investment priorities in natural resource management, land health and biodiversity for the next 20-50 years consider how environment and natural resource management activity at the regional, catchment, local and farm scale, and on public land, is contributing to Victoria's overall environmental health ensure Victorian Government policy and investment is responsive to new threats and opportunities.   Policy 1. Understand and address gaps in expertise of onshore environments through research and monitoring programs. 2. Protect and improve the ecological integrity of onshore coastal environments. 3. Control illegal access from private land and encroachment of private property and gardens onto coastal Crown land. 4. Ensure a well-managed, comprehensive and representative system of coastal parks and reserves. 5. Reduce the fragmentation of the natural coastal environment and improve the connectivity of habitat corridors across Crown land and private land and between coastal and inland vegetation. 6. Increase the estate of coastal Crown land through land swaps, donations and purchases. 7. Encourage land owners within coastal areas to revegetate and landscape using indigenous species of local provenance, and eradicate environmental weeds on their property. 8. Encourage the use, development or management of private land adjacent to coastal Crown land to support the long-term maintenance and conservation of the coast's natural values. 9. Restore, rehabilitate and nurture coastal biodiversity and vegetation under regionally and locally determined priorities. 10. Use appropriate planned burning regimes for asset protection and maintenance of ecological health. Actions Hooded plover adult and juvenile G. Ehmke –Birds Australia a. Review existing science and undertake new research to understand the vulnerability of onshore coastal habitats and species to climate change impacts, and prepare adaptation options and priorities (DSE, CMA, Universities, VCC). b. Develop a program to report on and monitor the condition of onshore coastal and estuarine habitat, including finer-scale mapping of ecological vegetation classes, at identified sites across the state (DSE, CMA, PV, CoM). c. Raise awareness of the impacts of vandalism of coastal vegetation and develop regional and/or local approaches to address the issue (RCB, CoM, PV, LG, DSE). d. Undertake accurate mapping of coastal property boundaries in areas known to be inaccurate and negatively impacting on coastal access, maintenance and protection (DSE, CoM, PV, LG). e. Work with adjacent private landholders to investigate mechanisms to address the maintenance and conservation of coastal Crown land values such as planning provisions, planning permit conditions, agreements, covenants, nature links, rate rebates etc. (LG, DSE, DPCD, CoM, PV). f. Develop a coastal tender program (similar to BushTender/BushBroker) that encourages landholders to protect existing habitat and absorb the movement of vulnerable habitats due to climate change from Crown land onto private property in identified priority areas (DSE, CMA).

10 December 2008