NativeGrassland remnants
Western Basalt Plains grasslands once covered one tenth of Victoria. Now only 0.1% is left.

Most of Victoria's extinct mammals depended on grassland ecosystems. One third of Victoria's rare or threatened plants, birds and reptiles in danger of extinction are part of the grassland ecosystems.

Native grasslands are unique and rare.

Value of Native Grasslands
The conservation of native grasslands offers many direct benefits.By conserving them we

• protect threatened species
• reduce land degradation, especially erosion and salinity
• provide habitat forpredators of agricultural pests
• help to control bushfires
• conserve genetic resources for thefuture including medicinal value
• provide a resource for researchers and educators
• help understand and conserve our historyand cultural heritage
• conserve a unique and special part of Australia's rural landscape

Some species have high protein levels, are hardy and drought tolerant and continue to produce green growth into summer when introduced species have declined. Perrenial grasses are suggested as a partial solution to soil acidity. Native grasslands provide habitat for native predators of agricultural pests. "Bush tucker" species offer scope for ecotourism development.

Recognising Native Grasslands
Native grasslands can be difficult to recognise for people with little or no botanical experience. Basalt plains grasslands are perhaps easiest to recognise by the red-brown colour of the Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra).Where Kangaroo Grass still grows it is likely that other species of native grasses and herbs will be found.

Grasslands are not just composed of grasses. They are a rich community of plants with a wide variety of forms. The grass tussocks usually provide the tallest plants in an open grassland but between them grow many wildflowers and other small plants. Typical grassland faimilies include daisies, peas, lilies, sedges and orchids.

Most native grassland plants are perennials, employing various strategies to regrow or maintain their growth from year to year. Lilies, yam daisies and orchids form tubers which regrow the next season, while other plants such as Featherheads, daisies and the Blue Devil resprout from extensive or fleshy root systems. A few native plants are annuals and rely on regrowth from seed.

All soft-leaved, soft-stemmed plants, including lilies, orchids and daisies, are known as 'herbs' to distinguish them from low-growing wood shrubs.

Spring and early summer is the time to look for the wildflowers, and the grasses are attractive, both in flower and in seed, from spring to autumn.

Common Native Plant Species found within basalt plains grasslands.

Grasses
Kangaroo Grass, Themeda triandra
Spear Grass, Stipa spp.
Wallaby Grasses, Danthonia spp
Windmill Grass, Chloris truncata
Tussock Grasses, Poa spp.
Plume Grass, Dichelachne spp.

Daisies
Daisies, Brachyscome spp.,
Chrysocephalum spp.,
Leucochrysum spp.,
Pycnosorus spp.
Lemon Beautyheads, Calocephalus citreus
Showy Podolepis, Podolepis jaceoides
Billy Buttons, Craspedia spp.
Everlastings, Helichrysum spp.

Lillies
Bulbine Lily, Bulbine bulbosa
Flax Lily, Dianella spp.
Chocolate Lily, Arthropodium strictum
Blue Grass Lily, Caesia calliantha

Other ground plants
Blue Devil, Eryngium ovinum
Bluebells, Wahlenbergia spp.
Geranium, Geranium spp.
Pink Bindweed, Convulvulus erubescens
Featherheads, Ptilotus spp.
Rice Flowers, Pimelea spp.
Native Flax, Linum marginale
Mat Rush, Lomandra spp.
Sedges, Carex spp.

Fire Management
Most Western Basalt Plains grasslands, in the absence of other factors to reduce grass cover, must be burnt to maintain species diversity. The aim of fire management in native grassland communities is to maintain the diversity and integrity of native flora and fauna populations.
Burning has generally been carried out in spring through to autumn. However, certain conditions may require summer or autumn burns only. Such conditions may be the presence of Legless Lizards (Delma impar) (which require the cracked ground of late summer to avoid the fire's heat), or the presence of an array of spring-flowering native plants. In these situations fire would ideally be utilised in mid-summer to autumn only, after the native wildflowers and grasses have set and distributed their seed.

Community Involvement In Native Grassland Conservation
Grassland conservation involves a variety of tasks that the community can participate in -

• harvesting and spreading of Kangaroo Grass hay to revegetate degraded areas
• signposting and fencing to protect small remnants
• collecting seed and propagating wildflowers
• searching for rare plants and animals
• 'replanting' rocks as habitat for animals

Community involvement in grasslands conservation can give greater security to the site and enhance community appreciation of the area as a whole.

For more information about Native Grasslands of the Basalt Plains Go to http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/childdocs/-9599F8E44B161F63CA256BC800079622-738D5F5AA8EE28A2CA256BC800090A63-6F1B33D2E88612BE4A256DEA002933B4-685446006E03F257CA256BCF00088832?open