From Swamp Paperbarks to majestic River Red Gums and towering Mountain Ash, trees are the building blocks of catchments.  This National Tree Day West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA) celebrates trees young and old – those in the precious patches of remnant bush we strive to protect and enhance and those planted today to play a part in our dream of restoring rivers and catchments.

“From San Remo to Sale, West Gippsland is a diverse environment with a mind boggling array of tree species and vegetation communities,” said Matt Bowler, Team Leader – Project Delivery for West Gippsland CMA.

“Every tree plays its part in healthy waterways by securing banks and making them more resilient, filtering water and providing shelter for stock and homes for wildlife.”

“Remnant patches of vegetation exist across the catchment and are those that have never been cleared. Each is precious and provides the richest habitat and a virtual ‘encyclopedia’ of the complexity of plants that grow in Gippsland.”

Matt and his team look to these remnants to inform their projects.

“They are the ‘time capsules’ and reflect what we are trying to recreate across our restoration projects that will ultimately become the ‘remnant vegetation’ of the future.”

Farmers often tell Matt that shelter belts are ‘better than hay’ out in the paddocks with cattle resting in their shelter over winter and keeping on weight and condition. Farmers are also key in supporting habitat by fencing off patches of remnant vegetation on their properties.

Along rivers, Matt and team works with landholders to create habitat to fence off riverbanks, protect vegetation and enhance the different habitats that once dominated the landscape.  

Across 2023-24, Matt and his Project Delivery team put in 150,000 carefully sourced and selected plants to enhance and link wetlands and restore rivers. This number is complemented by many more planted by the amazing partners the CMA works with – including Traditional Owners, Landcare, Trust for Nature, Greening Australia and private landholders.  

“Revegetated rivers become corridors for animals to move along and also find refuge in times of drought.”

“I’ve been involved with the CMA for 15 plus years, and one of the best parts of my job is driving around, seeing the patches of habitat we have helped to create doing their job, full of birds, koalas, possums and gliders.”