Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula
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Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan Summary Photo credit Annette Hatten, DELWP Citation: Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (2018). Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan Summary. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, East Melbourne. Acknowledgements: The development of this management plan was led by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and overseen by a steering committee made up of representatives from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Parks Victoria, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Environment Protection Authority Victoria, Melbourne Water and the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy. © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2018 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs or branding, including the Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) logo. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ISBN 978-1-76077-069-3 (pdf/online/MS word) 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. Accessibility If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please telephone DELWP Customer Service Centre 136 186, email [email protected], via the National Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au. This document is also available on the internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au Contents Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................... 2 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Purpose of the management plan ................................................................................................ 3 1.1.1 Ecological character ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.1.2 Objectives of the management plan ............................................................................................ 5 1.2 Developing the plan ...................................................................................................................... 5 2 Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site ........................... 6 2.1 Location .......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Ramsar criteria met ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Values ............................................................................................................................................. 8 2.3.1 Critical components, processes and services ........................................................................... 8 2.4 Current condition and Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) ................................................... 10 3 Priority values and threats ......................................................................................................... 12 4 Site management strategies ....................................................................................................... 17 4.1 Approach ...................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.1 Review of the 2003 plan .............................................................................................................. 17 4.1.2 Targets .......................................................................................................................................... 17 4.2 Theme 1: Protecting flora and fauna ......................................................................................... 18 4.3 Theme 2: Adapting to climate change ....................................................................................... 20 4.4 Theme 3: Managing water quality and water regimes ............................................................. 22 4.5 Theme 4: Improving our understanding ................................................................................... 24 4.6 Theme 5: Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) ...................... 25 5 Monitoring .................................................................................................................................... 26 5.1 Framework.................................................................................................................................... 26 5.2 Condition monitoring .................................................................................................................. 26 5.3 Intervention monitoring .............................................................................................................. 29 5.4 Evaluation and reporting ............................................................................................................ 29 6 Governance and implementation ............................................................................................... 30 6.1 Governance .................................................................................................................................. 30 6.2 Ramsar coordinating committee ............................................................................................... 30 6.3 Resourcing implementation ....................................................................................................... 30 6.4 Ramsar administration ................................................................................................................ 31 7 References ................................................................................................................................... 34 Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula 1 Ramsar Site Management Plan Summary Abbreviations CAMBA China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement CEPA Communication Education Participation and Awareness CCMA Corangamite Catchment Management Authority CPS Components, processes and services DEDJTR Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (Victorian Government) DELWP Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, formerly Department of Environment and Primary Industries (Victorian Government) DEPI Department of Environment and Primary Industries, now Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Victorian Government) DEWHA Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, now Department of the Environment and Energy (Australian Government) DoEE Department of the Environment and Energy (Australian Government) DSEWPaC Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, now Department of the Environment and Energy (Australian Government) ECD Ecological Character Description EPA Victoria Environment Protection Authority Victoria EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 GMA Game Management Authority IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature JAMBA Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement LAC Limits of Acceptable Change MAs Management Actions MCA Multiple Criteria Analysis MERI Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement PPWCMA Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority RCT Resource Condition Target RIS Ramsar Information Sheet RMP Ramsar Management Plan ROKAMBA Republic of Korea–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement SC Steering Committee SRW Southern Rural Water SAG Stakeholder Advisory Group VWMS Victorian Waterway Management Strategy 2 Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan Summary 1 Introduction The Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Strategic Management Plan (Parks Victoria 2003) established a framework for the maintenance of this site’s unique ecological character through conservation and wise use. The plan is now over a decade old and there has been significant progress in both our understanding of the ecological character and strategic direction in management of the site and Ramsar wetlands in Australia. A consultative and collaborative process was undertaken to review and update the Ramsar site management plan. The outputs of this review process are documented in two products: 1. A revised Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan, including a full description of the plan’s development and technical appendices, and 2. A Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan summary document