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                    Biodiversity research and resources

                    People at a table looking at samples collected in the waterbug bioblitz
                    The City of Melbourne is strongly committed to enhancing biodiversity in our city and improving ways in which we measure, monitor, and evaluate what plants, animals, and fungi call Melbourne home.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​To do this we are partnering with local universities and knowledge hubs to trial innovative techniques that improve biodiversity in the municipality, share outcomes, and create public resources that can be used for future projects.

                    Please contact nature@melbourne.vic.gov.au for more information.

                    Expand the sections below to learn about some of our current projects and resources that focus on research and biodiversity in our city:

                    Research

                    Superb City Wrens

                    ​The Superb City Wrens project goal is to improve inner-city habitats for superb fairy-wrens and other small birds. We want to find out where superb fairy-wrens are living and foraging in the Parkville area and importantly, where they’re not, so we can improve habitat where it’s needed most.

                    Find out how you can get involved in this citizen science monitoring project.

                    Royal Park Direct Seeding Project

                    ​In late April 2020, almost one million seeds of native wildflowers and grasses were sown along Gatehouse Street in Royal Park, Parkville, as part of the Royal Park Direct Seeding Project. This project is a partnership between the City of Melbourne and the University of Melbourne. 

                    The Royal Park Direct Seeding Project builds on information gained from previous trials conducted in 2018 and aims to create a native grassy understorey under established eucalypts. Previous findings suggest that sand and irrigation facilitate understorey recruitment under eucalypts along Gatehouse Street, so these techniques are now being tested on a larger scale. 

                    The experimental trial is taking place at Gatehouse Street, spanning an area of approximately 1300 square metres. There are a total of 54 trial plots, each prepared with one of six different surface treatments: 

                    • Soil

                    • Soil with jute matting

                    • 10 mm depth sand 

                    • 10 mm depth sand with jute matting

                    • 80 mm depth sand 

                    • 80 mm depth sand with jute matting

                    A total of 27 species of native wildflowers and grasses were sown and distributed across all plots. Species include Chocolate Lily (Arthropodium strictum), Sticky Everlasting (Xerochrysum viscosum), Tufted Bluebell (Wahlenbergia capillaris), Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) and Common Wheat Grass (Anthosachne scabra). The species mix was carefully chosen to provide habitat, extend flowering time and achieve plant growth in the challenging conditions of this site.

                    Researchers at the University of Melbourne will be monitoring the site for 12 months post-direct seeding. The six surface treatments will be tested and compared for capacity to support species establishment, richness and flowering interest.

                    In addition, the maintenance of plots under the six treatments will be compared against existing, adjacent mulched beds (‘control plots’), under regular ‘Business as Usual’ maintenance. Findings gained from this will lead to a better understanding of the resource inputs required to maintain an indigenous understorey in urban environments. 

                    The Royal Park Direct Seeding Project will provide a substantial contribution to increasing the understorey habitat on City of Melbourne managed land and identify the best way to develop a successful, manageable and cost-effective native understorey ecosystem.

                    Tree hollows for wildlife

                    ​Tree hollows provide essential resources for wildlife such as parrots, owls, kookaburras, microbats and possums by providing places for them to shelter and rear young. Hollows form over long periods of time as trees are exposed to elements such as fire, wind, and damage from fungi and insects. It usually takes over 100 years for usable hollows for wildlife to naturally form in Australia. There are typically fewer hollow-bearing trees in urban areas because: 

                    • Many very old trees were removed to build the city. 

                    • Planted trees may not be old enough or may not live long enough to form hollows. 

                    • Decaying or damaged wood is actively removed to reduce risk in populated areas.

                    To provide new habitat for wildlife, the City of Melbourne installed hollows in several of our trees across the city. Hollows were carved into dead trees using chainsaws and specialist carving techniques. By installing a range of tree hollows of different sizes, the City of Melbourne aims to increase the diversity of hollow-dependent wildlife in the city. 

