Royal Park is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, with many species found nowhere else in the municipality. Royal Park contains the only remnant stands of indigenous vegetation and is the most ecologically diverse site within the City of Melbourne. This provides opportunities to implement or contribute to biodiversity projects which are not possible in other park locations.

Due to its size and native vegetation character, Royal Park has higher biodiversity value than other parks in the city.

Caring for nature in Royal Park requires a holistic and sustainable approach that may involve researching biodiversity, setting ecological goals specific to the opportunities available in Royal Park, preserving existing habitats, reducing pollution and creating public awareness.

Currently the park is comprised of indigenous and novel plant communities coexisting alongside urban infrastructure including roads, rail, tram, and community and sporting infrastructure. We have been fortunate to develop strong relationships with nearby Universities who have used the park to further research in ecological studies and test various concepts, such as using goats to manage vegetation in the White’s Skink habitat and experimenting with native wildflower meadows. These projects have helped to advance our understanding and management of the park.

City of Melbourne residents surveyed for the Connection to Nature survey in 2019 broadly agree with the statement: ‘biodiversity is fundamental to human wellbeing and supports all systems of life on earth’. Royal Park can play an important role in supporting connections between people and areas of high biodiversity, however population growth may result in the demand for access to nature exceeding supply.

Impacts of a more densely populated urban environment, such as increases in artificial light at night, can be critical stressors affecting biodiversity in urban landscapes. Royal Park is the city’s only deliberately dark open space; the scale of this darkness means it can provide benefits to biodiversity that smaller dark spaces cannot provide. As an urban park with busy transport corridors, including commuter paths, and sports fields within it, there may be a tension between the ecological benefits of darkness and the expectations of some park users for well-lit paths and facilities.