Member Groups; The Lismore Land Protection Group, Weering-Eurack Landcare Group, Leslie Manor Landcare Group, Cundare Duverney Landcare Group, Weerite Landcare Group & Mount Elephant Community Management
RAMSAR Lakes - Important Jewels In Our Backyard
Platypus at Darlington
Young Farmers Scholarship Program
Bugs and Beetle Collection Day
Coming up
Lismore Land Protection Group Meeting
7.30pm Thursday 12th April, 28 High St, Lismore
Mount Elephant Community Management meeting
7:30 pm Monday 9th April, Mt Elephant Visitors Centre
Mount Elephant open day
Open every Sunday from 1pm to 4pm
RAMSAR Lakes - Important Jewels In Our Backyard
With wetlands providing extremely important ecosystems functions, yet being some of the most threatened ecosystems globally, it is important to recognise that the Corangamite Lakes Landcare area contains a number of lakes of international significance, being recognised under the RAMSAR treaty and international agreements such as CAMBA (China Australia Migratory Bird Agreement), JAMBA (Japan Australia Migratory Bird Agreement and KAMBA (Korean Migratory Bird Agreement).
The RAMSAR treaty recognises lakes and wetlands worldwide either for the important habitat they provide the species they host, or, as examples of particular wetland types, whereas CAMBA, JAMBA and KAMBA relate to the protection of habitat for birds that migrate between Australia and China, Japan and Korea respectively.
What is known as the Western District Lakes RAMSAR site and contains nine Lakes of significance; Lake Corangamite, Lake Murdeduke, Lake Beeac, Lake Cundare, Lake Milangil, Lake Bookar, Lake Colongulac, Lake Terangpom and Lake Gnarpurt.
The RAMSAR site is roughly equivalent to the high-water mark of the nine lakes and vegetation within the site is therefore limited. Approximately 10-20% of the lake margins are vegetated, mostly with saltmarsh communities. A total of five submerged aquatic plant species have been recorded.
The RAMAR site provides habitat for approximately 70 waterbird species, 20 of which are listed under international migratory species treaties and 11 of which breed within the RAMSAR site. Six native species of fish have been recorded within the lakes of the RAMSAR site. Of the invertebrates recorded, molluscs dominate most of the saline and mesosaline lakes whilst Lake Colongulac is dominated by oligochaetes (aquatic worms).
The lakes vary in size, depth and salinity, depending on their method of formation, catchment area and outlet. Lake Corangamite is the largest, covering about 25,000 hectares. Some of the lakes are permanent whilst others are seasonal or intermittent.
For many of the lakes, most of the water is received through direct rainfall onto them, although some have periodic or seasonal inflows from catchments. All are connected to saline, surficial groundwater and all except Lake Beeac and Lake Cundare are groundwater flow-through lakes. All lakes are highly turbid and have high nutrient levels, likely due to high nutrient loadings in runoff from catchments. With exception of Lake Terangpom, all are terminal lakes having no natural outflow, and, are saline to hyper-saline due to salts remaining after evaporation of the water. Some are three times the salinity of seawater.
Lake Corangamite Lake Beeac (Photos Film Victoria)
Why are Western District RAMSAR Lakes important?
When listed in 1982, the Lakes met five of the nine criteria required for RAMSAR listing, these being;
Criterion 1: Lake Corangamite is the largest inland permanent saline lake in Australia and a good example of a (somewhat) permanent saline lake within the bioregion.
Criterion 2: The site supports flora species listed as threatened under the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, these being salt tussock grass (Poa sallacustris) and Spiny peppercress (Lepidium aschersonii) which are both listed as nationally vulnerable.
Criterion 4: The site provides a number of functions for waterbirds including supporting species during migration, breeding and moulting and providing a drought refuge. Lake Beeac is very significant for banded stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) and red-necked avocet (Recurvirostra novaehollandiae). The site supports large numbers of waterbirds, including migratory shorebirds and a breeding colony of the Australian Pelican at Lake Corangamite when conditions are favourable.
Criterion 5: While data is limited, there is evidence that the site regularly supported more than 20,000 waterbirds.
Criterion 6: The site supports more than one percent of the population of a particular species. The Western District RAMSAR site regularly supports more than one percent of the population of 12 species including the Australian shelduck, chestnut teal, Australasian shoveler and Eurasian coot.
