Many of Burnside's native plants and animals still survive, but the natural woodlands and grasslands that once supported them have almost been lost. By looking after the native plants of Burnside we are providing food and shelter for wildlife; including small birds, butterflies and lizards.
Depending on the needs of the site, we remove invasive weed species, allow natural regeneration and establish indigenous plants grown from locally collected seed. Some of the weeds that are displacing native plants and animals are trees and shrubs that have escaped from gardens. Examples are olive, pine, buckthorn and hawthorn. People should not be concerned about the gradual removal of these plants as they have little habitat value and constitute a major fire hazard. They are being replaced with indigenous vegetation that is far more useful to native wildlife.
We also:
- rescue local plants from development sites
- propagate local plants
- make local plants available for planting in parks and reserves
- provide advice about the conservation of remnant indigenous trees and native vegetation
- develop and maintain walking trails through the hills face reserves
- eradicate newly-arrived weeds, such as Monadenia and Bridal Creeper, to prevent them from becoming established in Burnside
We aim to protect, conserve and restore native vegetation and wildlife habitat and, in the hills face areas, to create landscapes which are easier to maintain and are less of a fire hazard.
History
The City of Burnside Conservation and Land Management Program arose from the local environment planning process undertaken by the Burnside Environment Action Committee in 1997.
In 1998 Council established a work unit to implement the biodiversity actions arising from the environment plan.
The biodiversity program is now referred to as the Conservation and Land Management Program.
Philosophy and Principles
The Conservation and Land Management program aims to conserve and improve the natural environment of Burnside by managing and re-establishing local flora at appropriate locations. This has the advantage of:
- Providing habitat for local fauna.
- Retaining the local character of our area.
- Increasing the aesthetics and interest of our reserves.
- Reducing water use.
- Reducing inputs such as imported soils, fertiliser and mowing.
In urban areas, the conservation of remnant indigenous flora provides us with an ongoing reference point for the original flora of Burnside and it provides sources for propagation of rare local flora.
In the hills face reserves, well managed indigenous flora has a lower fuel and fire danger than weed infested areas.
People need to experience natural areas to appreciate them. Walking trails and interpretation are part of the work of the Conservation and Land Management Program.
By "local flora" we mean indigenous plants which are naturally occuring in Burnside. When these are propagated, only seeds sourced from Burnside are used unless the remnant population is small that some additional source plants are needed to maintain genetic diversity. Species which probably once occurred in Burnside and have a use in our natural areas, are propagated from nearby natural sources outside of Burnside. Seeds are collected from as many parent individuals as possible to maximise genetic diversity and are propagated at our Biodiversity Nursery at The Shed, Conyngham St.
The focus on local flora ensures that the indigenous flora of Burnside is conserved in perpetuity.