DOCSLIB.ORG

Deakin Research Online

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Deakin Research Online Deakin Research Online This is the published version: Barton, Jan, Pope, Adam, Quinn, Gerald and Sherwood, John 2008, Identifying threats to the ecological condition of Victorian estuaries, Department of Sustainability and the Environment Technical Report, Melbourne, Vic Available from Deakin Research Online: http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30018691 Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in Deakin Research Online. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact [email protected] Copyright : 2008, The State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and the Environment Identifying threats to the ecological condition of Victorian estuaries December 2008 a Identifying threats to the ecological condition of Victorian estuaries Authors: Dr Jan Barton Dr Adam Pope Prof Gerry Quinn Assoc Prof John Sherwood School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Warrnambool, Victoria, 3280 A report on the project “Linking catchments to the sea: understanding how human activities impact on Victorian estuaries” funded by the National Heritage Trust (NHT) and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. This report should be cited as: Barton, J.L., Pope, A.J., Quinn, G.P. and Sherwood, J.E. (2008) Identifying threats to the ecological condition of Victorian estuaries. Department of Sustainability and Environment Technical Report. Cover photograph: Merri River estuary, Warrnambool, Victoria. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following people for their assistance and advice during this project: Name Organisation Michaela Dommisse Penny Gillespie Paul Wilson Paulo Lay Department of Sustainability and Environment Dr Helen Arundel Dr Alistair Becker Claire McClusky Jess McKenzie Jacquomo Monk Alex Rattray Deakin University Prof Peter Fairweather Flinders University Dr Nicole Barbee Dr Steve Swearer University of Melbourne Dr Jeremy Hindell Arthur Rylah Institute of Environmental Research Tim Allen Australian Government NRM Facilitator (Victoria) – Coastal and Marine Dr Richard Mount National Land and Water Audit and University of Tasmania Di Rose Nina Bate David Tiller Lisa Dixon Environment Protection Authority Victoria Mark Rodrigue Parks Victoria Dr David May * Greg Peters Corangamite CMA (* now GHD) Linda Grant Graeme Jeffries Glenelg Hopkins CMA Published by the Victorian Government Melbourne, April 2009 © The State of Victoria 2009 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne ISBN 978-1-74208-745-0 (PDF) For more information contact the Department of Sustainability & Environment Customer Service Centre 136 186 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 accessible format, such as large print or audio, please telephone 138 186, 1800 122 969 (TTY), or email [email protected] This document is also available in PDF format on the Internet at www.dse.vic.gov.au Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................b Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................iii Introduction and background ...................................................................................................................1 Section1: Information on Victorian estuaries ........................................................................................3 1.1 Description of data collected in Victorian estuaries ..........................................................................................5 1.2 Summary of available data on Victoria’s estuaries ............................................................................................6 Section 2: Classification of Victoria’s estuaries ....................................................................................11 2.1 Existing classification schemes ..........................................................................................................................11 2.1.1 Estuary Classification at the National scale ..........................................................................................11 2.1.2 Estuary classification at the regional scale ...........................................................................................12 2.1.3 Estuary classification in Victoria ............................................................................................................13 2.2 Rationale for new classification analyses .........................................................................................................15 2.3 Methods for classification analyses ..................................................................................................................16 2.4 Estuaries and their catchments .........................................................................................................................16 2.4.1 Defining Victoria’s estuaries and their extent ......................................................................................16 2.4.2 Defining catchments and deriving physical data .................................................................................19 2.4.3 Spatial products: Estuary and catchment layers ...................................................................................23 2.5 ‘Functional’ classifications .................................................................................................................................24 2.5.1 Estuaries and estuarine catchments ......................................................................................................24 2.5.2 Fluvial catchments ..................................................................................................................................24 2.5.3 Comparison with geography .................................................................................................................24 2.5.4 Summary of functional classifications ...................................................................................................26 2.6 Assessment of existing classifications ...............................................................................................................26 2.7 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................................................27 Section 3: Linking human activities to estuarine condition ...............................................................29 3.1 Threat-based classifications ...............................................................................................................................29 3.1.1 Land use and population in estuarine catchments ..............................................................................29 3.1.2 Land use and population in fluvial catchments ...................................................................................31 3.1.3 Catchment condition and hydrological alteration in fluvial catchments ..........................................32 3.1.4 of threats classifications ........................................................................................................................33 3.2 Relationships between functional and threat characteristics .......................................................................33 3.3 Linking estuarine condition to threats .............................................................................................................35 3.3.1 New work linking estuary catchment development and microbial function in estuary sediments 35 3.3.2 New work linking estuary