Kerang Wetlands Ramsar Site Strategic Management Plan Department of Sustainability and Environment This Strategic Management Plan was developed by Parks Victoria on behalf of the Department of Sustainability and Environment with input from key stakeholders. This report was prepared with financial support from the National Wetlands Program, under the Natural Heritage Trust. © The State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2004 This publication is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical or graphic) without the prior written permission of the State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment. All requests and enquires should be directed to the Copyright Officer, Library Information Services, Department of Sustainability and Environment, 5/250 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002. Disclaimers This publication may be of assistance to you and every effort has been made to ensure that the information in the report is accurate. The Department of Sustainability and Environment does not guarantee that the report is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence, which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Commonwealth Government of Australia, the Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, or the Department of the Environment and Heritage. This report is prepared without prejudice to any negotiated or litigated outcome of any Native Title Determination Applications covering land or waters within the plan’s area. It is acknowledged that any future outcomes of Native Title Determination Applications may necessitate amendment of this report; and the implementation of this plan may require further notifications under the procedures in Division 3 Part 2 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cwlth). The plan is also prepared without prejudice to any future negotiated outcomes between the Government/s and Victorian Aboriginal communities. It is acknowledged that such negotiated outcomes may necessitate amendment of this plan. Published in March 2004 by the Department of Sustainability and Environment Level 14, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne, Victoria. Copies of this document are available at www.dse.vic.gov.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Victoria. Department of Sustainability and Environment. Kerang Wetlands Ramsar Site: Strategic Management Plan Bibliography. ISBN 1 74106 824 X Cover: Kerang Wetlands (Photographs: Parks Victoria collection) Printed on recycled paper. Contents GLOSSARY III 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS STATEMENT 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN 1 1.3 CONSULTATIVE FRAMEWORK 2 2 RAMSAR SITE DESCRIPTION 3 2.1 LOCATION 3 2.2 WETLAND TYPE 3 2.3 CRITERIA MET FOR RAMSAR LISTING 3 2.4 LAND TENURE AND MANAGEMENT 3 2.5 ADJACENT LAND USE 5 2.6 CATCHMENT SETTING 5 2.7 LOCAL GOVERNMENT 6 3 POLICY FRAMEWORK 9 3.1 STRATEGIES 9 3.2 MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENTS, ZONING AND OVERLAYS 11 4 VALUES 12 4.1 WETLAND REPRESENTATIVENESS 12 4.2 FLORA AND FAUNA 12 4.3 WATERBIRDS 13 4.4 NATURAL FUNCTION 13 4.5 ABORIGINAL CULTURAL HERITAGE 14 4.6 SCENIC 14 4.7 ECONOMIC 14 4.8 EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION 14 4.9 RECREATION AND TOURISM 14 4.10 SCIENTIFIC 15 4.11 CONDITION 15 5 MANAGEMENT OF RISKS 16 5.1 ALTERED WATER REGIMES 16 5.2 SALINITY 18 5.3 POLLUTION 20 5.4 PEST PLANTS AND ANIMALS 20 5.5 RESOURCE UTILISATION 21 5.6 RECREATION 22 5.7 EROSION 23 5.8 DREDGING 23 5.9 FIRE 23 5.10 LAND MANAGEMENT 23 5.11 LEVEL OF RISK TO RAMSAR VALUES 23 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE KERANG WETLANDS RAMSAR SITE PAGE I 6 SITE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 25 REFERENCES 31 APPENDIX 1 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS 33 APPENDIX 2 THREATENED STATUS OF FLORA 34 APPENDIX 3 THREATENED STATUS OF FAUNA 35 APPENDIX 4 JAMBA, CAMBA AND BONN SPECIES 38 APPENDIX 5 RESOURCE LIST FOR KERANG WETLANDS 39 APPENDIX 6 KERANG WETLANDS RAMSAR INFORMATION SHEET 41 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE KERANG WETLANDS RAMSAR SITE PAGE II Glossary BWE Bulk Water Entitlement CAMBA China - Australia Migratory Bird Agreement DCFL former Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands (now DSE) DOI Department of Infrastructure DPI Department of Primary Industries DSE Department of Sustainability and Environment DEH Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Heritage EC Electrical Conductivity: 1 EC is equivalent to 0.6 mg/L of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) ECC former Environment Conservation Council GMW Goulburn-Murray Water IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (World