What was supposed to be the Western Grassland Reserves, to secure the conservation of some critically endangered ecosystems, is being illegally bulldozed. Ben Courtice argues it makes no sense.
Western Grassland Reserves
Although about 99% of Victoria's volcanic plains grasslands have been destroyed by development, some outstanding remnants of this unique ecosystem persist, especially on the western fringes of Melbourne.
The grasslands ecosystem was listed by the federal government as critically endangered in 2008. But at the same time, the then-Labor government of Victoria was initiating an expansion of Melbourne's Urban Growth Boundary that would severely impact some of its best remaining areas.