GOLDFIELDS LITTLE CREEKS CLIMATE ADAPTION RESTORATION GUIDE

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Most of the creeks in the upper catchment are in very-poor, poor or medium condition. 

Most Ballarat citizens are familiar with the Yarrowee River and Canadian Creek, but the region has many other small creeks that run through urban areas, the urban fringe and rural land.

The management of these little creeks is vitally important for:

- Biodiversity, and creating connectivity throughout the landscape

- adapting to a changing climate.

We need vegetation along these little creeks to keep the water cool - aquatic organisms are sensitive to increases in stream temperature

This also contributes to the health of the larger creeks and rivers that these little creeks run into

Thankfully, looking after these little creeks has multiple benefits:

- A healthy creek makes our suburbs nice places to live, and can moderate the local temperature, keeping us cool and comfortable in the summer.

- People that live near and around healthy creeks are more engaged with nature – they see birds and frogs and lizards, and the vegetation through the seasons. 

The Bunanyung Landscape Alliance launched the “Goldfields Little Creeks Restoration Strategy” December 2021.

The draft strategy (below) is for the restoration of headwater streams in the Goldfields region. The primary focus of the project is climate adaptation; cooling down streams and assisting stream fauna and other wildlife to adapt to a changing climate. However, achieving such a goal requires many considerations, including the hydrology of streams and the socio-political context in which streams occur. 

 The intended audience of this strategy is varied, but primarily includes: 

• private landholders who live on land with or near streams 
• developers and local government wanting to incorporate healthy streams into town 

planning and new developments, and to contribute positively to the downstream process
from new developments. 

• advocates of climate adaptation and healthy streams

The development of the strategy was funded through a Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Regional Climate Adaptation Strategy grant.