20 April 2023
Congratulations to the City of Great Dandenong for organising an amazing festival...
Congratulations to the City of Great Dandenong for organising an amazing festival with perfect weather on the Dandenong Creek. Over 600 people attended with many fun activities, including; a Bunurong Traditional Ceremony and cultural dancing, fishing, water watch, basket weaving, badge making and a Living Links Quiz with family prizes.
From 1 January 2022, the Port Phillip and Western Port Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA) was integrated into Melbourne Water.
Living Links is now coordinated by Melbourne Water on behalf of its partner organisations.
This means that the catchment and waterways management responsibilities across the Port Philip and Western Port region now come under a single, integrated entity with a shared vision to improve and enhance our land, water and biodiversity.
Melbourne Water now hosts and coordinates the Living Links Program. Melbourne Water has been a longstanding partner of Living Links and will ensure Living Links continues its strong history of delivering on-ground outcomes through collaboration and partnerships.
The PPWCMA was proud of its strong relationships with partners, Traditional Owners and community groups. The PPWCMA’s shared expertise, connections and projects have now become an integral part of Melbourne Water.
Samantha Bradley is now the Melbourne Water, Living Links Coordinator and can be contacted at: samantha.bradley@melbournewater.com.au
Applications are now open for the Living Links Ambassador Schools Program 2023.
Living Links supports one primary or secondary school located within the Dandenong Creek Catchment to undertake a project relating to the Living Links program vision of “Creating a web of green spaces where people and nature connect”.
A $2,000 grant is available to develop and implement a school project including materials and equipment that maybe needed.
Applications Close March 27 2023.
Please go the ‘Get Involved’ tab for further information and the Application Form.
After two years of coronavirus (COVID-19) interruptions, the Living Links Coordination Committee were finally able to to catch up for a face-to-face meeting in November.
After the formalities of the committee meeting, the group had a chance to visit the Dandenong Police Paddocks where numerous Living Links projects have taken place.
ThecCommittee were honoured to be Welcomed to Country by Bunurong Elders, Uncle Mik Edwards and Uncle Shane Clarke. Uncle Mik and Uncle Shane provided a powerful and important smoking ceremony and shared some of their wisdom with the attendees on Caring for Country.
It was an amazing experience and Living Links looks forward to continuing to walk alongside Traditional Owners to Care for Country.
Living Links is proud to work with the community to deliver education and sustainability outcomes. As a partner of the annual Earthwatch Kids Teachings Kids Conference, Living Links supported 2000 students from across the nation to come together on 26 and 27 November for this two-day interactive and empowering celebration of sustainability learnings.
Students participated in workshops and legacy projects to become environmental stewards. The virtual experience offered student-produced workshops, environmental ambassador keynote speakers, and in school legacy projects.
Read more about the Kids Teaching Kids Conference
The 2021 Living Links Ambassador school, River Gum Primary School (RGPS), presented their project, ‘Our Miniature Nature Reserve’. Grade 5 students at RGPS created a pond on the school grounds and upcycled a garden shed to house seedlings until they where ready to plant around the school. The students also created a how to guide for creating insect hotels from recycled materials.
Congratulations to the Grade 5 students and their teacher, Chris Taylor, for showing such great resilience and innovation in a challenging year to produce a fantastic sustainability result
Greater Dandenong, Casey, Monash, Kingston, Knox, Frankston, Mornington Peninsula, Cardinia, and Yarra Ranges councils invite you to celebrate Biodiversity Month by joining the Biodiversity Blitz 2021.
They are running a competition to see which municipality can record the most species and you can participate in your local community. By taking part you’ll be contributing to community science and showing the world the amazing biodiversity your local area has to offer!
Join your local Biodiversity Blitz 2021 project by clicking the relevant link below, then from 1-30 September 2021 head outdoors to snap photos of flora and fauna and upload them to iNaturalist.
Your observations will automatically be added to this project. It is a great way to learn about local plants and animals and get involved in local conservation!
To learn more about how to use iNaturalist see this great video made by the Shire of Yarra Ranges or look at the video tutorials on the iNaturalist website.
