PART 2 ISSUES CHAPTER 6 NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE The Angahook-Otway study area has a wide range of natural A key issue for the establishment of a comprehensive, and cultural heritage values, from fragile ecosystems that adequate and representative reserve system is that few support rare and threatened species, to internationally examples remain of some ecosystems. Some ecological significant geological and geomorphological features. It is rich vegetation classes (EVCs) of the Warrnambool Plain and in the history of the Indigenous people whose shell middens, Otway Plain Bioregions have been extensively cleared and quarries, axe grinding grooves and artefacts are evidence of a those remnants remaining are of particular importance. The long and profound association with the land. The history of vegetation of the Heytesbury forests is one such area. It has European occupation is also apparent, with many relics of the been almost entirely cleared, with the remnant vegetation timber, shipping and transport and other industries across a on public land thus vital to ensuring adequate complex cultural landscape. representation in the reserve system. Species with the highest conservation status—those at Natural Heritage most risk—may require recovery programs. However, such Central to VEAC’s vision for the Otways is an enhanced programs are expensive and can only be applied to a small environmental outcome, at the core of which is biodiversity number of species, and only those whose decline, scarcity or conservation, provided by the Otway Ranges National Park existence has been documented. The only practical way to and other parks and reserves. The recommended reserve protect all species (known and unknown, scarce and system has been designed to maximise protection of abundant) is to conserve sufficiently large areas natural values, especially those for which adequate reserve representing the range of habitat types. protection is a key conservation requirement. The objective Old-growth and senescent forests contain key habitat of biodiversity conservation is to protect natural resources for many species such as tree hollows and fallen ecosystems and thereby maximise the survival potential of logs and are an important repository of both flora and the 1230 recorded plant species, 341 recorded vertebrates, fauna. Long-term protection in permanent reserves indigenous invertebrates and other unrecorded species protects current old-growth and, over time, allows more found in the Otways. ecologically mature forests to replace old-growth forests lost to wildfire. Community Views on Biodiversity Biodiversity protection in the Otways has substantial While assisting visitors to use and enjoy the natural values community support, with many submissions recognising the of national parks it is important that such values be area's outstanding natural values, including old-growth protected from over-use or inappropriate use by visitors. forest, cool temperate rainforest, diverse heathlands and Visitor management techniques may be required to protect coastal habitats. Many submissions to VEAC's Discussion natural heritage and to rehabilitate damaged areas. Paper and Draft Proposals Paper specifically refer to the As well as conserving natural heritage, national parks and importance of nature conservation, through protection of other permanent reserves such as nature conservation either wildlife habitat or threatened species. Many reserves provide long-term protection for other landscape submissions proposed that specific places or extensive areas values such as scenic amenity, and ensure priority for the be included in the national park. protection for those species and features most under threat. Biodiversity Protection Climate Change VEAC is recommending a substantial increase in the area of Climate change is expected to lead to a more erratic permanent parks and conservation reserves established climate pattern in the study area. There are likely to be primarily for biodiversity conservation in the Otways. These more extreme events such as storms and droughts against parks and reserves implement the principles of a a background of higher average temperatures and reduced comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system. annual rainfall. VEAC’s recommendations aim to include areas of all ecosystem types in permanent parks and reserves, ensuring these areas are of suitable size and represent an appropriate extent of each ecosystem. This approach seeks to protect all plant and animal species that occur within their boundaries. To ensure the protection of rare and threatened species, information from the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Atlas of Victorian Wildlife and Flora Information System databases was used in the design of the recommended reserve system. Considerations included habitat requirements, species ranges and habitat links. 72 ANGAHOOK-OTWAY INVESTIGATION FINAL REPORT VICTORIAN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT COUNCIL VEAC has applied design principles for its recommended Protecting Natural Values conservation reserves in the study area that aim at minimising EVC representation in dedicated parks and reserves offers the impact of climate change on threatened species and long-term conservation of natural values in the permanent ecological communities. These principles include: reserve system. VEAC’s recommendations increase the • the permanent protection of important habitat areas; protected area of many EVCs that were previously under- represented in permanent reserves, including: • ecological connectivity to facilitate migration and dispersal of species through the provision of habitat links; and • lowland forest, dominated by brown stringybark, or occasionally co-dominated by messmate, narrow-leaved • the protection of drought refuges for wildlife, including peppermint and the rare bog gum; wetter habitats and gully vegetation. • herb-rich foothill forest, with messmate dominant or Actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are being taken co-dominant with mountain grey gum; and under the Victorian Government’s Greenhouse Strategy. • shrubby wet forest, dominated by messmate, mountain Representation of Vegetation Types grey gum and manna gum. Vegetation types are commonly grouped into ecological Permanent representation of several other habitats will also vegetation classes (EVCs), which consist of one or more be substantially increased by VEAC’s recommendations. vegetation communities occurring under similar Cool temperate rainforest, for example, is home to a large environmental conditions. Bioregions are larger areas that number of threatened species, including feather-fan have been classified according to a number of germanderwort (otherwise found only in Tasmania), tall environmental variables including landform, rainfall and soil astelia, slender tree-fern, beech finger-fern and slender fork- fertility. The representation of specific EVCs within fern. These cool, damp environs are also habitat for bioregions is often used as a measure of ecosystem endemic species (that is, species found nowhere else), such representation. VEAC’s recommendations significantly as the Otway black snail and Otway stonefly. The national increase the representation of EVCs in permanent reserves park delivers secure, long-term protection for all rainforest (see Chapter 13), across the study area as a whole and sites of national and state significance in the Otways, and within each of its component bioregions. over two-thirds of extant cool temperate rainforest. Special Features Protection Another vegetation type with a high proportion of rare and While the national park encompasses a whole array of threatened species is heathy woodland. Substantial areas of special features, the forest park areas also contribute to this EVC near Anglesea, Carlisle River and Devondale are biodiversity protection and include areas of special nature included in the national park. These heathlands are conservation value and interest. VEAC's recommendations strongholds for many orchids, some listed as rare or include a schedule of special features to be protected within threatened including the endemic Angahook pink-fingers. the forest park. This emphasis on the protection of Several rare or threatened species in the study area require particular values and locations highlights their importance large, contiguous areas of suitable habitat, notably the to land managers and the community, and will contribute to powerful owl and the spot-tailed quoll. Habitat links are ensuring their conservation. also important for many other species in the study area, providing increased security against habitat fragmentation, Small Parcels of Public Land which often leads to local extinction. The extended national Smaller vegetated blocks of public land in the study area are park contributes to meeting these requirements. important for protecting remnant vegetation and landscape amenity in areas where cleared farmland is the dominant The national park and forest park play a significant role in land use. These small, but significant areas are particularly protecting populations that may be key links in their species’ susceptible to threats such as weed invasion because of western Victorian or coastal distributions, such as the long- their large exposed boundary. In addition, these blocks have nosed potoroo, swamp skink, wine-lipped spider-orchid and a limited capacity to cope with impact from recreational heart-lip spider-orchid. The Otways are the south-west limit pursuits