Landholders and nature lovers across South Gippsland Victoria are being encouraged to contribute to a biolink map being developed by the South Gippsland Landcare Network (SGLN) to give landholders and the broader community a bird’s eye view of the ‘patches, stepping stones and habitat links’ that need to be strengthened to create more effective wildlife corridors and protect native and threatened species.
The map is a key action of the SGLN’s 10-year Biodiversity Protection Plan developed in 2024 with cross-sector input, including from our Ecolands Collective colleagues, Prom Coast Ecolink, which sits under the umbrella of the SGLG, and the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group, which aims to connect remnant patches of native vegetation, initially across the Bass Coast and now extending eastwards to South Gippsland.
Conservation action across this vast 262,000 ha region, which stretches from the steep Strzelecki Ranges in the north to the lowland coast in the south, is becoming increasingly urgent as just 22% of South Gippsland’s native vegetation remains, and 10% of all native species are now threatened.
After securing funding for two key phases of the mapping project, SGLN appointed mapping experts who, as a first step, are gathering base data via a ‘Habitat Near You’ website that asks landholders and community members to identify habitat hotspots, sightings of key species and key areas of interest (this phase will run from May to June 2025, so please contribute if you can).
Biodiversity Legacy South Gippsland Biolink Coordinator, and local community member, Stuart Inchley, will contribute data about remnant patches of vegetation north of Foster and contribute in other ways.
It will take about nine months to gather the foundational data. From here, the team will use the General Approach to Planning Connectivity from Local Scales to Regional (GAPCLoSR) GIS method to analyse landscape conditions and determine the best possible pathways for recreating or enhancing habitat for 4-6 target species.
The whole process will take a community-led, tenure blind approach and consider all environments across the region, not just those where larger patches of bushland exist.
Biodiversity Legacy welcomes this biolinking initiative, which reflects our long connection to the region and our commitment to engaging property owners and communities in conversations about the need to secure land and connect it to adjacent properties and/or state and national parks.
The map will also provide a well-informed basis for regional planning processes and inspire more investment in the natural values of our landscape.
A biodiversity legacy for Victoria’s southeast coast
The Nature Recovery Foundation (NRF) is a bold initiative committed to reversing biodiversity decline on Victoria’s Bass Coast and protecting the natural environment for future generations. The NRF is a partnership between Bass Coast Shire and Biodiversity Legacy, with each organisation having two directors on the board.
The Foundation’s initial focus is on tracts of land within the Bass Coast Shire, where the aim is to protect and enhance existing habitats while accelerating large-scale landscape restoration. As the Foundation grows, there may be opportunities to expand our impact beyond this region, most likely into South Gippsland.
The NRF is currently working towards Deductible Gift Recipient status, which will strengthen the Foundation’s legitimacy and open opportunities for tax-deductible donations, further supporting our long-term goals.
The Foundation’s Mission
To achieve lasting environmental restoration, the NRF will:
Protect priority areas of remnant biodiversity.
Secure and restore land with high ecological potential.
Create viable habitat refuges connected through biolinks.
Leverage partnerships and green investment for long-term sustainability.
Build a lasting legacy for future generations.
Next steps
This is an exciting step for Biodiversity Legacy, as several members of the team live in the adjacent shire of South Gippsland and, as a group, we have deep links to other environmental non-profits via our connection to the Ecolands Collective.
Stay tuned for more updates on the NRF in the coming months (as at March 2025).
An ecological survey of rainforest communities on three Trust for Nature properties north of Foster in South Gippsland, as well as an adjacent state-run reserve, has found the largest population of Slender Tree-ferns ever documented in Australia, as well as rare and endangered species including the Netted Brake fern, Butterfly Orchid, over 100 indigenous plants and 40 mosses.
The survey, initiated by the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group (GTSAG) and Tarwin River Forest Land Stewards, Victoria Johnson and Stuart Inchley (Biodiversity Legacy South Gippsland regional coordinator), was conducted by two of Victoria’s most experienced ecologists and botanists, Karl Just and Dylan Osler, with funding from the Wettenhall Environmental Trust and the Friends of Turtons Creek.
An engaged community
In February, the results of the survey were presented to an audience of over 80 people at the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre, including senior members of the Shire Council, business leaders, ecologists, botanists and residents. The presentation was also recorded (see above).
The event allowed Karl and Dylan to talk about the importance of private land in biodiversity conservation, as many areas remain under-surveyed compared to public lands.
“Dylan and I have both been working in ecology for over 20 years,” explained Karl.
“We get to wander around Victoria studying different ecosystems … but this [project] was quite a treat for us to do because we rarely gain access to private properties … which have an important role to play in maintaining regional biodiversity.”