Conservation Union) JAMBA Japan - Australia Migratory Bird Agreement LCC former Land Conservation Council MDBC Murray-Darling Basin Commission ML Megalitre NCCMA North Central Catchment Management Authority NRE former Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now DSE and DPI) PV Parks Victoria SFMP Streamflow Management Plan SMP Strategic Management Plan TDS Total Dissolved Solids TIS Torrumbarry Irrigation System STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE KERANG WETLANDS RAMSAR SITE PAGE III 1 Introduction The Strategic Management Plan for the Kerang 5. Manage resource utilisation on a sustainable Wetlands Ramsar site is an integral component of a basis. program to develop a comprehensive management 6. Protect and, where appropriate, enhance framework for Victoria’s Wetlands of International ecosystem processes, habitats and species. Importance (or ‘Ramsar sites’) listed under the 7. Encourage strong partnerships between Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971). The management agencies. primary goal of the management framework is to maintain the ecological character of Victoria’s 8. Promote community awareness and Ramsar sites through conservation and wise use. understanding and provide opportunities for involvement in management. 1.1 Strategic Directions Statement 9. Ensure recreational use is consistent with the protection of natural and cultural values. The Strategic Directions Statement establishes 10. Develop ongoing consistent programs to Management Objectives for Victoria’s Ramsar sites monitor ecological character. and Statewide Management Strategies to achieve these objectives (NRE 2002). The Strategic The Strategic Directions Statement also provides Management Plans for the individual Victorian background information on the suite of relevant Ramsar sites apply the Management Objectives and international conventions, as well as related Statewide Management Strategies, promoting a Commonwealth and State policy and legislation, range of specific management actions that will which directs and supports the management of maintain, and in some cases restore the ecological Ramsar sites. The Strategic Directions Statement character of the sites. Individual plans cover 10 of and Strategic Management Plans are therefore Victoria’s 11 Ramsar sites. Victoria’s eleventh intended to be read as complementary documents. Ramsar site, the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands, was listed in 2001 and is covered by a separate 1.2 Purpose of the Strategic management plan. A diagram of the framework and Management Plan related documents is shown below in Figure 1.1. The primary purpose of the Strategic Management The Strategic Directions Statement provides the Plan (SMP) for the Kerang Wetlands Ramsar site is overarching policy framework for managing Ramsar to facilitate conservation and wise use of the site so sites in Victoria. It establishes Management as to maintain, and where practical restore, the Objectives for Ramsar site management across the ecological values for which it is recognised as a State, which are then translated to the site-specific Ramsar wetland. This will be achieved by level by each of the Strategic Management Plans. implementing site-specific management strategies The Management Objectives outlined by the under each of the key objectives (derived from the Strategic Directions Statement are as follows: Strategic Directions Statement). 1. Increase the scientific understanding of wetland The SMP for the Kerang Wetlands Ramsar site ecosystems and their management provides management agencies and stakeholders requirements. with an appropriate management framework and the 2. Maintain or seek to restore appropriate water necessary information to ensure that decisions regimes. regarding land use and development, and ongoing 3. Address adverse processes and activities. management are made with full regard for wetland values in environmental, social and economic terms. 4. Manage Ramsar sites within an integrated catchment management framework. Figure 1.1 Framework for the strategic management of Victoria’s Ramsar sites STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS STATEMENT FOR VICTORIA’S RAMSAR SITES HATTAH- WESTERN BARMAH CORNER GIPPSLAND GUNBOWER KERANG LAKE PORT WESTERN KULKYNE DISTRICT FOREST INLET LAKES FOREST WETLANDS ALBACUTYA PHILLIPBAY PORT LAKES LAKES STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE KERANG WETLANDS RAMSAR SITE PAGE 1 The SMP has been structured in order to: 1.3 Consultative framework • provide a comprehensive site description; The SMP has been developed collaboratively through • examine the legislation, policy and any related a multi-disciplinary