The Ecology of Wild Horses and their Environmental ... - Parks Victoria

The Ecology of Wild Horses and their Environmental Impact in the Victorian Alps May 2013Table of ContentsIntroduction to Wild Horse Background Papers ..................................................................................... 11. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 22. Wild horse ecology in the Victorian Alps ........................................................................................ 23.1 Wild horse distribution ........................................................................................................... 23.2 Wild horse population trends ................................................................................................. 33.3 Wild horse demography .......................................................................................................... 63.4 Wild horse social organisation and movement ...................................................................... 63.5 Wild horse habitat and diet preferences ................................................................................ 73.6 Wild horse mortality factors ................................................................................................... 83. Wild horse environmental impacts ................................................................................................. 93.1 Environmental impacts of wild horses .................................................................................... 93.2 Impacts on soil and substrate ............................................................................................... 113.3 Impacts on vegetation .......................................................................................................... 143.4 Impacts on peatlands ............................................................................................................ 183.5 Impacts on waterways (streams and stream-banks) ............................................................ 203.6 Impacts on fauna .................................................................................................................. 224. Wild horse biosecurity issues ........................................................................................................ 255. Gaps in knowledge ........................................................................................................................ 26References ............................................................................................................................................ 27Appendix 1: Officially listed plant ecological communities at risk of severe damage from wild horseactivity ................................................................................................................................................... 36Appendix 2: FFG-listed and EPBC-listed plant species potentially at risk from wild horse activity in theeastern Victorian Alps ........................................................................................................................... 37Appendix 3: Officially listed or threatened fauna species potentially at risk from feral horse activity inthe eastern Victorian Alps ..................................................................................................................... 39