A disappearing ecosystem: why Victoria’s grasslands are at risk

Sometimes all it takes is for someone to shine a light to appreciate how special something is.

That was the case for wool growers Jo and Greg Bear, who 20 years ago bought a block of land on Victoria’s Northern Plains, home to some of the last remnants of native grasslands that once covered large parts of southern Australia. When grassland experts visited the block Jo and Greg had purchased, they began to realise its significance, parts of which had never been cultivated.

“They started showing us the native plants and gave us an appreciation of what we had,” says Jo. “Before buying the block we had little appreciation for the natural environment and how unique it was. We thought ‘it’s just so messy.’”

One of the experts that visited the Bears’ property was Dr Paul Foreman, who has studied the grasslands for over 30 years. His passion for the grasslands was sparked by brilliant displays of threatened wildflowers like the Red Swainson-pea.

“It’s a very common perception that grasslands are just grass, just a paddock,” says Paul, whose research has looked at the origins of these grasslands. “They’re the sort of thing that might look pretty nondescript. But if you visit the healthier remnant grasslands, you see there’s all this nuance and detail. The diversity of plants can be incredible. If you’re there in springtime they can just be a blaze of colour. I love the subtlety of the grasslands.”

That subtlety is perhaps the greatest vulnerability of this extraordinary habitat. Not many other habitats have lost as much as the grasslands of southern Australia. In Victoria, over 90% of the state’s remaining grasslands have been lost, among them the grasslands of the Northern Plains—a decline that continues today despite protection under environmental laws.

The fight to protect one of Australia’s most endangered birds

These mostly treeless plains were once home to many unique plants and animals that sadly have already been lost or are today close to extinction. When Europeans arrived and dispossessed First Peoples of their Country, these ecosystems began to degrade under pressure from development and infrastructure such as roads, overgrazing, overfertilising, and the invasion of weeds that smothered small native plants.

Paul’s research has shown that the most productive grasslands in southern Australia were created and maintained by First Peoples using fire. Even the pockets of grassland that survived are struggling without regular burning, and wildflowers continue to decline.

In the mid-20th Century, cropping intensified on the Northern Plains, and is now the main cause of their continued destruction on freehold land and road reserves. It is estimated that 6,000 ha of grassland have been lost to cropping since 1990.

Apart from losing what is left of this precious habitat, one of the other consequences is the decline of animal species that call this habitat home, like the nationally threatened Plains-wanderer and the now vulnerable Fat-tailed Dunnart.

Small, ground-dwelling, and astonishingly well-camouflaged in their brown, grassy environment, Plains-wanderers are evolutionarily unique. Unlike most other birds, it’s the females that are brightly coloured, and the males that incubate the eggs and raise the chicks. Even to the people that work with Plains-wanderers, the birds are rarely seen, and with fewer than 1,000 remaining in the wild, that chance is getting slimmer.

How farmers are helping save the Plains-wanderer

“Grasslands are really complex ecosystems. The best sites have over 80 species of plants per hectare,” says David Dore, Trust for Nature’s North West Area Manager. “And then you’ve got a species that’s like a Thylacine—totally unique—and at risk of being lost forever. If we lose the Plains-wanderer, the global conservation movement will look at Australia and ask what on earth we’re doing.”

Fortunately for these birds and the grasslands they depend on, dedicated conservationists, farmers, and scientists began a focused campaign to help protect this globally endangered ecosystem. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the campaign was sparked through the inspiring advocacy of Dr Paul Foreman and colleagues to acquire around 1,300 ha of native grassland next to Terrick Terrick National Park.

With funding support from both the Victorian and Australian governments, Trust for Nature purchased this property and subsequently transferred it back to the public reserve system.

The role of conservation covenants in grassland protection

Since then, the Victorian Government has added approximately 5,000 ha to the public reserve system, primarily through land purchase, often enabled through Trust for Nature. At the same time, Trust for Nature has also acquired multiple properties on the Northern Plains to help protect their endangered grassland and woodland ecosystems in perpetuity.

