Biodiversity loss
Melbourne’s suburbs are not just built environments — they are part of a broader ecosystem that includes trees, gardens, waterways, and wildlife habitats. From local creeks and river corridors to backyard vegetation and street trees, these elements support biodiversity across the city.
Under the current planning reforms, many of these natural assets are at risk. Increased development intensity, reduced green space, and weaker environmental protections threaten to fragment and diminish the habitats that urban biodiversity depends on.
Loss of habitat in established suburbs
As residential areas are rezoned for higher density, existing homes and gardens are being replaced with larger building footprints and hard surfaces.
This leads to:
- Removal of mature trees and vegetation
- Loss of private gardens that provide habitat for birds, insects, and small animals
- Reduced space for new planting due to smaller setbacks and higher site coverage
Over time, this results in a steady erosion of the “green layer” that supports biodiversity across Melbourne’s suburbs.
Pressure on waterways and ecological corridors
Waterways such as local creeks and river systems play a critical role as biodiversity corridors, allowing species to move and thrive across urban areas.
Increased density without adequate safeguards can:
- Increase stormwater runoff and pollution
- Place pressure on riparian vegetation and habitat zones
- Disrupt ecological connections between green spaces
Without careful planning, these impacts accumulate, degrading the health of waterways and the ecosystems they support.
Reduced tree canopy and vegetation cover
The reforms introduce lower requirements for tree canopy and landscaping, particularly through reduced setbacks and smaller private open space provisions.
This has direct consequences for biodiversity:
- Fewer trees mean fewer nesting, feeding and movement opportunities for wildlife
- Reduced shrubbery and understory planting limits habitat for small birds, insects and other species that depend on dense vegetation for shelter and foraging
- Simplified landscaping reduces plant diversity
- Loss of canopy and vegetation weakens the overall ecological network and habitat connectivity across suburbs
Urban biodiversity depends not just on isolated parks, but on a continuous network of trees, gardens, shrubs and other vegetation across both public and private land — something these changes risk undermining.
A cumulative, city-wide impact
While the impact of a single development may seem limited, the scale of these reforms means changes will occur across dozens of suburbs simultaneously.
The cumulative effect is:
- Widespread habitat loss
- Increased fragmentation of green spaces
- Decline in urban wildlife populations
- Reduced ecological resilience over time
Once lost, these natural systems are difficult — and often impossible — to fully restore.
Why this matters
Biodiversity is not just an environmental concern — it is directly linked to human health and liveability.
Healthy urban ecosystems contribute to:
- Cleaner air and water
- Cooler neighbourhoods
- Mental wellbeing and connection to nature
- Resilience to climate impacts
The loss of biodiversity diminishes all of these benefits, making suburbs less liveable for current and future residents.
What this means for Melbourne
Without stronger protections and a more balanced approach to planning, Melbourne risks becoming a denser but significantly less green city.
Protecting biodiversity requires more than isolated rules — it requires planning that values vegetation, habitat, and ecological systems as essential infrastructure.
The current reforms move in the opposite direction: reducing space for nature at the very moment it is needed most.