Describing the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site ecological character description A Victorian Government initiative A Victorian Government initiative Published by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment Melbourne, October 2008 © The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) 2008 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 . Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. ISBN 978-1-74208-770-2 For more information contact the DSE Customer Service Centre 136 186 This Barmah Forest Ramsar Site ecological character description was prepared using the ‘Framework for describing the ecological character of Ramsar wetlands’, and formed part B of this report which was published by DSE, in January 2005. This report was prepared with the financial support of the Australian Government under the Natural Heritage Trust Acknowledgments The Barmah Ramsar Site ecological character description developed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment with the assistance of a project steering committee. Project steering committee Janet Holmes and Julia Reed (Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment), Sarah Young and Lisa Evans (Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage), Wayne Tennant and Keith Ward (Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority) and Bruce Wehner (Parks Victoria): Lisa Lowe of Sinclair Knight Mertz analysed flow data for the project. Flow data Flow data for the Murray River at Tocumwal was provided by Murray-Darling Basin Commission and River Murray Water. The Department of Sustainability and Environment acknowledges that neither the Murray-Darling Basin Commission nor River Murray Water has any responsibility in terms of the accuracy, interpretation or use of the data. Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Cover page: Ibis colony at Barmah Forest. DSE. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Ecological character description details ............................................................................... 1 2. Ecosystem services for the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site....................................................... 2 3. Ecosystem services to be used as the basis for the ecological character description.......... 3 4. Description of ecosystem services and identification of related components...................... 3 4.1 Flood control .......................................................................................................................................... 5 4.2 Groundwater recharge............................................................................................................................. 6 4.3 Supports all four of the freshwater wetland types in Victoria....................................................................... 7 4.4 Supports depleted wetland types.............................................................................................................. 8 4.5 Supports representative vegetation communities ....................................................................................... 8 4.6 Supports a large variety of communities.................................................................................................. 10 4.7 Supports the largest Red Gum forest in Australia (together with Millewa Forest in NSW) ............................. 11 4.8 Part of a large natural floodplain system (together with Millewa Forest in NSW) ......................................... 12 4.9 Supports the most extensive area of Moira Grass plains in Victoria ............................................................ 12 4.10 Provides drought refuge for waterbirds ................................................................................................. 13 4.11 Supports a high diversity of species ...................................................................................................... 14 4.12 Supports threatened species ................................................................................................................ 15 4.13 Provides one of Victoria’s largest waterfowl breeding areas, particularly for Australian White Ibis and Straw- necked Ibis ................................................................................................................................................ 15 4.14 Supports an abundance of waterbirds ................................................................................................... 17 4.15 Summary of components and processes that maintain ecosystem services ............................................... 18 5. Specified components ......................................................................................................... 20 5.1 Connectivity of surface waters: operation of regulators ............................................................................ 20 5.2 Capacity of the Millewa Choke and the Barmah Choke.............................................................................. 21 5.3 Groundwater levels ............................................................................................................................... 21 5.4 Hydrogeology ....................................................................................................................................... 21 5.5 Wetland depth...................................................................................................................................... 22 5.6.1 Hydrology - flooding requirements for wetlands .................................................................................... 22 5.6.2 Hydrology - flooding requirements for vegetation associations................................................................ 23 5.6.3 Hydrology - flooding requirements for waterbird breeding and abundance............................................... 26 5.6.4 Hydrology - flooding requirements to provide drought refuge for waterbirds............................................ 28 5.6.5 Hydrology – to support a large natural floodplain .................................................................................. 28 5.7 Habitat for breeding waterbirds.............................................................................................................. 29 6. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 29 References .............................................................................................................................. 31 Appendix 1. Threatened species of flora and fauna............................................................... 33 Appendix 2 . Breeding records for colonially nesting waterbirds 1961-1982 ........................ 36 Description of the ecological character of Barmah Forest Ramsar Site 1. Ecological character description details DescribingTable 1 provides introductory details the regarding the ecological character description for the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site. Table 1. Details of the ecological character description for Barmah Forest Ramsar Site. Site name Barmah Forest Location The Barmah Forest Ramsar site is located on the Murray River floodplain in the State of Victoria, approximately 225 kilometers north of Melbourne. Area 29,516 hectares (Source: RAMSAR_100 layer in DSE GIS Corporate Library) Date of listing as a Ramsar site 15 December 1982 Date for which the description The description is for the Ramsar Site at the time of listing in 1982. of ecological character applies Management authorities Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment Status of description This is the first description of the ecological character of Barmah Forest Ramsar Site. Name of compiler Janet Holmes Senior Policy Officer Biodiversity and Natural Resources Division Department of Sustainability and Environment East Melbourne. Victoria. 3002. Email: [email protected] Date of compilation August 2004 Reference for Ramsar Barmah Forest Ramsar Information Sheet, May 1999 . Department of Information Sheet Sustainability and Environment website: http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrence.nsf/LinkView/97E95CB32619 DC20CA2572A00011BEF13D4353ED718B354CCA2572A00012817A Reference for management Department of Sustainability and Environment (2003a) Barmah Forest plan Ramsar Site Strategic Management Plan . Department of Sustainability and Environment. East Melbourne. Describing the ecological character of Barmah Forest Ramsar Site 1 A Victorian Government initiative 2. Ecosystem services for the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site The ecosystem services for the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site are listed in Table 2. The primary source of the information for each ecosystem service is indicated. Table 2. Ecosystem services for the Barmah Forest Ramsar Site. Ecosystem service Source Timber production 1 Cattle grazing 1 Apiculture 1 Flood control 1 Groundwater recharge 1 Recreational fishing and bait collecting 1 Hunting of waterfowl and pest animals 1 Picnics, outings, touring, cycling, horse riding and bushwalking 1 Nature observation 1 Scenic values