Lavinia Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description March 2012 Blank Page Client/Logo Lavinia Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description by Final March 2012 ECD for Lavinia Ramsar Site…4 Table of Contents LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 7 INTRODUCTORY NOTES ................................................................................................................................... 8 DISCLAIMER ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 9 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 33 1.1 PURPOSE OF AN ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER DESCRIPTION ...................................................................... 33 1.2 SITE DETAILS ............................................................................................................................................. 34 1.3 DATE OF DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................................................. 37 1.4 RELEVANT TREATIES, LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS ........................................................................ 37 1.4.1 International .................................................................................................................................. 37 1.4.2 National ........................................................................................................................................... 38 1.4.3 State ................................................................................................................................................. 38 2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE .......................................................................................... 40 2.1 SETTING ..................................................................................................................................................... 40 2.2 OVERVIEW OF THE SITE ............................................................................................................................ 40 2.3 LAND TENURE AND OWNERSHIP ............................................................................................................... 44 2.4 RAMSAR WETLAND TYPES AT THE SITE ................................................................................................... 46 2.5 RAMSAR LISTING CRITERIA ...................................................................................................................... 50 2.5.1 Criteria under which the site is designated ....................................................................... 50 2.5.2 Assessment against the remaining designation criteria ............................................... 53 3. ECOSYSTEM UNITS OF THE LAVINIA RAMSAR SITE ............................................................ 55 3.1.1 Sea Elephant Estuary Ecosystem .......................................................................................... 56 3.1.2 Coastal Strip Ecosystem ........................................................................................................... 65 3.1.3 The Dunes Ecosystem ................................................................................................................ 72 3.1.4 Northern Sandsheet Ecosystem ............................................................................................. 78 4. COMPONENTS, PROCESSES AND SERVICES OF THE LAVINIA RAMSAR SITE ........ 82 4.1 IDENTIFYING CRITICAL COMPONENTS, PROCESSES AND SERVICES OF THE SITE ............................... 82 4.2 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SITE ......................................................................................................... 85 4.2.1 Climate ............................................................................................................................................ 85 4.2.2 Geomorphology ............................................................................................................................ 86 4.2.3 Hydrology ....................................................................................................................................... 88 4.2.4 Terrestrial Vegetation ................................................................................................................ 88 4.2.5 Fire Regime .................................................................................................................................... 91 4.2.6 Water quality ................................................................................................................................. 92 4.2.7 Fish and macroinvertebrates ................................................................................................... 93 4.3 CRITICAL COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES OF THE SITE ......................................................................... 94 4.3.1 Wetland vegetation communities .......................................................................................... 94 4.3.2 Regional rare plant species ...................................................................................................... 96 4.3.3 Scrambling ground fern ............................................................................................................ 97 4.3.4 Swamp fireweed........................................................................................................................... 97 4.3.5 Regionally rare bird species..................................................................................................... 97 4.3.6 Striped marsh frog ...................................................................................................................... 97 4.3.7 Orange-bellied parrot ................................................................................................................. 98 4.3.8 King Island scrubtit ..................................................................................................................... 98 4.3.9 Green and gold frog .................................................................................................................... 98 4.3.10 Waterbirds and seabirds ........................................................................................................... 99 4.3.11 Migratory birds ............................................................................................................................. 99 4.4 BENEFITS AND SERVICES OF THE SITE .................................................................................................. 101 4.4.1 Critical Benefits and Services ............................................................................................... 103 4.4.2 Linking services to processes and components of the site ........................................ 103 ECD for Lavinia Ramsar Site…5 5. KEY ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE SITE .......................................................... 105 6. LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE .................................................................................................. 116 7. CHANGES IN ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER SINCE LISTING ................................................. 127 8. KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND MONITORING NEEDS ...................................................................... 131 8.1 KNOWLEDGE GAPS .................................................................................................................................. 131 8.2 MONITORING NEEDS ............................................................................................................................... 133 9. COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND PUBLIC AWARENESS (CEPA) MESSAGES 137 10. GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................... 138 11. REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 141 12. APPENDICES .......................................................................................................................................... 145 12.1 APPENDIX 1: THE CONSULTANTS ...................................................................................................... 145 12.2 APPENDIX 2: METHODOLOGY TO DEVELOP THE ECD ...................................................................... 147 This report should be cited as follows: Newall, P.R. and Lloyd, L.N. 2012. Lavinia Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description. Lloyd Environmental report to NRM North. Lloyd Environmental, Syndal, Victoria. 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 ECD for Lavinia Ramsar Site…6 Acknowledgements The following people have contributed to the development of this ECD and are thanked for their contributions: o Emma Williams – NRM North, NRM Project Manager & Steering Committee Member o Nicole Walsh – NRM North, Steering Committee