Catchment Condition Report 2007

Area of Focus
General Assessments

Every five years, the Victorian Catchment Management Council is required by the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 to report to Parliament through the Minister for Environment on the condition and management of Victoria’s catchments. This report employs a suite of environmental indicators, clustered into eight themes, and compiled from a range of available information. These indicators help in the assessment of the condition of the State’s land and water resources, and in the assessment of management responses.

Indicators

  • Forests and parks: Area (in ha) of each forest type
    Forests encompass a wide variety of environments (from inland to coast, to alpine) and a range of natural disturbances (for example fire regimes). (California’s) forests are vitally important for maintaining watershed health, biodiversity, and social values and services. This indicator measures the amount of forest of each of the diverse types.
  • Forests and parks: Forestland tenure
    This indicators refers to the extent of forested land in different ownership types, which will determine the types of permissible and actual uses on a landscape. Privately owned land is more likely to be used for extraction (e.g., logging) than public and therefore may not be in good ecological condition.