findings by bioregion - Victorian Environmental Assessment Council

Distribution of site condition scoresArea (ha)• Public land24,000• Private land18,00012,0006,00000 20 40 60 80Site condition scoresPublic land median score – 44.6Private land median score – 39.5[Statewide median score – 36.8]Distribution of landscape context scoresArea (ha)• Public land100,000• Private land75,00050,00025,000BIOPHYSICAL BASISLowan Mallee is typifi ed by white siliceous sand formedinto a complex array of high irregular and parabolicsand-dunes traversing Woorinen Sands at three locationscorresponding roughly to the Sunset Country, and the Bigand Little Deserts. The vegetation is dominated by LowanSands Mallee, with some Chenopod Mallee in the regionof the Sunset Country, while Mallee-heath, Loamy Mallee,Scrub Pine Woodland, Broombush and Red-swale malleevegetation types occur in the Big and Little Deserts, furthersouth in the bioregion.Average annual rainfall across the bioregion: 300-600 mmDaily mean temperature across the bioregion: 12-18˚CLAND USE HISTORYThe Lowan Mallee is dominated by poor soils,unfavourable for agriculture. Agricultural activities,mostly in the form of broadacre wheat cropping, aregenerally confi ned to the margins of the bioregionwhere the Lowan Sands merge into heavier more fertilesoils. Remnant native vegetation of the Lowan Malleeis important to apiarists. As a consequence, much ofthe bioregion remains intact and contains the Murray-Sunset, Little Desert and Wyperfeld National Parks,the Big Desert Wilderness Area and Annuello NatureConservation Reserve.00 5 10 15 20Landscape context scoresPublic land median score – 15.9Private land median score – 13.3[Statewide median score – 14.9]91