The Melbourne Ark project
The Melbourne Ark project has emerged from the collaboration of geographically clustered Alliance member groups; the Upper Campaspe LCN, Strathbogie CMN incorporating Hughes Creek LCN, South West Goulburn LCN, Upper Deep Creek LCN, Moorabool LCN, representing over 50 landcare groups, working from the along the southern Great Divide from the Strathbogie to the Brisbane Ranges. Groups united on the basis that they are all planning biolink projects, their planned projects connect major shared landscape features and many of the conservation issues are shared across the region, so it made sense to explore a large-scale project together.
The project is in its early planning phase but has generated much enthusiasm between the groups to this point. Funding is being sought to further its planning by:
- Holding a scoping Workshop to introduce the project to other key stakeholders and information holders across the region
- Develop partnerships to identify strategic 'flagship areas' across the Ranges which serve to strengthen collaborations between groups and focus on selection of areas that will best provide for biodiversity in the future (mapping refuges and/or areas key for functional connectivity)
- Hold a knowledge forum on the biodiversity of the Ranges, key and emerging threats and responses to threats
- Develop a practical-implementation knowledge base from forum material using the Central Victorian Biolinks Learning Network.
We'll keep the site posted with the outcome of the funding bid - anticipated to be out in the next month or so - and with project developments.
