Strategic Action Plan 2019-2023 (Draft) Protection of floodplain marshes in and Barmah Forest Ramsar Site Overview Achieving our goal to:

Improve the health of the floodplain marshes of Barmah Forest, increasing the extent and cover of Moira grass plains and associated

wetland vegetation.

The vegetation of Barmah Forest is predominantly river red gum forest and woodland (red gum Great egrets, royal spoonbills, and wood ducks foraging wetland), and, along with the adjoining Millewa Floodplain marshes group of forests in New South Wales, forms the Floodplain marshes include diverse vegetation largest stand of river red gum in the world. The communities that occur in low lying areas subject to forest features a variety of permanent and more frequent inundation, and with periods of drying. temporary wetlands, including lakes, swamps, In Barmah Forest, floodplain marshes include Moira lagoons and flooded forest. These support grass ( spinescens) plains, giant rush (Juncus regionally important vegetation communities, ingens) beds, common reed () beds, including seasonal freshwater wetlands moist grasslands and aquatic herblands. These dominated by Moira grass, (forming large Moira wetlands can be either semi-permanent or ephemeral, grass plains), and provide significant habitat for fluctuating in extent and composition relative to water many species of waterbirds. availability (or flooding regime). The Barmah Forest natural and cultural landscape is at the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, and is a major source of food, shelter, fibre and cultural- spiritual materials. For the Yorta Yorta people, physical health of Country is directly connected to their physical, emotional and spiritual health. The forest, river, and animals are all part of Country and the cultural identity of the Traditional Owners, who are the joint managers of Barmah National Park. Moira grass plains at Little Rushy Swamp Purpose Moira grass condition The purpose of the action plan is to identify and In the Barmah Forest the Moira grass plains are now at improve management of threats to the ecological less than 5% of their original range and are projected to character of floodplain marshes at Barmah Forest be extinct by 2026 without management intervention. Ramsar Site and Barmah National Park (Barmah Moira grass is an aquatic species. With its spiky rush- Forest). like leaf, Moira grass thrives in warm to hot conditions, The need for the plan is driven by adverse changes to lying dormant in the soil and rapidly growing when the floodplain marshes of the Ramsar Site that have water arrives. occurred since the site was listed as a wetland of As it grows to the surface, Moira grass is thought to international importance in 1982. oxygenate the water. The drying phase of the Moira The plan will apply over a four-year period, through to grass life cycle serves to insulate the wetland. As June 2023. It outlines the roles of partners in delivering floodwaters recede, grassy mats settle as thatch on the the proposed strategies, and includes a monitoring, floodplain floor, helping to slow wetland evaporation. evaluation and reporting framework to enable the Moira grass plains provide habitat and food resources effectiveness of actions to be assessed and inform for the extensive wildlife populations of the wetlands, further management. particularly for waterfowl, frogs and invertebrates.

Michael Sale Improve the health of the floodplain marshes of Barmah Forest, increasing the extent and cover of Moira grass plains and associated wetland vegetation.

Drivers of Moira grass decline Conservation strategies The principal factors that are likely to have contributed The following conservation strategies and actions will to the decline in Moira grass extent are: be undertaken to tackle these threats: 1. Changes to the natural flooding regime Maintain and improve current water regimes 2. Grazing and trampling pressure (particularly by feral - Provision of an appropriate water regime horses and, prior to 2007, cattle), and (frequency, timing, duration, depth, variability and extent) to increase the extent and diversity of 3. Encroachment by invasive wetland species. floodplain and wetland vegetation. Changes to the natural flooding regime - Minimise the incidence and magnitude of Current water management practices aim to help undesirable summer-autumn flooding of floodplain mitigate the risks to Moira grass plains from river marshes. regulation. This water management aims to re- Control of grazing by feral horses invigorate floodplain marsh vegetation species - Staged capture and removal of feral horses to including Moira grass by promoting the winter-spring reduce the population of feral horses to 100 by flooding and summer-autumn dry period that this 2023, with the long-term aim of reducing feral species requires. Late summer-autumn flooding can horse numbers to zero. change the composition of wetland vegetation and - Feral horse numbers will be reduced principally by: needs to be minimised. (i) passive trapping and rehoming, and (ii) shooting Grazing and trampling pressure of free-ranging horses. Trapping will only occur Reduction in Moira grass extent has been exacerbated when rehoming opportunities have been identified. by the presence of introduced herbivores that - Undertake annual feral horse counts using preferentially graze Moira grass. Reducing the total helicopter-based thermal imaging in late autumn. grazing, browsing and trampling pressure, is required - Install targeted small-scale fenced exclosures in to complement environmental water management to sensitive areas where an immediate reduction of achieve protection and recovery of this significant impacts is needed component of the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site. Control of feral pigs and other introduced herbivores Of all the introduced grazing species present, feral - Reduce feral pig population density across the horses are currently considered the most destructive planning area to reduce ground disturbance and and their removal from the Barmah Forest is an predation. immediate priority for action. Based on aerial thermal - Reduce population density of deer species and imaging surveys conducted in June 2018, it is estimated maintain the densities at such a low level that that there are more than 500 feral horses in Barmah impacts on wetland values are minimal. Forest. - Reduce, and if possible, eradicate feral goats and Other feral species requiring management include pigs, sheep. deer, goats and sheep. Manage encroachment by invasive wetland plants - Trial the use of ecological burning and/or mechanical control (e.g. slashing or thinning), followed by managed flooding to limit giant rush and river red gum regrowth or germination. - Continue to control arrowhead weed in surrounding waterways and delivery channels. Performance measurement Research and monitoring activities will run concurrently with implementation of the conservation Feral horses around heavily pugged area of Steamer Plains strategies and will assist in evaluating their performance. In the final year of the plan a Encroachment by invasive wetland plant species comprehensive review will occur, to ensure that the Over decades, winter-spring floods of insufficient conservation outcomes required to restore the Moira depth and duration, and shallow flooding over grass plains are being achieved. summer-autumn have provided conditions suitable for the encroachment of native wetland plant species, More information predominantly giant rush and river red gum, into Copies of the plan may be downloaded from the Engage habitats formerly suitable for Moira grass. Victoria website (www.engage.vic.gov.au)