catchment population density and structure of estuary sediments ......35 3.3.3 Future opportunities for linking threats to estuarine condition ........................................................36 Conclusions and recommendations ........................................................................................................37 Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................................38 Appendix 1: Well studied estuaries: a summary ...................................................................................45 i Appendix 2: Indicators of estuarine condition ......................................................................................47 Criteria for evaluating Indicators .............................................................................................................................47 Indication of something useful .........................................................................................................................47 Cost-effectiveness ...............................................................................................................................................47
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Rivers Monitoring and Evaluation Plan V1.0 2020
    i Rivers Monitoring and Evaluation Plan V1.0 2020 Contents Acknowledgement to Country ................................................................................................ 1 Contributors ........................................................................................................................... 1 Abbreviations and acronyms .................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 3 Background and context ........................................................................................................ 3 About the Rivers MEP ............................................................................................................. 7 Part A: PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES ..................................................................................... 18 Habitat ................................................................................................................................. 24 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................ 29 Engaged communities .......................................................................................................... 45 Community places ................................................................................................................ 54 Water for the environment ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Protecting Our Environment Inside This Issue
    reFire Recoverygrow... a natural progression h A newsletter by Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment on public land fire recovery April 2010 Over 287,000 hectares of Victoria’s public land was burnt in the Inside this issue: February 2009 bushfires, including almost 100,000 hectares of national and state parks and reserves managed by Parks • Protecting our Environment Victoria and nearly 170,000 hectares of state forests and reserves • Connecting with Community managed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment • Honouring our History (DSE). The most severely affected parks were Kinglake National • Our Vital Volunteers Park, Wilsons Promontory National Park, Bunyip State Park, • A Dream of Discoveries Cathedral Range State Park and Yarra Ranges National Park. The fires devastated the Ash Forests through the Central Highlands. ... plus an update on fire-affected parks and reserves The fires impacted many visitor sites and forced the closure of many more parks and state forests. They also put at risk Protecting our Environment threatened plant and animal species, and affected indigenous The scale and intensity of the fires were a significant disruption to and post settlement heritage sites. But since that catastrophic ecosystems. Many animals – not all of them officially recognised day, Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and as endangered – were put at risk and needed special attention. Environment (DSE) have been working closely with the Victorian Concern for species such as Helmeted Honeyeater, Brush-tailed Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA) Phascogale, Long-nosed Potoroos, Greater and Yellow-bellied to rebuild and reopen areas, and protect our natural and Gliders, Southern Brown Bandicoot and Broad Toothed Rat cultural values.
    [Show full text]
  • Action Statement No.134
    Action statement No.134 Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 Yarra Pygmy Perch Nannoperca obscura © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2015 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/ Cover photo: Tarmo Raadik Compiled by: Daniel Stoessel ISBN: 978-1-74146-670-6 (pdf) 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 the DELWP Customer Service Centre on 136 186, email [email protected], or via the National Relay Service on 133 677, email www.relayservice.com.au. This document is also available on the internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au Action Statement No. 134 Yarra Pygmy Perch Nannoperca obscura Description The Yarra Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca obscura) fragmented and characterised by moderate levels is a small perch-like member of the family of genetic differentiation between sites, implying Percichthyidae that attains a total length of 75 mm poor dispersal ability (Hammer et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Victorian Historical Journal
    VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL VOLUME 87, NUMBER 2, DECEMBER 2016 ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA The Royal Historical Society of Victoria is a community organisation comprising people from many fields committed to collecting, researching and sharing an understanding of the history of Victoria. The Victorian Historical Journal is a fully refereed journal dedicated to Australian, and especially Victorian, history produced twice yearly by the Publications Committee, Royal Historical Society of Victoria. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Jill Barnard Marilyn Bowler Richard Broome (Convenor) Marie Clark Mimi Colligan Don Garden (President, RHSV) Don Gibb David Harris (Editor, Victorian Historical Journal) Kate Prinsley Marian Quartly (Editor, History News) John Rickard Judith Smart (Review Editor) Chips Sowerwine Carole Woods BECOME A MEMBER Membership of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria is open. All those with an interest in history are welcome to join. Subscriptions can be purchased at: Royal Historical Society of Victoria 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia Telephone: 03 9326 9288 Email: [email protected] www.historyvictoria.org.au Journals are also available for purchase online: www.historyvictoria.org.au/publications/victorian-historical-journal VICTORIAN HISTORICAL JOURNAL ISSUE 286 VOLUME 87, NUMBER 2 DECEMBER 2016 Royal Historical Society of Victoria Victorian Historical Journal Published by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 239 A’Beckett Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia Telephone: 03 9326 9288 Fax: 03 9326 9477 Email: [email protected] www.historyvictoria.org.au Copyright © the authors and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria 2016 All material appearing in this publication is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher and the relevant author.
