Benalla Rural City Council and Alpine Shire Council are working together to better manage open spaces affected by climate change impacts.
Information released recently by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology reveals the region will have more very hot days, longer heatwaves, a likely decrease in annual rainfall and more damaging storms.
The ‘Rec-Less – less water, less often, more resilient open spaces’ project is being panned to better manage open spaces in both councils.
To help it with the project, the Councils have issued a survey asking the community for feedback about what features of community open spaces are important.
“Climate change means we are likely to have less water available in the future to irrigate open spaces,” said Benalla Mayor Councillor Justin King.
“Trees, gardens and turf areas may have to cope with high winds and a higher rainfall run-off.
“We need to make sure open spaces are resilient to stress and to shocks to avoid significant future maintenance costs.”
Alpine Shire’s Director Assets, Charlie Bird said that the survey results would inform how Council manages these areas in the future.
“Last financial year, we spent $139,000 on storm clean-up alone, and unfortunately climate change is likely to mean more storms and drought, stressing parks and gardens and requiring increased maintenance and clean-up activities.
“We’re also likely to have less water available to irrigate open spaces, so we need to consider the use of plant and turf species that can withstand long periods of hot dry weather and short spells of high wind and intense rainfall.”
Other initiatives such as a showcase garden and plant guide are also planned.
Rec-Less is funded with the support of the Victorian Government through the Victorian Adaptation and Sustainability Partnership.
