Natural and Cultural Heritage Rehabilitation core capability

About the Natural and Cultural Heritage Rehabilitation core capability

Protect natural values and cultural heritage values through appropriate planning, mitigation, response, and recovery actions to preserve, conserve, rehabilitate, and restore them consistent with post-disaster community priorities and best practices. This process is to be undertaken in compliance with applicable environmental and heritage preservation laws, along with consultation with all affected communities, including Victoria’s First Peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Critical Task Table 18: Agency roles mapped to the Victorian Preparedness Framework, by critical tasks within the Natural and Cultural Heritage Rehabilitation core capability

Critical Task 18.1: Identify natural heritage values and cultural heritage values at risk in affected areas, in consultation with all affected communities, including Victoria’s First Peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
CMAs	Assess all river waterway damage that poses a threat to the stability of river systems	11.1, 18.2
DELWP	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals:
	identify key ecosystems, biodiversity values and species that may require intervention when affected by an emergency	1.1, 1.2, 11.2
	provide scientific and technical advice to Lead Response agencies to minimise impact of the emergency event on high value ecosystems or species	4.3, 4.4, 18.2
	relief coordination of surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals	11.2, 18.2, 18.6
Parks Victoria	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to rehabilitate, restore and reinstate public land and assets managed directly by PV from the agreed date of transition from emergency response to recovery, including: recovery and rehabilitation of natural values, cultural values, tourism and visitor assets affected by an emergency on parks, reserves, rivers, waterways and local ports managed by PV (in collaboration with DELWP and DH) clean-up following oil or chemical pollution incidents on parks, reserves, rivers, waterways and local ports managed by PV (in liaison with DELWP, or their agents, and the EPA) clean-up of fish death incidents (in collaboration with EPA and DELWP) assist with the recovery and rehabilitation of other public land affected by an emergency	16.7, 16.8, 18.4, 18.5

Critical Task 18.2: Undertake assessment of risk posed to natural and cultural heritage values, in consultation with all affected communities, including Victoria’s First Peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
CMAs	Assess all river waterway damage that poses a threat to the stability of river systems	11.1, 18.1
CMAs	Lead agency responsible to develop and prioritise bushfire and flood recovery programs for CMA assets/waterways
DELWP	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals:
	develop response options for key ecosystems and species	1.1, 1.3, 4.4,
	provide scientific and technical advice to Lead Response agencies to minimise impact of the emergency event on high value ecosystems or species	4.3, 4.4, 18.1
	relief coordination of surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals	11.2, 18.1, 18.6
	Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) for threatened ecosystems and species, and Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to undertake targeted interventions to maintain ecosystems and threatened species	18.4, 18.5, 18.6,
EPA	As a technical support agency receive notifications for fish deaths, assess and triage reports, make interagency notifications, issue public information where required, and undertake a regional investigation with support of local agencies where practicable, to determine the cause of the fish death event before identification and transfer to the relevant agency for ongoing management	2.3, 4.4, 4.5, 11.2, 18.4
Parks Victoria	Support DELWP with the enforcement of regulations, through the provision of trained authorised officers, that protect natural and cultural values and the safe use of campfires on public land in accordance with DELWP policy	3.2, 7.1

Critical Task 18.3: Coordinate and undertake stabilisation works on private and public land to remediate response actions.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
CFA	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to replace essential stock and domestic water taken from private landholders during bushfire firefighting operation activities	18.4
CMAs	Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to restore, clear and rehabilitate waterways managed by CMAs, and support DELWP in its lead role of rehabilitating, restoring and reinstating public land and assets managed directly by DELWP, as well as public land and assets CMAs are responsible for.	18.5, 19.3
CMAs	Support DELWP to deliver its recovery activities to restore impacts of river erosion where there is an immediate danger of the formation of river breakaways and/or immediate danger to CMA assets
DELWP	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals: Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) for threatened ecosystems and species, and Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to develop and implement response activities to support ecosystem recovery and regeneration
Melbourne Water	Provide emergency works to alleviate flooding and clearance of waterways and drainage assets after flooding has occurred

