West Gippsland lies to the east and south-east of Melbourne.  It spreads from outer suburban Melbourne to the sub-alpine areas of Mt Baw Baw and the saltmarsh and mangroves of Westernport and Wilson's Promontory.

The region encompasses forests of the Strzelecki Ranges and the heaths and wooded grasslands of the Coastal and Gippsland plains.

It includes extremely fertile areas which have been largely cleared for agriculture.

There are also many major industries in the region.  These two factors have increased the pressure on the region's remaining vegetation.

The forests of the ranges and highlands are harvested for both woodchipping and sawlogs.  Other major industries are agriculture, horticulture, fishing and tourism.  Tourism and fishing are less obvious threats to the region's native vegetation but also have a large impact.

The La Trobe Valley is Melbourne's major supplier of electricity , generated from brown coal deposits laid down by plants millions of years ago.  Areas of public land, such as Wilson's Promontory are typically surrounded by cleared private property and isolated from other retained vegetation.

About 85 per cent of native vegetation on freehold land has been cleared in the West Gippsland region while much of the remainder is severely degraded or still suffers from ongoing clearing.

Help Trust for Nature conserve Victoria's natural heritage in West Gippsland today.