Overview
In partnership with the Nature Conservancy, Resilient Melbourne has developed Living Melbourne: our metropolitan urban forest (Living Melbourne) – a strategy for a greener, more liveable Melbourne.
32 metropolitan councils, state government agencies, non-government and community organisations collaborated with Resilient Melbourne to help develop the evidence base for the strategy, and develop actions to connect, extend and enhance urban greening across Melbourne.
Living Melbourne sets out a vision (‘Our thriving communities are resilient, connected through nature’) underpinned by three goals: healthy people, abundant nature, and natural infrastructure.
It recommends the following actions to achieve a greener, more liveable Melbourne:
Source: Living Melbourne: our metropolitan urban forest.
DELWP endorsement of Living Melbourne
There are a number of synergies between Living Melbourne and DELWP’s work, including the implementation of Plan Melbourne 2017 – 2050 Action 91 (a whole-of-government approach to cooling and greening Melbourne).
Endorsement means organisations support Living Melbourne’s vision, goals and actions, and commit to work in partnership with the other endorsing organisations towards its implementation.
Find out more about DELWP's current projects to create a cooler, greener Melbourne.
DELWP is one of the 41 organisations to have formally endorsed Living Melbourne:
Regional tree canopy targets
Action two of Living Melbourne is to set canopy and understorey targets for each metropolitan region, and decide on a clear and consistent method for long-term monitoring and evaluation of the quality and extent of the urban forest.
Living Melbourne proposes the following urban tree canopy cover targets for Melbourne’s six metropolitan regions:
| Region | Local government areas | Existing 2015 | Target 2030 | Target 2040 | Target 2050 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western | Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley, Wyndham | 4% | 9% | 14% | 20% |
| Northern | Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Mitchell, Merri-bek, Nillumbik, Whittlesea | 12% | 17% | 22% | 27% |
| Inner | Melbourne, Port Phillip, Yarra | 13% | 18% | 23% | 28% |
| Southern | Casey, Frankston, Greater Dandenong, Kingston, Cardinia, Mornington Peninsula | 16% | 21% | 26% | 30% |
| Inner South - East | Bayside, Boroondara, Glen Eira, Stonnington | 22% | 24% | 27% | 30% |
| Eastern | Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse, Yarra Ranges | 25% | 27% | 29% | 30% |
Source: Living Melbourne: our metropolitan urban forest.
Page last updated: 31/01/23