Restoring landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region

What to plant

Connecting Country recommends revegetation using indigenous species appropriate for the location. The word ‘indigenous’ means naturally occurring in an area or environment. In this context, ‘indigenous species’ should be considered at a local scale. Species that are only known to occur elsewhere in Australia or Victoria are not considered to be indigenous to the Mount Alexander Region. Even within the Mount Alexander Region, there are many plant species known to occur in the damper forests to the south are not considered indigenous to the northern parts of the shire.

Indigenous species are well adapted to the local soil type, climate and other environmental conditions.

Indigenous species are well adapted to the local soil type, climate and other environmental conditions.

Indigenous species provide habitat for native wildlife and birds and can improve the condition of soils and water. Indigenous plants will generally grow will with little assistance, will be most likely to withstand the prevailing conditions of your site, and over time are likely to begin regenerating themselves.

Most restoration practitioners still consider that the most suitable indigenous plants are those grown from seed collected fairly locally, which is also often referred to as ‘local provenance’. We encourage landholders and indigenous nurseries to use seed collected from sites in the general area that are similar to the intended planting site. However, it should also be noted that the importance using only indigenous plants sourced from a ‘local provenance’ in your revegetation is currently being challenged by a number of scientists (especially genetic scientists, and also in relation to adaptation to climate change) – and that the advice regarding this will vary between people. For more information on this debate, click here.

Choosing what to plant

Determine your EVC using on-line mappers

Determine your EVC using on-line mappers

To determine what plants to use in your revegetation project you need to do a little research about your land. Firstly, determine the bioregion you’re in and the EVCs present on your property. Also take guidance from the other native vegetation already present on your property.

To find out the specific vegetation types in your area, VicVeg Online is  a great resource for finding out individual plants and revegetation lists.

There is no one best way to go about revegetation and you should seek local advice from landcare groups, neighbours and advisory organisations before embarking on a revegetation project. Click on the following links to: