Werribee Plains Biodiversity Connectivity Report - Australian ...

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1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Regional Sustainability Framework The Australian Conservation Foundation has undertaken a three-year project to develop a regional sustainability framework for the Werribee Plains region funded through the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The project forms part of the Victorian government's Vision for Werribee Plains program, which has a commitment to achieve sustainable management of the region’s natural resources, including water, energy and ecosystems. The Werribee Plains region is one of Victoria's fastest-growing areas. Home to some 650,000 people now, the population is likely to exceed one million by 2030. Many of Victoria's largest manufacturers are clustered in the industrial zones of Altona and Laverton, and major transport routes run across the area, linking Melbourne to the west and north. The pressures of growth are fast having an impact. The Plains lie in a rain shadow where water has always been relatively scarce. Drought has worsened the situation in recent years. Add-in the forecasts for climate change in Southeast Australia – drier, hotter summers and even less rain – and the future becomes even more challenging. And it’s not just water. More people mean more land is impacted by urban expansion and associated infrastructure. The outlook is positive for a broadening local economy and continuing urban growth. The challenge is to ensure that the area’s biodiversity assets and natural ecological processes that support the natural assets of the region are protected and enhanced. The region contains the largest remaining areas of native grassland in Victoria, unique State and National Parks, and RAMSAR-listed wetlands. ACF's Werribee Plains project is exploring the possibilities for sustaining a growing and vigorous community while reducing its ecological footprint and making it more resilient against future shocks. A key part of this project is the development of a Werribee Plains Sustainability Framework which identifies regional actions to achieve environmental sustainability by reducing the demand for potable water and energy resources and protecting and enhancing natural values and underpinning ecological processes. Working closely with government, industry and the Werribee Plains communities, this project aims to provide a Framework that will directly address the needs of Werribee Plains and be used elsewhere in regional Australia (ACF 2009). 1.2 Stakeholder Consultation Biodiversity and environment are large and complex elements and to examine all the aspects would be an impossible task so it was decided to examine what the key issues for biodiversity were in the region with relevant stakeholders. To scope the issues for biodiversity and identify priorities for the Werribee Plains area a forum was held with key stakeholders on 7 May 2009 in Melton. The following priority areas were identified from the forum: • Protection and enhancement of remnant vegetation along urban waterways. • Protection of remnant grasslands. • Connection of key habitats and integration across land tenures. • Commitment, resources and enforcement of existing legislation and policy. • Development of a holistic or integrated strategy across policy areas to address competing policy drivers. Since that forum the State Government has announced an initiative for creating two large reserves for native grasslands in the Werribee Plains which is currently the subject of the finalisation of a strategic assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The decision was made to undertake a research study focused on connectivity and aimed at: • Preparing a biodiversity action plan for regional connectivity for the ‘Vision for Werribee Plains’ project area; • Identifying projects with key stakeholders to form the basis of a region-wide submission to the ‘Vision for Werribee Plains’ and other funding sources; and as part of this process 4
• Identify intermediate and long term outcomes and targets, and associated indicators for evaluation and reporting. A report on the forum is provided in the background supplementary paper to this project. 1.3 The role of connectivity The scientific basis for promoting a connected landscape has been discussed in a wide variety of papers and studies. The results indicate it is important for many reasons including but not limited to the maintenance of genetic diversity, individual migration, disaster refuge and patch resources. The importance of the capacity for both flora and fauna to migrate has been highlighted with the continuing impact of climate change and need for movement to respond to changes in environmental conditions. Since European settlement the Australian landscapes have undergone a significant change due to farming, infrastructure and urban development. Climate and other changes are also compelling factors in the discussion for increasing landscape scale connectivity in the modern context. There are many different types of connectivity across a landscape. There is physical connectivity where an area is linked through a physical often linear connection or there is functional connectivity where specific identified parts of the whole ecosystem are used to connect physically remote patches, such as single old trees or water holes. A significant aspect of this project will be to identify projects which utilise the appropriate types of connectivity and will have the optimal circumstances to enhance the regional biodiversity connectivity in a meaningful way. In an overview of the role of connectivity in Australian conservation 1 the authors contend that: The existing system of nature reserves in Australia is inadequate for the long-term conservation and restoration of native biological diversity because it fails to accommodate, among other elements, large scale and long-term ecological processes and change, including the physical and biotic transport in the landscape. The overview identifies seven major categories of ecological processes that describe the significance of landscape connectivity to the future survival and health of ecological communities and protection of threatened flora and fauna species: • Critical species interactions – This describes how the interaction of animal species can have a major effect on ecological processes that determine the abundance, and other population dynamics of fauna species. It has been shown, for example, that the disappearance of relatively interactive species can radically change ecosystems. • Long distance biological movement – Large areas incorporating an interconnected network of patches has been found to be essential for many species. • Disturbance at local and regional scales – Disturbances such as fire can have catastrophic impacts on individual areas and mean that it is important for a network of protected areas remains connected at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales to protect the availability of habitat for native species. • Global climate change – Because of the changes being bought about by climate change it is important that species can disperse geographically to a landscape that provides the appropriate ecological conditions. • Hydroecology – Interruptions of hydrogeological processes can impede essential landscape scale movement of species. • Coastal zone fluxes – A wide range of human activities can interfere with ecological processes along coasts and can be catastrophic for natural communities. • Spatially-dependent evolutionary processes - It is described that evolutionary processes require the movement of organisms over large areas and that not only is this important for genetic variability but for range expansion, the latter which is often a precursor to evolutionary differentiation and speciation. At the national level, the Australian Government in its report on “Australia’s Biodiversity and Climate Change released in 2009 recognised that: 1 Soule, B G et al. (2004) The Role of Connectivity in Australian conservation. Pacific Conservation Biology Vol 10: 266 – 79. 5
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