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Draft Conservation Advice for Salt-Wedge Estuaries Ecological Community

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Draft Conservation Advice for Salt-Wedge Estuaries Ecological Community Draft Conservation Advice for Salt-wedge Estuaries Ecological Community Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (s266B) DRAFT FINAL (15/6/2017) <Approved> Conservation Advice (including Listing Advice) for the Assemblages of species associated with open-coast salt-wedge estuaries of western and central Victoria ecological community 1. The Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) was established under the EPBC Act and has obligations to present advice to the Minister for the Environment (the Minister) in relation to the listing and conservation of threatened ecological communities, including under sections 189, 194N and 266B of the EPBC Act. 2. If approved <The Committee provided its advice on Assemblages of species associated with open-coast salt-wedge estuaries of western and central Victoria ecological community to the Minister as a draft of this Conservation Advice in 2017. The Committee recommended that: the ecological community merits listing as <endangered> under the EPBC Act; and a recovery plan is not required for the ecological community at this time. 3. [If approved] In 2017, the Minister accepted the Committee’s advice, adopting this document as the approved Conservation Advice. The Minister amended the list of threatened ecological communities under section 184 of the EPBC Act to include Assemblages of species associated with open-coast salt-wedge estuaries of western and central Victoria ecological community in the Endangered category.> 4. A draft Conservation Advice for this ecological community was made available for expert and public comment for a minimum of 30 business days. <The Committee and Minister had regard to all public and expert comment that was relevant to the consideration of the ecological community.> 5. This <approved> Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time <it was approved>; this includes scientific literature, advice from consultations, and existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this ecological community. 1 Table of Contents 1. DESCRIPTION OF THE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY .............................................. 7 1.1. Name of the ecological community and associated rationale ...................................... 8 1.2. Location, physical environment, climate and hydrodynamics ..................................... 8 1.3. Reference Condition ................................................................................................... 13 1.4. Biota ........................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.1. Flora and Protista ..................................................................................................... 14 1.4.2. Fauna ........................................................................................................................ 15 2. GUIDANCE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER THE SALT-WEDGE ESTUARIES ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY PROTECTED UNDER THE EPBC ACT IS PRESENT . 16 2.1. Overview .................................................................................................................... 16 2.2. Key Diagnostic Characteristics .................................................................................. 17 2.3. Boundaries and Buffer Zones ..................................................................................... 17 2.4. Surrounding environment and landscape/seascape context ....................................... 19 2.5. Area critical to the survival of the ecological community ......................................... 19 3. SUMMARY OF NATIONAL CONTEXT ......................................................................... 22 4. SUMMARY OF THREATS ................................................................................................ 26 5. RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE THREATENED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE .............................................................................................................................. 30 5.1. Recommendation on eligibility for listing against EPBC Act criteria ....................... 30 5.2. Recommendation on Recovery Plan .......................................................................... 32 6. PRIORITY RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS ...................................... 33 6.1. Priority protection, conservation management and recovery actions ........................ 33 6.1.1. Protect ...................................................................................................................... 33 6.1.2. Restore ...................................................................................................................... 34 6.1.3. Communication and Engagement ............................................................................ 35 6.2. Monitoring and Research priorities ............................................................................ 36 6.3. Offsets ........................................................................................................................ 37 6.4. Existing plans/management prescriptions relevant to the ecological community ..... 38 APPENDIX A: LISTS OF KEY BIOTA FROM THE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ..... 39 APPENDIX B: DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF NATIONAL CONTEXT .......................... 46 B1: Bioregional distribution ....................................................................................... 46 B2: Other existing protection ..................................................................................... 47 B3: Relationship to state listed vegetation classifications ......................................... 48 B4: Nationally threatened species likely to occur in or near the ecological community .................................................................................................................................... 49 B5: Birds under international agreements .................................................................. 50 B6: Existing plans/management prescriptions relevant to the ecological community .................................................................................................................................... 51 APPENDIX C: RELEVANT HYDROLOGY, BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY ....................... 52 2 C1: Overview ............................................................................................................. 52 C2: Hydrology ............................................................................................................ 52 C3: General ecology and function .............................................................................. 56 APPENDIX D – DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THREATS ............................................... 61 D1: Flow regime modification ................................................................................... 61 D1.1: Water extraction ............................................................................................... 61 D1.2: Estuary entrance modification (artificial opening) .......................................... 62 D1.3: Regulatory infrastructure ................................................................................. 63 D2: Climate change and related impacts .................................................................... 65 D3: Land use and declining water quality .................................................................. 67 D3.1: Increased erosion, turbidity and sedimentation ................................................ 67 D3.2: Eutrophication and algal blooms ...................................................................... 68 D3.3: Acid flows and blackwater events .................................................................... 69 D3.4: Increased pollution ........................................................................................... 70 D4: Pathogens and pests ............................................................................................. 71 D4.1: Disease (pathogens and parasites) .................................................................... 71 D4.2: Invasive species ................................................................................................ 71 D5: Extractive and recreational activities .................................................................. 72 D5.1: Fishing – commercial and recreational ............................................................ 72 D5.2: Mining and extraction activities – coal and sand ............................................. 73 D5.3: Recreation – boating ........................................................................................ 73 APPENDIX E: DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF ELIGIBILITY FOR LISTING AGAINST THE EPBC ACT CRITERIA ..................................................................................................... 75 E1: Criterion 1 – Decline in geographic distribution ................................................. 75 E2: Criterion 2 – Limited geographic distribution coupled with demonstrable threat .................................................................................................................................... 76 E3: Criterion 3 – Loss or decline of functionally important species .......................... 81 E4: Criterion 4 – Reduction in community integrity ................................................. 82 E5: Criterion 5 - Rate of continuing detrimental change: Impacts of Climate Change – Sea Level Rise and Increasing Temperature ..........................................................
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