Home / Environment / 60-Year Fight Ends: Nature Reclaims Prime Coastal Land
60-Year Fight Ends: Nature Reclaims Prime Coastal Land
6 Jun
Summary
- A non-profit group secured a 99-year lease to restore land.
- The Painkalac Project aims to reinstate a natural floodplain.
- Local community fought development for over 60 years.
For over six decades, the community of Aireys Inlet fiercely opposed various development proposals for a 30-hectare property adjacent to the Great Otway National Park. Last month, this prolonged struggle concluded with a significant victory for conservation efforts.
BioDiversity Legacy, a non-profit environmental group, has secured a 99-year lease on the land. The organization, in collaboration with local stakeholders, plans to transform the site into the Painkalac Project, focusing on ecological restoration.
The primary objective of the Painkalac Project is to reinstate a natural floodplain. This initiative is expected to enhance water quality in Painkalac Creek and improve soil conditions within the Painkalac Valley. Local residents anticipate that revegetating the area will attract a diverse range of native birds and animals.
Mick Loughnan, president of the Painkalac Project, highlighted the success of a similar restoration on his neighboring 4.5-hectare property. In just seven years, his land has thrived with native flora and fauna, including the vulnerable white-footed dunnart and the threatened swamp antechinus.
This restoration effort aims to connect vulnerable species' colonies, extending their genetic diversity. Furthermore, the reinstated wetlands are projected to mitigate downstream flooding by capturing excess water before it reaches the creek, offering protection to properties further along.
Funding for the lease and initial rehabilitation was provided by former Melbourne lord mayor Lecki Ord and Ian Godfrey, members of local environmental societies. Surf Coast Shire Mayor Libby Stapleton acknowledged the project's alignment with council conservation efforts.
The land is now permanently removed from the property market, preventing any future development. This outcome is a testament to the community's enduring determination, who have successfully protected this significant estuarine wetland along the Great Ocean Road from commercial interests since the 1960s.