                    You can view these chainsaw hollows in some of our ‘Habitat Trees’ across the city, such as in Flagstaff Gardens and Royal Park.

                    We will continue to monitor these hollows to determine what species use them and if they are effective.

                    Melbourne BioBlitzes 2014 and 2016

                    ​Melbourne BioBlitz is one of the City of Melbourne’s major citizen science programs, where experts and members of the community work together to discover, document, and learn about the species that call our city home.

                    The most recent Melbourne BioBlitz took place over 24 hours on 4 and 5 March 2016. During the BioBlitz 744 members of the public joined 27 activities which included spotting birds at Royal Park, identifying insects at Westgate Park, and searching for plants in the Fitzroy Gardens. There were 605 sightings reported during the 24 hour event, representing at least 447 different species of plants, animals and fungi.

                    The 2014 BioBlitz was held between 31 October and 15 November 2014. Over 700 citizens participated in 53 events led by 90 volunteer ecologists and experts, collecting over 3000 biodiversity records for the city. It gave Melburnians the unique opportunity to work alongside professional and amateur naturalists to discover Melbourne's biodiversity and help to produce a list of species living in our city. The City of Melbourne has analysed the data collected in the 2014 and 2016 BioBlitzes and is now building a baseline dataset against which future changes in biodiversity can be measured and evaluated.

                    Microbat Bioblitz

                    ​Microbats are an essential part of healthy urban ecosystems and play an important role in regulating insect populations in the City of Melbourne.

                    Climate change is predicted to increase threats from pest insect populations, and has the potential to cause significant and costly damage to the urban ecosystems and human health. Microbats are one of our first lines of defence.

                    In February and March 2020, the City of Melbourne partnered with the University of Melbourne to deliver a Microbat Bioblitz. With very little information existing about microbats in the city, the aim was to establish baseline microbat biodiversity data for the city, while also engaging the community and providing opportunities to connect with nature.

                    The Microbat Bioblitz featured 16 citizen science events held over three weeks in a range of different park locations:

                    • Mini Microbat Bioblitzes: We held 15 mini-blitz events where over 200 citizen scientists in total helped researchers set up nets, safely capture microbats and record and identify their distinctive calls. Data was collected across five locations across Royal Park, Fitzroy Gardens, Carlton Gardens and Kings Domain.

                    • The Big Microbat Bioblitz: On Saturday 8 February, we held a large, family friendly event at the Royal Park Tennis Club with almost 100 attendees. This featured bat-crafts, presentations from experts and an opportunity for members of the public to see live bats up close through a captive microbat exhibit.

                    Citizen science surveys showed a total of five species present across the parks surveyed. The most abundant species found was Gould’s wattled bat (Chalinolobus gouldii). We detected the most calls from this species (31 per cent of identified calls) and even managed to safely capture and release three adult Gould’s wattled bats, two males and one female.

                    Other species identified from their distinctive calls were the Chocolate wattled bat (Chalinolobus morio), Little forest bat (Vespadelus vulturnus), White-striped free-tail bat (Austronomous australis) and Southern free-tailed bat (Ozimops planiceps).

                    Overall, the microbat community across the city was characterised by relatively low microbat diversity, and a disproportionately high level of Gould’s wattled bat activity.

                    Why was this the case? We suspect this species’ combination of adaptable roosting and foraging behaviour likely drives its success in urban landscapes.

                    Findings will help inform how we manage open spaces and provide habitat and resources for these remarkable creatures.

                    Additional surveys

                    During March and April, a further data collection period using static bat detectors mounted in trees was undertaken after the citizen science events. The purpose of these surveys was to understand if the survey methodology using citizen scientists reduced the quality or quantity of data collected. Findings were similar, although a further two species were identified: the Lesser long-eared bat (Nyctophilus geoffroyi), and Large forest bat (Vespadelus darlingtoni). This was mostly because the static bat detectors can collect data for much longer periods of time, but some bat species may also avoid the presence of people.

