Victoria's native grasslands once spread from Melbourne to
Portland, but scientists now believe as little as 1% of high
quality grassland habitat now remains. Victoria's heritage-
listed Alpine National Park is one of the finest national parks
in Australia, but it is coming under increasing pressure from
invasive pest plants and animals. The VNPA's Phil Ingamells
found himself surrounded by cow pats after venturing into the
Alpine National Park during controversial alpine cattle grazing
trials. Some of Melbourne's best known heritage sites got a
taste of what it's like to be treated like a cow paddock in
March 2011. In February 2011 Tony Burke, federal environment
minister for the environment, saw for himself the damage cattle
are causing in the Alpine National Park. Cattle grazing in the
Alpine National Park is already causing damage to fragile
wetland ecosystems and habitat of the nationally threatened
Alpine Tree Frog. From the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park
to Port Phillip Heads, Merri Marine Sanctua