We manage a wide variety of nature reserves, covering over 1,400 hectares, that provide habitat for a diversity of native plants, animals and other wildlife.
There are many open space reserves within our municipality. Some of these have important environmental values and are managed as nature reserves.
Nature reserves we manage range from forested areas in the Brisbane Ranges to the north, through a range of grasslands and woodlands, to coastal dune systems in the south. The reserves can range in size from less than one hectare to over 500 hectares and each requires careful management to protect their environmental values.
It is estimated that since European settlement, up to 95 percent of all native vegetation has been cleared from the Greater Geelong area. Now, with less than 5 percent remaining, it's essential we all work together to protect and improve the quality of what's left.
Native vegetation on roadsides
Native vegetation and wildlife habitat can also be found on other land the City manages such as rural roadsides. Rural roadsides can support high quality native vegetation and provide important corridors for wildlife to travel.
As you drive around Greater Geelong, see if you can spot our native vegetation area signs on the roadside. These are the signs with the image of the Tawny Frogmouth and they indicate that native vegetation is present.
Native grasslands
Grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic plains are our most threatened ecosystem. It is extremely important to protect the small areas that remain.
Grassland remnants can be found in some of our nature reserves and on many roadsides in the north of our municipality.
Native grasslands often look like any other paddock from far away, however the species they support are very rare and many are threatened with extinction.
Something to look out for when visiting a native grassland are the many native herbs, forbs and wildflowers which can, if you're lucky, be seen flowering, usually in spring.
Other reserves
There are also a number of environmental reserves in our region that are managed by other organizations such as Parks Victoria. Some examples include the:
- You Yangs National Park
- Brisbane Ranges National Park and
- Lake Connewarre Wetland Complex.
Nature Neighbours publication
To find out what you can do to protect our nature reserves see our Nature Neighbours - Being a Good Neighbour to Our Nature Reserves publication.
To discover City managed nature reserves near you, use our reserve finder interactive map.
Native vegetation and wildlife habitat found in our reserves and on our rural roadsides is protected by State and Federal Legislation. Activities that remove native vegetation or wildlife habitat on City reserves or rural roadsides are not permitted, and penalties may apply.