Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description Final 2 March 2012 Blank Page Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description by LE Project No: LE0907b 2 March 2012 Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site ECD…4 Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 7 ECD DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................................................................. 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 9 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 24 1.1. PURPOSE ..................................................................................................................................................... 24 1.2. SITE DETAILS ............................................................................................................................................. 25 1.3. DATE OF DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................. 27 1.4. RELEVANT TREATIES, LEGISLATION OR REGULATIONS .......................................................................... 27 1.4.1 International treaties and strategies .................................................................................... 27 Ramsar Convention ...................................................................................................................................... 27 1.4.2 Commonwealth Legislation and Policy ................................................................................ 28 1.4.3 State Legislation .......................................................................................................................... 29 2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE .......................................................................................... 31 2.1 SETTING ..................................................................................................................................................... 31 2.2 AREAS OF THE SITE ................................................................................................................................... 34 2.2.1 Little Waterhouse Lake and Adjacent Floodplain ............................................................. 34 2.2.2 Little Waterhouse Pool and Marshland ................................................................................ 37 2.2.3 Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site Wetland Types ..................................................... 39 2.3 RAMSAR LISTING ....................................................................................................................................... 41 2.3.1 Criteria under which the site is designated ....................................................................... 41 2.3.2 Assessment against the remaining designation criteria ............................................... 42 2.4 LAND USE AND TENURE ............................................................................................................................ 43 3. COMPONENTS, PROCESSES, BENEFITS AND SERVICES OF LITTLE WATERHOUSE LAKE RAMSAR SITE .......................................................................................................................................... 45 3.1 CRITICAL COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES AND ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS ................................................. 45 3.2 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SITE .......................................................................................................... 47 3.2.1 Climate ............................................................................................................................................ 47 3.2.2 Geomorphology ............................................................................................................................ 48 3.2.3 Hydrology ....................................................................................................................................... 49 3.2.4 Water Quality ................................................................................................................................ 50 3.2.5 Terrestrial Vegetation ................................................................................................................ 51 3.3 CRITICAL COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES ............................................................................................... 53 3.3.1 Wetland habitat types ................................................................................................................ 53 3.3.2 Rare plant species ....................................................................................................................... 55 3.3.3 Macrophyte diversity .................................................................................................................. 55 3.3.4 Green and gold frog .................................................................................................................... 58 3.3.5 Dwarf galaxias .............................................................................................................................. 58 3.3.6 Other components and processes of the site ................................................................... 58 3.4 BENEFITS AND SERVICES OF THE SITE .................................................................................................... 62 3.4.1 Identifying benefits and services ........................................................................................... 62 3.4.2 Critical Benefits and Services ................................................................................................. 64 3.4.3 Linking services to processes and components of the site .......................................... 64 4. KEY ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE SITE ............................................................ 70 5. LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE .................................................................................................... 75 Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site ECD…5 6. CHANGES IN ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER SINCE LISTING ................................................... 80 7. KNOWLEDGE GAPS ................................................................................................................................... 81 8. KEY SITE MONITORING NEEDS ........................................................................................................ 83 9. COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND PUBLIC AWARENESS (CEPA) MESSAGES .. 85 9.1 CURRENT CEPA ACTIVITIES ..................................................................................................................... 85 9.2 PROPOSED CEPA MESSAGES .................................................................................................................... 85 10. GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................................. 90 11. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................ 93 12. APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 97 12.1 APPENDIX 1: THE CONSULTANTS ........................................................................................................ 97 12.2 APPENDIX 2: METHODOLOGY TO DEVELOP THE ECD ........................................................................ 99 12.3 APPENDIX 3: VEGETATION SPECIES PRESENT AT LITTLE WATERHOUSE LAKE RAMSAR SITE (NVA 2011) 104 12.4 APPENDIX 4: FAUNA SPECIES PRESENT AT LITTLE WATERHOUSE LAKE RAMSAR SITE (NVA 2011) 107 This report should be cited as follows: Lloyd, L.N., Newall, P.R. & Atchison, E.E., 2012. Ecological Character Description for the Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site. Lloyd Environmental report to NRM North (Launceston, Tasmania). Lloyd Environmental Pty Ltd, Syndal, Victoria. (Project No: LE0907b), 2 March 2012. Inquiries on this report can be made to: Lance Lloyd, Director, Lloyd Environmental Pty Ltd, ph: 03 9884 5559, Mob: 0412 007 997 Fax: 03 9884 7405 [email protected] PO Box 3014, SYNDAL, Victoria 3149 Cover Photo: Little Waterhouse Lake looking south-easterly from the dam wall, November 2009 (Lance Lloyd) Little Waterhouse Lake Ramsar Site ECD…6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors of this document thank several people who provided valuable information for the project and/or comments on drafts of the document. In particular, we thank the following contributors: o Ken Morgan - DEWHA Project Management & Steering Committee Membership o Emma Williams – Program Manager, Healthy Coasts and Seas, NRM North, NRM North Project Manager & Steering Committee Member o Nicole Walsh – ECD Project Officer, NRM North o Ian Houshold – Geomorphologist, DPIPWE, Former Steering Committee Member o Jason Bradbury - Geomorphologist, DPIPWE, Steering Committee Member o Stewart Blackhall