Critical Task 18.4: Coordinate and undertake natural values rehabilitation works, in consultation with all affected communities, including Victoria’s First Peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
CFA	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to replace essential stock and domestic water taken from private landholders during bushfire firefighting operation activities	18.3
CMAs	Support response agencies through the provision of advice on emergency stabilisation and other activities to arrest river breakaways, and the removal of debris accumulation threatening structural stability of public assets in consultation with expert advice	3.2, 11.3
	Support DELWP to deliver its recovery activities to implement balanced bushfire and flood recovery programs consistent with funding allocated	19.5
	Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to support fish death clean-ups where the fish death event is due to natural causes, and where the CMA has the resources. The CMA will lead a local fish death clean-up and larger scale clean-ups depending on resource availability
	Implement bushfire and flood damage restoration programs for bushfire and flood affected waterways
DELWP	Wildlife welfare arising from emergency events: Relief Coordinating Agency (RelCA) for animal welfare, including Relief Lead Agency (RelLA) to coordinate response and respond to wildlife welfare arising from emergencies	3.1, 3.2
	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to:
	rehabilitate, restore and reinstate public land and assets it is directly responsible for managing, and support PV and CMAs to deliver these responsibilities on public land and assets for which they are responsible	19.3
	support the resilience of public land assets managed directly by DELWP, PV and CMAs	19.3
	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to lead fish death clean-ups in waterways on public land managed for non-commercial purposes by DELWP, where the fish death event is due to natural causes. Support agencies (CMAs, Melbourne Water, VFA – refer to Table 15: Natural Environment) may lead fish death clean-ups where they have the resource capacity.
	Reticulated water and wastewater (sewerage) services - Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) responsible for recovery functional area coordination of reticulated water and wastewater services and natural environment, public land and waterways	18.6, 18.7
	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals: Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) for threatened ecosystems and species, and Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to undertake targeted interventions to maintain ecosystems and threatened species	18.2, 18.5, 18.6,
	Wildlife affected by marine and freshwater pollution:
	rehabilitate wildlife following veterinary assessment and working in conjunction with rehabilitators
	provide advice on appropriate management and release of wildlife from rehabilitation	4.5, 4.6
	Wildlife welfare arising from emergency events:
	provide advice on appropriate management and release of wildlife from rehabilitation	4.5, 4.6
	rehabilitate wildlife following veterinary assessment and work in conjunction with rehabilitators
DJCS	Community Corrections Services can support in the clean-up and restoration of communities, including waterway restoration, weed eradication, large-scale tree planting, countering soil erosion, rubbish collection, fence maintenance and other community projects	18.5, 19.4
DPC	Support the protection and management of Aboriginal cultural heritage on public land	18.5
DPC	Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) for the protection and rehabilitation of Aboriginal cultural heritage on public land affected by emergencies and associated activities	18.5
EPA	As a technical support agency receive notifications for fish deaths, assess and triage reports, make interagency notifications, issue public information where required, and undertake a regional investigation with support of local agencies where practicable, to determine the cause of the fish death event before identification and transfer to the relevant agency for ongoing management	2.3, 4.4, 4.5, 11.2, 18.2
Melbourne Water	Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to support fish death clean-ups where the fish death event is on a Melbourne Water managed catchment area and where the fish death event is due to natural causes. It is at Melbourne Water’s discretion to lead a fish death clean up at a regional or state scale.
	Lead the delivery of the following recovery activities:
	fish death clean-ups where the fish death event is on a water corporation managed water body.
	support the recovery and rehabilitation of areas directly impacted by the failure of Melbourne Water’s assets or systems	17.4
	mitigate immediate short-term further public health risks associated with waterways and drainage networks where damaged from third-party events/emergencies (e.g. water run-off from structure fires) through recovery efforts	18.6
Parks Victoria	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to rehabilitate, restore and reinstate public land and assets managed directly by PV from the agreed date of transition from emergency response to recovery, including: recovery and rehabilitation of natural values, cultural values, tourism and visitor assets affected by an emergency on parks, reserves, rivers, waterways and local ports managed by PV (in collaboration with DELWP and DH) clean-up following oil or chemical pollution incidents on parks, reserves, rivers, waterways and local ports managed by PV (in liaison with DELWP, or their agents, and the EPA) clean-up of fish death incidents (in collaboration with EPA and DELWP) assist with the recovery and rehabilitation of other public land affected by an emergency	16.7, 16.8, 18.1, 18.5
Water Corporations	Lead fish death clean-ups where the fish death event is on a water corporation managed water body at a local or regional scale.

Critical Task 18.5: Coordinate and undertake cultural heritage values rehabilitation works, in consultation with all affected communities, including Victoria’s First Peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
CMAs	Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to restore, clear and rehabilitate waterways managed by CMAs, and support DELWP in its lead role of rehabilitating, restoring and reinstating public land and assets managed directly by DELWP, as well as public land and assets CMAs are responsible for.	18.3, 19.3
DELWP	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals: Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) for threatened ecosystems and species, and Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to undertake targeted interventions to maintain ecosystems and threatened species	18.2, 18.4, 18.6
DJCS	Community Corrections Services can support in the clean-up and restoration of communities, including waterway restoration, weed eradication, large-scale tree planting, countering soil erosion, rubbish collection, fence maintenance and other community projects	18.4, 19.4
DPC	Support the protection and management of Aboriginal cultural heritage on public land	18.4
DPC	Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) for the protection and rehabilitation of Aboriginal cultural heritage on public land affected by emergencies and associated activities	18.4
Parks Victoria	Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to rehabilitate, restore and reinstate public land and assets managed directly by PV from the agreed date of transition from emergency response to recovery, including: recovery and rehabilitation of natural values, cultural values, tourism and visitor assets affected by an emergency on parks, reserves, rivers, waterways and local ports managed by PV (in collaboration with DELWP and DH) clean-up following oil or chemical pollution incidents on parks, reserves, rivers, waterways and local ports managed by PV (in liaison with DELWP, or their agents, and the EPA) clean-up of fish death incidents (in collaboration with EPA and DELWP) assist with the recovery and rehabilitation of other public land affected by an emergency	16.7, 16.8, 18.1, 18.4

Critical Task 18.6: Establish recovery monitoring of natural and cultural heritage values, in consultation with all affected communities, including Victoria’s First Peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
DELWP	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals relief coordination of surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals	11.2, 18.1, 18.2
	Reticulated water and wastewater (sewerage) services - Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) responsible for recovery functional area coordination of reticulated water and wastewater services and natural environment, public land and waterways	18.4, 18.7
	Surveying and protecting threatened ecosystems, native plants and animals: Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) for threatened ecosystems and species, and Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) to undertake targeted interventions to maintain ecosystems and threatened species	18.2, 18.4, 18.5
Melbourne Water	Lead the delivery of the following recovery activities mitigate immediate short-term further public health risks associated with waterways and drainage networks where damaged from third-party events/emergencies (e.g. water run-off from structure fires) through recovery efforts	18.6

Critical Task 18.7: Transition recovery services and programs to previous management arrangements.

Agency	Activity	Additional alignment to critical tasks
DELWP	Reticulated water and wastewater (sewerage) services - Recovery Coordinating Agency (RecCA) responsible for recovery functional area coordination of reticulated water and wastewater services and natural environment, public land and waterways	18.4, 18.6
VFA	Liaise with DJPR or other control agencies for relief or recovery activities affecting the fishing or aquaculture industries	3.2