This land in Melbourne is worth $11 million. To some, the grassland that was on it was priceless

If you head out past the industrial estates and new housing developments in Melbourne's outer west, you might just see Andrew Booth cycling through areas where very few bike riders venture. The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning said it was aware of allegations of "unauthorised works on Conservation Area 9 and we are taking this matter very seriously". RMIT University conservation scientist Sarah Bekessy said the idea at the time was to protect 36 conservation areas "into perpetuity" and create a grassland reserve in Melbourne's outer west, while allowing urban development across the rest of that region. Environmental Justice Australia senior lawyer Bruce Lindsay was also critical of the Victorian government, for its failure to add environmental protections to these conservation areas under state planning laws. "We know the best way to protect our native grassland habitats and the species that occupy them in Melbourne's urban environments is to continue acquiring and rehabilitating land to create the Western Grasslands Reserve," they said.