Caring for Country — The Otways and You - Parks Victoria

Strategies for natural values conservationBasisThe parks provide habitat for a large range offauna typical of south-eastern Australiaincluding rare or threatened species, transientand migratory species. Some iconic speciessuch as the Koala, Eastern Grey Kangaroo andPlatypus are important components of visitorexperiences and make a significantcontribution to tourism. Others such as theSpot-tailed Quoll are rarely seen but theirprotection is critical and symbolic ofsuccessful park management. The parkscontain a rich assemblage of medium-sizedand small ground-dwelling mammals. Thesemammal communities are susceptible to manythreats such as fox and cat predation andhabitat fragmentation and have been lost frommany other parts of Victoria. The parks alsocomplement habitats in adjoining marinenational parks, the coast and private land(section 8.10).Some 372 fauna species have been recorded inthe parks, including 77 rare and threatenedspecies in the national park including 28 whichalso occur in the forest park (appendix 4) (DSE2007b). Within the national park, 18 birdspecies listed under the CAMBA and JAMBAagreement have been recorded including eightwhich also occur in Otway Forest Park(appendix 4). This fauna information is beingmade publicly available as biodiversityinteractive maps at the DSE website,www.dse.vic.gov.au. Data sources includePV’s Environmental Information System (EIS)which contributes to DSE’s statewide Atlas ofVictorian Wildlife (AVW). Modelling andmapping of this biodiversity data were used indeveloping the conservation zone in thenational park.Great Otway National Park is particularlyimportant for the conservation of the SpottailedQuoll, Rufous Bristlebird, HoodedPlover, and White-bellied Sea-Eagle. Otherfauna of conservation importance in the parksinclude:• ground-dwelling mammals such as DuskyAntechinus, Swamp Antechinus, WhitefootedDunnart, Southern BrownBandicoot, Long-nosed Bandicoot, SmokyMouse, New Holland Mouse and LongnosedPotoroo• ground-nesting birds such as Fairy Tern,Caspian Tern and Lewin’s Rail• owls and bats such as the Masked Owl,Barking Owl, Powerful Owl and CommonBent-wing Bat• native fish such as Australian Grayling.Fauna surveys have been conducted in someparts of the parks, but many species such as theSpot-tailed Quoll are elusive and informationabout their habitat requirements is incomplete.Some other species recorded in the parks donot rely on the parks as a primary habitat.Fauna conservationFauna require a specific habitat structure inwhich to survive and flourish. Habitatfragmentation and the decline of vegetationquality are often closely associated with thesurvival prospects of fauna. Vegetationmanagement, in conjunction with otherprograms, is essential for maintaining habitatsand fauna values in the parks (sections 4.5 and4.8).Small mammals require a diverse understoreystructure to provide food and shelter, whileowls are dependent on old-growth forestswhich provide hollows for nesting. Streamconditions such as flow, water quality andriparian vegetation are important to waterbirds, fish and other species such as Platypus.Over many years, various threatening processhave reduced the distribution of many species.Predation by foxes and cats (section 4.8),fragmentation (section 4.5) and altered fireregimes (section 4.7) continue to threatenfauna values.Viewing fauna such as Koalas, Platypus, birdsand kangaroos in their natural habitats is ahighlight for many visitors. While mosttraditional nature-based recreation iscompatible with fauna conservation, someactivities need to be carefully managed toavoid disturbing fauna or their habitats.Some local populations of native fauna haveincreased to the extent that they pose a threatto their habitat and therefore to their long-termlocal survival. For example, some populationsof Koalas have locally increased to the extentthat they pose a threat to some Otway coastalmanna gum woodlands by causing defoliationand tree death. Koalas in the Otways aremanaged in accordance with Victoria’s Koala26 Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park Management Plan