From the rock-strewn roadside, Conservation Area 8 looks like any other overgrown paddock on Melbourne’s fringe.
But an audit of the 36 zones by three environmental groups has found that just three are in good condition and just seven have been fully acquired by the state. Even in Conservation Area 8 there are signs of environmental degradation. Documents released to the Grassy Plains Network by the City of Melton this month under freedom-of-information laws reveal the area was assessed by the state environment department as being in “exceptionally high-quality condition” in 2015.
“These conservation areas are the best we have left of critically endangered grassland and grassy eucalypt woodland,” Marshall said.
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