Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan Photo credit Annette Hatten, DELWP Citation: Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (2018). Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site Management Plan. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, East Melbourne. Acknowledgements: The development of this management plan was led by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and overseen by a steering committee made up of representatives from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Parks Victoria, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, Environment Protection Authority Victoria, Melbourne Water and the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy. © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2018 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 978-1-76077-068-6 (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 DELWP Customer Service Centre 136 186, email [email protected], 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 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Purpose of the management plan ................................................................................................ 4 1.1.1 Ecological character ..................................................................................................................... 4 1.1.2 Objectives of the management plan ............................................................................................ 6 1.1.3 Ramsar documentation ................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Relevant policy and legislation .................................................................................................... 9 1.2.1 International ................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2.2 National ........................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2.3 Victorian ....................................................................................................................................... 10 1.2.4 Regional strategies and plans.................................................................................................... 11 1.3 Developing the plan .................................................................................................................... 12 1.3.1 Principles of the planning process ............................................................................................ 12 1.3.2 Stakeholder involvement ............................................................................................................ 12 2 Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site ......................... 14 2.1 Location ........................................................................................................................................ 14 2.2 Land status and site managers .................................................................................................. 14 2.3 Ramsar criteria met ................................................................ ..................................................... 17 2.4 Ecological character and values ................................................................................................ 20 2.4.1 Critical components, processes and services ......................................................................... 20 2.4.2 Additional values ......................................................................................................................... 25 2.5 Status of ecological character and Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) .............................. 25 3 Priority threats and values ......................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Risk assessment method ........................................................................................................... 29 3.1.1 Establishing the context ............................................................................................................. 29 3.1.2 Identifying risks ........................................................................................................................... 30 3.1.3 Analysing risks ............................................................................................................................ 30 3.1.4 Stakeholder involvement ............................................................................................................ 32 3.2 Priority values for management ................................................................................................. 32 3.3 Priority threats for management ................................................................................................ 33 3.3.1 Climate change ............................................................................................................................ 36 3.3.2 Urban development ..................................................................................................................... 37 3.3.3 Wastewater, stormwater and catchment inflows ..................................................................... 37 3.3.4 Recreational activities ................................................................................................................. 38 3.3.5 Biological resource use: duck hunting ..................................................................................... 40 3.3.6 Invasive species .......................................................................................................................... 40 3.4 Additional risks ............................................................................................................................ 41 3.5 Identified knowledge gaps .......................................................................................................... 41 4 Site management strategies ....................................................................................................... 42 4.1 Method .......................................................................................................................................... 42 Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula 1 Ramsar Site Management Plan 4.1.1 Review of the 2003 plan .............................................................................................................. 42 4.1.2 Stakeholder involvement ............................................................................................................ 43 4.2 Achievements from the 2003 plan ............................................................................................. 43 4.2.1 Central Coastal Board ................................................................................................................. 43 4.2.2 EPA Victoria ................................................................................................................................. 43 4.2.3 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning ......................................................... 43 4.2.4 Melbourne Water ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.2.5 Parks Victoria ............................................................................................................................... 45 4.2.6 Port Phillip and Westernport CMA ............................................................................................. 45 4.2.7 Corangamite CMA ....................................................................................................................... 46 4.3 Targets .......................................................................................................................................... 46 4.4 Theme 1: Protecting flora and fauna ........................................................................................