Gippsland Environment Group Inc
Lobbying against environmental threats on the unceded lands of the GunaiKurnai, Yaitmathang, Ngarigo and Bidwell Peoples
Trident Arm Bung Yarnda
This forest is not fuel load
June 2025
Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV)
Lake Tyers Coastal Park 402ha planned burn.
Nowa Nowa Trident Arm GP-TBO-NOW-0298 | Scheduled 2025
https://plannedburns.ffm.vic.gov.au/burn-site/966370
Background
On GunaiKurnai Country, this proposed 402 hectare planned burn by FFMV on Bung Yarnda, within Lake Tyers Park, targets one of the most ecologically diverse old-growth coastal forest areas remaining in southeastern Australia.
This area has practically no fire history and no history of logging and is home to a remarkable diversity of coastal forest. Much of this area is only accessible by water and has never been thoroughly surveyed.
The Burn
This site supports several rare and threatened Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs), including warm temperate rainforest, winter-flowering ironbark woodland, and old coastal grey box woodland. Hollow-bearing trees - critical habitat for a range of arboreal mammals and cavity-nesting birds - are abundant here, due to long undisturbed growth.
Shifting Baselines
Many people have never seen undisturbed old growth forest, and the rare coastal grey box woodlands here, are surprisingly open.
Destroyed old banksias
Large banksias are a keystone species, the loss of banksias has a flow-on effect to other inhabitants of the ecosystem. They flower mostly in summer and autumn, rather than spring, significantly expanding the period of availability of nectar. They produce large woody seed cones, if unburnt provide year round food for a whole range of species.
They are a major source of food for Grey-headed flying-foxes, honeyeaters, spinebills, wattlebirds, lorikeets and feathertail pygmy-possums, as well as a large number of nectivorous invertebrates upon which insectivorous vertebrates will feed. Fauna supported by banksia woodlands consists of large browsers (wallabies, wombats), medium-sized ground omnivores and insectivores (bandicoots, potoroos, echidna), small ground insectivores, herbivores and omnivores (antechinus, native rats, native mice), small and medium-sized arboreal marsupials (pygmy-possums, gliders, possums), and bats.
Below: 19-05-2025. Across the burn area, the fire has repeatedly destroyed old slow saw banksias
Fire burnt right through swamps and sedge wetlands
Below: 19-05-2025
Along the entire burn perimeter, cut down and bulldozed old habitat trees
Below: 19-05-2025
Take Action
Ask for independent oversight and protection of biodiversity in planned burns
Parks and Reserves take up around 50% of the state's planned burn targets. There is no protection for biodiversity, habitat or threatened species in planned burns, even within Parks and Reserves.
Fire management planning is happening, without independent oversight with the Department self-assessing and evaluating their own operations. FFMV do not monitor the efficacy of their planned burns in preventing bushfires.
In Victoria there is no mandatory Code for protection of biodiversity values in planned burn operations that takes into account obligations under the EPBC Act
There is no publicly available information on how operations are planned and how impact on threatened species is minimised and avoided
FFMV do no on- ground pre or post-burn survey for fauna, flora or habitat
FFMV rely on desktop data from the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas in planning which is outdated and does not show most recent records. This was highlighted by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office’s report Protecting Victoria’s Biodiversity (2021)
According to the Victorian Auditor General’s report Reducing Bushfire Risks. Victorian Auditor General (2020). “With the exception of some isolated case studies, DELWP does not know the effect of its burns on native flora and fauna”
Re efficacy of planned burns in preventing bushfires:
“We’ve understood for a long time now that logging can make bushfires worse, but it’s only in the last few years that evidence is showing that prescribed burning could be doing the same thing,” lead researcher Professor David Lindenmayer, ANU
Contact those responsible
Ask them to put independent oversight in place and regulate impacts using up-to-date science.
You can send also send an email HERE https://vnpa.org.au/action-minister-give-native-forests-proper-oversight/
Steve Dimopoulos MP – State Min for Environment
Email: reception.dimopoulos@ecodev.vic.gov.au
Phone: 03 862 43101
Jacinta Allan – Premier of Victoria
Email: jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au
Phone: 03 9651 5000
Vicki Ward Minister for Emergency Services
Email: vicki.ward@parliament.vic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 358 704
Murray Watt – Federal Min for Environment
Email: Minister.Watt@dcceew.gov.au
Phone: 02 6277 7920
Office of Conservation Regulator, Kate Gavens
Email: conservationregulator@deeca.vic.gov.au
