Conservation Advice
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Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (s266B) 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, 266B 269AA of the EPBC Act. 2. 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 2018. 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. In 2018, 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 Conservation Advice approved 22 October 2018 Listing effective 25 October 2018 Table of Contents 1. CONSERVATION OBJECTIVE ......................................................................................... 5 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY .............................................. 5 2.1. Name of the ecological community ............................................................................. 6 2.2. Location and physical environment ............................................................................. 6 2.3. Climate and hydrodynamics ....................................................................................... 10 2.4. Flora and protista ........................................................................................................ 10 2.5. Fauna .......................................................................................................................... 12 2.6. Key diagnostic characteristics .................................................................................... 13 2.6.1. Reference condition ................................................................................................. 15 2.6.2. Boundaries and buffer zones .................................................................................... 15 2.6.3. Area critical to the survival of the ecological community ....................................... 16 2.6.4. Surrounding environment and landscape/seascape context ..................................... 17 3. SUMMARY OF NATIONAL CONTEXT ......................................................................... 18 3.1. Ecosystem functions ................................................................................................... 18 3.2. Bioregional and NRM distribution ............................................................................. 18 3.3. Other existing protections .......................................................................................... 18 3.3.1. EPBC Act protection ................................................................................................ 18 3.3.2. State government protections ................................................................................... 19 3.3.3. Nationally threatened species likely to occur in the ecological community ............ 19 3.4. Indigenous and cultural context ................................................................................. 20 3.5. Existing plans and management prescriptions ........................................................... 20 4. SUMMARY OF THREATS ................................................................................................ 21 4.1. Climate change ........................................................................................................... 21 4.2. Land use and associated decline in water quality ...................................................... 21 4.3. Modification of flow regime ...................................................................................... 22 4.4. Invasive species .......................................................................................................... 22 4.5. Disease (pathogens and parsites) ............................................................................... 22 4.6. Extractive and recreational activities ......................................................................... 22 5. RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE THREATENED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE .............................................................................................................................. 23 5.1. Recommendation on eligibility for listing against EPBC Act criteria ....................... 23 5.2. Recommendation on recovery plan ............................................................................ 24 6. PRIORITY RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS ...................................... 26 6.1. Priority protection, conservation management and recovery actions ........................ 26 6.1.1. Protect ...................................................................................................................... 26 6.1.2. Restore ...................................................................................................................... 27 6.1.3. Communication and engagement ............................................................................. 27 6.2. Monitoring and research priorities ............................................................................. 28 6.3. Offsets ........................................................................................................................ 30 2 Conservation Advice approved 22 October 2018 Listing effective 25 October 2018 6.4. Existing plans/management prescriptions relevant to the ecological community ..... 31 APPENDIX A: IMPORTANT AND FREQUENTLY OCCURRING BIOTA WITHIN THE ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY ................................................................................................. 32 APPENDIX B: DETAILS OF NATIONAL CONTEXT .......................................................... 39 B1: Bioregional distribution ....................................................................................... 39 B2: Other existing protection ..................................................................................... 40 B3: Relationship to state listed vegetation classifications ......................................... 41 B4: Nationally threatened species likely to occur in or near the ecological community .................................................................................................................................... 42 B5: Birds under international agreements .................................................................. 43 B6: Existing plans/management prescriptions relevant to the ecological community .................................................................................................................................... 44 APPENDIX C: RELEVANT HYDROLOGY, BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY ....................... 46 C1: Overview ............................................................................................................. 46 C2: Hydrology ............................................................................................................ 46 C3: Biology, ecology and function ............................................................................ 49 APPENDIX D – DESCRIPTION OF THREATS ..................................................................... 55 D1: Climate change and related impacts .................................................................... 55 D2: Land use and associated decline in water quality ............................................... 56 D2.1: Eutrophication and algal blooms ...................................................................... 57 D2.2: Pollution and contaminants .............................................................................. 57 D2.3: Increased erosion, sedimentation and turbidity ................................................ 57 D2.4: Acid flows and blackwater events .................................................................... 58 D3: Modification of flow regime ............................................................................... 60 D3.1: Estuary entrance modification (artificial opening) .......................................... 60 D3.2: Water extraction ............................................................................................... 60 D3.3: Water regulatory infrastructure