The health of native vegetation reserves across urban areas is declining, and the City of Greater Dandenong is no exception. The drought and nearby urbanisation are contributing to this deterioration. Additionally, land use changes render these ecosystems less resilient to forecast climate change, namely reduced mean annual rainfall and greater mean annual temperature. Council is committed to protecting these valuable assets, given the value they bring to our community and to local biodiversity.  

Water stress is believed to be a contributing factor in the deterioration of Council’s reserves. Drought and the installation of stormwater drains contribute to the drying out of the reserve’s soils, resulting in a substantial decline in the vegetation’s ecological health. This is particular evident in native Eucalyptus woodlands.

The City of Greater Dandenong is looking to prevent further deterioration of vegetation health by using stormwater runoff to replenish the vadose (unsaturated) zone via small-scale infiltration systems or stormwater harvesting system. It is hoped that these systems will provide an important water reserve during drought periods. Coomoora Reserve has been earmarked as a trial site.

This presentation will cover how Council, with the assistance of GHD and Biosphere, is looking into this issue. The presentation will provide details on:
•    The initial diagnostic
•    The proposed remedy
•    Future monitoring

Finally, this session will detail how Council plans to use the finding of the Coomoora trial to inform the management of Coomoora and its other Eucalyptus woodland reserves.