Hepburn Shire Council Plan 2021-25(PDF, 5MB) commits to:
Prioritising environmental management, protection and regeneration
Protecting and regenerating the natural resources of the Shire including the soils, water and ecological systems from both current and future threats.
A key activity of the Council to achieve this objective is to 'take proactive steps to protect, maintain and enhance biodiversity, including rare/endangered species and wildlife corridors, and reduction of weeds on Council land while minimising herbicide use. Partner with other stakeholders to achieve greater weed management outcomes shire-wide’.
Supporting actions to achieve this are:
Implement the Natural environment and biodiversity action plan within Sustainable Hepburn 2022-26
Implement actions to increase Council’s control and management of noxious weeds on reserves and roadsides under council management.
See below some of the work that Council is leading in this area. For more information visit Artisan Agriculture or our Healthy Landscapes pages.
Applications for the 2023 Hepburn Shire Biodiversity Grants are open until Friday 9 June 2023. We will announce the successful applicants in coming months and look forward to working with them. For more information and to apply visit our grants page.
Indigenous plants are not only native to Australia, but they are plants that occur naturally in your local area. These plants are an important source of food and shelter for local fauna. They have co-evolved with the local environment so they can survive local rainfall patterns and soils.
Using indigenous plants also:
Helps preserve the local plant populations
Can save water and money
Enhance wildlife corridors and provide links between fragmented bushland areas
Contribute to the distinctive local character of the Hepburn Shire
And they look great too!
Read a list of species suitable for gardens below:
Indigenous plant guide - pdf version(PDF, 961KB)
Indigenous plant guide - word document(DOCX, 578KB).
The Virtual Extension officer tool has been developed to help people identify options for controlling gorse, rabbits and Serrated Tussock.
Gorse and rabbits are among the most important agricultural and environmental pests in the Shire. Serrated Tussock is an emerging weed in the Shire.
The Virtual Extension Officer includes videos, downloads and links.
Visit the Virtual Extension Officer site.
Over 130 plants and animals in Hepburn Shire are classified as threatened in Australia or Victoria.
Click here to see a list(PDF, 251KB)
Hepburn Shire Council has supported the Birdlife Australia Aussie Bird count since 2020.
The following are the final reports compiled by Birdlife Australia. These document high levels of participation and important ecological data resulting from this annual week-long citizen science event.
What are the most commonly recorded birds in Hepburn Shire? What are the rarest? Where are our Shire's most active birdwatchers? Read these to find out!
2022 Aussie Bird Count - Shire of Hepburn(PDF, 37MB)
2021 Aussie Bird Count - Shire of Hepburn(PDF, 6MB)
2020-Aussie Bird Count - Shire of Hepburn(PDF, 29MB)