The Western Port Woodlands is the largest remnant of intact coastal woodlands in Victoria. It stretches from Lang Lang to Grantville on the eastern shore of Western Port Bay. Habitat fragmentation and conflicting land usage (such as sand mining and development) are a direct threat to the survival of the Western Port Woodlands.
Significant flora and fauna
The Woodlands support significant flora and fauna species that support the internationally recognised Western Port Biosphere Reserve.
They are home to:
- Rare orchid species
- Endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot
- Long-nosed bandicoot
- Powerful Owl (the largest owl found in Australia).
- Tea-tree Fingers Fungus (a critically endangered fungus species and the only endangered fungus in Victoria)
Critically endangered
The Western Port Woodlands is also home to a large population of the Strzelecki Gum which is classified as ‘critically endangered’ in Victoria. It is estimated that there are at least 1,000 individual Strzelecki Gum trees within the Western Port Woodlands, making it the largest population in Victoria.
Next steps
Funding to progress the next stages of planning reforms needed to increase protections for the Western Port Woodlands. Funding is required:
- $250,000 to Map environmental values across the entire Shire to identify potential biolinks.
- $250,000 for targeted investigations of identified biolinks and implementation of appropriate planning controls based on the gathered data.