Living Links is a proud partner for this year’s People and Parks foundation #NaturePact.
It’s round two of our #NaturePact, and this year, we want you to make a pact to spend intentional time in nature. For one month, experience nature daily and make your own connection with it, as we are all a part of nature and nature connects us all.
The People and Parks Foundation is calling on everyone to make a #NaturePact, and to feel the difference in their mood, energy and wellbeing when spending time outside in fresh air.
Time spent with nature makes us healthier, happier, and better connected to what each one of us is born a part of – life on earth. So, this September, schedule some time with nature every day, grab a friend (or fur-friend!) and head outside for your daily #NaturePact.
We are all a part of nature, and nature connects us all.
Sign up to make a #NaturePact with a family member, friend or colleague. If you’d like to share your experiences being in and noticing nature, you’ll have the chance to win some beautiful nature-based prizes from our valued partners. Stay tuned for special themes and challenges.
Have you made your #NaturePact? | People & Parks (peopleandparks.org)
Over the last four years something wonderful has been happening on the Dandenong Creek in Melbourne’s south-east. Living Links partners have been working together to transform this important corridor into a world-class urban living link.
With funding from the Victorian Government, we’ve improved the quality and connectivity of natural habitat along the creek. Together we’ve planted 63 hectares of native plants across 38 sites along the Dandenong Creek, undertaken over 89 hectares of weed control and engaged more than 6,800 people in community events and activities.
Whilst the Transforming the Dandenong Creek Corridor project has come to an end, it leaves behind a lasting legacy of improved environmental condition along the Dandenong Creek corridor, as well as substantially increased community appreciation and engagement in its stewardship.
Learn more about the Transforming the Dandenong Creek project.
Wild By Nature Short Film Festival was held online on Saturday the 7th of November 2020.
Celebrating everything we love about Victoria’s great outdoors, the themes of the festival were Caring for Nature, Together in Nature and the Dandenong Creek Corridor. Living Links’ very own Sarah Maclagan was one of the judges.
The winners were:
- Pobblebonk Division – 12 years and under
- Killara Primary School Students – “Killara’s Biodiversity Wonderland”
- Swamp Skink Division – 13 to 18 years
- Marlowe Wilton- “LISTEN”
- Black Swan Division – 18 years and over
- Andrew Robb & Jessica Gerger – “Dog Fruit”
Check out these amazing films and all the finalists at the Wild by Nature website.
The Wild by Nature Short Film Festival was presented by Remember the Wild in partnership with Living Links, Port Phillip & Westernport CMA and the Victorian Government.
Working out how to deal with environmental weeds can be a real challenge. Living Links has been pleased to support Dr. Graeme Lorimer of Biosphere Pty Ltd to develop a series of educational videos to steer people in the right direction.
The first video provides some really helpful ecological concepts for assessing the seriousness of an environmental weed problem and how it will respond to your actions. The second video shows you how use that knowledge, along with other information, to prioritise environmental weed problems. That’s important to make your efforts and resources really count.
The videos can be found on our Educational Resources page.
The videos are mostly directed to people in Victoria, Australia but the ecological concepts are relevant much more widely.
Further reading:–
– about the role of disturbance: Fox M.D. & Fox B.J. (1986). The susceptibility of natural communities. pp. 57-66 in R.H. Groves and J.J. Burdon eds., Ecology of biological invasions: an Australian perspective. Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.
– about ecological drivers and passengers: Pulsford S.A., Lindenmayer D.B. & Driscoll D.A. (2014). A succession of theories: purging redundancy from disturbance theory. Biological Reviews 91: 148–167.
– about Sweet Pittosporums: O’Leary B., Burda M., Venn S.E. & Gleadow R. (2018). Integrating the Passenger-Driver hypothesis and plant community functional traits to the restoration of lands degraded by invasive trees. Forest Ecology and Management 408: 112–120.SHOW LESS
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12 April 2023
From 1 January 2022, the Port Phillip and Western Port Catchment Management Authority...
