The VVP Biosphere’s 2030Vision

What would a VVP Biosphere look like?

Most change within a community comes about as the result of access to better information. This improved, more complete
knowledge leads to a reassessment of values, and then to behavioral change. Governments can provide information which
allows the community to become better informed and subsequently change behaviors.  Consequently, a VVP Biosphere household in 2030 could have the following features with respect to living in a UNESCO Biosphere:

•  Residents will identify with their local Biosphere representative structure. Each subdivision of the VVP Biosphere will be
  coordinated at the local level by a representative committee (round table) which in turn reports to a central
  management body (Core Management) See https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/about for more details and diagrams.
  They will know their local ‘go to’ person and will have attended many community consultation workshops to discuss
  and provide feedback about their needs and issues. They will feel supported in their problems and involved in
  decision-making processes. 
• Community groups such as Landcare, Victorian Farmers Federation and NGO’s will also have a voice at more focused meetings.
• Maps on the wall of each household displaying key ecological elements, local flora and fauna, weeds etc will help
  maintain awareness of local ecosystem services and natural resource management issues. Road signs at all air, road and river entry and exit points to the VVP Biosphere will welcome and farewell travelers, alerting them that they are
  now entering or leaving a Biosphere.
• School students will learn about the ecology of their Biosphere and engage in learning activities provided by groups such as Waterwatch, Iramoo, Werribee Zoo, Estuary Watch, Landcare, Coast Care, Greening Australia, Western Districts Natural Resource and Catchment Authority, (formerly CCMA, GHCMA and West Coast Board) etc, as well as the state and federal Education departments.
• The house is almost autonomous for water and waste. Depending on location, each house is able to store rainwater,
  process and use wastewater on site, generate its own electricity from sun and wind and grow much of its own food.
• Local industry is participating in incentive programs along Sustainability lines as well as sponsoring Natural Resource
  Management (NRM) work and is rewarded by tax relief, rate rebates and local customer loyalty.
• Farmers are well supported by local councils, state government and Catchment Management Authorities in developing a coordinated
  production program that balances sustainably produced products for local, national and international markets.
• Each local community has its own identity and specialty productions according to soil, climate and demographics. This is
  coordinated by the regional Biosphere groups.
• Households are supported in growing their own fruit and vegetables.
• Local Farmer’s markets are well supported and provide most of the fresh food required by that community, reducing
  transport costs.
• Local Energy Trading Schemes (LETS) are growing rapidly as the community appreciates the value of sharing skills,
  knowledge and materials locally.
• Many regions may decide to be part of the TRANSITION Towns Network. (https://transitionaustralia.net)
  TRANSITION is an international movement of local communities coming together to re-imagine and rebuild our world.

What can a UNESCO Biosphere do that is not already being done?

• UNESCO Biospheres aim to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments
  (https://www.unesco.org/en/mab). 
  A Biosphere would bring together all the disparate groups of the VVP into one instrument with a common purpose to enhance
  nature and life experiences on the Victorian Volcanic Plain.
• How? By knowledge sharing, working together in a many faceted coordinated manner, drawing on the strengths and unique
  capabilities of individual groups to provide solutions to sometimes intractable local and universal problems and finding solutions
  that help everybody, thereby enhancing nature and life experiences on the Victorian Volcanic Plain.
• Cooperation with organisations like the Farmers’ Federations (National FF and Victorian FF) and other similar large (and small)
  organisations (Landcare, Southern Rural, etc) plus Agencies such as Local Government Areas, (LGA’s), CMA’s and Department of
  Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), would be essential as would cooperation with large businesses to achieve
  common goals.
• Small businesses could benefit even more. The VVP Biosphere could provide information and avenues not
  currently available to them such as the latest techniques for improved efficiency (which helps us all) and a greater audience for
  their offerings.
• A Biosphere would also be in a better position to raise funds from tax deductible donations for use by all the groups under the
  Biosphere umbrella and to ensure that those funds are used in the best possible ways.
• A composite Biosphere could provide substantial support to groups to back them up if needed.
• Finally, the VVP Biosphere could help individuals and households achieve better life experience outcomes by providing a better
  life-scape in which to achieve their goals as well as supporting their efforts to restore nature.

So what more can be done?
Across Australia, with some regional and state variation according to the values of the prevailing political party, communities are
generally well served with respect to governance and Natural Resource Management. However, as we all know, there have been
many major failings, particularly with respect to loss of grasslands and woodlands and many of our threatened ecosystems
remain inadequately protected despite conservation legislation. We are very fortunate to have in Victoria many seriously
committed scientists within areas of government, Parks Vic, the Catchment Management Authorities (CMA’s) and other
Government and non-government organisations that have devoted their time to protecting Grasslands and Grassy Woodlands
across the VVP.
Unfortunately, this has not been enough. We are still losing both Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC’s) and still fighting
protection battles with Local and State Government. For some time, governments have been working on a VVP recovery plan.
We hope that their vision will match that of the VVP Biosphere start-up committee.
 

As a teacher of science and environmental science, I have experienced the enthusiasm for environmental issues that students
have, across the age spectrum. Even city kids empathize with the natural world and understand readily how our demand for
energy, housing, waste disposal, food and water has had serious impacts. They are receiving a much better environmental
education than was common in my own early years, so hopefully they will be major contributors to the ongoing conservation
debate.
For me, this is the bottom line. For the optimum health of a community, including its natural resources and ecosystem services,
we need a well-informed, engaged population, able to articulate their needs and concerns and able to vote for the local, state
and federal personnel who will best serve the whole community, flora, fauna and humans.
The UNESCO Biosphere program is named the Man and the Biosphere Program for this reason. We are part of it. We dominate it, but we do not own it and we have no right to compromise the health of future generations by doing it damage.
Our optimism for the long-term conservation of Grassy ecosystems is sustained by the outcome of the long and vexed battle for
the Otways. For well over 40 years many conservationists fought against ignorance and the vested interests of the woodchip
industry. Eventually the battle was won and with hindsight it is clear that the Greater Otway National Park and the ecosystem
services, water and tourism opportunities that it now provides far outweigh the biodiversity cost of the woodchippers, who,
despite their early complaints are now doing very nicely on plantation timber.
Unfortunately, grasslands don’t lend themselves to dramatic heart-rending photographs. I have yet to see someone chained to a
de-rocking or laser levelling machine and it’s hard to build a ‘fort’ in a paddock of Kangaroo grass. But these ecosystems are just
as worthy of protection and the native grasses may well hold the genetic key to our long-term production of carbohydrates.
Work on producing a perennial cereal crop is progressing, but slowly. Annual crops require enormous amounts of energy and
fertilizer, which is essentially wasted post-harvest. If we were able to harvest perennial grains (e.g. Themeda, Austrostipa,
Rytidosperma, Microlaena and Poa) economically, this would constitute a significant breakthrough in sustainable agriculture. 
Our current annual staple grain crops, wheat, barley, oats and maize, had lowly beginnings and conventional plant breeding is
responsible for their success. Perhaps we now have the knowledge to speed up the variety-improving process.
 
Stuart McCallum
VVPB Secretary
July 2025