                    HollowBlitz

                    ​In 2017, the City of Melbourne recently hosted a citizen-science program titled ‘HollowBlitz’, which examined what birds were nesting in tree hollows in our municipality.

                    It took place over four nights in October and November 2017 at five parks in the city: Carlton Gardens, Fawkner Park, Fitzroy Gardens, Royal Park and the Stock Route in Kensington.

                    Over 200 volunteers helped out over the course of the events.

                    Although we know the City of Melbourne is home to many hollow-nesting birds, the study found only a few species nesting in parks.

                    We suspect this is due to a lack of suitably sized hollows, so we’ve started to create new, human-made hollows in existing trees.

                    The City of Melbourne will continue to monitor hollow-nesting birds throughout our parks.

                    Seminar: Tree Hollows and Wildlife in the City of Melbourne

                    In October 2017 the City of Melbourne hosted a seminar: 'Tree Hollows and Wildlife in the City of Melbourne', which focused on the science behind the HollowBlitz surveys, you can download the audio recording.

                    Seminar: Tree Hollows and Wildlife in the City of Melbourne (MP3 51.12 MB)

                    Note: Please right-click the link and select 'Save as' to save the file.

                    Melbourne Waterbug Blitz

                    ​In October 2018, the City of Melbourne ran a Waterbug BioBlitz as part of the National Waterbug Blitz. Three citizen science events saw us learn about waterbugs and the importance of these small animals in our waterways and urban ecosystems.

                    Our first event was a science seminar to discuss the importance of waterbugs, freshwater ecosystems, and waterway health in urban areas, and featured talks from Melbourne Water, the University of Melbourne, and the Waterbug Company. 

                    Our next events, as part of the Melbourne Waterbug Blitz, involved stepping into waterproof waders and gearing up with dip-nets and buckets to collect waterbug samples from six different sites: Carlton Gardens, Domain Parklands (Queen Victoria Gardens), Fitzroy Gardens, Royal Park (Trin Warren Tam-boore wetland and also the Australian Native Garden pond), and Westgate Park.

                    We then sorted through these samples and identified waterbugs at our exciting Dragonfly Festival, which was full of celebrations and family fun. We found an impressive 21 taxa groups of waterbugs on the day, including 7 different groups in a water fountain! The Westgate Park and Royal Park sites gave us the highest number of waterbugs and had the highest habitat rating with plenty of vegetation next to and throughout the wetlands. 

                    The findings from this citizen science project will help inform future management of our urban wetlands.

                    What are waterbugs?

                    Waterbugs (Freshwater or aquatic macroinvertebrates) are small animals that live in freshwater for all, or part of, their life cycle. These are predominantly juvenile stages of insects like dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, caddisflies, water beetles and more. Because they move between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, they play key roles in both aquatic and land-based food webs, as well as in the transfer of nutrients between the two ecosystems.

                    Mistletoe

                    ​In July 2017, Melbourne’s urban forest was given a ‘kiss’ of renewal, thanks to a world-first trial to plant Australian native mistletoe into the canopies of the city’s London plane trees. In collaboration with mistletoe expert Professor David M. Watson from Charles Sturt University, 28 plane trees were planted with native Creeping Mistletoe (Muellerina eucalyptoides) seed in July 2017.

                    The makeover in North Melbourne, Parkville, South Yarra, and Southbank is expected to boost ecology and biodiversity in the existing tree canopy cover and provide food and shelter for a wide range of wildlife, including the White Imperial and Spotted Jezabel butterflies and the locally uncommon mistletoe bird.

                    Viewed by some in the past as a pest in native forests, mistletoe is now recognised as a keystone species that is critical for supporting woodland birds. Plane trees were chosen as they are exceptionally tolerant of urban conditions but provide minimal habitat and resources for wildlife. Planting mistletoe into the canopies aims to provide more shelter, food, and places to nest for wildlife. The City of Melbourne will monitor the outcomes of this trial.

                    Key facts about mistletoe

                    Mistletoe grows in the canopy of trees, partially obtaining water and nutrients from the tree through the point of attachment. Contrary to popular belief, Australian mistletoe does not kill healthy trees nor cause tree branches to spontaneously break.

