Helping animals and plants thrive in the Shire (Biolink Plan)
About
Our Biolink Plan and Biolink Map encourage native wildlife to get around our Shire more easily.
- Our Biolink Map uses technology to map how animal and plant species move through our Shire.
- We use this information in our Biolink Plan to prioritise our environmental work and guide community efforts.
- You can also use our Biolink map to guide decisions around environmental works you do on your own property or with a community group.
View the Biolink Map
Our Biolink Map is a tool to help understand how our native species move through the different landscapes of our Shire. It maps the paths that animals and plants are likely to use to spread across our shire, using ‘movement corridors’ and ‘nodes’ (key points).
It can be a great way to get new insights into what’s going on in your local environmental landscape.
How it works
Our Biolink Map is based on an innovative computer model that considers the particular landmarks and rural landscapes in our Shire.
The model included data on our existing knowledge of species’ locations, and then calculated likely movements based on:
- existing vegetation
- waterways
- and barriers in the landscape.
Crucially, it calculated the possible paths that different groups of species could take to cross ‘gaps’ through disturbed landscapes.
For example, different species have unique requirements for the type of land they can breed, eat or move around in. Understanding how groups of species can move between these different areas helps determine possible wildlife movements. We then focus our environmental efforts on connecting those areas.
We also designed the corridors and nodes to avoid urban areas and houses.
Use our Biolink map to plan environmental works (planting trees, fencing, weed control)
Our Biolink map is a great way to help you plan works for encouraging native wildlife activity, such as:
- planting trees and designing shelterbelts
- fencing off existing native vegetation (to protect from grazing)
- managing weeds and pest animals.
On the Biolink map, you can zoom into your property (or another of property of interest), to see nearby corridors and nodes.
We recommend focusing your environmental work on habitats close to existing movement corridors and nodes shown on the Biolink Map. Ideally, focus on environmental works that connect two movement corridors or nodes.
This could mean adding new links (such as planting new trees) or protecting and enhancing existing links.
Our Biolink Plan
Our Biolink plan guides our local environmental efforts and helps us to meet the goals in our Biolink Strategy.
This involves engaging with the community to:
- protect
- enhance
- and connect
our natural environment.