What is native vegetation?
Native vegetation includes all naturally occurring local native plants, from small groundcovers and native grasses to large trees. It also includes marine vegetation and certain species of dead trees in some areas (more information). Plants may be part of a bushland community or single trees in pasture. Vegetation that has been planted is generally not covered by the Native Vegetation Act 1991, except in particular circumstances. Greater detail on what is considered native vegetation is available from the native vegetation website.
Native vegetation means plants like trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses that would have grown naturally in Victoria before European arrival. It does not include plants that originate from other parts of Australia or from other countries. Victoria has a wide range of vegetation types, including alpine meadows, mallee, grasslands, grassy woodlands, forests, heathlands, wetlands and coastal scrub. Some of our plants (and animals) are found nowhere else in the world. Our native vegetation is described in terms of Ecological Vegetation Classes. Why is native vegetation important? Native vegetation provides ecological services, such as: providing habitat for plants and animals preventing land degradation, such as salinity and erosion minimising impacts of the greenhouse effect maintaining long-term productive capacity of land providing shade and shelter on farms, improving crop and stock productivity protecting water quality and, in some cases, how much water is available Native vegetation also