                    There are approximately 1600 species of mistletoe world-wide, with 90 native to Australia, and six native to Melbourne. By comparison, there is only one mistletoe species in Europe.

                    The species we are planting (Creeping Mistletoe) is native to Melbourne, and is important for our local birds and insects, including butterflies.

                    Mistletoe fruit and leaves are packed full of energy and nutrients, and is a ‘magnet’ for a whole range of fruit-eating birds, mammals, and insects.

                    Some mistletoe species are particularly good at accumulating heavy metals and they may play an important role in purifying the air.

                    Mistletoe surveys

                    One year after artificially planting 832 mistletoe seeds on 26 London Plane trees, surveys were undertaken by Citizen Forester volunteers to check on the seeds and see how many had germinated. The surveys revealed 24 live seedlings — a survival rate of nearly 3 per cent. While this might not sound like much, it was actually a really good success rate for mistletoe.

                    Want to in participate in the collection of important ecological data such as the Mistletoe surveys? Register or find out more about the Citizen Forester Program.

                    Resources

                    Threatened Plant Living Collection Plan

                    The City of Melbourne Threatened Plant Living Collection Plan aims to widen the focus of the city’s parks and gardens from primarily amenity purposes to include the cultivation of threatened plant species to make meaningful contributions towards their conservation.

                    This is the result of a collaborative initiative between the City of Melbourne and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and incorporates methods typically undertaken by botanical gardens to curate a living collections. The document describes and guides the selection, acquisition, maintenance, documentation, interpretation and display of threatened plant species in green spaces managed by the City of Melbourne. 

                    A key objective of this work is to increase the planting of rare and threatened plant species in council landscapes. Consequently, a Threatened Species Assessment Tool was used to provide a framework to assess and prioritise the inclusion of threatened species into landscape plantings. Higher priority was given to species which are the most threatened and are indigenous to the City of Melbourne. From this assessment process, a priority list of 56 species has been short-listed as appropriate threatened species for planting in City of Melbourne green spaces. 

                    The next steps towards planting the species short-listed in this document will be to compile more detailed information about each species’ specific conservation requirements and find suitable locations for them in city landscapes.

                    ​Download the Threatened Plant Living Collection Plan:

                    Download the full species assessment dataset:

                    Urban Nature: Urban Myth? A symposium for urban practitioners

                    Urban Nature: Urban Myth? A symposium for urban practitioners was a two-day symposium hosted by the City of Melbourne on 11 to 12 May 2023. 

                    Inspired by exciting local case studies, the aim of this industry event was to make good work more visible, amplify uptake of new research, and shift social norms on what ‘should be done’ for nature in the urban environment.

                    On the first day of the symposium, a full house of over 300 people attended Melbourne Town Hall to hear from world-leading experts from diverse fields, discussing common misunderstandings about urban biodiversity and how we can help redefine best practice. 

                    Seven urban nature myths were addressed on the day:

                    • Urban Myth 1: Small habitat patches don’t matter
                    • Urban Myth 2: Anything green will do
                    • Urban Myth 3: Green infrastructure will solve the biodiversity crisis in cities
                    • Urban Myth 4: Nature will look after itself
                    • Urban Myth 5: Nature doesn’t belong in the city
                    • Urban Myth 6: People won’t like it
                    • Urban Myth 7: We can’t afford it

                    Watch recordings​ of the thought-provoking presentations and panel discussions that took place.

                    On the second day of the symposium, practitioners were brought together in two workshops where participants took a deeper dive into current industry issues:

                    • Urban biodiversity: barriers, opportunities, and how we can make it easier?
                    • Sourcing new stock: how can we fix the skill shortage in arboriculture? 

                    Stay tuned for outcomes from these workshops.

                    City of Melbourne extends its appreciation to co-convenor Dr Cathy Oke OAM, the Scientific Program Leadership members, sponsors, presenters, panellists, facilitators and attendees for making this symposium possible.

