The state of biodiversity in the State of Victoria
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| Victoria's biodiversity crisis, the facts.pdf |
The above report was compiled before the Victorian Government got politically spooked by the Black Saturday wildfire events and dramatically increased the amount of prescribed burning - See this page
Read an SMH article about the prioritisation of endangered species management - Survival of the cheapest
See the proportion and area of Australia's original native vegetation cover and the changes over time here...
Local eco-systems - the death of a thousand cuts
The Victorian landscape has undergone massive changes in the past 150 years. As a consequence of environmental degredation and destruction of indigenous flora and fauna:
- over 60% of the state has been cleared, and much of what is left is seriously degraded by weed invasion;
- of the two thirds of the state which is privately owned, only 5% retains its natural cover;
- soil erosion and salination have become serious problems;
- over 35% of our wetlands have been drained;
- close to 80% of rivers and wetlands have been substantially modified;
- almost all native grasslands have been eliminated or modified;
- many other vegetation communities are almost extinct, or critically endangered;
- over 900 exotic plant species have been established in Victoria, many of which are weeds, and scores of noxious exotic animal species are now widespread;
- 42 native mammal species have become extinct in Victoria.
Brown Mountain, East Gippsland
