MANNINGHAM BIOSITES MANNINGHAM CITY COUNCIL SITES OF (BIOLOGICAL) SIGNIFICANCE REVIEW Report by Paul Foreman Economic and Environmental Planning Unit, Manningham City Council With chapters on Bryophytes by David Meagher of Zymurgy Consultants and Invertebrates by Alan Yen and John Wainer of the Department of Primary Industries November 2004 Front Cover: Fringed Helmet Orchid (Corysanthes fimbriata). “an uncommon species of sparadic distribution in Victoria” (Backhouse and Jeans 1995). Listed as rare on the Victorian Rare or Threatened species list. Recorded from one Manningham biosite. Image supplied by Justin Welander Table of Contents PREFACE .....................................................................................................................1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..........................................................................................................2 ABBREVIATIONS .....................................................................................................................3 SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................4 1 BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................................6 1.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Study aim......................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Objectives........................................................................................................................ 6 1.4 Previous biological studies – summary and deficiencies ................................................ 7 1.5 Study area location and surrounding municipalities........................................................ 8 1.6 Political/statutory context................................................................................................. 8 2 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF MANNINGHAM...........................................................10 2.1 Climate .......................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Geology and geomorphology ........................................................................................ 10 Silurian ..............................................................................................................10 Devonian ..............................................................................................................11 Tertiary ..............................................................................................................11 Quaternary ...........................................................................................................11 2.3 Soils and Landforms...................................................................................................... 12 2.4 Catchments (Hydrology)................................................................................................ 13 3 BIOPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF MANNINGHAM.....................................................14 3.1 Bioregions......................................................................................................................14 Highlands – Southern Fall Bioregion ...................................................................14 Gippsland Plains Bioregion..................................................................................15 3.2 Biophysical (Habitat) Regions ....................................................................................... 15 Lower Yarra Floodplains ......................................................................................15 Lower Yarra Low Hills ..........................................................................................16 Ruffey/Koonung Low Hills....................................................................................17 Warrandyte Hills...................................................................................................18 Middle Yarra Floodplains and Low Hills...............................................................20 4 LANDUSE AND CULTURAL HISTORY .......................................................................22 4.1 Vegetation evolution and fire pre-history....................................................................... 22 4.2 Pre-European (Indigenous) land use ............................................................................ 22 4.3 Post-European land use................................................................................................ 23 Explorers and squatters (~1803 to 1839) ............................................................23 First settlers, timber cutters and the gold rush (~1839 to 1880) ..........................24 Orchardists (~1880 to 1945) ................................................................................24 Urbanisation (~1945 to present) ..........................................................................25 4.4 Post-European fire history............................................................................................. 25 5 INDIGENOUS VEGETATION MAPPING ......................................................................27 5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................27 5.2 Methods.........................................................................................................................27 Determination of variables ...................................................................................27 Aerial Photographic Interpretation, polygon attribution and field checking..........28 Digitisation and data validation ............................................................................28 Manningham Biosites Risk Assessment..................................................................................................28 Core/Buffer habitat and Biosite delineation..........................................................29 5.3 Results........................................................................................................................... 30 Polygon data ........................................................................................................30 Landscape Units ..................................................................................................30 Indigenous Tree Crown Cover .............................................................................31 Indigenous Vegetation Modification.....................................................................31 EVC diversity and Conservation Status ...............................................................32 Extant EVCs.........................................................................................................32 Dominant Indigenous Species .............................................................................33 Indigenous Tree Health........................................................................................33 Human Occupation ..............................................................................................33 Exotic Tree/Shrub Cover......................................................................................34 Habitat Type (Core/Buffer)...................................................................................34 Sites of (Biological) Significance or Biosites........................................................34 Risk Assessment..................................................................................................35 Net Gain Framework and Landscape Index ........................................................35 5.4 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 36 6 VEGETATION TYPES AND VASCULAR FLORA........................................................37 6.1 Methods.........................................................................................................................37 6.2 Results and Discussion ................................................................................................. 37 Existing data.........................................................................................................37 Vegetation diversity..............................................................................................37 Vascular Flora diversity........................................................................................38 Rare or threatened species (included those extinct) ...........................................39 6.3 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 39 7 VERTEBRATE FAUNA .................................................................................................41 7.1 Methods.........................................................................................................................41 7.2 Results........................................................................................................................... 41 Existing data.........................................................................................................41 Vertebrate fauna diversity ....................................................................................41