                    Guidelines for Biodiversity Green Roofs

                    ​The Guidelines for Biodiversity Green Roofs has been developed by researchers from the Green Infrastructure Research Group at the University of Melbourne, to provide advice to building owners, landscape architects, landscape construction contractors and horticulturalists wanting to design and build a green roof that has a primary purpose as provision of habitat for biodiversity.

                    This document explains the characteristics of green roofs known to influence their biodiversity habitat value, provides an evidenced-based overview of the fauna taxa known to live on and use green roofs, details green roof design elements ​known to be important for fauna, and provides suggestions of Victorian habitat templates and plant traits to guide green roof plant selection.​

                    To guide the design of future biodiversity green roofs in Melbourne, a list of suitable plants has been compiled, comprising mostly native plant species known to grow successfully on green roofs, the biodiversity resources they can provide and fauna taxa recorded using them. You can find detailed information about these plants on our Urban Nature Planting Guide.

                    Download the guidelines 

                    Guidelines for Biodiversity Green Roofs​ (PDF 8 MB)​
                    Guidelines for Biodiversity Green Roofs​ (DOC 7 MB)​​​

                    Pre-Colonial plant list

                    ​The "Pre-colonial plant list for the City of Melbourne" is a report produced by expert botanists, Steve Sinclair, Geoff Sutter and Mike Duncan, from the Arthur Rylah Institute.

                    The report specifies plant species that likely occurred in Melbourne prior to European colonisation. Since colonisation, the natural vegetation of the City of Melbourne has been almost entirely destroyed by urban and industrial development, and only small remnant patches remain such as those in Royal Park. 

                    The pre-European vegetation and landscape of the City of Melbourne is of considerable historical, educational and cultural interest to the community. The list will guide future plantings and restoration projects, and support education and arts projects that foster community connection with nature and history.

                    You can find the report and accompanying plant list on our Open Data Platform.  

                    If you’re interested in learning more about key places of Aboriginal cultural and historical significance in the City of Melbourne, explore Mapping Aboriginal Melbourne.  

                    Streetscape plantings for biodiversity

                    Understorey vegetation is a key contributor to a healthy ecosystem and provides particularly important habitat for small birds and insects. By increasing the cover of low maintenance native shrubs and grasses across the city, we hope to increase habitat that supports higher levels of biodiversity and a more interesting landscape for people.

                    We are currently monitoring a suite of ‘Streetscape Plantings for Biodiversity’ to identify a diverse palette of plant species that can tolerate the harsh growing condition in urban streets whilst improving biodiversity. 

                    The streetscape plantings for biodiversity can be found in:

                    • Arden Street, North Melbourne
                    • Park Street, Parkville
                    • Docklands Drive, Docklands
                    • Clowes Street, South Yarra.              

                    You can discover what plants may attract and support biodiversity by using our Urban nature planting guide.

                    Biodiversity Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework

                    ​'The Nature in the City Strategy 2017' sets out a series of goals, priorities and actions to deliver this commitment over the next 10 years. How will the City of Melbourne know if it has achieved these ambitious goals and priorities? The City of Melbourne is committed to adopting best practise ecological management and using an evidence-based and adaptive management approach in decision making.  Fundamental to this approach is the need for a strategic and co-ordinated framework to guide nature-based research and monitoring. In light of this, the City of Melbourne has produced the Biodiversity Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework (BMERF). This framework a living document that guides all aspects of the research and monitoring process – from the decision to undertake research, trials or monitoring, through to design, implementation, analysis and reporting and updating of management practices.

                    The BMERF also helps to satisfy the evaluation component of the first action in the Nature in the City Strategy, namely ‘to establish a comprehensive baseline of species, vegetation communities, and habitats to inform decision-making, guide management actions and evaluate success.’ The framework is the tool that the City of Melbourne will use to provide strategies and approaches to collect data to inform decision making, guide management actions and evaluate the success of the Nature in the City Strategy.
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