Annual Report 2025: Strategic Objective 2 - Protect the environment

Key Projects

Adapting to climate change - a 10-year strategy to support a sustainable future

The impacts of climate change are already being experienced across Australia, and with continued changes in the frequency, severity and intensity of climate related hazards and events, alpine regions are projected to experience climate-driven losses in ecosystems, landscapes and Australian alpine societal culture. Adapting to climate change is a legislated responsibility for all Victorian public entities under the Climate Action Act 2017, which requires decision makers to consider climate change, act consistently with statewide policy objectives and guiding principles, and contribute to meeting Victoria’s legally binding emissions reduction targets— 45–50% by 2030, 75–80% by 2035, and net zero emissions by 2045. In alignment with these statutory obligations and the Victorian Government’s Climate Change Strategy, which sets out the state’s approach to reducing emissions and strengthening resilience across sectors, ARV recognises the urgent need for proactive, coordinated adaptation to safeguard the alpine region’s recreational, economic and ecological values.

In 2025, ARV developed a 10 year Climate Change Adaptation Strategy that applies across all six alpine resorts and reflects the whole of government expectation that adaptation planning be informed, integrated, risk based and equitable – consistent with the Act’s guiding principles and the Adaptation Action Plans for systems such as the built environment, natural environment, water cycle and transport.

The Strategy adopts an “all resorts, all climate hazards” approach, acknowledging projected climate impacts across alpine ecosystems, infrastructure and cultural landscapes, as well as the sector’s specific challenges and opportunities in supporting Victoria’s transition to a low emissions, climate resilient future.

ARV’s Strategy identifies actions across six priority areas – climate resilient infrastructure, research and communication, sustainable tourism development, efficient energy and water systems, snow management, and diversification of visitor experiences – all of which directly contribute to statewide priorities for emissions reduction, community resilience and sustainable economic transition as outlined in Victoria’s legislated framework and sector specific pledges. A structured decision making framework has been developed to embed climate risk considerations into governance, planning, procurement and asset management, ensuring ARV’s operational and strategic decisions are consistent with whole of government climate adaptation principles and support the long term stewardship of alpine environments.

Together, these measures demonstrate ARV’s commitment to fulfilling its statutory climate duties, aligning with Victoria’s broader climate policy architecture, and delivering place based, evidence led actions that strengthen alpine resort resilience.

Delivery of integrated Water Management Plans for water security

Water is critical to resort operations, particularly to snowmaking, potable supply, wastewater treatment and stormwater management, and each resort faces rising pressures from declining snowfall, reduced rainfall, higher temperatures and more frequent extreme weather. To address these challenges, ARV completed Integrated Water Management Plans (IWMPs) to ensure all resorts have consistent, long-term approaches to managing water.

Detailed 20 year plans were created for each resort, outlining actions to improve water efficiency, security and infrastructure performance.

The plans also embed Traditional Owner perspectives and identify opportunities for knowledge sharing and culturally informed land and water management. IWMPs build climate resilience, protecting headwater ecosystems, enabling reliable snowmaking and visitor services and provide a consistent framework to guide future investments.

Energy performance and feasibility studies scope transition to renewables

Two alpine resorts (Lake Mountain and Mt Baw Baw) are currently running off-grid with energy generated on-site through a mix of renewable, LPG and diesel generated power. This approach results in high energy costs, and high emissions, so ARV undertook resort-based Energy Performance and Feasibility Study to address this. The Study also supports statutory requirements under the Climate Change Act 2017 and ARV’s work towards net zero emissions by 2045.

The assessment identified a coordinated program of renewable energy generation, energy storage, building upgrades and fleet transition to reduce costs, improve reliability and be climate resilient. Priority actions identified in the study include staged deployment of solar PV and battery systems, grid and control upgrades, building envelope improvements, electrification of heating and hot water, waste heat recovery and gradual replacement of vehicles with low emission alternatives.

These measures have potential to reduce energy use by 45 per cent, decreasing annual emissions by 50 per cent and lower operating costs across the off-grid resorts by 2035. The program improves the resort efficiencies by reducing reliance on diesel and LPG and building resilience to evolving climate and economic pressures.

Maintain native vegetation offset sites

ARV continued to implement Offset Management Plans (OMPs) for native vegetation offsets that provide long term environmental outcomes for Mt Stirling, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek. The OMPs set out actions to protect and manage native vegetation in the resort to offset vegetation cleared for approved development.

Under the OMP framework, any permitted disturbance to native vegetation is balanced by the protection and management of an equivalent area with comparable environmental value. Native vegetation offset sites are formally secured, protected and maintained in perpetuity, consistent with regulatory requirements for sustainable development on both public and private land.

ARV protected these native offset sites by controlling woody and herbaceous weeds, pest animals, and rehabilitating vegetation impacted by inappropriate use. The OMPs operate as statutory planning controls and require annual compliance reporting and independent ecological auditing for a minimum of ten years. All ARV native vegetation offset sites are compliant. This work supports ARV’s objectives for responsible land management and environmental compliance across the alpine resorts.

Monitoring, protecting, and supporting the native flora and fauna of the alpine region

Key and critical threatened species and communities continued to be monitored and managed across the alpine resorts during 2025 with input, participation and collaboration with Traditional Owner partners, leveraging knowledge of Country for positive outcomes. The long term (30+ year) population monitoring program for iconic Mountain Pygmy-possums continued confirming stable populations at Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek.

Population monitoring assists ARV to adaptively manage threat mitigation works in accordance with ARV’s Recovery Plan for the species. Vitally important alpine bog complexes at Mt Baw Baw and Mt Buller continued to be monitored, the latter in accordance with the state and federally approved Hydrological and Ecological Monitoring and Adaptive Management Program developed in 2019.

Monitoring these communities enable ARV to focus deer control programs in targeted areas to better protect and conserve these communities and the ecosystem services they provide. ARV continues to support Traditional Owner partner-led research, development and trials of no to low impact monitoring techniques for Bogong Moths across the alps.

Page last updated: 05/10/26