Enforcement Operations
Enforcement operations allow Authorised Officers to intensively target illegal activities in a particular area or for a defined period of time. Parks Victoria runs multiple operations throughout the year to reduce the negative impact of illegal behaviours on Victoria’s protected areas.
Operation OXIDE - Summer 2023
Recent years have seen a spike in reports and observations of trailbikes in Lysterfield Park and Churchill National Park. Operation OXIDE will step up patrols in these areas, as well as Bunyip State Park and Kurth Kiln Regional Park which have been impacted by illegal trailbike activities since the 2019 bushfires.
Illegal trailbike riding can be a safety risk in popular urban parks like Lysterfield, damage valuable habitat for native species, cause soil erosion impacting on waterways and sensitive vegetation and potentially impact on Aboriginal heritage (cultural) sites.
Parks Victoria Authorised Officers will be patrolling on trailbikes to raise awareness of the safety risk and damage posed by illegal trailbike riding on walking and management trails.
If you witness illegal trailbike riding, please contact Parks Victoria on 13 1963 or Victoria Police. Any identifying information of the bike or rider is appreciated, but you should not put yourself at risk to get this information.
Operation CENTAUR - Ongoing
Operation CENTAUR targets habitat destruction in the form of tree felling in Lauriston Nature Conservation Reserve, Taradale Nature Conservation Reserve, Fryers Ridge Nature Conservation Reserve and Metcalfe State Forest. Hundreds of habitat trees have been cut down and removed over recent years, destroying habitat relied on by native animals such as phascogales, Swift Parrots and other reptiles, birds and mammals.
Operations GREENWOLF and GOULBURN – April to September 2022
Victoria’s majestic River Red Gums and striking Mugga Ironbark provide critical habitat for native birds, mammals and reptiles- but they are under threat from destructive illegal firewood harvesting. From April, Parks Victoria will lead two enforcement operations in northern Victoria to target this behaviour and are calling on the community to assist.
Update July 2022:
May and June have seen a spike in illegal activity and several investigations are currently underway looking at multiple suspects. Some equipment and River Red Gum timber has been seized. These activities can sometimes be carefully planned illegal commercial operations that work hard to evade our surveillance and intelligence gathering efforts.
Thorough and accurate investigations take time and it is important we get it right to make sure the people undertaking these activities are held to account.
Information from the community is a key part of our intelligence and evidence gathering and we encourage community members to report any suspicious behaviour to Victoria Police or Parks Victoria on 13 19 86.
Key areas targeted are Shepparton Regional Park, Lower Goulburn National Park and Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park.
Operation WINTERFELL - Year-round intelligence gathering
Operation Winterfell is a state-wide illegal timber harvesting intelligence gathering and reporting operation. Activities or patterns identified by this year-round operation are used to establish and resource more targeted operations.
Operation SOHO - protecting Hooded Plovers on Victoria’s coastline
Operation Soho aims to protect the vulnerable Hooded Plover during nesting season (August – March).
Authorised Officers from Parks Victoria and the Conservation Regulator patrol beaches in the south-west of the state targeting activities that threaten nests and chicks, such as off-road driving and dogs off-leash or in prohibited areas.
Multi-agency operations
We work with partner agencies, the Conservation Regulator, Victoria Police, Victoria Fisheries Authority, Game Management Authority and other authorities to target and reduce specific illegal activities which damage the environment.