Conservation Efforts

As indigenous plants that provide specific needs for wildlife become more rare in localised areas, we endeavour to collect and propagate seed to sustain the local bio-diversity that has developed over many hundreds of years.

It has become one of our prime focuses in environmental management to utilise trees of local provenance grown from collected seed for rehabilitation, wetland creation and the development of local habitat and wildlife corridors. Some key examples of conservation measures undertaken to date are given below.

• Eucalyptus yarraensis (Yarra gum) trees were once found widely in the region, but have lost much of their habitat in the past century. One of the last significant stands existed just south of the Hazelwood Mine. This stand of trees was slowly disappearing due to the encroaching mining operations. For many years we collected seed and worked closely with external stakeholders including Department of Sustainability and Environment, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Greening Australia and other groups to tap into this stand for seed and ensure the survival of the Yarra gum.
  
  
• Eucalyptus strzeleckii (Swamp Gum) has only recently been identified as a close relative of the more common Eucalyptus ovata. This species is listed nationally as “vulnerable”. We are conserving a remnant stand of trees in the northwest corner of the Morwell River Northern Wetlands.
  
  
• Eucalyptus pauciflora (Lowland Snow gum) is so rare it didn’t make it onto any listing. There is one tree on the east side of the Mine and another further away. We have collected seed from these trees and will plant 100 of the species this year.
  
  
• Dianella amoena (Matted Flax-lily) is an “endangered” plant that has recently been identified by the National Herbarium on our land. Conservation work has already commenced at this site to secure the plant’s future.

Native Grasses

One of the significant directions Hazelwood has turned to is the propagation and management of rare and endangered native grasses and this has been a direct result of constructive contributions from our consultation processes.

Since European settlement, ninety-nine per cent of native grasslands in southeastern Australia have been lost. We consider it extremely important to conserve remnant stands of Themeda (Kangaroo grass) and Danthonia (Wallaby grass) found on our lands, most of which have suffered due to combined pressures of agriculture and industrial development.

We are continuing to work hard with the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), and the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists. Our endeavours are to preserve and enhance the existing grasslands, retaining the genetic stock, and to use this as a seed resource in our pioneering project for broadacre revegetation and rehabilitation of Mine Overburden reserves. Hazelwood is fortunate to have a 15 hectare remnant stand of Kangaroo Grass, which also includes significant numbers of wildflowers.

Hazelwood Mine employees and revegetation contractors are working together to propagate Viro Cells for planting into areas targeted for rehabilitation. Despite an ongoing dry spell in the past decade, some 105,000 native grass cells planted in 1996/7 have survived and are set to propagate naturally. The total number of cells planted in the revegetion program is 2.3 million.

In May 1996 we also obtained “Land for Wildlife” status conferred by the then Department of Natural Resources & Environment, now DSE, for our conservation work with native grasses and in the development of wetlands. “Land for Wildlife” is a government/community education program designed to integrate conservation values with other productive uses of land.

Most viable wildlife habitat in Victoria is on private land. The scheme is a voluntary program that encourages and assists “private landholders to provide habitats for wildlife on their property, even though the property may be managed for other purposes”. The program recognises individuals and businesses whose good land management practices further increase habitat and enhance bio-diversity.