These reserves add up to 3,500 ha of grassland safeguarded forever, including the 2,500 ha Wanderers Plains Reserve west of Kerang.

Why active land management is key to grassland survival

It wasn’t enough just to protect the grasslands, however. Grasslands are dynamic ecosystems, and land managers began to realise that for grasslands to thrive, they must be actively managed, sometimes in ways that can seem counterintuitive.

“We had to make a very strong argument to continue stock grazing,” says Paul. “Cows and sheep were considered to be the threat and not part of the solution. But if you manage grazing appropriately, some of the grassland species can exist quite happily, and some of the healthiest surviving grasslands have a long history of light grazing but no cropping.”

How partnerships are restoring threatened native grasslands

Thanks to partnerships with the Victorian and Australian governments, The Nature Conservancy, Zoos Victoria, and private donors, 650 more hectares of Plains-wanderer habitat will soon be protected.

Additionally, organizations like Trust for Nature continue to work with landholders to ensure that their conservation efforts are economically sustainable.

“We’re feeling like we’re working together in a collaboration,” says Jo Bear. “We can inspire other farmers to do the same.”

The future of Victoria’s Northern Plains and what you can do to help

Victoria’s Northern Plains grasslands have already lost 90% of their original habitat, but conservationists and farmers are proving that restoration is possible.

By supporting conservation covenants, habitat restoration, and sustainable grazing practices, landowners are playing a vital role in reversing biodiversity loss.

Want to help protect Victoria’s endangered grasslands? Learn more about conservation covenants and how you can get involved at Trust for Nature.

Read more from our September 2024 Conservation Bulletin.

A life-saving encounter with a Powerful Owl

You could say that a Powerful Owl saved my life.

In 2009 I was living in an old house in Red Hill, Bunurong Country. On a cold, clear and quiet July night I heard the booming call of a Powerful Owl – like a Boobook Owl if it had a deeper voice and a megaphone.

Powerful Owls are the largest owls in Australia, with a wingspan of over a metre. They’re also at risk of extinction, largely due to destruction of their habitat, and particularly the loss of the hollows where the owls nest that only form in really old trees.

So when I heard the call on that night I crept down the hill hoping to get a closer look. As I entered the forest there it was, right before my eyes in all its glory, on a low branch literally only a metre or two away from me. I stared into its amazing gaze and it seemed to look right through me.

Ten minutes of owl appreciation followed until suddenly I started hearing fireworks and the owl turned and flew away. But as I started on my way back up the hill I found the fireworks were actually the sounds of the house I lived in erupting in flames. I lost everything – my field guides!, my guitars! – but thankfully nobody was hurt and it was very lucky I wasn’t in the house. From then on I thanked the Powerful Owl and I have spent a lot of time trying to make sure its homes are safe.

Greater Melbourne’s hidden biodiversity

It might be surprising to find such a large wild predator on the outskirts of the city, but actually Greater Melbourne is full of nature, and precious remnants of some of our most threatened ecosystems and habitat for wildlife and plants at risk of extinction.

Many of those are found on private land, including the century-old trees that the Powerful Owls need for nesting, and bushland where they might find possums to eat.

There are so many rare plants, animals, habitats that are not represented in public reserves. People’s “backyards” or properties around Melbourne can be globally significant. Something that might feel common because you see it a lot may be hugely important from a conservation perspective.

I was born and raised on the Mornington Peninsula and blissfully enjoyed the beaches, foothills, swamps, forests and woodlands around me. Soon I became interested in conserving these natural wonders. In my early youth I learned that a remarkable patch of forest on the Mornington, Greens Bush, was going to be developed.

Driven by community campaigning, Trust for Nature held an appeal to raise $1.3 million to buy the forest and protect it forever. It is now part of Mornington Peninsula National Park, and if you can’t find me, that’s probably where I am.

