parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...

Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 79
Flinders and Twofold Shelf Bioregions Marine Natural Values Study
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classification (Power and Boxshall
2007); the exceptions are Point Cooke, Ricketts Point and Beware Reef MSs which are all
IUCN Category II. There are also Marine Parks, Marine Reserves, and Marine and Coastal
Parks which have the primary objective of conservation but allow a larger range of
ecologically sustainable uses than MNPs or MSs (Parks Victoria 2003).
1.2 Purpose of Report
Since declaration of Victoria’s system of MPAs and release of the first Marine Natural Values
Study (MNVS) in September 2003 (Plummer et al. 2003) there have been ongoing
monitoring and research programs aiming to increase our knowledge about the MPAs.
Programs commissioned by Parks Victoria include habitat mapping, intertidal and subtidal
reef monitoring, statewide and individual MPA risk assessment as well as various research
projects (reports from which are available online at http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au). These
programs have considerably increased our knowledge of the habitats, and flora and fauna of
Victoria’s 13 MNPs and 11 MSs. The primary aim of this report is to add this new knowledge
to the identification and description of the natural values associated with Victoria’s MPAs.
Natural values are defined as the parts of the environment valued by people and are
considered to be a proxy for biodiversity and natural processes. They are also the basis of
Parks Victoria’s Adaptive Management Framework(Power and Boxshall 2007). The natural
values of Victoria’s MPA system incorporate qualities such as distinct physical environments
and processes, the diversity and arrangement of marine habitats, ecological communities
(including their diversity, richness and important biological processes) as well as species of
particular conservation significance (Power and Boxshall 2007).
This report updates the first MNVS (Plummer et al. 2003) for the Flinders and Twofold Shelf
bioregions and is one of a series of four reports covering Victoria’s MPAs. It aims to give a
comprehensive overview of the important natural values of each MPA that will assist in park
management within the region. The report will also provide a resource for education and
public recognition of the natural values of the MPAs in the Flinders and Twofold Shelf
bioregions.
1.3 Structure
This report firstly describes the Flinders and Twofold Shelf bioregions and the MPAs within
that bioregion. This report then identifies and describes the specific natural values on a park
by park basis, including maps of the available spatial data. Research undertaken within each
MPA is identified and the findings of that research in relation to the parks’ natural values are
discussed. The report also discusses the major threats to the natural values as identified by
a comprehensive risk assessment conducted by Carey et al. (2007a; 2007b). Knowledge
gaps for each MPA are identified and highlighted. Marine Parks, Reserves and Marine and
Coastal Parksare not specifically addressed in this report.
1.4 Methods
The information within the original MNVS (Plummer et al. 2003) was used as a starting point
and guide for this report. Bioregional scale physical, habitat and biota assemblage
characteristics were derived from mostly pre-declaration sources (i.e. LCC 1993; ECC 2000;
Ferns and Hough 2000; IMCRA 2006). Technical reports and papers from the Parks Victoria
MPA monitoring and research programs and other research conducted since the first natural
values report were reviewed and incorporated. The aim was to achieve consistency in the
basic level of information presented for each MPA and to highlight knowledge gaps.
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