Diversity is strength
The team spent more than a week exploring two distinct areas – the Turtons Creek Scenic Reserve (managed by Parks Victoria) and three adjacent Trust for Nature properties.
Walking 10 km over tough terrain, including steep, wet rainforest gullies, Karl and Dylan looked for and mapped rainforest boundaries, threatened species and created a list of observed flora.
Given the high rainfall in the area, ferns grow aplenty, but it was the diversity of the fern population that surprised them.
“You almost get these mini-ecosystems, with lots of different fern species growing on trees and branches – trees on trees. It’s kind of magical,” said Karl.
Geological features of the study area, including the presence of fault lines and unique sedimentary layers, contribute to the diverse ecosystems within the rainforest.
Understanding these geological factors is essential for effective conservation planning said Karl, as they influence vegetation patterns and habitat characteristics. He also noted how Cool Temperate Rainforest is highly sensitive to fire, with historical data indicating that it takes over 400 years for these ecosystems to recover. This long recovery period necessitates proactive fire management strategies to prevent devastating impacts on these vulnerable environments.
The survey also acknowledged the presence of invasive species such as blackberries, which can alter soil chemistry and microclimates, threatening the integrity of rainforest ecosystems. Additionally, evidence of deer populations was noted, which can contribute to vegetation degradation through browsing and trampling, necessitating ongoing management efforts.
To ensure the long-term health of Cool Temperature Rainforest, the survey recommends implementing protective buffers around rainforest areas, particularly near adjacent timber harvesting operations. Such buffers can mitigate risks from wind throw, herbicide drift, and invasive species, thereby supporting the resilience of these ecosystems.
The survey results underscore the beauty and importance of this landscape, while also raising awareness of the ongoing threats to its preservation.
Since the mid-1970s, conservationists, planners and land managers have been directing their attention to the formation of regional biolinks as an intuitively appealing way of slowing the decline of biodiversity in Australia, a continent that has lost over 40% of its forests since colonisation – 70 to 80% in states like Victoria.
Also known as greenways, green belts, shelterbelts and wildlife corridors, the biolink concept resonates because it is easy to understand.
In his highly influential book, Linkages in the Landscape, La Trobe University conservation researcher, Andrew F Bennett, notes the appeal of biolinks as “a visible solution to a visible problem – habitat fragmentation is generally a strikingly-obvious process. Equally, habitat corridors are a visible sign of efforts to ‘mend’ the fragmented landscape (‘bandages for a wounded natural landscape’ – Soulé and Gilpin 1991).”
He also notes that the ability to establish biolinks at different scales gives local communities the feeling they can ‘do something about’ the damage in their local environment and see visible results.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water diagram showing landscape elements that contribute to wildlife corridors.
Gondwana Link project in south-western Australia.
Do biolinks actually work?
The rapid uptake of biolink projects around the world initially outpaced scientific understanding and data collection. Questions were raised about their effectiveness, particularly given the scarcity of conservation resources. Multiple studies were conducted looking at the key domains of:
Landscape connectivity – the physical connections between habitats across a landscape.
Habitat connectivity – connections between patches of habitat (‘stepping stones’) suitable for specific species.
Ecological connectivity – the function of ecosystems across space and time.
Evolutionary connectivity – allowing populations to interact naturally, breed and strengthen genetic diversity.
In 2010, the first meta-analysis was published. It showed that corridors increase migration between habitat patches by as much as 50%. Ten years later, a second analysis was done to solve questions raised in the first analysis. It found that, although not all corridors worked as planned, overall corridors effectively increase species movement, fitness and richness. This further translated into an increase in community biodiversity.
Macro (large scale) biolinks
Beginning in the early 2000s, up to a dozen large-scale biolinks were proposed or established in Australia, one of the earliest being the Gondwana Link project in south-western Australia. Conceived by a small group of conservationists in 2000, the program now coordinates dozens of separate conservation projects along a 1,000 km corridor from the forests of Margaret River to the semi-arid woodlands and Mallee country bordering the Nullarbor Plain.
In 2005, Greening Australia began shaping up its Habitat 141 project; a 50-year collective response to habitat fragmentation and climate change along the 141st longitude stretching from the coast of South Australia, along the Victorian border, and up to the rugged rangelands of New South Wales.
Noting the success of these and other projects and how they might be connected to the National Reserve System (a network of more than 10,000 Commonwealth, state and territory protected areas), in 2012 the Australian Government published a National Wildlife Corridors Plan. Information on that plan is now difficult to find online. The program appears to have been folded into one of the most ambitious initiatives of all – the Great Eastern Ranges biolink.
