2023: YEAR OF GREATER VISION FOR WESTERNPORT BAY

This year the Victorian National Parks Association is running a campaign to safeguard Western Port Bay from inappropriate development.

What is special about Western Port

It’s culturally important for Traditional Custodians
More than 20,000 shorebirds and 115 different kinds of waterfowl flock to Western Port’s wetlands and shorelines each year.
One of the most important shorebird sites in Victoria.
Home to threatened birds like the Critically Endangered Curlew Sandpiper and the Double-banded Plover.
Rare White Mangroves, amongst the most southern in the world, grow there.
The mangroves provide a protected environment for fish, birds and crustaceans to feed and breed, and filter nutrients and sediment, improving water quality and storing carbon.
Colonies of Little Penguins thrive on Phillip Island.
Features unique marine life like lace coral that forms reefs that are found nowhere else in Victoria.
A breeding area for Elephant Fish and the Australian Anchovy.
A nursery for King George whiting, squid and other species.
Its seagrass meadows are a vital source of food and shelter for juvenile fish.

What needs to be done

A new strategic plan needs to be developed that recognises the natural values of the area.

This would involve a new collaborative management partnership bringing together all interested parties.

A dedicated Western Port Fund needs to be established.

To read more about VNPA plans go to vnpa.org.au/protectWPB