Land for Wildlife is a program sponsored by the

Department of Sustainability and Environment The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) was a state government department that managed water resources, climate change, bushfires, public land, forests and eco systems in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was created in 2002 whe ...

in the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It was established in November 1981 to support private landholders and managers who voluntarily provide and enhance habitat for native wildlife on their properties within the state. Many non-landholder volunteers also participate in the scheme, which is coordinated by departmental extension officers. By doing so they are contributing to the maintenance and restoration of native

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

. The scheme was largely instigated by Ellen McCulloch and Reg Johnson,Anon (2006). two prominent members of the community group

Bird Observation & Conservation Australia Bird Observation & Conservation Australia (BOCA) was a club established on 12 April 1905 by members of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) in Melbourne, Victoria, as the Bird Observers Club. Although inactive for many years, in 192 ...

(then the Bird Observers Club – now merged with BirdLife Australia), with which it continues to have a cooperative relationship.Land for Wildlife. Benefits of full registration of a property in the scheme include on-site visits to provide advice and answer questions about how to manage the land to contribute to biodiversity conservation, participation in field and neighbourhood days, open-properties and information sessions, a regular newsletter, specialist information and a Land for Wildlife sign. It does not alter the legal status of a property in any way and landholders may withdraw from the scheme at any time. there were over 5,700 participating properties, with about 15,000 people involved in the program. The area of wildlife habitat being managed on the properties totals more than 560,000 hectares (4% of private land in Victoria), and includes

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s. The Victorian Land For Wildlife program allows interstate agencies (government and non-government) to deliver the scheme under an agreement in which the original aims and objectives are maintained. __NOTOC__

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

''Land for Wildlife News''

Land for Wildlife – similar scheme in Queensland
Land management Government agencies of Victoria (state) 1981 establishments in Australia Environment of Victoria (state) Ecological restoration Wildlife conservation {{environmental-org-stub