Meeting papers

Retained Habitat
   • Any habitat that, in the opinion of the council LfW Officer, is significant to wildlife conservation.
   • Can include remnant or regrowth habitats that can be described using Regional Ecosystem
       definitions.
   • Can include human-modified or re-established ecosystems such as grasslands, dams and constructed
       landscapes that are managed primarily for nature conservation and provide habitat for wildlife but
       cannot be categorised as a Regional Ecosystem.
   • Contains plant species consistent with the Regional Ecosystem definition.
   • Contains vegetation layers such as groundcovers, vines, grasses, trees and shrubs consistent with the
       Regional Ecosystem definition.
   • If threats such as weeds, pest animals and soil erosion are present, they are manageable.
   • Provides habitat resources for a diversity of wildlife.
   • In the opinion of the council LfW Officer, the habitat’s ecological condition is good and is either
       stable or improving.

    Examples:
       - Open forest with a mature eucalypt canopy, a diversity of native understorey plants, fallen
          timber, fenced off from grazing for several years and describable as a Regional Ecosystem.
       - A dam with good water quality and aquatic and/or surrounding vegetation that provides
          significant habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife including waterbirds.
       - A regenerating rainforest that has formed a canopy and has developed good leaf litter
          layers and attracts rainforest wildlife.




 Habitat Under Restoration
    • Any habitat that, in the opinion of the council LfW Officer, does not meet the definition of
         Retained Habitat, and is undergoing restoration including assisted natural regeneration,
         revegetation or fencing to exclude stock.
    • Can include regrowth or re-established habitat.
    • May or may not be describable using Regional Ecosystem definitions.
    • Contains significant threats such as weeds, pest animals, erosion, development or fragmentation.
    • Provides habitat resources for some wildlife.
    • In the opinion of the council LfW Officer, the habitat’s ecological condition is either poor, declining
         or slowly improving and requires active management to bring it back to a stable or healthy state.

     Examples:
        - Bare/degraded land where the landholder has commenced restoration to transition the area to
           native vegetation.
        - A native tree plantation comprised of non-invasive native species that is not going to be
           harvested but lacks an understorey and provision of diverse wildlife habitat, and the landholder
           is committed to improving the ecological condition of this area.
        - Native vegetation community that is not yet ecologically functional (lacks a native
           understorey and/or key species representative of the Regional Ecosystem), and the
           landholder is committed to improving the ecological condition of this area.




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