Melbourne’s most elusive wildlife

I try and spend as much of my time visiting many nature reserves in Greater Melbourne as I can. Each reserve is different and tells a story about the habitat that occurs there. I also love hearing the tales of conservation at each place, reading about the sometimes unlikely naturalists, public campaigns, passionate community members, ecologists or whoever it is who have fought or sacrificed to make these places available for us to enjoy. I never seem to run out of places to explore and even if I did they tell different stories every season you visit.

Each of them is usually home to at least one threatened species or community, like the Powerful Owl, that always gets me excited. Another such species is the Australasian Bittern. They are cryptic birds and hard to see most of the time unless you are wading through a drain or wetland. There are thought to be less than a thousand left in Australia, and perhaps fewer than a hundred in Victoria.

Surprisingly, some of the best remaining habitat for these endangered birds is in swamps around Melbourne’s south east, including Tootgarook Swamp on the Mornington, where Trust for Nature has worked with landholders to protect and restore large areas of wetlands.

We know eight bitterns are using the site but there could be even more. Tracking has shown that one bittern travelled 395 km from the Coleambally rice crop to get there. It’s not just bitterns at Tootgarook: we’ve recorded 159 bird species, 13 reptiles, nine frogs, 12 mammals, and 248 species of native plants.

The battle to save Melbourne’s bandicoots

The bush around Melbourne also used to be filled with the scurrying of small marsupials like bandicoots. In 1862 English hunter and naturalist Horace William Wheelwright recorded that bandicoots were “common throughout the whole bush around Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.”

Three species make their homes around Melbourne. You might find Long-nosed Bandicoots sneaking around in the dark in some select places in the outer north, south and eastern suburbs. The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is a critically endangered species that has recently been reintroduced into Phillip Island, French Island and Churchill Island. Happily, as of 2024 some are happily residing on properties protected with conservation covenants.

I am considerably obsessed with the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot, and have spent many years surveying, trapping and generally stalking them. With one of the shortest gestation periods of any mammal (about 11 days), they can breed up to four times a year. Until about a decade or so ago you used to be able to find them in places like Greens Bush, Braeside Park and Langwarrin but now they are much more restricted.

There is a great population at Cranbourne Botanic Gardens and in the surrounding housing estates. Westernport and Koo Wee Rup swamp have a few good spots too.

Part of our work is tracking down the locations and trying to protect the sites with conservation covenants.We don’t want to lose any more, and well-managed permanent protection is essential to ensuring their survival.

If you know any good bandicoot spots, let us know!

A nighttime chorus: the Growling Grass Frog

Sometimes when I’m looking for bandicoots I hear the distinctive call of the Growling Grass Frog, a large bright green frog with gold spots. Their voices, like a raven with a stutter, boom across a quiet night and they can guide you to water. These frogs used to be found right across the state but now they are really restricted to areas around Melbourne and south west Victoria.

Some of their remaining refuges are close to industrial places in the north and west of Melbourne, in rain-fed wetlands in the south, and some drains and ponds in the east. Growling Grass Frogs need still water with mats of floating plants, and vegetation growing around the edges, but without trees. You can create habitat for them by modifying your pond, dam, or wetland; I built a 4×4 m pond and planted it out with wetland species. After a few months it was graced by a Growling Grass Frog.

The future of Melbourne’s wildlife

Greater Melbourne has lost a lot of species but there is still so much hope, so many species holding on and so much we can do to protect them.

We can all play a role in protecting these species and supporting Trust for Nature’s work goes a long way. Private land is integral to conservation work and all the species I have mentioned are linked to private land.

In our work we are so lucky to meet people who have either dedicated part of their lives to conservation or made a contribution that has helped save a species or community. With your help, we believe the future of conservation around Melbourne will be bright.

With a bit of hard work we hope that Melbourne will be just as known for its coffee and live music as it is for its thriving ecosystems and healthy diversity of flora and fauna. Currently you can drive 45 mins from the CBD and pass about 5-10 threatened species. A great outcome would be that in 10 years all these species were still there, and no longer threatened. Let’s do it together.

