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What is biodiversity and why is it so important?

Biodiversity is short for biological diversity, and includes all plants, animals, micro-organisms and the ecosystems that support them.

All life, including humans, depends on healthy and functioning ecosystems to provide:

• a stable climate that ecosystems, and in particular plants, help to maintain clean air, clean water and healthy soils
• protection from devastating and costly land degradation, such as salinity
• natural pest control and pollination for agricultural crops
• food, medicines, timber and recreation

What are the main threats to biodiversity in this area?

• climate change
• clearing and habitat fragmentation
• over grazing by pest or introduced animals
• weeds
• inappropriate fire regimes
• loss of hollow bearing trees
• loss of wetland habitats

About the Wombat Forest

The Wombat State Forest straddles the Great Dividing Range in Central Victoria between Daylesford and Woodend. It is the largest area of forest in the region, covering 56,000 hectares.

Since Europeans arrived in the district, the Wombat has had an intense history of exploitation for gold, timber, firewood and more recently, woodchips. Although logging and wood chipping have ceased, the impacts of these activities, such as the loss of hollow-bearing trees and the fragmentation of the remaining areas of mature forest will be felt for many years.

Scattered throughout the forest the stumps of once- massive trees can be found, a testimony to the original forest.

Despite the degradation caused by this exploitation, the Wombat remains a very important area for biodiversity conservation. The Wombat Forest has a diversity of vegetation types ranging from dry to damp forests and over 350 indigenous flora species. It contains critical habitat for a variety of native fauna.

This diverse range of flora and fauna includes endangered species such as the Powerful Owl and the Wombat Leafless Bossiaea. While we may be aware of the animals, birds, lizards, frogs, insects and plants, we tend to give much less thought to the silent and secretive organisms working endless miracles just below the surface. The health of the forest is dependent on its relationships with fungi and the protection of habitat is a fundamental factor in the preservation of fungal diversity. The diverse and mysterious ecosystems of the Wombat Forest are critical to its future health and the
wellbeing of its species.

The Wombat State Forest is also a vital water source for a large section of the Victorian community, being headwaters of six major rivers which flow to the north (Coliban, Loddon, and Campaspe) and to the south (Lerderderg, Werribee and Moorabool).

The Wombat Forest, recognised as a “greenhouse refugia”, is one of the areas in Victoria which is expected to fare better under the effects of climate change (R. Brereton et al, 1995). Acknowledging the Wombat as a greenhouse refuge means that on a statewide scale this area is very important ecologically and should be managed as such. The Wombat Forest is first and foremost a refuge for its inhabitants and migratory species . . . and a source of inspiration for humans who value its richness, its subtle beauties and its tranquillity.

It is our duty to be custodians of this special place so that others who come after us can also enjoy these vital but fragile qualities.