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Photo courtesy of Lee-anne Fairbairn, Glenelg Hopkins CMA
Field Day
Native pasture management for biodiversity and production
Glenelg Hopkins CMA invites you to see how native pastures can be grazed to increase
their biodiversity values while increasing agricultural production
When:
Wednesday 18th April 2012
Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm
Where:
“Mawallok”, 3802 Geelong Road, Stockyard Hill
Contact:
Aggie Stevenson, Glenelg Hopkins CMA
RSVP:
More information:
Biodiversity Projects Coordinator
5571 2526 or [email protected],
by Friday 13th April 2012 - Morning tea supplied
www.ghcma.vic.gov.au
Tenders at Glenelg Hopkins CMA
@GHCMA
What: The ‘Mawallok grassland project’ was established in November 2010 to demonstrate the benefits of
Native Pasture Management including deferred grazing strategies and weed control, particularly onion grass control, to increase productivity and biodiversity values at a farm paddock scale.
• Learn how enhancement of native grasslands at the farm scale for the
conservation of the ecosystems associated with the Victorian Volcanic Plain
can benefit your farm.
• Hear a landholder’s perspective in managing native grasslands at the farm
scale.
• Learn how to make the most of native pastures, based on eight years of
research undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries near Ararat.
• Presentations by DPI and Glenelg Hopkins CMA.
• Presentations from “Mawallok” farm manager Troy Smith and Darlington
farmer Tom Calvert.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Wong, TFN
Please protect our native grasslands
and grassy woodlands.
Photo courtesy of Reto Zollinger
Photo courtesy of Ian Mcann, DSE
Photo courtesy of Reto Zollinger
Photo courtesy of Reto Zollinger
There are less than 1% of our native grasslands remaining across the
Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP).
The VVP is home to endangered native grasslands and grassy woodlands
which support a large number of threatened flora and fauna species such
as the Golden Sun Moth (Synemon plana) and the Striped Legless Lizard
(Delma impar).
By enhancing and /or protecting the remaining remnant
vegetation we create an opportunity for native plants
and animals to improve their capacity to find habitat and
thrive.
Map of the target area.
The VVP also contains some of the best farming land in the region. In the
pursuit of increased farm size and productivity, many of the vegetation
communities have been modified by typical farming practices. Lowland
temperate native grasslands and grassy woodlands once covered a third of
Victoria, occupying an area of around seven million hectares.
Since European settlement, native grasslands have been modified by
agriculture and urban land use, with less than 1% remaining in the VVP
bioregion. Of this, very little remains in original condition. Many of the plants
and animals that depended on this ecosystem are now either extinct or highly
threatened with extinction. This makes these remnant areas highly valuable
in terms of the health of the environment and sustainability of the land.
How farmers can contribute to
healthy grasslands and continue
to profit from the land.
Photo courtesy of Lee-anne Fairbairn, Glenelg Hopkins CMA
N
ative grasses are part of the natural landscape, are well adapted to local soil type/conditions, climate, and drought and
have a high resistance against diseases. Native grasses have the potential to provide year round feed requirements
on grazing properties. There are a wide variety of native grass species, including warm season and cool season grasses,
which have growth periods at different times of the year. Native Grasslands therefore provide the landholder with grazing
opportunities at critical times throughout the year.
Native grasslands provide habitat for several endangered species and protecting and enhancing these plant communities
enables these species to extend their range and improves their chance of recovery. Managing native grasslands provides
an opportunity for grassland species and farming activities to co-exist in a productive farming landscape.
Glenelg Hopkins CMA is providing financial assistance for farmers with endangered grasslands and grassy woodlands
on their property.
This program aims to help you improve the quality of your site and will provide you with a management plan and incentive
payments to help cover cost for your management activities. Management actions can include fencing, alternative stock
watering, supplementary planting and pest plant and animal control.
For further information contact Aggie Stevenson or Jacinta Hendriks at, Glenelg Hopkins CMA
on 55712526 or email [email protected]