VEGETATION COMMUNITY SURVEY AND MAPPING OF THE PHILLIP ISLAND NATURE PARK REPORT BY GEOFF SUTTER AND JUDY DOWNE JUNE 2000 Arthur Rylah Phillip Island Institute NATURE PARK 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) Natural Resources and Environment AGRICULTURE • RESOURCES • CONSERVATION • LAND MANAGEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................... :............................................................................................... 1 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 5 2 IN"TRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 6 2.1 Background ................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Project Aims ................................................................................................................ 6 2.3 Location and Size ........................................................................................................ 6 2.4 Terminology .................................................................. :............................................. 6 2.4.1 Ecological Vegetation Classes .......................................................................................... 6 2.4.2 Floristic Community ......................................................................................................... 7 2.4.3 Weeds ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.4.4 Victorian rare or threatened species (VROTS) ................................................ :................ 7 2.4.5 Codes used for mapping that do not apply to vegetation communities ............................ 8 2.5 Nomenclature .............................................................................................................. 9 i' 3 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AND DEVELOPMENT ......................................................... 9 J 3.1 Methods ....................................................................................................................... 9 3 .1.1 Collation and evaluation of existing data ......................................................................... 9 3 .1.2 Supplementary data collection .......................................................................................... 9 3 .1.3 Floristic Analysis ............................................................................................................ 10 3 .1.4 Determination of Floristic communities and EVCs ........................................................ 10 3.1.5 Mapping ofEVCs ........................................................................................................... 10 3.1.6 Weed index ..................................................................................................................... 11 3 .1. 7 Polygon reliability Code ................................................................................................. 11 3.2 Assessment of Vegetation Condition ........................................................................ 12 3 .2.1 Summerland Peninsula ................................................................................................... 12 3.2.2 Ventnor Koala Reserve ................................................................................................... 13 3.2.3 Koala Conservation Centre and Five Ways Reserve ...................................................... 13 3.2.4 Oswin Roberts Reserve .................................................................................................. 13 3.2.5 Rhyll Wetland Reserve ................................................................................................... 13 3.2.6 Rowell Wetland Reserve .................· ............................................................................... 14 3.2.7 Conservation Hill Reserve and Rhyll Inlet and Observation Point ................................ 14 3.2.8 Churchill Island, Fishers Land and Swan Bay, Denne Bight.. ........................................ 14 3.2.9 Newhaven Wetland ........................................................................................................ 15 3.2.10 Cape Woolamai. ............................................................................................................. 15 3.2.11 Ventnor Coast. ................................................................................................................ 16 3.2.12 I<ennon Head to Pyramid Rock ...................................................................................... 16 3 .2.13 Pyramid Rock to Sunderland Bay ................................................................................... 16 3.2.14 Sunderland Bay to Cape Woolamai ................................................................................ 16 3 .3 Threatening Processes ............................................................................................... 17 3.3.1 Weed Competition .......................................................................................................... 17 3 .3 .2 Soil Disturbance ............................................................................................................. 17 3 .3 .3 Rabbit Grazing ................................................................................................................ 17 3 .3 .4 Hydrological changes ..................................................................................................... 17 3.3.5 Drought. ........................................................................................................................... 18 3.3.6 Altered fire regimes ........................................................................................................ 18 3 .3. 7 Phytophora ...................................................................................................................... 18 3 .4 Sites of signifificance ................................................................................................ 18 3.4.1 A re-examination of sites identified by Opie et al (1984) follows: ................................ 19 3 .4.2 A re-examination of sites identified by Moorrees and Molnar(l 992) follows: .............. 20 3 .4.3 Sites of significance recognised during this study .......................................................... 20 4 WHOLE OF PARK ASSESSMENT••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 23 i 4.1 Evaluation of communities AND EV C's for zoning ................................................. 24 J 4.1.1 Conservation status of Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC's) at bioregional level.. ... 24 5 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ........................................... 25 5 .1.1 Weed Control program ................................................................................................... 25 5 .1.2 Revegetation works ........................................................................................................ 25 5 .1.3 Land Acquisition ............................................................................................................ 25 5 .1.4 Lack ofrecruitment in Moonah Woodland communities ............................................... 25 5.1.5 Use of fire for Biodiversity ............................................................................................. 26 5.1.6 Environmental Weeds in PINP ....................................................................................... 26 6 VEGETATION DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................................ 28 6.1 Coastal Dune Scrub ................................................................................................... 28 6.1.1 Foredune Coastal Dune Scrub ........................................................................................ 28 6.1.2 Protected Cape Woolamai Coastal Dune Scrub ............................................................. 28 6.1.3 Exposed Cape Woolamai Coastal Dune Scrub ............................................................... 29 6.1.4 Inland Coastal Dune Scrub ............................................................................................. 30 6.1.5 Thyme Rice-flower Coastal Dune Scrub ........................................................................ 31 6.1.6 Hind dune Coastal Dune Scrub ...................................................................................... 31 6.1. 7 Common Boobialla Coastal Dune Scrub ........................................................................ 32 6.1.8 Coast Tea-tree Coastal Dune Scrub ................................................................................ 33 6.1.9 Seaberry Saltbush Coastal Dune Scrub .......................................................................... 33 6.2 Coastal Headland Scrub ............................................................................................ 34 6.2.1 Swamp Paperbark Coastal Headland Scrub .................................................................... 34 6.2.2 Clay Pan Coastal Headland Scrub .................................................................................