What can you do to protect biodiversity?

Protect and enhance the bush on your property

Only 30% of native vegetation remains on the Mornington Peninsula, and over half of this occurs on private land – so what you do counts!

Some actions that you can undertake include:

• Protect remnant patches of bush on your property
• Link patches of bush to create habitat corridors
• Protect large old trees, dead and alive
• Create new habitat by allowing the bush to regenerate or planting with indigenous vegetation that is appropriate for your area
• Manage environmental weeds and feral animals
• Learn about the indigenous plants and animals around your area
• Create a wildlife friendly garden
• Join a  friends group or Landcare group

You may be eligible for a conservation land rate (formerly the land sustainability rebate) for undertaking some of these actions.

Be a good bushland neighbour

If you live near bushland, our How to be a good bushland neighbour(PDF, 3MB) guide has some hints and tips on how you can reduce your impact on bushland by:

• Being a responsible pet owner
• Not dumping garden waste  
• Preventing your garden plants from escaping into the bush
• Not removing important habitat like ground logs.

Have you seen a grapevine near your house or park?

Agriculture Victoria needs your help identifying all the decorative grapevines in the Mornington Peninsula region. Just like a commercial grapevine found in any vineyard, a decorative grapevine can contain phylloxera – a tiny insect that can spread through a vineyard and destroy the vines by feeding on their roots. If you have seen a decorative grapevine, you can use the Snap, Send, Solve app on your smartphone to take a photo of it. The app will send us the photo for inclusion in Agriculture Victoria’s phylloxera inspection program.

Alternatively, you can report the location of a decorative grapevine to Agriculture Victoria by: calling 136 186, emailing market.access@ecodev.vic.gov.au or by contacting the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association on (03) 5989 2377.

Download: Have you seen a grapevine near your house or park?(PDF, 2MB)