Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) & Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description December 2020 OFFICIAL Photo credit Red-necked stints at Point Wilson, Andrew Morrison, Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority 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 2020 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 978-1-76105-386-3 (pdf) 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. Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) & Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description December 2020 Acknowledgements Rhonda Butcher, Water’s Edge Consulting (expert advice and review) Danny Rogers, Australasian Waders Studies Group (expert advice) Halina Kobryn, Murdoch University (mapping and GIS) Rob Clements - Australasian Wader Studies Group (provision of data) Andrew Silcocks - Birds Australia (provision of data) Peter Menkhorst - DELWP, ARI (expert advice) Bob Swindley - DELWP, ARI (expert advice) Steering committee members: Dr Graham Mitchell, Chair – DELWP Yvette Baker - DELWP Anne Brady - DAWE Dr Rosalind Jessop – Central Coastal Board Richard Loyn – DELWP, ARI Mark Rodrigues - Parks Victoria Anne-Marie Tenni - Department of Defence Steve Tuohy - Parks Victoria Dr William Steele – Melbourne Water Mark Smith- Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority Donna Smithyman – Corangamite Catchment Management Authority Author Jennifer Hale Citation Jennifer Hale, 2020, Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) & Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description, for Catchments, Waterways Cities and Towns, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Site details .................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Statement of purpose ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Relevant treaties, legislation and regulations ........................................................................................ 3 1.4 Preparing the ECD ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2. General Description of the PPB Ramsar Site ............................................................. 6 2.1 Locations .................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Land tenure ................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Wetland types ............................................................................................................................................ 8 2.4 Ramsar criteria ......................................................................................................................................... 11 2.4.1 Criteria under which the site was designated ................................................................................. 11 2.4.2 Assessment based on current information and Ramsar criteria .................................................. 12 2.5 Heading 2 .................................................................................................................................................. 19 2.5.1 Heading 3 ............................................................................................................................................ 19 3. Components, processes, services and benefits ...................................................... 21 3.1 Definitions ................................................................................................................................................ 21 3.2 Identifying critical components and processes ................................................................................... 21 3.3 Supporting components and processes ................................ ............................................................... 22 3.3.1 Climate ................................................................................................................................................ 23 3.3.2 Geomorphic setting ........................................................................................................................... 25 3.3.3 Water quality ....................................................................................................................................... 26 3.4 Critical components and processes ...................................................................................................... 28 3.4.1 Hydrology ........................................................................................................................................... 29 3.4.2 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................................... 30 3.4.3 Native fish ........................................................................................................................................... 36 3.4.4 Waterbird diversity and abundance ................................................................................................. 37 3.4.5 Waterbird breeding ............................................................................................................................ 40 3.5 Cultural services ...................................................................................................................................... 41 3.5.1 Recreation, education and tourism .................................................................................................. 41 3.5.2 Aboriginal cultural values ................................................................................................................. 41 3.5.3 Scientific research ............................................................................................................................. 41 3.6 Critical benefits and services ................................................................................................................. 42 3.6.1 Provides physical habitat for waterbirds......................................................................................... 42 3.6.2 Provides nursery habitat for fish ...................................................................................................... 45 3.6.3 Supports threatened species ............................................................................................................ 46 3.6.4 Ecological connectivity ..................................................................................................................... 48 4. Limits of Acceptable Change ..................................................................................... 52 4.1 Process for setting Limits of Acceptable Change ............................................................................... 52 4.2 Limits of Acceptable Change for the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site .................................................................................................................................. 53 Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) & Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site i OFFICIAL Ecological Character Description 5. Threats to ecological character ................................................................................. 59 5.1 Climate change .......................................................................................................................................