In photos: '20th Annual Goldman Environmental Prize'

craig forsterApr 30th, 2009 - 07:58:50

G'day mate,
The Mornington Peninsula is at the bottom of Australia, 50 kms south of Melbourne, Victoria's capital city.
It is a most beautiful place, stretching into the wild drama of Bass Strait further south and edged by Port Phillip Bay to the west in which the sun is settng at the moment and Westernport Bay from which the sun rises.
Our community cares deeply for this place and has done so for a very long time in Australian terms.
For example to protect our migratery birds, from Russia and Japan, we placed it under the Ramsar International Bird Protection Agreement during the 1970s. More recently, in 2002 we made a Charter with the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program to protect a much larger area, some 2.500 sq kms, including the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, Frankston city, Casey City, Cardinia Shire and Bass Shire including Phillip Island and French Island.
It is called the Mornington and Westernport Biosphere Reserve Foundation (see Google). One of the first Community Biosphere Reserves
We hope to expand it a further 7000sqkms to include the Baw Baw Shire and therafter protect all 10,000 sqkms of the Westernport watershed.
Dozens of community groups care for much of the Peninsula bushland. The biggest bush reserve, Devilbend Reserve, of 1100 hectares, is cared for by volunteers helped by a government agency, Parks Vic. The coastline, of 250 kms, is largely national park but also has its volunteer groups caring for much of it.
The Bays on each side of the Peninsula also have volunteers providing for them by growing and planting mangrove, for example, to retain the most southern mangrove coasts in the world.
The Rip is the entrance to Port Phillip Bay rushing in from Bass Strait through a narrow channel which holds an enormous body of rare sea life.
We live in a special part of the world and we are grateful for that.
Our respect for our environment is reflected in our voluntry caring for the place.
I hope I have interested you enough by this short letter to encourage you to give some attention to our environmental volunteers and seek more news about us.

Please respond.
Yours,

Craig Forster.
'The Field', 7 Meadow Lane, Mt Eliza. 3930. Australia.
australian biosphere volunteers inc. see google

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