Australian Alps Montane Grasslands and Heathlands
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Conservation Management Zones of Australia Australian Alps Montane Grasslands and Heathlands 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: Kosciuszko National Park – Allan Fox Page 4: Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne corroboree) – Steve Wilson Page 7: Broad-toothed Mouse (Mastacomys fuscus) – Magnus Kjaergaard Page 12: Three Mile Creek waterfall, Kosciuszko National Park – Copyright Stuart Cohen Page 14: Guthega Skink (Liopholis guthega) – Andrew Griffiths Page 16: Snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora), Kosciuszko National Park – John Spencer/OEH Page 18: Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea) – JJ Harrison Page 20: Alpine She-oak Skink (Cyclodomorphus praealtus) – Steve K Wilson Page 21: Baw Baw Frog (Philoria frosti) – Mike Swan Page 23: Hoary Sunray (Leucochrysum albicans var. tricolor) – Murray Fagg Page 24: Wildflowers, Namadgi National Park, ACT – Nicole Middleton Page 25: Common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), Kosciuszko National Park – Ian Pulsford/OEH Page 29: Mountain Pygmy Possum (Burramys parvus) – L. Broome/OEH Page 30: Eucalyptus woodlands with a shrubby understorey (Eucalyptus rubida) – G. Manley Page 31: Eucalyptus tall open forests with ferns, herbs, sedges rushes or wet tussock grass – Murray Fagg Page 32: Eucalyptus open forests with a grassy understorey, Alpine National Park – Murray Fagg Page 33: Eucalyptus low open woodlands with a shrubby understorey – Kosciuszko National Park – Murray Fagg Page 34: Wet tussock grassland, Ginini Flats Ramsar Wetland, Namadgi National Park – Nerida Sloane Page 35: Eucalyptus woodlands with tussock grass, Mt Ginini, Namadgi National Park – Visit Canberra Page 36: Eucalyptus open forests with a shrubby understorey, Alpine National Park – Murray Fagg Page 37: Eucalyptus wet sclerophyll open forest (Eucalyptus regnans) – Murray Fagg Back Cover: Kosciuszko National Park – Allan Fox © 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, Australian Alps Montane Grasslands and Heathlands Contents Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country ����������������������������������������������2 Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2 Zone at a glance ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 Population characteristics �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Employment, volunteering and incomes �������������������������������������������������������������������������8 Agriculture, Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Land tenure, land use, Native Title and Local Government Areas ��������������������������11 Zone vegetation characteristics����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13 Ramsar and Nationally Important Wetlands������������������������������������������������������������������ 15 World and National Heritage ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Major National Reserve System properties ���������������������������������������������������������������������17 EPBC Act (1999) threatened ecological communities ������������������������������������������������� 18 EPBC Act (1999) threatened species ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 EPBC Act (1999) migratory species ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 24 Threatened endemic species ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������25 Invasive species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27 Vegetation profiles and management recommendations ��������������������������������������� 29 Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Australian Alps Montane Grasslands and Heathlands 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, Australian Alps Montane Grasslands and Heathlands Zone at a glance Area of zone: Population density: 1,232,981 hectares % of Australia: 0.16 people 0.16% per square kilometre Zone population characteristics Zone employment characteristics 1,500 1,470 1,200 1.2% 900 Number of people 600 300 0 otal T er 65 Ov a second language English as ndigenous 98.8% I outh (15–24) Y Employed Unemployed Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 3 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Australian Alps Montane Grasslands and Heathlands Rural centres Population Climate characteristics* Perisher Village 148 Mean annual temperature 7.8 Celsius Mount Buller 242 Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month 20.7 Celsius Falls Creek 225 Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month -1.9 Celsius Mount Hotham 158 Mean Annual Rainfall 1387.6 mm Dinner Plain 143 Dominant rainfall season Winter * The figures are interpolated 75-year means (1921 to 1995) Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions representing the period prior to the onset of rapid climatic warming. Cited in: Williams KJ, Belbin L, Austin MP, Stein J, Ferrier S (2012) Murray Local Land Services NSW Which environmental variables should I use in my biodiversity model? International Journal of Geographic Information Sciences 26(11), Riverina