Somewhere in the bush in Victoria, protected by a fence, a population of orchids is growing. We can’t tell you where. We can’t even tell you exactly what species they are. But orchids like these are providing hope for one of the most threatened groups of plants.

Orchids are so entrancing that to protect the most endangered species, their identity and location must be kept secret. Apart from trampling by well-meaning orchid-lovers, poaching is a real problem. In 2023, hundreds of rare orchids cultivated at Kings Park in Perth were stolen, likely for the black market.

What is it about orchids that drives people so wild?

“They’re bright and eye-catching, even though our orchids are quite small. Their flowers are intricate and exquisite,” says Ben Cullen, Trust for Nature’s South Central Area Manager. “They’re also cryptic. They might only flower for a day once a year. Or they might appear once in 20 years and then disappear.”

With over 35,000 species worldwide, orchids are one of the most diverse groups of plants. Most of the 400 species of Victorian orchids are ground-dwellers: they grow from a tuber in the soil where they form lifelong relationships with specific fungi, and disappear below the surface when they’ve finished flowering. Although orchids can be found year-round, late winter and spring are the best times to find them.

Orchid flowers grow in an astonishing variety of form and colour, from the brilliant blue and purple of sun orchids, the bright yellow, orange and pink of donkey orchids, and the subtle green, brown and white of greenhoods and leek orchids. People have seen all sorts of animals in their shapes: spiders, mantises, flying ducks, golden moths and gnats.

Many of these peculiar forms have evolved to attract, and even deceive, specific pollinators. Spider-orchids, for instance, imitate female wasps to trick males into attempting to mate with them, even producing chemicals that mimic insect pheromones to heighten the illusion.

“Through their relationships with fungi and pollinators they offer a direct connection through to an ecosystem and its health. With all the threats we’ve introduced to landscapes these guys are highly prone to extinction,” says Ben.

As serious a threat as poaching poses, loss and degradation of habitat is critical. Although some species are still common, many others have declined precipitously. For some species, only a few dozen plants still exist in the wild, and are now found in tiny areas of remnant habitat.

Many of those remnants are on private land. Nearly 90 species are recognised in Trust for Nature’s Statewide Conservation Plan as priorities for protection on private land, more than any other group of plants. Part of Trust for Nature’s focus has been protecting the remaining populations and habitat of these species, such as the Leafy Greenhood. The largest remaining population of this endangered species on private land is protected through a conservation covenant on the Mornington Peninsula. But sometimes more drastic measures are needed.

“I think orchids are emblematic of the loss of grassy woodlands in southern Australia,” says Adam Blake, Trust for Nature’s South West Area Manager. “Even in the places where we’ve still got woodlands, we’ve lost orchids. Through orchids we can start to understand the enormous complexity of biodiversity in Australia, but we often learn about the complexity of orchids when it’s too late.”

Reintroducing orchids to the wild

One of the people untangling the secrets of orchids is Dr. Noushka Reiter, Senior Conservation Scientist at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. At the gardens, Noushka and her team have grown more than 30,000 orchids from over 210 species. Together, they’re providing hope for some of Australia’s most endangered species, with the ultimate goal of returning orchids to the wild.

It all starts with a seed. Orchids produce thousands upon thousands of tiny seeds with almost no nutrition. These are carried easily by the wind, but to sprout they must settle on soil where they can partner with very specific species of fungi. These provide the new orchid with nutrients, and most continue the partnership throughout their lives.

Identifying and cultivating the fungus is the key to growing orchids. Until Noushka and her team began working on them two decades ago it was extremely difficult, but new propagation techniques she developed have unlocked the ability to cultivate the orchids en masse. It’s a long and fascinating process.

“The key is finding the right fungus,” says Noushka. “In winter we head out and isolate the fungi from wild orchids, and cultivate the fungi on petri dishes. We then go out in spring and pollinate wild plants and collect the seed. In the summer we put the fungi and the seed on the dishes. The seeds germinate over three months, then the seedlings go into flasks for six months, and after that into the nursery. They don’t get reintroduced into the wild for three years.”