    [Show full text]
  • Mangroves and Salt Marshes in Westernport Bay, Victoria Robyn Ross
    Mangroves and Salt Marshes in Westernport Bay, Victoria BY Robyn Ross Arthur Rylah Institute Flora, Fauna & Freshwater Research PARKS, FLORA AND FAUNA ARTHUR RYLAH INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 123 BROWN STREET (PO BOX 137) HEIDELBERG VIC 3084 TEL: (03) 9450 8600 FAX: (03) 9450 8799 (ABN: 90719052204) JUNE 2000 0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following people assisted in gathering information for this review: Michele Arundell, Dale Tonkinson, David Cameron, Carol Harris, Paul Barker, Astrid d’Silva, Dr. Neil Saintilan, Kerrylee Rogers and Claire Turner. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 MANGROVE-SALT MARSH MAPPING IN WESTERNPORT BAY....................................................................................................4 MANGROVE–SALT MARSH MONITORING IN WESTERNPORT BAY..................................................................................................10 MANGROVE-SALT MARSH MONITORING IN NEW SOUTH WALES ..................................................................................................20 SEDIMENT ELEVATION TABLE (SET).........................................................................22 SUMMARY.........................................................................................................................23 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................25 APPENDIX I Westernport Contacts .......................................................................................................30
    [Show full text]
  • 'Resort for All Seasons'
    THINGS TO SEE & DO LORNE ‘Resort for all seasons’ Set between the sparkling waters of Loutit Bay and the beautiful forests of the Otway Ranges, Lorne has a special charm. Lorne’s Mountjoy Parade offers a cosmopolitan welcome and is an activity in itself with a variety of fantastic shops. Further information on any of the following activities can be obtained from the Lorne Visitor Information Centre. WALKS, WATERFALLS & LOOKOUTS There are many beautiful walks and waterfalls to explore around EATING OUT Lorne in the Great Otway National Park. Waterfalls include Erskine Lorne has an excellent selection of food outlets: from trendy cafes, Falls, Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Upper and Lower Kalimna Falls, fine dining restaurants, bakeries, juice bars, and takeaway outlets and Sheoak Falls with Swallow Cave and the Cora Lynn Cascades. Popular fresh produce shops. Refer to Lorne Food Guide walks are from the Sheoak Picnic Ground, along the St George River, Erskine River, Sheoak River, Lemonade Creek and the Cumberland WINERIES & LOCAL PRODUCE River. Foreshore & Historical walks include The Tramways Track, There are many fantastic local wine and food producers in the region: Shipwreck Plaque Walk, Stony Creek Walk and The Doug Stirling Gentle Annie Berry Gardens & Cafe (Deans Marsh) Walk. Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm (Pennyroyal) Refer to Lorne Walks and Waterfalls and Lorne town tear-off map. Blakes Estate Vineyard & Winery (Deans Marsh) Erskine Falls Dinny Goonan Family Estate (Bambra) The Erskine Falls drop 30 metres into the fern-lined valley of the Gosling Creek (Murroon) Erskine River and is a 9km drive from Mountjoy Parade (follow the Pick up a copy of the Otway Harvest Trail and go on a mouth watering signs).
