Water, Land and People - Goulburn Broken Catchment ...

(e.g. at Brays Swamp and monitoring the results and
in-flows into Reedy Swamp).
Environmental Assessments
Two Environmental Assessments for Community
Surface Water Management Schemes were
completed. There were approximately 68 final and
re-alignment assessments completed to ensure
surface water management works conformed to the
requirements of the Environmental Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
High Value Environmental Features
The High Value Environmental Features project
was conducted as part of the Sub-surface Drainage
Program Five Year Review. It involved an assessment
of high value environmental features in the SIR and
prioritising those threatened by groundwater. One
hundred and six sites were located, mapped and
assessed for habitat quality using a modified “habitat
hectares assessment” sheet. Bore data for the sites
was also collected using depth to watertable and
salinity readings to assess the groundwater threat.
The data was put through an environmental risk
assessment to calculate which of the highest value
sites were most threatened by groundwater.
The results from this project have been presented
to SIRTEC, SIR IC, the Catchment Partners Day and
the Farm and Environment Program Working Group.
The key results are that there are eleven high value
sites that have a very high priority for groundwater
control. A number of other high value sites did not
have watertable data available but are of concern
and require further data collection.
Biodiversity Action Planning
The Biodiversity Action Planning project is a way of
prioritising on-ground works to target the highest
priority sites and promote a strategic landscape plan.
There are six Biodiversity Action Planning Landscape
Zones in the region, with the Yarrawonga Landscape
Zone the first Conservation Plan to be completed.
Plans for Central Creek, Barmah and Western
Goulburn Landscape Zones have been developed,
with final drafts prepared for both Timmering and
Southern Goulburn Landscape Zones. Funding
has also been obtained to develop a small trial
Biodiversity Action Planning project in the Barmah
Landscape Zone to assist with implementation. Staff
also represented the SIR on the Goulburn Broken
Biodiversity Action Planning Steering Committee.
Permanent Habitat Protection (Trust for
Nature)
Trust for Nature is a not-for-profit group with
statutory capacity to place covenants on land of
high conservation value. Although legally known as
a restrictive covenant, the landholder and Trust for
Nature staff jointly develop a management plan to
promote continued protection and improvement
of the site’s ecological values. The establishment
of these conservation covenants contributes
substantially to the GB CMA targets for improved
vegetation quality. During 2006-2007, landholders
and Trust for Nature permanently protected 143ha
of significant bushland, wetland and grassland across
the SIR.
Superb Parrot Project
The Superb Parrot is an endangered bird, endemic
to south-eastern Australia and listed under the
Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. In Victoria,
it is restricted to the Barmah region where some
200-400 birds are known to occur (numbers
vary in different years according to mortality and
breeding success). Whilst large old River Red Gums
provide essential breeding sites (hollows), one of
the main requirements is foraging habitat provided
by a shrubby understorey in box woodland. The
Superb Parrot Group has been active for many years
promoting awareness of the foraging needs and
encouraging landholders to undertake direct seeding
and revegetation to supplement available habitat.
Owing to the severe dry conditions over 2006-
2007, only 13 of the 40ha revegetation target was
achieved. Never-the-less, interest in the welfare of
Superb Parrot remains high, with 45 people turning
out for the annual monitoring count.
Threatened Species Recovery Plan
Implementation and Monitoring
In addition to the Superb Parrot work outlined
above, the DSE undertake a range of activities
on behalf of the SIR IC to implement actions
PROGRAM REPORTS
11