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CONTENTS PART A CONSERVATION STRATEGY COMMON TERMS IN THE TEXT REQUIRING CLARIFICATION vi VISION vii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 OVERVIEW 2 1.2 OBJECTIVES 2 1.3 ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT APPROACH 2 1.4 DEFINITION OF AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN AREAS 3 1.5 SCOPE OF THE STRATEGY 3 1.6 STRUCTURE OF THE STRATEGY 7 1.7 LINKS BETWEEN THE STRATEGY AND ACTION PLANS 7 1.8 RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND POLICY 8 1.9 IMPLEMENTATION 12 1.10 ACTION PLANS 12 2 STRATEGY: PROTECT AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN AREAS AND SPECIES 14 2.1 OVERVIEW 15 2.2 PROTECTION GOAL 15 2.3 KEY PRINCIPLES 15 2.4 PROTECTION STATUS OF AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN AREAS 15 2.5 THE NEED FOR FURTHER PROTECTION 17 2.6 LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COOPERATION 17 2.7 HOW PLANNING CAN PROTECT AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN AREAS 18 3 STRATEGY: REDUCE THREATS TO NATIVE BIODIVERSITY 20 3.1 OVERVIEW 21 3.2 THREAT MANAGEMENT GOAL 21 3.3 KEY PRINCIPLES 21 3.4 RIVER REGULATION AND WATER EXTRACTION 22 3.5 WATER PUMPING 24 3.6 WATER QUALITY 24 ACT Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy and Action Plans i 3.7 CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY 25 3.8 THERMAL POLLUTION 27 3.9 WATER CLARITY (TURBIDITY) 28 3.10 IN-STREAM SEDIMENTATION 28 3.11 RIPARIAN ZONE MODIFICATION 30 3.12 GENETIC IMPOVERISHMENT 30 3.13 WEEDS 31 3.14 ALIEN AND PEST ANIMALS 32 3.15 PARASITES AND DISEASES 35 3.16 CONNECTED AQUATIC POPULATIONS 36 3.17 INAPPROPRIATE FISH HARVEST 37 3.18 INAPPROPRIATE FIRE REGIMES 38 3.19 CLIMATE CHANGE 39 3.20 LAND USE 41 3.21 RURAL LAND USE IMPACTS 41 3.22 URBAN LAND USE IMPACTS 42 4 STRATEGY: MANAGE FOR CONSERVATION OF COMMUNITIES AND SPECIES 44 4.1 OVERVIEW 45 4.2 MANAGEMENT GOAL 45 4.3 KEY PRINCIPLES 45 4.4 MANAGEMENT APPROACH 46 4.5 MANAGEMENT TOOLS 48 5 STRATEGY: MONITORING AND RESEARCH 58 5.1 OVERVIEW 59 5.2 MONITOR CONDITION 59 5.3 COLLECT BASELINE INFORMATION 63 5.4 RESEARCH 63 6 STRATEGY: ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY 67 6.1 OVERVIEW 68 6.2 SUPPORTING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 68 6.3 ABORIGINAL ENGAGEMENT 70 6.4 EDUCATION 71 6.5 RECREATIONAL USE 75 ii ACT Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy and Action Plans 7 BACKGROUND 77 7.1 WHAT ARE AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN AREAS? 78 7.2 HISTORY 84 7.3 CURRENT CONDITION OF AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS 84 7.4 FUTURE CONDITION: POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE 109 7.5 AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES SINCE 2007 109 7.6 EVIDENCE BASE FOR AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN STRATEGY 116 9 APPENDICES 118 9.1 RIPARIAN DEFINITION 119 9.2 RIPARIAN VEGETATION COMMUNITIES PRESENT IN THE ACT 120 9.3 NATIVE AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN FAUNA PRESENT IN THE ACT 123 9.4 DETAIL OF UNCOMMON AND RARE FLORA 125 10 REFERENCES 128 FIGURES Figure 1.1 Upper Murrumbidgee River Catchment showing major waterways and urban areas. 5 Figure 1.2 ACT rivers considered in this Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy. The streams considered in this strategy are named in black font. 6 Figure 2.1 Fishway at Vanitys Crossing, Cotter River. 19 Figure 3.1 Cotter River above Vanitys Crossing. 26 Figure 3.2 Monitoring of alien fish species. 32 Figure 3.3 Cotter River above Corin Reservoir. Photo: M. Jekabsons, ACT Government. 40 Figure 4.1 Lees Creek weir is a potential barrier to passage for some aquatic species, reducing connectivity. However, the weir can also form a barrier to pest species invading the upstream river section. 50 Figure 4.2 Cotter River riparian zone after prescribed burn. 53 Figure 4.3 Burkes Creek in the Cotter River catchment. 57 Figure 5.1 ACT Conservation Research officer conducting fish monitoring. 62 Figure 6.1 Outreach poster at the launch of the Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach Plan. 73 Figure 6.2 Native fish for stocking in ACT waterbodies. 76 Figure 7.1 Cotter River upstream of Vanitys Crossing. 79 Figure 7.2 Erosion along the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. 85 Figure 7.3 ACT reaches and sampling sites used for assessing ecosystem condition (see Table 7.4) 86 Figure 7.4 Deployment of artificial fish habitat. iv Figure 7.5 Installation of educational signage relating to ACT fishing regulations. 