    [Show full text]
  • Governance of the Great Ocean Road Region Issues Paper
    Governance of the Great Ocean Road Region Issues Paper Governance of the GREAT OCEAN ROAD REGION Issues Paper i Dormant Tower Hill Volcano Over Moyjil - Point Ritchie 14 public entities Aboriginal site possibly up to 2/3 80,000 journeys are years old day trips Nearly 170,000 hectares of Crown land Up to 11,000 visitors Over a day to the 12 Apostles 200 shipwrecks 5.4m visitors spent $1.3b 2cm/yr generating the rate at which the cliffs are being eroded Traditional 2 Owner groups From 1846, the 12 Apostles were once known as limestone Traditional lands of “The Sow and Piglets” 7 stacks (out of Eastern Maar (western and the original 9), middle stretches) and the known as the Wadawurrung (eastern end) 12 Apostles B100 The Great Ocean Road 8.1m is the world’s visitors projected largest war Infographic In in the next memorial 2011 decade Added to the National Heritage List Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach is the world’s longest running 2 surfing competition National Parks 24,000 Number of people in Lorne during the Pier to Pub (up from normal population of 1,000) 9,200 jobs 2 in the year 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires destroyed Marine National ending June 2017 Parks 42,000 and 729 hectares houses 3 2015 Wye River bushfire destroyed Marine National Sanctuaries and Rare polar dinosaur 2,260 115 fossil sites hectares houses The Great Ocean Road Taskforce proudly acknowledges the Eastern Maar and Wadawurrung people as the traditional custodians of the Great Ocean Road Region1.
    [Show full text]
  • West Gippsland Floodplain Management Strategy 2018
    WEST GIPPSLAND CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY West Gippsland Floodplain Management Strategy 2018 - 2027 Disclaimer Acknowledgements This publication may be of assistance to you but The development of this West Gippsland the West Gippsland Catchment Management Floodplain Management Strategy has involved Authority (WGCMA) and its employees do not the collective effort of a number of individuals guarantee that the publication is without flaw and organisations. of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your Primary author – Linda Tubnor (WGCMA) particular purpose. It therefore disclaims all Support and technical input – WGCMA liability for any error, loss or other consequence Board (Jane Hildebrant, Ian Gibson, Courtney which may arise from you relying on any Mraz), Martin Fuller (WGCMA), Adam Dunn information in this publication. (WGCMA), Catherine Couling (WGCMA), Copyright and representatives from VICSES, Bass Coast Shire Council, Baw Baw Shire Council, Latrobe © West Gippsland Catchment Management City Council, South Gippsland Shire Council, Authority Wellington Shire Council, East Gippsland First published 2017. This publication is Shire Council, East Gippsland Catchment copyright. No part may be reproduced by any Management Authority, DELWP, Bunurong process except in accordance with the provisions Land Council, Gunaikurnai Land and Waters of the Copyright Act 1968. Aboriginal Corporation and Boon Wurrung Foundation. Accessibility Acknowledgement of Country This document is available in alternative formats upon request. We would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Land Owners and other indigenous people within the catchment area: the Gunaikurnai, The Bunurong and Boon Wurrung, and the Wurundjeri people. We also recognise the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations in Land and Natural Resource Management.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2012/13 at a Glance East Gippsland Water’S Region
    Annual Report 2012/13 At a Glance East Gippsland Water’s Region East Gippsland Water serves an area of 21,000 square kilometres The corporation has nine separate water supply systems that serve in the east of Victoria, which boasts some of Australia’s most the communities of Bairnsdale, Bemm River, Bruthen, Buchan, diverse and spectacular scenery and a population of around Cann River, Dinner Plain, Eagle Point, Johnsonville, Lakes Entrance, 45,000 people. Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust, Lake Tyers Beach, Lindenow, Lindenow South, Mallacoota, Marlo, Metung, Newlands Arm, The region’s world renowned beaches, lakes, high country and Newmerella, Nicholson, Nowa Nowa, Omeo, Orbost, Paynesville, national parks are a natural draw-card for those seeking a lifestyle Raymond Island, Sarsfield, Swan Reach and Swifts Creek. change, as well as for the many tourists that swell the region’s population numbers over the busy holiday periods. Eleven individual wastewater systems serve Bairnsdale, Bemm River, Bruthen, Cann River, Dinner Plain, Eagle Point, Johnsonville, East Gippsland Water serves more than 36,400 people. Its service Lakes Entrance, Lake Tyers Beach, Lindenow, Mallacoota, Marlo, area extends east from Lindenow, through to the region’s capital Metung, Newlands Arm, Nicholson, Omeo, Orbost, Paynesville, Bairnsdale, the holiday centres of Paynesville and Lakes Entrance, Raymond Island and Swan Reach. and on to the wilderness coast and Mallacoota near the New South Wales border. It also serves as far north as Dinner Plain in Water services are provided to some 25,100 account holders the High Country of the Victorian Alps. (assessments) with wastewater services also provided to around 21,400 account holders.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Region
