City Limits - Critically Endangered Grassland vs. Airport Rail Link

City Limits

The critically endangered temperate grassland ecosystem along Steele Creek, Steele Creek North are home to the Striped Legless Lizard and Growling Grass Frog. The current Threatened Species Management Plan is inadequate and threatens the grassland, its precious ground fauna, as well as the one and only 200+ year old tree, other riparian vegetation and genetically unique seedbanks supposedly protected by state laws.Helen van den Berg (longtime community activist currently involved with Friends of Steele Creek, among other projects) brings Kevin and Karina a compelling take on why it is important to preserve this threatened area, what exactly needs to be amended in the planning of this project as well as the federal EPBC act and other laws ~supposedly~ there to protect these species. We also talk about the ecological nightmare of "urban stream syndrome", coined in the early 2000s - our waterways have been left by the wayside in favour of developers, causing turbidity, slow post-rainfall recuperation and little to no biodiversity. This is a massive issue when we are facing a future (and present!) of little rainfall and rapidly decreasing groundwater. Still no word from the Vic. Planning Minister if he intends to use Victorian laws to protect our Vic. Volcanic Grassy Plains Woodland and Stream Bank vegetation.