, Australia
City population:
Duration: 2012 – unknown
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Public Greenspace Area
Last updated: October 2021

"The Urban forest strategy (UFS) is a central part of an innovative overarching policy framework of the City of Melbourne underpinning the city's aim to create healthy ecosystems for people and nature" in the period between 2012-2040 (1 p9). The UFS outlines a scientifically-vetted long-term process to re-nature the city with a diverse selection of urban trees and open space for and with the citizens, combining elements of an eco-managerial governance arrangement with an open and reflexive co-governance approach. (1 p11). The Strategy concentrates on 6 areas to achieve its goals: canopy cover, forest diversity, vegetation health, water quality and soil moisture, urban ecology and environmental stewardship among citizens. (1)

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Climate change mitigation
  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Soil quality improvement
  • Waste management
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Inclusive governance
  • Effective management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Social cohesion
  • Health and well-being (SDG 3)
  • Enabling opportunities for physical activity
  • Creation of opportunities for recreation

Focus

Maintenance and management of urban nature, Strategy, plan or policy development

Project objectives

- Adaption to climate change (1,2) - Mitigation of the urban heat island effect by bringing the inner-city temperatures down (1,2) - Creation of healthier ecosystems (1,2) - Transformation of Melbourne City into a water-sensitive city (2) - Increase the engagement and involvement of the community in achieving these objectives (1,2) - Protection of the city against future climate vulnerability (1,2) - Provision of a robust strategic framework for the evolution and longevity of the urban forest in Melbourne City (1 p9)

Implementation activities

Application of tools and programs in (1) - Tree planting (Capital Tree Planting Program) - Mapping the state of trees in the city centre (1,2) - Selection of smart species to increase the diversity of urban tree stock (1) - Evaluation of the amenity value of trees by using a scientifically-based formula and application of useful life-expectancy (ULE) assessment for strategic forest planning (preliminary) (1) - Establishment of new techniques of adaptive and proactive urban forest management (1) - Establishment of horticulture standards (1) - Implementation of innovative urban greening approach (1) - Identification of additional data needs and collection to quantify the ecosystem services value of the urban forest, habitat characteristics and landscape connectivity (1) - Development of an Urban Forest Health Management Plan (1) - Facilitating "knowledge co-production processes" to give a platform to citizen knowledge and special local (1)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
  • Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)

Climate change mitigation:

  • Implement sustainable forest management measures to increase carbon sinks/ improve carbon storage

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
  • Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
  • Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Public engagement
  • Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
  • Capacity building

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality
  • Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Citizen monitoring and review

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Urban Forest Strategy (UFS) was initiated by the Melbourne City Municipality and the Urban Landscapes (policy and design) branch is primarily responsible for the on-ground implementation of most of the urban forest management activities with citizen engagement (1). The successful implementation of the strategy is supported by "reflexive co-governance and eco-managerial governance arrangements" where citizens are involved in various participatory methods. (1 p14-15). The UFS includes "ten precinct plans that guide how UFS principles are implemented in local neighbourhoods. Each precinct plan was developed in collaboration with the community and guided by the Urban Forest Diversity Guidelines" (1 p13). Citizens are also given the opportunity to take part in the governance of the UFS activities through workshops, e-governance, education and co-creation (1)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? No
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (The Urban Forest Strategy builds on the Melbourne Open Space Strategy and in itself is a policy document initiated and created by the City of Melbourne and its Urban Landscapes (policy and design) branch. It contains a strategic framework specifying principles and guidelines for urban forest management. While the UFS has green space planning in its focus, some of its concrete implementation activities overlap with other domains of the urban greenery in the City of Melbourne, e.g.: urban planning. (1))

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Lowered local temperature
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Increased number of species present
  • Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
  • Education
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

Yes

References

1) Kiss, B., McCormick, K., and Wamsler, C. 2018. NATURVATION - Case Study Working Paper: Melbourne, Australia
2) City of Melbourne. 2014. Urban Forest Strategy: Making a Great City Greener. City of Melbourne. Accessed on 9th March, 2021. Source link
3) City of Melbourne. (n.a.). Melbourne's Urban Forest Infographic. City of Melbourne. Accessed on 9th March, 2021. Source link
4) City of Melbourne. (n.a.). Urban Forest Visual. City of Melbourne. Accessed on 9th March, 2021. Source link