    Section 3 Central Region 49 3.1 Central Region overview .................................................................................................... 51 3.2 Yarra system ....................................................................................................................... 53 3.3 Tarago system .................................................................................................................... 58 3.4 Maribyrnong system .......................................................................................................... 62 3.5 Werribee system ................................................................................................................. 66 3.6 Moorabool system .............................................................................................................. 72 3.7 Barwon system ................................................................................................................... 77 3.7.1 Upper Barwon River ............................................................................................... 77 3.7.2 Lower Barwon wetlands ........................................................................................ 77 50 3.1 Central Region overview 3.1 Central Region overview There are six systems that can receive environmental water in the Central Region: the Yarra and Tarago systems in the east and the Werribee, Maribyrnong, Moorabool and Barwon systems in the west. The landscape Community considerations The Yarra River flows west from the Yarra Ranges
    [Show full text]
  • West Gippsland Region
    Powlett River. Courtesy WGCMA The West Gippsland region is diverse and characterised by areas of natural forest, West areas of high conservation value, fertile floodplains for agriculture, as well as having Gippsland major coal deposits and the Loy Yang, Hazelwood and Yallourn power stations. Region Three river basins form the region – Thomson (basin 25), Latrobe (basin 26) and South Gippsland (basin 27). West Gippsland Region In the north of the region is the Thomson basin, Hydrology characterised by the naturally forested Eastern Highlands. At the foot of the highlands are two major dams - Lake The hydrological condition of streams across the West Glenmaggie and the Thomson dam. Over half (55%) of Gippsland region reflects the varied land use - from natural the stream length in the Thomson basin was found to be and near natural flow regimes in headwater streams in in good or excellent condition. Of the remainder, 41% of forested areas of the region to flow regimes under immense stream length was in moderate condition and just 3% stress in areas dependent on water supply for domestic and 1% in poor and very poor condition respectively. and agricultural use. In the centre of the region is the Latrobe basin. The basin Thomson Dam provided 12,046 ML of environmental water features vast tracts of forest through the Strezlecki Ranges in 2011-12 for six reaches on the Thomson River (reaches and the Great Dividing Range, where streams rise and flow 1-5) and Rainbow Creek (reach 17) and Lake Glenmaggie to Lake Wellington in the east. Although much of the land provided 14,018 ML of environmental water to two reaches has been cleared for agriculture, the dominant land use is on the Macalister River (reaches 7 and 8).
    [Show full text]
  • Barwon-Darling River System
    Assessment of environmental water requirements for the Northern Basin review: Barwon-Darling river system DRAFT ''Near to final' draft for independent review - 2 May 2016 'Near to final' draft for independent review - 2 May 2016 Executive summary The Basin Plan provides a framework for the management of the water resources of the Murray- Darling Basin. The objectives of the Basin Plan include to protect and restore water-dependent ecosystems and functions, with the aim of achieving a healthy working Murray-Darling Basin. Prior to the making of the Basin Plan in 2012, the environmental water requirements of 24 large environmental assets (known as umbrella environmental assets) across the Murray-Darling Basin were assessed. These assessments, along with information from other disciplines, were used as part of the implementation of the peer reviewed Environmentally Sustainable Level of Take method to inform the setting of long-term average Sustainable Diversion Limits in the Basin Plan. At the time of the making of the Basin Plan, it was decided that there would be a review into aspects of the Basin Plan in the northern Basin. The Northern Basin review includes research and investigations in social and economic analysis, hydrological modelling, and environmental science, supported by stakeholder engagement. The review is re-applying the established Environmentally Sustainable Level of Take method. This review has gathered new data and knowledge from a range of disciplines including environmental science. The review may lead to the re-setting of the Sustainable Diversion Limits for the northern Basin. The environmental science program within the Northern Basin review focused on relationships between river flows and the ecological responses of key flora and fauna (particularly fish and waterbirds) as well as broader ecological functions.
    [Show full text]