Biodiversity

Habitat and native vegetation

Native vegetation provides essential habitat for the region’s biodiversity, places for recreation and tourism, and holds important cultural significance to the region’s Aboriginal people. Native vegetation across the region has been largely cleared since European arrival, with 19% remaining. The areas that remain are often highly diverse and nationally significant, such as roadside native grassland on the VVP, the dwarfed heathy woodlands on the high peaks of Gariwerd (Grampians), and the stringybark forests of the Glenelg Plain.

Threatened native species

The term threatened species applies to all species that have become vulnerable to extinction in the near future. In the Glenelg Hopkins region 295 species are currently threatened with extinction. Habitat loss, species invasion, and disruption to ecological processes have been key drivers of species decline, and climate change is expected to become a significant driver in the future. Extensive work is occurring throughout the region to improve the long-term future of key species such as the south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo, the eastern barred bandicoot and the button wrinklewort.