Western Port Ramsar Site Strategic Management Plan Department of Sustainability and Environment Parks Victoria developed this Strategic Management Plan in conjunction with the Department of Sustainability and Environment and key stakeholders and coordinated the public comment process on the draft document. 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, 2003 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, 240 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 Environment and Heritage, or Environment Australia. 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 July 2003 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. Western Port Ramsar Site: Strategic Management Plan Bibliography. ISBN 1 74106 584 4 Cover: Western Port (Photographs: Parks Victoria collection). Printed on recycled paper. Contents 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 5 2.5 ADJACENT LAND USE 9 2.6 CATCHMENT SETTING 9 2.7 LOCAL GOVERNMENT 9 3 POLICY FRAMEWORK 10 3.1 STRATEGIES 10 3.2 MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC STATEMENTS, ZONING AND OVERLAYS 11 4 VALUES 13 4.1 WETLAND REPRESENTATIVENESS 13 4.2 FLORA AND FAUNA 13 4.3 WATERBIRDS 15 4.4 NATURAL FUNCTION 15 4.5 CULTURAL HERITAGE 15 4.6 BIOSPHERE RESERVE 16 4.7 SCENIC 16 4.8 ECONOMIC 16 4.9 EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION 17 4.10 RECREATION AND TOURISM 17 4.11 SCIENTIFIC 17 4.12 CONDITION 18 5 MANAGEMENT OF RISKS 20 5.1 ALTERED WATER REGIMES 20 5.2 SALINITY 20 5.3 POLLUTION 20 5.4 SHIPPING ACTIVITIES 23 5.5 PEST PLANTS AND ANIMALS 24 5.6 RESOURCE UTILISATION 26 5.7 PORT DEVELOPMENT 27 5.8 RECREATION 28 5.9 EROSION 29 5.10 LEVEL OF RISK TO RAMSAR VALUES 29 6 SITE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 31 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE WESTERN PORT RAMSAR SITE PAGE I REFERENCES 37 APPENDIX 1 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS 39 APPENDIX 2 RESOURCES LIST 40 APPENDIX 3 RESEARCH LIST 43 APPENDIX 4 THREATENED STATUS OF FLORA 44 APPENDIX 5 THREATENED STATUS OF FAUNA 45 APPENDIX 6 JAMBA, CAMBA AND BONN SPECIES 48 APPENDIX 7 PEST SPECIES IN THE WESTERN PORT RAMSAR SITE 49 APPENDIX 8 EXOTIC MARINE SPECIES FOUND IN VICTORIA 51 APPENDIX 9 WESTERN PORT RAMSAR INFORMATION SHEET 52 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE WESTERN PORT RAMSAR SITE PAGE II 1 Introduction The Strategic Management Plan for the Western 5. Manage resource utilisation on a sustainable Port 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 Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971). The 7. Encourage strong partnerships between primary goal of the management framework is to management agencies. 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 The Strategic Directions Statement establishes protection of natural and cultural values. Management Objectives for Victoria’s Ramsar sites and Statewide Management Strategies to achieve 10. Develop ongoing consistent programs to these objectives (NRE 2002). The Strategic monitor ecological character. Management Plans for individual Victorian Ramsar The Strategic Directions Statement also provides sites apply the Management Objectives and background information on the suite of relevant Statewide Management Strategies, promoting a international conventions, as well as related range of specific management actions that will Commonwealth and State policy and legislation maintain, and in some cases restore, the which directs and supports the management of ecological character of the sites. Individual plans Ramsar sites. The Strategic Directions Statement cover 10 of Victoria’s 11 Ramsar sites. Victoria’s and Strategic Management Plans are therefore eleventh Ramsar site, the Edithvale-Seaford intended to be read as complementary documents. Wetlands Ramsar site, was listed in 2001 and is covered by a separate management plan. A diagram of the framework and related documents 1.2 Purpose of the Strategic is shown below in Figure 1.1. Management Plan The Strategic Directions Statement provides the The primary purpose of the Strategic Management overarching policy framework for managing Plan (SMP) for the Western Port Ramsar site is to Ramsar sites in Victoria. It establishes facilitate conservation and wise use of the site so Management Objectives for Ramsar site as to maintain, and where practical restore, the management across the State, which are then ecological values for which it is recognised as a translated to the site-specific level by each of the Ramsar wetland. This will be achieved by Strategic Management Plans. The Management implementing site-specific management strategies Objectives outlined by the Strategic Directions under each of the key objectives (derived from the Statement are as follows: Strategic Directions Statement). 1. Increase the scientific understanding of The SMP for the Western Port Ramsar site wetland ecosystems and their management provides management agencies and stakeholders requirements. with an appropriate management framework and the necessary information to ensure that decisions 2. Maintain or seek to restore appropriate water regarding land use and development, and ongoing regimes. management are made with full regard for wetland 3. Address adverse processes and activities. 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 PHILLIP BAY PORT LAKES LAKES STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE WESTERN PORT RAMSAR SITE PAGE 1 The SMP has been structured in order to: 1.3 Consultative framework • provide a comprehensive site description; The SMP was developed collaboratively through a • examine the legislation, policy and any related multi-disciplinary team comprised of Parks Victoria management instruments which direct or staff from regional and central offices. Throughout otherwise influence management both within the process key local stakeholders have provided and adjacent to the site; input (see Figure 1.2). • clarify the roles and responsibilities of The SMP is a public document that was formalised management agencies; through a government approval process. As such, • identify the values for which the site is the SMP was subject to a public comment phase recognised as a Ramsar site; commensurate with State Government consultative processes. All comments received during the • assess threats to these values through public consultation phase were considered in systematic analysis of both current and finalising the document. potential risks; and • give priority to Site Management Strategies The SMP is intended to operate over a six-year that minimise and, where possible, eliminate time