Conservation Management Zones of Australia
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Conservation Management Zones of Australia South Eastern Australia Mixed Temperate Forests Woodlands and Grasslands Prepared by the Department of the Environment Acknowledgements This project and its associated products are the result of collaboration between the Department of the Environment’s Biodiversity Conservation Division and the Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN). Invaluable input, advice and support were provided by staff and leading researchers from across the Department of Environment (DotE), Department of Agriculture (DoA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the academic community. We would particularly like to thank staff within the Wildlife, Heritage and Marine Division, Parks Australia and the Environment Assessment and Compliance Division of DotE; Nyree Stenekes and Robert Kancans (DoA), Sue McIntyre (CSIRO), Richard Hobbs (University of Western Australia), Michael Hutchinson (ANU); David Lindenmayer and Emma Burns (ANU); and Gilly Llewellyn, Martin Taylor and other staff from the World Wildlife Fund for their generosity and advice. Special thanks to CSIRO researchers Kristen Williams and Simon Ferrier whose modelling of biodiversity patterns underpinned identification of the Conservation Management Zones of Australia. Image Credits Front Cover: Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains – Sue Wright, Tourism Australia Page 4: Great Otway National Park – James Lauritz, copyright Tourism Victoria Page 10: Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) – Trent Browning Page 17: Sunset over Signal Peak, Grampians National Park – Gav Owen Page 25: Genoa Peak, Croajingolong National Park – Paul Sinclair, copyright Tourism Victoria Page 26: Leadbeater’s Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) – Dan Harley Page 28: Giant Gippsland Earthworm (Megacsolides australis) – Alan Yen Page 29: Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) – Frank Lemckert Page 30: Southern Bent-wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii) – Steve Bourne Page 35: Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell National Park – Paoli Smith, copyright Great Ocean Road Marketing Page 43: Yarra Ranges National Park – Graham Scheer, Magray Images, copyright Tourism Victoria Page 44: Eucalyptus woodlands with tussock grass, Murray-Sunset National Park – John Baker Page 45: Eucalyptus tall open forests with ferns, herbs, sedges, rushes or wet tussock grasses (Eucalyptus regnans) – Patche99z Page 46: Eucalyptus open forests with a shrubby understorey, Eurobodalla National Park – Murray Fagg Page 47: Eucalyptus open forests with a grassy understorey, Nattai National Park – R Nicolai Page 48: Eucalyptus woodlands with a shrubby understorey, Thirlmere Lakes National Park – R Nicolai Page 49: Temperate tussock grasslands Natural Temperate Grassland of the Victorian Volcanic Plain – Department of the Environment Back Cover: Jamison Valley, Blue Mountains – Sue Wright, Tourism Australia © Commonwealth of Australia, 2015. The Conservation Management Zones of Australia profile is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see here. Conservation Management Zones of Australia, South Eastern Australia Mixed Temperate Forests Woodlands and Grasslands Contents Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country ����������������������������������������������2 Introduction ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2 Zone at a glance �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 Population characteristics �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Employment, volunteering and incomes ��������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Agriculture, Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11 Land tenure, land use, Native Title and Local Government Areas ������������������������� 13 Zone vegetation characteristics����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Ramsar and Nationally Important Wetlands ������������������������������������������������������������������ 18 World and National Heritage ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������22 Major National Reserve System properties ��������������������������������������������������������������������23 EPBC Act (1999) threatened ecological communities ������������������������������������������������� 24 EPBC Act (1999) threatened species ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 EPBC Act (1999) migratory species ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������34 Threatened endemic species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36 Invasive species �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������40 Vegetation profiles and management recommendations ��������������������������������������� 43 Conservation Management Zones of Australia, South Eastern Australia Mixed Temperate Forests Woodlands and Grasslands Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country The Australian Government acknowledges Australia’s Traditional Owners and pays respect to Elders past and present of our nation’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities� We honour the deep spiritual, cultural and customary connections of Traditional Owners to the Australian landscape, including Australia’s waterways, land and sea country� Introduction The 23 Conservation Management Zones of Australia are geographic areas, classified according to their ecological and threat characteristics. The zones are also aligned with the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia. The Conservation Management Zones provide a way of understanding Australia’s natural environment that will assist in long-term conservation planning and help the Australian Government to better design, deliver and report on Natural Resource Management (NRM) investments, including ensuring alignment of national NRM priorities with local action. The Conservation Management Zones also provide a filter through which to make national environmental and socio-economic data more accessible and comprehensible, and a framework for gathering on-ground knowledge and expertise about the environment. This will improve information flow to the Australian Government about regional NRM requirements, best practice management, emerging NRM issues and knowledge gaps. The Conservation Management Zones do not represent any change to existing administrative boundaries or governance structures, but aim to support the NRM and wider community to cooperatively manage environmental assets across boundaries, where they share common threats, ecological characteristics and stakeholders. Each Conservation Management Zone profile contains a standard suite of nationally available ecological and socio-economic information. We hope that this information will enable Australians of all ages and backgrounds to engage with, understand and appreciate Australian landscapes, and support all Australians to manage our natural resources more effectively. The profile information provides an indicative, high-level stock-take of the environmental and socio-economic landscape and it is not intended to be comprehensive. It should also be noted that, at present, the profiles contain only limited information on aquatic ecosystems, coastal assets and Indigenous land management practices. In future, consultation and comprehensive literature reviews will enable us to provide more complete information. 2 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, South Eastern Australia Mixed Temperate Forests Woodlands and Grasslands Zone at a glance Area of zone: Population density: 22,984,191 hectares % of Australia: 35.55 people 2.98% per square kilometre Zone population characteristics Zone employment characteristics 10,000,000 8,420,754 4.5% 8,000,000 6,000,000 Number of people 4,000,000 2,000,000 0 otal T er 65 Ov a second language English as ndigenous 95.5% I outh (15–24) Y Employed Unemployed Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 3 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, South Eastern Australia Mixed Temperate Forests Woodlands and Grasslands Major cities and towns Population Top five agricultural commodities Value (millions) Albury – Wodonga 84,982 Dairy $1,888 Ballarat 95,021 Beef $1,461 Bathurst 34,124 Lamb $956 Bendigo 88,668 Vegetables for consumption $728 Canberra-Queenbeyan 411,609 Wool $713 Cowra-Young-Yass 22,204 Total value of agricultural Geelong 179,042 commodities (including other $8,714 commodities not listed here) Goulburn 21,460 Melbourne 4,246,345 Melton 45,688 Climate characteristics* NSW South Coast 39,178 Mean annual temperature 12.7 Celsius Orange 34,996 Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month 26.2 Celsius Pakenham 32,916 Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month 1.8 Celsius Sale 12,764 Mean Annual Rainfall 797.9 mm Sunbury 33,045 Dominant rainfall season