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Urban Biodiversity Strategy 2013 2023


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Residents embracing gardening for 'backyard biodiversity'


Over 3000 copies of 'Backyard Biodiversity - A guide to creating wildlife-friendly gardens in Boroondara' have been picked up by our residents; along with hundreds of vouchers for free indigenous plants. Following a successful pilot in 2009/10, Council has been rolling out the Backyard Biodiversity community initiative, an intensive habitat gardening program targeting residents living in or near biodiversity corridors and encouragement areas. Since its inception the project has engaged 127 households living in Camberwell, Ashburton, Balwyn, North Balwyn, Kew and Hawthorn and has resulted in at 4500 indigenous plants in the ground as well as new neighbourhood connections made, skills shared and a Friends Group established. The Backyard Biodiversity project was a finalist in the 2011 United Nations World Environment Day Awards and a stand-out project contributing to Boroondara being named 2012 Sustainable City of the Year in the Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria Awards.

FEATURE PAGE (Maybe pullout with images)

Our residents value having access to natural landscapes within the City

Wonderful places to visit


'The atmosphere at Willsmere/Chandler Park is fantastic. Such magnificent River Red Gums and river views.'

'Burke Road Billabong has stunning River Red Gums. It's a great spot to see wildlife including microbats. I love the grasslands, trees, birdlife and the large and varied character of the reserve.'

'Yarra Bend Park is a wonderful area for walking and has a great animal and plant reserve.'

'It's amazing to see kangaroos along the Yarra River bike path'.

'I love being able to see the native garden beds, the plants and the birds around Lynden Park and the little corridor alongside Back Creek.'

'We enjoy the peaceful walking tracks near Ferndale Park. One of the River Red Gums along the path has a hollow which provides a nesting spot for cockatoos - the parent birds are often peeking out of the hollow.'

'The Anniversary Trail makes a pleasant walk and we often hear frogs calling from puddles along the way.'

'We love the southern part of Gardiners Creek Corridor with its trees and vegetation; it's great for bird watching.'

... to relax, learn and feel connected...

'Having access to nature in the suburbs is psychologically calming. It lets me escape from the rat race!'

'Restoring the environment gives me a lot of pleasure.'

'Birdlife is very important to me - it provides a sense of connectedness and helps me feel as though we must be reducing our impact on the environment.'

'Through planting locally native species in my garden and in reserves, I'm reversing some of the damage to the environment.'

'I've noticed increasing biodiversity in the suburbs and enjoy the fact that creatures spill into our everyday life. We've had large numbers of ducks breeding in our swimming pool and when the ducklings are old enough we watch them waddle off to the creek. We've had around 500 local school children coming to our garden to check out the ducks. It's Ace!'

'The Friends Groups are a great way to meet people with common interests.'

Our long term vision and guiding principles

Our Vision for 2023


The City of Boroondara has healthy indigenous plant communities and robust populations of native birds and other wildlife. Our biodiversity corridors and healthy waterways provide connectivity for native fauna within the municipality and beyond, contributing to genetic diversity and building resilience. Protecting local habitats in Boroondara is an important part of restoring threatened areas across Victoria.

As a result of Council's strategic investment in biodiversity actions, the area of public land actively managed by Council to protect and enhance local biodiversity has increased from around 36 hectares in 2013 to 45 hectares in 2023. The work of Council and other land managers together with the community has resulted in an increasing abundance of indigenous flora and fauna. In Melbourne, Boroondara provides a dynamic example of integrating biodiversity and habitat into an intense urban environment.

Boroondara's residents value the City's natural assets and appreciate opportunities to explore and experience nature in the City. Our residents are active participants in biodiversity protection, enhancing local biodiversity through community projects as well as activities in their gardens, schools and on public land.

Guiding principles

  1. The community protects what it loves


Personal experiences shape our values. Educational and community engagement activities in urban areas can help residents to connect with nature and to better understand and value their local environment. A community that values biodiversity in its 'backyard' appreciates the value of biodiversity globally.
  1. Biodiversity is worth protecting for its intrinsic value alone


Most people recognise that biodiversity has intrinsic value - that biodiversity (the diversity of all life forms that comprise natural ecosystems) has value in its own right, beyond the services or usefulness it provides to humans.

  1. Healthy ecosystems are critical to the health of the community

Plants, animals and micro-organisms provide functions that are critical to human survival and wellbeing. These 'ecosystem services' include carbon sequestration, oxygen production, nutrient cycling, pollination of crops and native vegetation, flood prevention and climate regulation.

  1. Biodiversity is a community asset that should be protected for future generations

Biodiversity within natural ecosystems needs pro-active protection if it is to be held in trust for future generations. In doing so, we also reduce the risk of that critical ecosystem services are further compromised now or in the years to come.

  1. Projects can be designed to deliver multiple benefits rather than single outcomes

Projects that can deliver multiple benefits are preferred to those that deliver single outcomes. With further integration of sustainability thinking into Council's capital works and renewal projects, there are greater opportunities to deliver co-benefits for biodiversity. Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) infrastructure is a good example since well designed projects can address drainage problems and improve river health, as well as provide habitat for wildlife, improved neighbourhood amenity, and opportunities for community education.

  1. Biodiversity protection can be integrated with other uses of our open space network.

The attainment of biodiversity outcomes should be balanced with and not at the expense of maintaining opportunities for the community to engage in active recreational pursuits on public land or related objectives of the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.

  1. Prioritise action according to impact

When there are so many competing demands for resources and funding, it is critical to prioritise according to greatest impact. Choosing which of Council's biodiversity sites to focus staff and other resources on requires weighing up a range of factors such as current condition and potential for improvement, relative significance of site, presence of threatened species and community expectations.

  1. Leadership by Council with the community

Implementation of this Strategy demonstrates Council's commitment and leadership to the community, key stakeholders, other councils and Council staff. Extensive and ongoing works on Council managed land showcase what can be achieved, encouraging and complementing similar works on adjacent land, resulting in more and better habitat across public and private property boundaries.

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