117 ACT Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy and Action Plans iii TABLES Table 1.1 Relevant ACT listed threatened species and action plans 13 Table 2.1 Protection status of waterways covered under this strategy 16 Table 5.1 Monitoring indicators for ACT aquatic and riparian areas from the CEMP. 60 Table 5.2 Stressor (threat) indicator metrics used within the Aquatic and Riparian CEMP plan. 61 Table 7.1 Major ACT rivers and their significant characteristics 80 Table 7.2 Vegetation communities occurring in ACT riparian zones 82 Table 7.3 Native aquatic and riparian fauna found in the ACT 83 Table 7.4 Aquatic and riparian condition including management guidance by river section (including minor tributaries). 87 Table 7.5 Conservation Status of ACT and Commonwealth threatened flora and fauna species found in ACT aquatic and riparian ecosystems. 107 Table 7.6 Uncommon and rare aquatic and riparian plant species in the ACT 108 Table 7.7 Summary of aquatic and riparian rehabilitation activities since 2007 111 iv ACT Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy and Action Plans CONTENTS PART B ACTION PLANS TWO-SPINED BLACKFISH 140 MACQUARIE PERCH 160 MACQUARIA AUSTRALASICA 160 MURRAY RIVER CRAYFISH 188 SILVER PERCH 205 TROUT COD 220 MURRUMBIDGEE BOSSIAEA 244 TUGGERANONG LIGNUM 252 ACT Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy and Action Plans v COMMON TERMS IN THE TEXT REQUIRING CLARIFICATION Alien species: species that do not belong to the Pest: the concept of a pest is used in the present ecosystems in which they are found. The strategy to describe a plant or animal species, expression ‘alien species’ is often used in the usually alien, that has had a negative impact on same way with other terms including exotic, the native ecosystem or is unwanted in that introduced, feral, non-indigenous, non-native or ecosystem. invasive. For the present strategy, an alien species is one not native to the ecosystem under Weed: A weed is any plant that requires some consideration such that the species could have form of action to reduce its negative effect on originated from outside Australia or from the economy, the environment, human health another region within Australia. The term ‘alien’ and amenity. Weeds are also known as invasive may also be used with other terms (e.g. an alien plants. For the purposes of this strategy, species may or may not be invasive or a pest). invasive plants will generally be referred to as The term alien refers to both plants and weeds. animals. Introduced species: An introduced species (alien species, exotic species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species) is a species living outside its natural distributional range, which has arrived there by human activity, either deliberate or accidental. Non-native species can have various effects on the local ecosystem. Introduced species that become established and spread beyond the place of introduction are called invasive species. The impact of introduced species is highly variable. Some have a negative effect on a local ecosystem, while other introduced species may have no negative effect or only minor impact. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduced_speci es) Invasive species: naturalised plants or animals that produce reproductive offspring and may threaten biodiversity and have impact on the environment, economy or human health. Native or indigenous species: a species found in a particular ecosystem because of natural processes, such as natural distribution and evolution. No human intervention brought the species to the area or influenced its spread to that area. A native or indigenous species is adapted to the habitat where it naturally occurs. vi ACT Aquatic and Riparian Conservation Strategy and Action Plans PART A AQUATIC AND RIPARIAN CONSERVATION STRATEGY VISION ‘Healthy waterways supporting diverse aquatic and riparian flora and fauna, and providing high quality ecosystem services’ Rivers and their ‘riparian’ edges are critical to human health and well-being, the sustainability of our city and nature conservation. Rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquifers are critical habitat for many native plants and animals, provide water for human consumption and are sought out as aesthetically beautiful places. Rivers provide important conduits and connectivity in the landscape for people, plants and animals.