The RAMSAR listed lakes, along with other nearby lakes and wetlands (Cundare Pool / Lake Martin; Lough Calvert and Lake Thurrumbong) have been identified by BirdLife International as a 384 square kilometre Important Bird Area (IBA) because they support over 1% of the world populations of Australian shelducks, chestnut teals and banded stilts and irregularly support over 1% of the world populations of freckled ducks, musk ducks, blue-billed ducks, black swans, Australasian shovellers, pink-eared ducks, hoary-headed grebes, straw-necked ibises, sharp-tailed sandpipers and white-headed stilts.
Freckled Duck Red Necked Avocet
(Bendigo Advertiser) (Museum Victoria)
What does the future hold for the RAMSAR Lakes?
Throughout the millennia that they have been in existence, “the Western District (RAMSAR) lakes have been through a series of extremely dry periods and extremely wet periods, as part of both long and short term cycles of climate variability, and have transitioned from one ecosystem to another and back again with remarkable resilience” says Peter Gell, Palaeoecologist and Professor of Environmental Management at Federation University.
According to Peter “our studies of lake sediments and pollen records show the Lakes of Western Victoria likely went through a wet phase starting around 2000 years ago and ending about the 1850’s. The present drying phase commenced over 100 years ago, but this has been interspersed with wetter periods on a decadal time scale, such as in the 1950's. However when considered as part of the 1000 year time scale, this present drying phase is now appearing unusual, possibly due to its rapidity, and is attributed to a 15% decline in effective moisture (decreased rainfall and increased evaporation) over the past 150 years. With the lakes now nearing their lowest level for the past 3000 years, and modelling predicting a further 15% decline in effective moisture due to climate change in the near future, this is extremely concerning for the future of the lakes, as there may be a point from which they don’t recover".
Unless effective actions are taken soon to address climate change these important lakes as we know them, their important ecosystem functions and ability to support the habitat and numerous bird species and numbers that they have up to now will be lost. The Western Victorian Lakes RAMSAR site will become another of the many likely casualties of the impacts of human induced climate change.
Platypus at Darlington
A recent volunteer platypus survey at Darlington revealed 3 platypus (and a native water rat) sighted in waterholes over the 1 hour survey period, 1 within the township and 2 up-stream on private property. Over 20 people joined the survey along Mount Emu Creek in March to assess the activity of the local platypus population. Platypus are active each day at dawn and dusk when they leave their burrows to feed. While they can be spotted at these times all year round they are more active in their breeding season (August – October) and when juvenile platypus leave the burrows (February - April). Those who attended the survey are keen to repeat the process in September. Stay tuned later in the year to be involved in the follow up survey.
Young Farmers Scholarship Program
Young farmers and farm workers aged 35 years or under in Victoria can access scholarships of up to $10,000 ($5,000 for study, backed by a further $5,000 to invest on-farm or in professional development activities to help put new skills into practice). The Victorian Government's Young Farmers Scholarship Program recognises that in the future, young farmers will need a broad range of skills so they can embrace new technologies, respond to a range of challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities to build productive and profitable careers in agriculture.
Applications close: 24 April 2018.
More info: visit vic.gov.au/youngfarmers Applications: go to http://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/young-farmers-scholarship-program
Bugs and Beetle Collection Day
Corangamite CMA invites you to a bugs and beetles collection day on 9:30am-1:30pm Thursday 19 April, at ‘Shelburn’ , 146 Meredith - Shelford Rd, Shelford
Dr. Paul Horne and Jessica Page from IPM Technologies Pty Ltd are developing a field guide for invertebrates found in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion. Join us for a morning to collect and identify invertebrates within the basalt plains at Shelford. This is a free event and children are welcome to attend. Morning tea and lunch provided, please specify any dietary requirements.
To RSVP or for more information contact: Chelsey Langley by Monday 16 April on 03 5232 9100 or chelsey.langley@ccma.vic.gov.au
This newsletter has been funded by the Australian Federal Government’s “Victorian Volcanic Plains Small Grants” Program and the Victorian State Government “Local Landcare Facilitator Initiative”
Lismore Land Protection Group
19 High Street (PO Box 28) Lismore, Victoria 3324 Ph: 03 5596 2384 Landcare Facilitators:
Rod Eldridge: 0458 390146 email: llpgrod@westnet.com.au Shari McConachy 0409 070089 email: llpgsharim@westnet.com.au Find us on the Landcare Gateway here