Finding the right site is critical, a process that can take up to seven years. Noushka and other orchid scientists need to make sure the orchids’ pollinators are present, that habitat is suitable, and above all that it is secure. That’s where Trust for Nature, and landholders who have protected their properties with conservation covenants, come in.

“To ensure the long-term viability of populations we can only reintroduce orchids onto permanently protected land, like national parks or conservation covenants, where pollinators are present,” says Noushka. “On covenants often the landholders are really engaged, we couldn’t actually do the work without them.”

In south west Victoria, Trust for Nature has worked with landholders, the Royal Botanic Gardens and orchid recovery teams to reintroduce orchids to six conservation covenants. They include some of the state’s most threatened species: the Tawny, Coloured, Candy, Yellow-lipped and Stuart Mill Spider-orchids. Around Melbourne, other orchids like the Rosella and Frankston Spider-orchids are being reintroduced on land protected through Trust for Nature.

“These species are at the precipice of extinction, whether these species survive or not depends on what happens in the lab and what happens when they go onto covenants and our reserves. It’s really knife-edge sort of stuff,” says Ben Cullen.

Fighting threats to orchids

Several hundred orchids are planted in plots on the properties, and then monitored carefully for threats. Understanding the best way to protect orchids is the subject of research by Rebecca Grinter, a Masters student at La Trobe University, whose studies have been supported by Trust for Nature’s Scholes Student Scholarship.

After working as a botanist Rebecca became entranced by orchids and set out to study Common Golden Moths, a grassy woodland species that is still widespread and common in Victoria.

“Like many orchids, researchers hadn’t previously looked at what pollinates these orchids, or what their threats are. But this information is critical for managing existing populations, and for identifying translocation sites for threatened orchids,” Rebecca says.

Rebecca discovered that the orchids are pollinated by several species of native bees, which are lured in by bright yellow flowers, but aren’t given nectar in return for their service. But she also made a surprising finding: nearly half the orchids in the two largest Victorian populations of Common Golden Moths were being eaten before they could produce seed. So she set up recording cameras to find out what was feasting on the orchids.

She soon found the culprits: kangaroos, possums, wallabies, and introduced animals like hares and rabbits were all grazing on the orchids.

“Orchids are often referred to as indicators for ecosystem health. Because of their complex ecology, you see them respond to changes in their environment more rapidly than you might in other species of plants. We can see that grazing by introduced species and overabundant native herbivores is a significant threat to the reproductive success of these orchids.”

That might also be the case for other grasslands orchids, including threatened species. Research like this is helping conservationists identify solutions, such as excluding native herbivores with cages while the orchids are flowering and fruiting, and controlling overabundant native herbivores and introduced species where appropriate. Keeping stock out, not spraying weeds near orchids, and avoiding high intensity fires can also be important, and making sure land management considers when the orchids are flowering and when they are dormant. After more than a decade of meticulous action, all this effort is starting to pay off.

“We’re starting to see the plants reproducing, creating self-sustaining wild populations,” says Adam Blake. “Private land has made a huge difference. Having access is so important, as is the security of a covenant, and educating landholders.”

And for those who want to learn more about these fascinating plants? Rebecca emphasises getting to know orchids without inadvertently harming them.

“If you see an orchid, look but don’t touch. You may find yourself looking at a species in danger of extinction given that so many Australian orchids are threatened, so always be cautious and respectful of their environment. There are lots of orchid groups you can join, and go on tours with experts.”

Through the efforts of people like Rebecca and Noushka, and the landholders that Trust for Nature works with, there’s hope for the future of Victoria’s orchids. So, next time you’re out in the bush, keep an eye out for these extraordinary flowers.

“Each one has its own story,” says Noushka. “They’re some of Australia’s most spectacular flowers. What’s not to love?”

One of the things Braydon Saunders loves most about being a Tour Guide Coordinator at Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in South West Victoria is seeing the ‘penny drop’.

That’s how the Gunditjmara man describes the moment he recognises on the faces of the visitors he’s speaking to, when they understand the significance of the land they’re standing on and the stories of the Indigenous people who lived there for more than 30,000 years.

“It’s so empowering when you see people recognise that history,” Braydon said. “This is Country I’ve been living on for 23 years, waking across the stones, but people are still able to understand its importance just by being out here for a few hours.”

The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a unique place with universal heritage values that demonstrate how the Gunditjmara people worked with the natural resources and environment to establish a social and economic base for Gunditjmara society. In 2019, it was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The 9,935 ha landscape includes the Budj Bim Volcano and Tae Rak (Lake Condah), as well as the Kurtonitj component, characterised by wetland swamps, and Tyrendarra in the south, an area of rocky ridges and large marshes. The Budj Bim lava flows, which connect these three components, have enabled the Gunditjmara to develop one of the largest and oldest aquaculture networks in the world. Composed of channels, dams and weirs, they are used to contain floodwaters and create basins to trap, store and harvest the kooyang, Short Finned Eel (Anguilla australis).

“Our people have been able to help rewrite the understanding of Indigenous people in Australia and across the world,” explained Braydon. “People now realise that the Indigenous way of living on landscape works, and there is a shift as we turn back to First Nations people to gain a better understanding of ways to care for Country.”

This is a shift, a dawning understanding, that Trust for Nature has been a part of for many years. Engaging regularly with Traditional Owners through joint projects, spending time together on Country, sharing knowledge, nurturing land, the organisation is committed to First Nations people in conserving, restoring, and protecting natural environments, wildlife and cultural heritage values.

Thanks to funding from the Victorian Government, under Trust for Nature’s Iconic Estates Program, staff recently had the opportunity to visit Budj Bim Cultural Landscape for a tour with Braydon and his team to gain a better understanding of the significance of the area.

“It was truly mind-blowing to see the way the Traditional Owners managed the land at Tae Rak,” said Amelia Houghton, Trust for Nature’s Statewide Operations Manager, who was part of the visit and had the chance for a treasured penny dropping moment.

“To think that something of this significance is right here in our own state is incredible.”

Trust for Nature’s Senior Conservation Officer Adam Merrick also had the opportunity to attend.

“It was such a great way for us to engage and learn, and celebrate the world heritage status of the Budj Bim landscape,” Adam said, “and we are hoping that will lead on to other engagement with Traditional Owners in the South West. We are currently exploring the opportunity to covenant land around Budj Bim, as there is spectacular and important vegetation, geology, and habitat through that zone, and also assist with cultural burns where it might be suitable on both land we own and help manage.”

Engagement and collaborative land management opportunities with Traditional Owners around Budj Bim is just one part of Trust for Nature’s organisation-wide approach to Indigenous partnerships.

“We have an overarching Reconciliation Action Plan which currently guides our approach, and because we work in conservation and land management, Traditional Owner engagement is central to how we operate,” Amelia said. “We are continuing to learn and embed cultural land management practices into the western science approach to managing covenants and reserves.”

This includes a cool season burning pilot project in the state’s North East, working with many Traditional Owner groups to improve habitat, and handing back Neds Corner Station to the First People of the Millewa Mallee Aboriginal Corporation. Trust for Nature also facilitates the Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management for First Nations/Traditional Owners (AHC31420), which has been designed by and specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to gain skills to work on Country. Trust for Nature proudly employs three Cultural Liaison Officers to support Aboriginal voices in the workplace; two are graduates of this course.

“It’s important that we do everything we can to support connection to Country continuing,” Amelia said.

For Braydon, it’s vital that Indigenous people are there with organisations like Trust for Nature at the forefront of conservation and land management at every opportunity.

“We want to learn just as much as we want to teach, and giving that chance to First Nations people is so important,” he said. “It means a lot.”

The Iconic Estates 2 project was supported by the Victorian Government’s Protecting Biodiversity Program.

Learn more about Budj Bim at budjbim.com.au