By KATH GANNAWAY
THIRTEEN existing land reserves in Yarra Ranges would be brought under one umbrella if recommendations submitted to the State Government last week are adopted.
The Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) released its Yellingbo Investigation Final Report on Wednesday presenting the government with a number of recommendations aimed at securing the future survival of two of Victoria’s state emblems, the threatened helmeted honeyeater and the lowland Leadbeater’s possum.
The report also proposes including an extra 364 hectares of land, including four stream frontages in an effort to create links to nearby state and national parks.
If adopted, the collection of land reserves would be renamed the State Emblems Conservation Area (SECA) and could come under the National Parks Act 1975 as a means of providing additional security and protection into the future.
The 18-month long investigation took in Yellingbo Woori Yallock, Launching Place, Yarra Junction, Hoddles Creek, Cockatoo, Emerald, Monbulk and Seville and attracted 79 submissions in response to the draft proposals paper in December last year.
VEAC chairman Phil Honeywood said VEAC was constrained in terms of recommending extensive changes to the current allocation of land by the limited extend of public land that was not already strongly committed to an existing use, and the highly fragmented nature of the land.
He said there were significant ongoing challenges to maintaining habitat and wild populations of the threatened species in the small and georgraphically separated areas of public lands.
“Our challenge has been to find ways to most effectively assist and strengthen the excellent work already being carried out,” he said referring to the community and government action he said had taken place over many decades.
Under the proposals put forward a committee would be set up and funded to set goals and targets for management and restoration of the Yellingbo region and overseeing the SECA.
The report went to Environment Minister Ryan Smith and the government has six months to consider VEAC’s recommendations.
A copy of the final report is available at www.veac.vic.gov.au.
