Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve Management Statement Land Stewardship & Biodiversity Department of Sustainability and Environment May 2005 This Management Statement has been written by Hugh Robertson and James Fitzsimons for the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria. This Statement fulfils obligations by the State of Victoria to the Commonwealth of Australia, which provided financial assistance for the purchase of this reserve under the National Reserve System program of the Natural Heritage Trust. ©The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2005 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. ISBN 1 74152 140 8 Disclaimer: This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication 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. Cover: Permanent wetland surrounded by Stony Knoll Shrubland, Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve (Photo: James Fitzsimons). Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve Objectives This Management Statement for the Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve outlines the reserve’s natural values and the directions for its management in the short to long term. The overall operational management objective is: Maintain, and enhance where appropriate, the condition of the reserve while allowing natural processes of regeneration, disturbance and succession to occur and actively initiating these processes where required. Background and Context Reason for purchase Since the implementation of the National Reserve System Program (NRS) in 1992, all Australian states and territories have been working toward the development of a comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) system of protected areas. In a systematic process to increase the reservation levels of Victoria’s most threatened ecosystems, the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s conservation land purchase program aims to acquire areas of private land containing high quality samples of such ecosystems for addition to the reserve system. A strategic assessment of high quality sites containing threatened ecosystems on the Victorian Volcanic Plain Bioregion was completed in 1999 (Ross 1999). Among a number of sites identified as suitable for voluntary purchase and addition to the protected area estate, the Stony Knoll Shrubland and wetlands at Dreeite were purchased due to their good condition and position within a larger area containing this vegetation type. The purchase was assisted with funding from the National Reserve System Program of the Commonwealth Government’s Natural Heritage Trust (Project No. N457). The Dreeite Stony Knoll Shrubland and wetlands fall within the Victorian Volcanic Plain IBRA 5.1 bioregion (Environment Australia 2000) and the Corangamite East Local Landscape Zone (Ross et al. 2003). Location The Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve (Dreeite NCR) of 54.05 ha is located off Hay’s Road approximately 2 km NNE of Dreeite and approximately 4.5 km from the eastern shoreline of Lake Corangamite (Figure 1). It consists of: Crown Allotment 2001, Parish of Cundare. Purchase of the Dreeite property was completed on 9 July 2004. The land was transferred to the Crown on 29 July 2004 and assigned to Parks Victoria for management on 21 January 2005. Reservation Status The Dreeite NCR is temporarily reserved for the “preservation of an area of ecological significance” under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 and managed as a Nature Conservation Reserve. 1 Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve The generic management objectives for Nature Conservation Reserves as defined by Parks Victoria (2003) are: Nature conservation reserves a) conserve and protect species, communities and habitats of indigenous plants, animals and other organisms; b) provide for research and study of the natural environment of the reserve where this is consistent with a) and there is minimal impact on the reserve; c) provide opportunities for appropriate enjoyment and recreation and education by the public where this does not conflict with a); d) protect Aboriginal cultural sites and places; and e) protect historic features in specific reserves where noted. Nature Conservation Reserves are consistent with IUCN Protected Area Category Ia: Strict Nature Reserve (NRE 1996). As the purchased land was originally freehold, no Land Conservation Council (LCC), Environment Conservation Council (ECC) or Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) recommendations apply. The Crown Land (Reserves) (Nature Conservation Reserve) Regulations 2004 will apply to activities in this reserve when it is listed under the Schedule of the Regulations. Natural Values and Condition Refer to Figure 2 for the location of threatened species recorded in the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife and the Flora Information System1. Vegetation Types Although the Dreeite NCR and surrounding region are mapped as containing Stony Rises Woodland (Figure 2), ground-truthing has revealed that Stony Knoll Shrubland Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC) dominates most of the reserve2 (Ross 1999). Stony Knoll Shrubland is considered endangered in the Victorian Volcanic Plain bioregion (Taylor et al. 2003), and patches of the size present in the Dreeite area are very rare (Ross 1999). Dreeite NCR also contains areas of wetland habitat supporting aquatic vegetation (Peterson pers. comm. 2003)3. Wetland habitat at sites close to Dreeite NCR is mapped as Plains Sedgy Wetland EVC and Plains Grassy Wetland EVC (Figure 2). The reserve also contains some small areas dominated by exotic pasture grasses and herbs that are of low conservation value. The condition of the vegetation in the reserve was assessed in March 2003 using the DSE Habitat Hectares method, and is considered to be in medium-good condition (scored 59/1004). 1 Note this does not necessarily represent records for all threatened species on the reserve. Only those recorded in the DSE flora and fauna databases are displayed. 2 Note that as of October 2004, <5 ha of Stony Rises Woodland EVC had been mapped at Dreeite NCR within the EVC_CMP100 geospatial data layer. Stony Rises Woodland was previously known as Stony Rises Herb-rich Woodland. 3 Wetlands on Dreeite NCR are mapped as Semi-permanent saline wetlands within the WETLAND_1994 geospatial data layer (Figure 2). 4 The original Habitat Hectares score of 48/100 was converted to 59/100 following guidelines for treeless EVCs. 2 Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve Ecological Management of Stony Rises Woodland and Wetlands The Stony Knoll Shrubland in Dreeite NCR is in good condition and does not require active management at present. Although the understorey vegetation supported a number of exotic herbs and grasses they do not pose a significant risk to the conservation values of the shrubland. Wetland habitat in Dreeite NCR is susceptible to degradation from stock entering the wetlands and may require fencing. Altered water regimes and the establishment of aquatic pest plants may also impact on the wetlands. There is evidence of past rock removal from wetland and grassland areas, which may have altered the structure of the habitat and adversely affected native flora and fauna. Control of plant biomass, particularly of exotic pasture grass species, may be considered desirable to provide habitat for native flora and fauna. Ecological burning is often used as a management tool to control exotic pasture species and promote the regeneration of indigenous flora. However, due to the high fuel loads associated with the shrubs and trees in Dreeite NCR and on adjacent private property, ecological burning is not recommended. Dreeite NCR has been grazed by sheep historically, but more recently cattle have utilised the property. Although grazing may have caused degradation to wetland vegetation, strategic grazing may be required to remove the biomass of plants, particularly exotic plants, with stocking rates adjusted to suit climatic conditions and/or pest plant abundance. Whilst the use of sheep for grazing is more desirable due to their lesser impact on the ecosystem, cattle grazing is the main landuse in the area and thus may be the only practical option. Management objectives and targets (short-long term) - Actively manage the Dreeite NCR using some of the management options described above to maintain the condition, species diversity and structural heterogeneity of the vegetation. - Limit stock access to wetland and saltmarsh areas of Dreeite NCR through establishment of internal fencing and liaison with adjoining landholders. - Monitor outcomes of management actions and adapt management regimes as the need arises. - Encourage ongoing research by universities and other scientific institutions into optimal management techniques for maintaining and enhancing Stony Knoll Shrubland biodiversity. Flora Dreeite NCR supports the Stony Knoll Shrubland EVC dominated by Tree Violet Hymenanthera dentata, with sparse Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon and Black Wattle Acacia mearnsii, while the permanent and semi-permanent wetlands support sedge, and other aquatic vegetation communities (Peterson pers. comm. 2003). Refer to Appendix 1 for flora records from Dreeite NCR and adjoining areas. 3 Dreeite Nature Conservation Reserve Management objectives and targets (short-medium