As part of our special series exploring 13 themes over 13 weeks from the Victorian State of the Environment 2018 Report, this week we highlight our chapter on Forests and review the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability’s Recommendations.
The report assesses the health of Victoria’s 3.2 million hectares of State forests and 3.7 million hectares of forested parks and reserves and has identified knowledge gaps in information about Victoria’s forests. Recommendations include improved statewide forest monitoring; the development of the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) spatial information capability and database to ensure it is regularly and routinely updated; and improved assessment of protected areas including the impact of forest fragmentation on biodiversity in native forests.