The Focus Area of the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network

The Wedderburn CMN’s focus area is of high conservation value with more than 25% vegetation cover in the Wedderburn/Wychitella area. There are also large areas of cleared and semi-cleared land with scattered blocks of bush and remnant vegetation on public and private land. It is a highly fragmented landscape caused by past land clearing for agriculture, mining, eucalyptus oil production and subdivision for housing. The focus covers an area of approximately 170,000 ha between the townships of Wedderburn and Wychitella, in the North Central Catchment area of the state of Victoria, Australia (see Map). The area includes fragmented public land blocks and freehold properties important for conservation of Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands. Members of the Wedderburn CMN were instrumental in the purchase of the 245 ha Nardoo Hills Reserve by Bush Heritage Australia, Australia’s largest nonprofit private land conservation organisation.