Plans to maintain and upgrade the foreshore including vegetation projects and maritime infrastructure renewals.
Practical Ecology Pty Ltd was commissioned by the City of Port Phillip to prepare a Foreshore and Hinterland Vegetation Management Plan. While this current project initially included a primary focus upon eleven foreshore reserves, it was confirmed as the project progressed that five hinterland reserves were to also be included. The majority of these sites are also covered by the Natural Heritage Management Program previously prepared for the municipality. The City of Port Phillip has a well established and effective management regime to deliver positive ecological outcomes whilst also meeting a number of other management considerations in relation to safety and access. These considerations include in particular the establishment of: o safer reserves, by ensuring that native vegetation within reserves contributes to a safe environment for reserve users, and o appropriate access, given that in some cases residents and reserve users require adequate access within the reserves to key locations or through the reserves. The number and type of access need to be balanced against other management objectives. In many cases, tracks are regularly being made through bushland areas or people are trampling vegetation in higher use areas (such as near carparks). This Foreshore and Hinterland Vegetation Management Plan aims to provide some further structure and documentation to complement the current management occurring within the reserves assessed as part of this study. It also aims to address Council issues regarding some key management challenges, particularly regarding native vegetation within the reserves.