Aligning protocols for assessing the status of Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens of the Australian Alps An analysis of techniques to characterise the state of bogs in the Australian Alps and understand risk DRAFT REPORT FOR COMMENT Circulated for comment from the Australian Alps Liaison Committee Alps Water and Catchments Reference Group and associated bogs researchers. prepared by: Anita Wild & Regina Magierowski Wild Ecology Pty Ltd & University of Tasmania February 2015 © University of Tasmania and Wild Ecology 2015 This work is copyright. It may be produced in whole or in part for study or training purposes subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. It is not intended for commercial sale or use. Reproduction for other purposes other than those listed above requires the written permission from the authors. This work was conducted under the auspices of the Landscapes and Policy Hub for the Australian Alps national parks Cooperative Management Program. The Landscapes and Policy Research Hub is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Research Programme www.environment.gov.au/nerp and involves researchers from the University of Tasmania (UTAS), The Australian National University (ANU), Murdoch University, the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (and Charles Sturt University (CSU). Citation Wild AS & Magierowski RH (2015) Aligning protocols for assessing the status of Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens of the Australian Alps. Unpublished Report Prepared for the Australian Alps Liaison Committee by Wild Ecology Pty Ltd, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania. Front Cover Photo: Bog monitoring on the Baw Baw Plateau (Anita Wild) Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction rights should be addressed to: Dr Anita Wild Principal Ecologist Wild Ecology Pty Ltd Tel: +61 3 6223 3168 Email: [email protected] Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 Project approach .............................................................................................................. 4 Frameworks and issues to consider in undertaking an alps-wide assessment ........................... 5 Vulnerability, pressure, state, impact, risk and response ................................................... 5 The importance of scale.................................................................................................... 6 Existing vegetation community classification and identification ........................................ 7 Research and monitoring of the state of bogs – consistencies, differences, gaps and representativeness ......................................................................................... 11 Ecological studies – the role of remote sensing and measuring the population and calibrating with field data ................................................................................................................. 11 Integrating past studies to develop an alps-wide assessment of bog state .............................. 12 Qualitative analysis to characterise the pressures, vulnerabilities and state of bogs at the cluster and individual bog scale ..................................................................................14 Vulnerability indicators for clusters and individual bogs ...................................................16 Identifying pressures and associated impacts from pressures and threatening processes 18 Characterising state ........................................................................................................ 20 Conclusion 23 References cited.................................................................................................................... 24 Appendix One: Summary of research, variables monitored, purpose and methods of studies included in the assessment across the mainland Australian Alps ..................... 27 Appendix Two: Summary of methods of assessment of variables in bog studies included in the meta-analysis of the ‘state’ of bogs across the mainland Australian Alps ........ 34 Appendix Three: Bog studies included in the meta-analysis of the ‘state’ of bogs across the mainland Australian Alps ................................................................................ 36 Appendix Four: MCAS-S Data pack for Alpine Peatlands across the mainland Australian Alps ..41 1.0 The Freshwater Environment ......................................................................... 46 The MCAS-S Tool ............................................................................................................ 46 The Alpine Bogs MCAS-S Datapack.................................................................................. 46 Worked example: Mapping threats to alpine bogs in the Australian Alps Bioregion ................ 48 2.0 About the worked example............................................................................ 48 3.0 The Australian Alps Bioregion and the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens community .................................................................................................... 48 4.0 Aim ................................................................................................................. 51 5.0 Data layers..................................................................................................... 52 6.0 Means–to–end diagram ..................................................................................61 7.0 MCAS-S package structure ............................................................................. 62 1 | P a g e 8.0 Worked example ........................................................................................... 63 8.1 Input data layers ..................................................................................................... 63 Integrated data layers..................................................................................................... 65 Threat coincidence ......................................................................................................... 65 Overlays and masks ........................................................................................................ 66 Modifying state thresholds, number of states, or layer colour schemes........................... 67 Modifying integrated layers ............................................................................................ 67 Viewing results ............................................................................................................... 68 Modifying or creating new input layers (in an alternative program eg ArcGIS)................. 68 9.0 Biological conclusions from the worked example ........................................... 69 What we did ................................................................................................................... 69 What it told us ................................................................................................................ 69 10.0 Appendices ..................................................................................................... 71 10.1 MCAS-S data layer specifications for the Australian Alps.................................. 71 10.2 MCAS-S tip files (adapted from ABARES, 2011)................................................ 72 11.0 References .................................................................................................... 73 11.0 References .................................................................................................... 76 Glossary In this manual the term ‘alpine bog’ refers to the EPBC listed Alpine Alpine bog Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens community. ABARES Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics and Sciences The Multi-Criteria Analysis Shell for Spatial Decision Support is a decision MCAS-S support tool designed specifically for non-GIS users to integrate spatial data. MCAS-S A series of folders and data layers organised and formatted ready for use in Datapack an MCAS-S project. 2 | P a g e Acknowledgements for data, useful comments and review Arthur Rylah Institute Dr Arn Tolsma Australian Alps Liaison Committee Andrew Nixon (Project Manager) Australian National University Professor Geoff Hope Roger Good Department of Environment Karen Watson Department of Primary Industries, Dr Jennie Whinam Parks Water and Environment Environment and Planning (ACT) Felicity Grant La Trobe University Dr James Shannon Lisa Evans Dr John Morgan Office of Environment &Heritage Genevieve Wright Keith Robertson Parks and City Services (ACT) Graham Hirth Parks Victoria Charlie Pascoe Daniel Brown Elaine Thomas Iris Curran Jenny Edwards Felicity Brooke Steve Shelley University of NSW Philip Zylstra UTas Michael Lacey Ted Lefroy Suzie Gaynor 3 | P a g e Introduction Alpine Sphagnum bogs and associated fens (hereafter ‘bogs’) are restricted to high elevations in south-eastern Australia and are listed nationally as an endangered vegetation community due to limited distribution, past loss and threatening processes. Research has shown that bogs have suffered a reduction in ecological function and resilience across most of the geographic distribution due to myriad impacts such as those associated with pest animal species (specifically horses, pigs and deer), weeds, wildfire, altered hydrological regimes and climate change. As