Bushland reserves

Natural bushland, with various trees and shrubs growing harmoniously

Maroondah is home to approximately 44 bushland reserves, which offer visitors the enjoyment of wildflowers,  wildlife, bush walks and wetlands. 

Some of the reserves contain rare and threatened species that need to be protected.  Some of the bushland reserves are quite small and not accessible to the public however a list of the accessible reserves can be found on the Parks and Playgrounds page.

Green waste dumping

Our bushland reserves are home to most of Maroondah’s biodiversity. These areas are sensitive and need to be protected.

Dumping green waste in Council reserves negatively impacts the environment, bushland areas and waterways.

Green waste includes materials such as lawn clippings, branches, weeds, leaves, soil, and mulch.

Impacts of green waste dumping

Green waste dumping can have numerous impacts, including:

  • introducing environmental weeds and non-indigenous species into the environment, which can smother and out compete our indigenous species. This can have flow on effects for our wildlife and natural ecosystem processes.
  • increasing nutrients in the soil which indigenous plants aren’t accustomed to. Australian plants have adapted to low soil nutrient levels. Excessive nutrients can also contaminate waterways, cause algal blooms, and affect aquatic life.
  • introducing disease, pathogens, and pests into environmentally sensitive areas.
  • and increasing fuel load and fire risk.

How you can help

If you see something, say something. Help protect our bushland reserves and biodiversity in Maroondah.

Restoring Bushland

Bushland areas are valuable and fragile and need to be protected and looked after. Council’s Bushland Management team will aim to protect areas with significant flora and fauna by installing fencing and signage in significant areas to allow them to regenerate. 

Even walking through Bushland can negatively impact the environment by trampling sensitive vegetation, supressing the germination of seedlings, bringing in and spreading invasive weed species, pathogens and disease as well as compacting and eroding soil.

By leaving areas undisturbed we can protect significant vegetation and habitat for local wildlife, restore and maintain ecosystem health, and facilitate the natural regeneration processes.

Sticking to designated paths is an important way the community can help to protect and enhance Maroondah’s bushland and biodiversity.

Vegetation Structure

Bushland is made up of three layers - an overstorey, middle storey and understorey. The most diverse layer being the understorey vegetation, which contains a mixture of herbs, grasses, shrubs, lichens, fungi, mosses and small trees. In comparison to the overstorey, the understorey consists of dozens more plant species, however all three layers play a significant role in the environment.

Understorey vegetation is often overlooked as being a significant part of Maroondah's bushland reserves, resulting in irreversible degradation and the loss of local fauna that depend on these plants for survival. Local fauna have, over time, adapted to the natural vegetation of the area as a food source and rely on this for their health and well being. Bushland reserves are areas that have been set aside for the retention of local native vegetation and to provide homes and food for the local wildlife, as a large percentage of their habitat has been cleared over time for business and residential developments.

Protecting indigenous plants

To conserve Maroondah's bushland, locally native (indigenous) plant species MUST NOT be removed from any bushland reserve. They are protected by law. 

Some indigenous plants look similar to invasive weeds. If you have questions, or would like a plant identified, contact the Maroondah Bushland team via email on nature@maroondah.vic.gov.au or call 1300 88 22 33.

Bushland regeneration

The aim of bush regeneration, also known as 'natural area restoration', is to restore and maintain ecosystem health by facilitating the natural regeneration of indigenous flora, this is usually achieved by selectively reducing the competitive interaction with invasive species, or mitigation of negative influences such as weeds or erosion.

For further information on bushland regeneration in Maroondah please contact the Maroondah Bushland team via email Derek.Ashton@maroondah.vic.gov.au or nature@maroondah.vic.gov.au or call 1300 88 22 33.

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