Toolkits
Our toolkits help equip the community to practice environmental stewardship and connect with the iconic landscape and biodiversity found in and around the Yarra River. We want to help you on your journey towards growing awareness and appreciation of your local environment. Download the toolkits below.
Weeding Toolkit
Weeds are starting to dominate most landscapes, competing with native species of the area and allowing an imbalance in ecosystems.
Our Weeding Toolkit will help you identify some of Melbourne’s most common weeds, and offers some tips on how to properly and safely remove and dispose of them.
You can find out more by watching our ‘Weeding for a better Yarra’ webinar.
Wildlife Toolkit
Wildlife is swiftly diminishing around the globe. Wildlife, their ecological interactions and the ecosystem services they support are all part of promoting health in the environment. The Wildlife Toolkit is a way to connect with your local environment. It will highlight species that are both iconic to the area or not as well known.
You can find out more by watching the ‘Connecting with the Wildlife of the Yarra’ webinar.
Little Critters Toolkit
With over 1 billion bugs to one human, these little fellas have a huge collective impact on the world around us. Even though they play an important role in the health of our environment, like nutrient cycling and pollination, our little critters are often misunderstood and don’t get the love that they deserve. Get to know some of the many little critters found in the Yarra Catchment by using our Little Critters Toolkit.
You can find out more by watching the ‘Little Critters of the Yarra’ webinar.
Research and Reports
Litter, plastics, and microplastics are contaminating the Yarra’s waters, making the Yarra one of the largest contributors of litter into Port Phillip Bay. The YRKA works towards proactively researching the sources and flows of litter, as well as litter management activities.
To date, we have removed approximately 38,000 kg of polystyrene contaminated soil and general waste from the Yarra’s riverbanks and reedbeds. While removal of litter will benefit our waterways by preventing the spread of plastics along the River and into the Bay, we also conduct research to better understand the extent of litter and pollution in our River and what we need to do to tackle the threat of litter on the Yarra.
Litter and Flows Report
The wide use of single-use plastics, improper waste management practices, inadequate waste treatment, and littering has led to large volumes of plastic pollution entering into the Yarra and Port Phillip Bay.
Research on plastic pollution mainly focuses on marine environments. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge about the presence, sources and fate of pollution and litter in Rivers. To respond to this, we conducted research to better understand the journey that litter undertakes when entering the Yarra and flowing through to Port Phillip Bay. Our key findings and suggested actions can be read in our Litter and Flows Report.
Polystyrene Pollution Report
Being both a lightweight and brittle material, the ecological impacts of polystyrene are pervasive and widespread. Our Polystyrene Report identifies potential sources of polystyrene and actions that need to be taken to protect Melbourne’s waterways.
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