Date: July 7, 2005

Protecting the natural habitat of Australia’s urban humans has been sadly overlooked in the resource management debate, according to researchers from the University of Melbourne.

The head of the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus, Dr Peter May believes horticulture studies could be re-named "Urban Resource Management" with the new emphasis now on enriching public open spaces.

Dr May has called for more research into more city-centric horticultural techniques, such as watering street trees from storm drains, to create truly more sustainable urban environments.

With more research he says, storm water could one day be diverted into giant underground "drought banks" to water street trees during summer, rather than being left to run into the bay.

While practical horticulture and design skills are important, we need a greater emphasis on horticultural science to drive better landscape design, construction and management.

Urban trees are also suffering form a lack of research into their care and attention, says Dr May.

"The loss of many older trees in Melbourne’s parks during wind storms earlier this year was a warning that not enough scientific research is being done to preserve mature tree stocks".

Dr May also says that current practice does not provide good soil environments for street trees resulting in our dependence on a few tried and true species. Research on urban soils is needed to allow us to grow a wider range of plants; even allowing our cities to become repositories of rare and endangered species that can’t survive in our current urban environments.

"A unique species of a Yarra eucalypt is just one example of a plant that may one day just disappear".

Dr May has urged school leavers to once again consider horticultural science as a career and says the Bachelor of Horticulture at the University of Melbourne’s Burnley campus is now regaining popularity alongside the more practical Advanced Diploma in Horticulture.

The Burnley campus will hold its annual Open Day on Sunday, August 7 from 12.00 noon - 4:00 pm.
The historic campus can be entered from Yarra Boulevard, or if coming from the North, from Swan Street. By tram from the city, take the number 70 from outside Spencer St or Flinders St stations to stop number 18. By train, the nearest stations are Burnley (and then tram along Swan Street) or Heyington on the Glen Waverley line. Melway reference - map 45 A12

More Information:

Head of Burnley Campus
Dr. Peter May
Phone : +61 3 9250 6825
Fax : + 61 3 9250 6885
Mobile : 0417514871
Email : pmay@unimelb.edu.au
Web : www.unimelb.edu.au

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