Ecosystem services from forests in Victoria Assessment of Regional Forest Agreement regions Acknowledgements Thanks to the following people who contributed to this study: Salahuddin Ahmad, Helen Betts O’Shea, Liam Costello, Phil Cryle, Ziggy Gelman, Cindy Hauser, Tom Hill, Louise Prossor, Bonnie Ryan and Matt White. We are grateful to Peter Harris AO and Carl Obst for their review of an earlier version of this report. Authors and analysts Freya McCormick and Charlie Showers. Photo credit Forest in the Upper Yarra Reservoir Park by Freya McCormick, 2019. All data used in this document was collected prior to the 2019-20 bushfires in Victoria. Acknowledgment We acknowledge and respect Victorian Traditional Owners as the original custodians of Victoria's land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices. We are committed to genuinely partner, and meaningfully engage, with Victoria's Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities to support the protection of Country, the maintenance of spiritual and cultural practices and their broader aspirations in the 21st century and beyond. © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2019 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs or branding, including the Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) logo. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ISBN 978-1-76077-926-9 (pdf/online/MS word) 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. Accessibility If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please telephone the DELWP Customer Service Centre on 136186, email [email protected], or via the National Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au. This document is also available on the internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au. Contents Executive summary .......................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 8 Overview of study ........................................................................................................... 10 Environmental-economic accounting ...................................................................................... 10 Ecosystem extent and condition ............................................................................................ 12 Ecosystem services and benefits ........................................................................................... 13 Linkages between ecosystems and industries ..................................................................... 14 Biophysical modelling and spatial data analysis .................................................................... 16 Valuation of ecosystem services .............................................................................................. 17 Forest ecosystem accounts for Victorian RFA regions .............................................. 19 Forest ecosystem extent ........................................................................................................... 19 Forest ecosystem condition ...................................................................................................... 24 Forest ecosystem services ....................................................................................................... 26 Ecosystem service flow accounts .......................................................................................... 26 Provisioning services ................................................................ .............................................. 30 Regulating services ................................................................................................................. 35 Cultural services ...................................................................................................................... 42 Use of ecosystem services by industries ................................................................................ 45 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 51 Glossary .......................................................................................................................... 52 References ...................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix A: Assessment of ecosystem services from forests .................................. 59 Provisioning services ................................................................................................................ 59 Water provision ....................................................................................................................... 59 Biomass for timber .................................................................................................................. 69 Biomass for firewood .............................................................................................................. 76 Honey ....................................................................................................................................... 80 Fodder ...................................................................................................................................... 85 Regulating services ................................................................................................................... 87 Water flow regulation .............................................................................................................. 87 Ecosystem services from forests in Victoria 1 Assessment of Regional Forest Agreement regions Soil retention ............................................................................................................................ 98 Carbon sequestration and storage ....................................................................................... 104 Pollination .............................................................................................................................. 116 Habitat for species ................................................................................................................. 120 Air filtration ............................................................................................................................ 124 Pest and disease control ....................................................................................................... 125 Cultural services ...................................................................................................................... 126 Opportunities for recreation and tourism ............................................................................ 126 Opportunities for social and community connection ......................................................... 130 Opportunities for cultural heritage connection ................................................................... 133 Amenity .................................................................................................................................. 134 Education and knowledge ..................................................................................................... 136 Appendix B: Assessment of abiotic services from forest areas .............................. 137 Abiotic services ....................................................................................................................... 137 Mineral resources .................................................................................................................. 137 Appendix C: Classification of ecosystem and abiotic services ............................... 139 Appendix D: Technical summary of biophysical modelling and spatial data analysis .......................................................................................................................... 142 Background .............................................................................................................................. 142 General descriptions of models and datasets ....................................................................... 146 Details, limitations and assumptions of modelling approach and spatial data analysis .................................................................................................................................... 149 General limitations ................................................................................................................... 156 Ecosystem services from forests in Victoria 2 Assessment of Regional Forest Agreement regions Executive