Protect our Green Wedge Shire
We choose to live here in Nillumbik’s Green Wedge so we can be close to nature. Here, we are able to experience the peace of our natural environment, surrounded by so many special species of plants and animals, all while being only a short drive from the city.
The Green Wedge is a huge part of why we love where we live.
There is so much that Council can do to protect and enhance the Green Wedge and this needs to be one of our priorities in Nillumbik.
Melbourne has 12 Green Wedges, which form a ring around our city. They help break up areas of growth and provide our city with clean air, water, agricultural land and stunning tourist destinations. The existence of Green Wedges means that no matter where you are in Melbourne, you’re never more than a half-hour’s drive away from beautiful scenery and the natural environment. It also means that locals can be close to nature without having to live hours away from the city.
Nillumbik is the most intact of Melbourne’s 12 Green Wedges and we want to keep it that way.
The local community has always rallied strongly to protect the Green Wedge and this is why the Nillumbik Green Wedge is the most intact of Melbourne’s Green Wedges. However, Nillumbik’s Green Wedge is again under threat and we need to continue the fight to protect it or we could lose what we love about our home.
I am working towards a full review of our Green Wedge Management Plan to make sure that it prioritises protecting the environment.
Another significant risk to our Green Wedge is invasive species such as deer, rabbits and foxes, which damage native vegetation and destroy habitats. Current methods to control these species are inhumane and are simply not working. In the Green Wedge, we have the opportunity to lead the way in pioneering new, more effective methods of managing these species. You can find my stance on invasive species here.
There are many more threats to our Green Wedge, including fire, illegal clearing, Climate Change, litter and pollution. These all need expert attention and to make this happen, we need a strong Council who will put the environment front and centre. By strengthening Council’s Green Wedge Management Plan, we can increase our ability to tackle the current threats and to encourage revegetation and enhanced biodiversity in the area.
My Vision for the Green Wedge
I plan to work with the local community so we can create a shared vision for the future of the Green Wedge – a vision which we can all agree on, where we can get the best use and enjoyment out of our land and where we share the responsibility of protecting our precious local environment.
We may each have a slightly different vision of what Green Wedge protection looks like but one thing we have in common is that we love where we live and we want to protect it. By working together, we can do just that and my job as a councillor will be to facilitate this.
By finding a shared vision for our Green Wedge, we can create a strong plan to protect it that we can all get on board with.
Council’s opportunities to protect the Green Wedge are endless but they include:
- Performing local character assessments of Green Wedge land to create enforceable standards for local planning
- Reintroducing programs to provide indigenous plants to landowners to help them revegetate their land freely
- Supporting local Landcare and Friends groups
- Controlling invasive species to limit damage to habitat
- Ceasing Council’s use of harmful pesticides such as glyphosates and providing incentives for landowners to use less damaging alternatives.
- Removing weeds and revegetating public land where appropriate
- Taking measures to reduce litter and pollution in our Green Wedge
- Improving enforcement to stop illegal clearing and dumping
- Assisting locals with gardening and permaculture
- Facilitating the establishment of public community gardens