The City of Melbourne, Australia has plans for a re-vegetation project which will create habitat and support biodiversity, while also generating 64 jobs. The Greening the City project is a partnership between the City of Melbourne, CityWide, and the Victorian Government. It will be funded through the Victorian Government’s Working for Victoria initiative.
“We have always appreciated the importance of our parks and gardens to our city and this has been even more evident during the pandemic,” said Sally Capp, lord mayor of Melbourne. “They provide space for people to safely exercise and enjoy some fresh air during lock down.”
Native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs will be planted. The work will begin in June with the selection and preparation of sites, planting activity, and protection of the trees and plants from diseases as they grow.
“We will plant 1,000 semi-advanced trees and 3,000 tube stock trees. This includes indigenous species such as River Red Gum, Golden Wattle, Coastal Banksia and Yarra Gum – a near threatened species in Victoria. This will be a marvelous investment in a healthier, greener city for coming generations,” said Capp.
The re-vegetation project is also expected to help reduce the urban heat island effect.
“While we respond to Covid-19, we haven’t stopped taking climate action. As these new trees grow they will increase our city’s canopy coverage and help reduce the urban heat island effect by creating more shade,” said environment portfolio chair councilor, Cathy Oke. “This will make a big contribution towards our target of 40 percent tree canopy cover on public land by 2040.”