This impressive program seeks to conserve and manage a 3,600 km ‘continental lifeline’ of habitats, landscapes and people from the Grampians in western Victoria, along the Great Divide and Eastern Escarpment of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, to the wet tropics and remote Cape York Peninsula in Queensland’s far northeast.
Over 250 regional, state and national organisations have chosen to align their activities with the GER vision. Among them is the Biolinks Alliance, which performs a unique role as a capacity and partnership-building organisation consisting of 18 member Landcare networks working mostly in Central Victoria.
The missing link – community-based conservation
Australian National University researcher, Carina Wyborn, has been studying conservation connectivity since the early 2000s. Many of the themes she discusses in her publications discuss the challenges of collaboration.
“Without people working together, connectivity initiatives will go nowhere (Lovett et al. 2008), thus collaboration and community-based conservation are central.
“Centred in an ethic of place, community-based conservation is underpinned by the premise that local populations have a greater interest in and knowledge of local contexts … further, “by placing these local contributions within a larger picture (e.g large-scale programs), gives conservation on private land greater purpose.”
Paddock-scale connections
For decades individual landholders have been working with organisations like Landcare to restore and protect pockets of habitat on private land. This work is critical, given that over 60% of all land in Australia is privately owned or managed (farms, pastoral leases and mines) and that 70% to 90% of inadequately protected wildlife is found on private land.
However, it has sometimes been difficult to see these activities within a broader vision.
Given their commitments to sustainability and better environmental management, many councils are stepping up to fill critical gaps, offering incentives to landholders and practical tools such as maps. A great example of this is Cardina Shire Council’s interactive map, which shows what has been done and what opportunities there are for improvement.
Biodiversity Legacy is also working with landholders and organisations across Australia, like Land Covenantors Victoria and Prom Coast Ecolink, to promote the connection of private landholdings and consider how they too can be tied into the vision we all share – protecting and connecting land for conservation and threatened species.
Around 10 years ago, former Melbourne schoolteacher Stuart Inchley and policymaker Victoria Johnson stumbled across a 300+ acre property for sale in the hills of South Gippsland (historically known as Land of the Lyrebird).
With a passion for conservation sustainability and climate justice, the couple made the life-changing decision to purchase the property, place a conservation covenant on it and act on its behalf as land stewards.
It took several years for Stuart and Victoria to properly survey the property, characterised by dense bush, cool temperate rainforest and steep terrain, learn about local species and appreciate just how unique it is.
At first, he thought there were maybe a few dozen, but with local ecologists from Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group and elsewhere, Stuart and Victoria have now counted over 260 individual plants. Given estimates suggesting that just 1,000 are left in Victoria, this is a major find that is attracting interest nationally and internationally.
Listen to leading Victorian ecologist, Karl Just, describe South Gippsland’s rainforests and species found within the Tarwin River Forest.
Back to reality
Unfortunately, Stuart and Victoria’s elation and finding so many Slender Tree-ferns was short-lived. Within just a few weeks they heard chainsaws and logging activities in the property next door.
These actions, by HPV Plantations – the largest private plantation company in Australia – came within a few metres of the couple’s fenceline; too close for comfort for the ferns, which can easily be damaged by being exposed to wind, rain and other elements.
Stuart and Victoria felt they had no choice but to launch a campaign to stop these actions, garnering huge community support through their Gippsland Forest Guardians website.
As at October 2024, Gippsland Forest Guardians, supported by Friends of the Earth, are currently embroiled in a court action relating to a Freedom of Information request, blocked by HPV, to review harvesting plans for the Turton’s Creek area.
Partnerships for protection
With Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group and other groups, Stuart and Victoria are also running campaigns to protect the last remnants of Cool Temperate Rainforest in South Gippsland, home to unique native species such as Gang-gangs, Powerful Owls, Pilotbirds, the rare and endangered Strzelecki Burrowing Crayfish and Strzelecki koala.
Typically dominated by Myrtle Beech, Southern Sassafras, Blackwood and eucalypts with a thick understorey of tree and ground ferns, these rainforests exist in high rainfall, higher altitude fertile environments. While they can still be found across Victoria, land clearing, fire and logging have reduced the amount of these forests in Victoria to a mere 0.08% of the state’s total area and are now listed as a threatened community under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988).
In partnership with Prom Coast Ecolink and local landholders, in 2024 the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group received a generous grant from the Wettenhall Environment Trust to undertake a mapping survey of Cool Temperate Rainforest on Stuart and Victoria’s property and three adjoining Trust for Nature properties (totalling 850 over acres) to map the distribution of Slender Tree-ferns.
We’re all behind Stuart and Victoria and the commitment they have made to protecting the environment and building connections with the local community to raise awareness of BDL and the need to strengthen local biolinks.
