The Mornington Peninsula is an iconic Victorian landscape, valued for it beautiful beaches, lush green hinterlands, diverse flora and fauna, sites of cultural heritage and historic importance, geomorphological significance and productive rural land. At the urban-rural interface, the Mornington Peninsula separates Port Phillip and Western Port bays and supports a unique mixture of urban, agricultural and industrial areas and natural environments, and is one of the most visited areas for recreation and tourism in Victoria.

Since European settlement the Mornington Peninsula’s natural environment has undergone significant modification, including extensive habitat fragmentation, degradation of ecosystems, and subsequent declines and extinction of species. Although nearly one third of the original extent of native vegetation cover on the Mornington Peninsula remains, stresses associated with urban, agricultural and industrial development, challenge natural processes and threaten the resilience of land, water and biodiversity on the Peninsula.

Working across the heart of the Mornington Peninsula from Greens Bush through Arthurs Seat, this project will adopt an integrated catchment management approach to:

• Foster collaborative partnerships between the community, public land managers, agencies and traditional owners.
• Deliver an innovative land stewardship program that empowers landholders through education and training events as well as collaborative whole property planning process focussed on restoration of ecosystem function as well as regenerative farming and actions that improve efficiency, energy use and emissions, nitrogen and fertiliser use.
• Improve the health and resilience of high priority waterways of Splitters, Drum Drum Alloc & Main Creeks and Tootgarook Wetland through actions implemented by the Land Stewardship Program, weed management and other environmental works undertaken by Warreen Beek Rangers on covenanted properties, weed management works on public land Mornington Peninsula Shire and complementary works undertaken by Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water.
• Supporting Bunurong Land Council’s aspiration to work and learn on country through providing a regular flow of land management work for a Warreen Beek Ranger crew.

This project is seeking investment to support a land stewardship program focused on integrated catchment management in the heart of the Peninsula. The project will also support public land managers to deliver pest plant and animal control programs to protect and enhance native vegetation.