Annual Report 2024: Objective 2 - Protect and enhance the mountain environment and adapt to climate change

Biodiversity 2037 is Victoria’s plan to stop the decline of native plants and animals providing the policy framework to guide the delivery of on-ground actions to ensure Victoria’s biodiversity is healthy, valued and actively cared for.

As the public land manager, ARV works with stakeholders, taking responsibility for managing the resources to contribute to delivering the state-wide targets under Biodiversity 2037.

The impacts of climate change on Victoria’s biodiversity are already being felt, with alpine species among the most affected. ARV’s environmental programs actively aim to mitigate risks and threats to biodiversity through consistent, evidence-based and adaptive management methods.

ARV’s standard operations around environmental management aim to contribute to the state-wide target of 100% change in suitable habitat (CSH). A 100% CSH is defined in Biodiversity 2037 as “100% positive change in the outlook for threatened species in 50 years, with co-benefits for non-threatened species, measured across Victoria”.¹

Biodiversity 2037 also outlines that people’s personal wellbeing, along with the state’s economic wellbeing are dependent on the health of, and access to, the natural environment. ARV’s work facilitates this, as the resorts provide safe and accessible alpine experiences for visitors and the community.

The environmental value and experiences in nature continue to be key strengths for the alpine resorts, which are promoted through resort communications and marketing. Resorts offer many activities that are both enjoyable and educational, in both green season and white seasons.

Operational activities that support environmental objectives include pest plant and animal management and control, native flora and fauna management and sustainable waste management. Support for research programs in the resorts is ongoing.

To ensure this strategic objective is met, ARV will continue environmental on-ground works across all resorts while also assuming a leadership role in supporting alpine communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change and integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation into all decision-making processes.

This includes reducing emissions (mitigation) and building resilience (adaptation) to the impacts of climate change. The completion and implementation of ARV’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, developed during 2024 with stakeholders from across the alpine sector, will guide the sustainability of the alpine resorts into the future.

¹ Biodiversity 2037 Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework Version 1.0

Climate change metrics

In line with the Victorian Government’s contribution to reaching net-zero emissions for the state by 2045, ARV is required to report on the following FRD24 Tier 4 climate change metrics identifying greenhouse gas emissions and their sources within ARV organisational boundaries.

From 2025, ARV will work to establish systems for the collection and reporting of data consistent with FRD24 Tier 3b.

ARV’s organisational boundary is the emissions profile of ARV-specific services and functions in accordance with the Alpine Resorts Management Act (1997).

There are no reportable material activities.

Electricity consumption and offsets

Table 01: Total electricity consumption segmented by source and total electricity offsets segmented by offset type

Organisational boundary

The ARV organisational boundary includes assets and services provided in relation to the five alpine resort areas.

Materiality and completeness

The material contributions to greenhouse gas emissions in alpine resorts relate to:

1. ULP and diesel for operation of vehicles and plant;
2. LPG and diesel for heating and off grid power generation;
3. Metered electricity consumption (for grid connected locations).

Vehicle fleet by engine/fuel type and vehicle category T2

Reporting also supports the Whole of Victorian Government emissions reduction pledge. The pledge seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Victorian government operations.

As a newly established organisation, ARV is not able to include data for the two previous years but will be collating and reporting this data going forward.

Office accommodation

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) Energy ratings of newly completed/occupied entity-owned office buildings and substantial tenancy fit-outs.

There were no newly completed or occupied entityowned office buildings or substantial tenancy fit-outs in the reporting period.

Table 02: Number and proportion of vehicles in the organisational boundary segmented by engine/fuel type and vehicle category (Number and percentage)

Key performance indicators

Environmental Highlights

Mountain Pygmy-possum research and monitoring program

Spring 2024 saw the continuation of annual Mountain Pygmy-possum research and monitoring across the resorts, with excellent numbers of both males and females in the annual survey.

This ongoing success has been driven by implementation of the site-specific recovery plan for the species at Mt Buller.

For several decades, there has been significant and concerted effort to improve habitat and minimise threats at all Resort sites (Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek) to recover and sustain populations.

The Mt Buller Recovery Plan was instrumental in the significant rise in population numbers at this resort over the last 20 years. Annual conservation measures across the resorts include:

• revegetation using food and shelter plants to improve habitat
• habitat rehabilitation > pest animal and plant control and
• population monitoring.

Long-term innovative projects implemented by the resorts have also contributed to long-term sustainability of the populations, including:

• re-creation of boulderfield habitat and connective boulder tunnels to repair habitat fragmentation and
• development and implementation of 10 strategic management sub-plans and revolutionary in-situ genetic rescue.

The highly successful Recovery Plan for preservation of this species at Mt Buller was reviewed and updated in 2024 to include additional targeted measures to further support the populations at Mt Hotham and Falls Creek Resorts.

Victorian Alpine Nursery, revegetating and rehabilitating the alpine region

A key asset of ARV is the Victorian Alpine Nursery, which produces high quality alpine and sub-alpine plants for rehabilitation and restoration projects at all major Victorian alpine resorts, Dinner Plain, Mt Buffalo and the Alpine National Parks, as well as the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales.

Plants that are grown from seed are returned to their location of origin, ensuring genetic provenance is maintained.

The Alpine Nursery also holds a significant and considerable seed bank of the most prevalent alpine and sub-alpine plant species, which is crucial for ongoing, long-term maintenance and conservation in the alpine region. It is especially valuable for rehabilitation following bushfires.

The Alpine Nursery also requires specialist skills and expertise to grow the alpine vegetation from seed. As this vegetation has adapted to long cold winters, a short growing season and shallow, acidic alpine soil, many alpine species are difficult to propagate and are very slow growing.

The Victorian Alpine Nursery has utilised its expertise to tailor the potting mixes to specifically meet the needs of the vegetation, allowing for strong, healthy tube stock.

The Nursery sells on average 55,000 tubestock per year, with more than 405,000 plants returned to the alpine environment over the past decade.

Page last updated: 21/04/26