Land and biodiversity at a time of climate change: What you've said
Home | Green Paper | What you've said | Victoria's natural environment | Governance | Media releases
| What you’ve said: results of the Land and biodiversity at a time of climate change White Paper community consultation There were significant opportunities for community input to the White Paper – making a formal submission to the Green Paper released in April 2008, attending one of the regional community workshops, and responding to the Consultation Paper (PDF - 830 Kb) launched in April 2007. These processes provided the opportunity for organisations, agencies and individuals to have a say in the way the Victorian Government will manage land and biodiversity for the next 20-50 years.
Green Paper written submissions Written submissions on the Green Paper were also invited through an online forum, by email or by post. More than 500 individual and group submissions were received, and those that were not requested to remain confidential are available alphabetically on the Green Paper Submissions website. In addition, 185 Wilderness society and 687 Victoria Naturally proforma submissions were received. A copy of each proforma and summary of additional comments are also posted on this website. Submissions were analysed and have been used to inform the development of the White Paper. Green Paper regional community workshops Thirteen Green Paper workshops were held around Victoria in May and June 2008, involving a total of 643 participants. The workshops ran for 4 to 5 hours and included information sessions as well as group discussions on a range of the topics raised in the Green Paper. The workshops were attended by participants with diverse interests, including representatives from interested individuals, conservation, farming and industry groups, Landcare, local government and other government agencies. A number of organisations also ran their own Green Paper workshops. Workshop summaries Summaries were prepared for each of the 13 community workshops, providing an indication of some of the issues raised on the day. A more detailed analysis is being considered in the development of the Land and biodiversity at a time of climate change - White Paper.
page top Consultation Paper written submissions DSE received 360 responses to the Consultation Paper (PDF - 830 Kb) published in April 2007. All these submissions were considered during the development of the Green Paper. You can read a summary of the submissions below, or view them all by alphabetical list. The Environment Defenders Office also produced an analysis of the submissions (PDF - 500 Kb). Summary of Consultation Paper submissions The April 2007 Consultation Paper posed five questions for community feedback:
An almost universal theme expressed in submissions was concern that climate change will increase the severity of existing threats to ecosystem health and biodiversity. Many submissions called for the expansion of policies and programs to protect, enhance and restore critical natural assets, including wetlands, coastal vegetation, remnant native vegetation on roadsides and in riparian zones as well as productive agricultural areas. It was also recognised that climate change presents opportunities that should be explored. Many submissions linked carbon sequestration with opportunities for land restoration through tree planting. Demographic change Submissions raised concern over the impacts of social and demographic changes on land health and biodiversity. These include continuing population growth, increased resource use, urbanisation, pollution and the sea change/tree change phenomenon. Community participation Submissions indicated strong support for volunteer groups to help with monitoring ecosystem health and restoring the landscape. Many submissions identified the economic opportunities that large-scale restoration could provide to regional communities affected by climate change. Submissions noted that addressing biodiversity decline requires continued effort from all levels of government as well as cooperation with business, industry and the community to develop and implement practical new solutions. Regional delivery model Submissions broadly supported the regional delivery model implemented through Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs), although there is a lack of clarity around the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Department of Primary Industries, Parks Victoria, Coastal Boards, CMAs and, in some cases, water corporations. There was concern that the contribution of local governments to natural resource management is not well recognised or resourced. Investment and resources for programs Submissions raised concern that despite significant government support and achievements in protecting and conserving land and biodiversity, the current level of investment does not match the scale of the problem and the response needed to reverse biodiversity decline and degrading land health. There was concern over the impact on land productivity as well as the function of ecosystems that provide essential services. Submissions supported ongoing funding for long-term landscape scale programs to control the spread of weeds and manage pest animals, such as the Southern and Glenelg Ark fox-baiting programs. Submissions called for targeted government investment to deal with environmental weeds and a focus on preventing new weed problems. Native vegetation and Green Wedges There was support for Victoria’s Native Vegetation Management Framework (2002) but some submissions raised concern with government attention to offsets rather than proactive measures to achieve net gain. Some submissions called for a revised framework to better deal with climate change. There was also concern about the implementation of the framework. Submissions called for better protection of urban and peri-urban biodiversity and the environmental values of Melbourne’s Green Wedges, which are the non-urban areas of metropolitan Melbourne. Other submissions called for the development of an incentive system which recognises the public benefits provided by Green Wedge farmers. Public land There was concern that a lack of resources is compromising biodiversity values, particularly on public land. Submissions showed a high awareness of the critical role of marine and terrestrial national parks in biodiversity conservation. Some submissions called for better integration of fire and ‘fire break’ planning with other land management practices and programs to avoid damaging critical habitats of threatened species and to limit potential for weed problems to worsen. Research and data Many submissions called for increased resources for monitoring and long-term data collection to help build understanding of how species and vegetation communities respond to climate change and to support adaptive management. Greater investment into research on ecological processes and ecosystem function was also called for to provide critical knowledge needed to prevent ecosystem collapse. Many submissions called for increased funding, particularly for programs such as BushTender and to address issues including local government capacity, although it was recognised that priorities need to be identified. page top Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site. |  |            _220x165.jpg)   |
