findings by bioregion - Victorian Environmental Assessment Council

MURRAY FANSTOTAL BIOREGION 435,153 ha• Largely-intact landscape Nil• Fragmented landscape 435,153 ha – 100%63.0%10.4%9.6%KEY FINDINGSThe Murray Fans is one of three bioregions along theMurray River fl oodplain downstream of the Ovens junction.The Murray Fans is highly connected but contains nativevegetation of poor to very poor site condition. The riparianzones and recently active fl oodplains are mostly publicland. These areas have retained much of their originalnative vegetation but are of poor site condition becauseof reduced fl oodplain inundation in the decade before2005 when assessments were made. Much of thenative vegetation on private land was once on the activefl oodplain but has been separated from it by levees andhas been degraded as a result of agricultural use. In theseareas – and particularly those parts developed for irrigationbetween Cobram and Nathalia, Leitchville and Kerang,and Swan Hill and Woorinen – native vegetation loss hasleft relictual landscapes surrounded by the variegatedlandscapes that dominate the bioregion.A little more than one third of the original extent of nativevegetation remains (37%), of which more than half is onpublic land, with half of that in conservation reserves.A number of these reserves make up connected linearlandscapes along the Murray River. These landscapes areintermittently broken by highly cleared land; notably in theregion between Koondrook and Nyah. With the exceptionof the 1,000+ ha patch size, the proportion by area of allpatch size classes on private land is greater than that onpublic land.17.0%FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPE• Native vegetation extent 160,856 ha – 37.0%• On public land [total] 86,966 ha – 20.0%In conservation reserves 45,268 ha – 10.4%In other public land categories 41,698 ha – 9.6%• On private land 73,889 ha – 17.0%• Not native vegetation 274,297 ha – 63.0%80