Academic literature on the topic 'Stream conservation Victoria Gippsland'

Population genetics can reveal otherwise hidden information involving a species’ history in a given region. Koalas were thought to have been virtually exterminated from the Australian state of Victoria during the koala fur trade of the late 1800s. Koalas in the South Gippsland region of Victoria were examined using microsatellite markers to infer population structure and gene flow and to locate a possible remnant gene pool. The results indicate that the South Gippsland koala population had higher genetic diversity (A = 5.97, HO = 0.564) than other published Victorian populations, and was genetically distinct from other koala populations examined. South Gippsland koalas, therefore, may have survived the population reductions of the koala fur trade and now represent a remnant Victorian gene pool that has been largely lost from the remainder of Victoria. This paper illustrates that historic anthropogenic impacts have had little effect on reducing the genetic diversity of a population in the South Gippsland region. However, the South Gippsland population is now subject to threats such as logging and loss of habitat from housing and agriculture expansion. Our results suggest that the South Gippsland koalas require an alternative conservation management program.

Context Pathogenic infections are an important consideration for the conservation of native species, but obtaining such data from wild populations can be expensive and difficult. Two pathogens have been implicated in the decline of some koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations: urogenital infection with Chlamydia pecorum and koala retrovirus subgroup A (KoRV-A). Pathogen data for a wild koala population of conservation importance in South Gippsland, Victoria are essentially absent. Aims This study uses non-invasive sampling of koala scats to provide prevalence and genotype data for C. pecorum and KoRV-A in the South Gippsland koala population, and compares pathogen prevalence between wild koalas and koalas in rescue shelters. Methods C. pecorum and KoRV-A provirus were detected by PCR of DNA isolated from scats collected in the field. Pathogen genetic variation was investigated using DNA sequencing of the C. pecorum ompA and KoRV-A env genes. Key results C. pecorum and KoRV-A were detected in 61% and 27% of wild South Gippsland individuals tested, respectively. KoRV-A infection tended to be higher in shelter koalas compared with wild koalas. In contrast with other Victorian koala populations sampled, greater pathogen diversity was present in South Gippsland. Conclusions In the South Gippsland koala population, C. pecorum is widespread and common whereas KoRV appears less prevalent than previously thought. Further work exploring the dynamics of these pathogens in South Gippsland koalas is warranted and may help inform future conservation strategies for this important population. Implications Non-invasive genetic sampling from scats is a powerful method for obtaining data regarding pathogen prevalence and diversity in wildlife. The use of non-invasive methods for the study of pathogens may help fill research gaps in a way that would be difficult or expensive to achieve using traditional methods.

Eleven stream stations within the basins of the Bemm, Cann, Thurra, Wingan and Genoa Rivers were sampled during a 3-month interval following a prolonged drought and intense and extensive forest fires. Emphasis was placed on flows resulting from three major storms that occurred during this period. Water-quality impacts of the fires were intermingled with those of the preceding drought, and flow- related comparisons with pre-drought data showed appreciable increases in colour, turbidity, suspended solids, potassium and nitrogen levels in the Bemm River, which was only marginally affected by the fires. In the Cann and Genoa Rivers, with much larger proportions of catchment burnt, electrical conductivity and phosphorus concentrations also rose substantially. Marked depletion of dissolved oxygen (to <6 mg I-1) was unique to streams with burnt catchments, but resulted from stagnant conditions at the end of the drought as well as from changes occurring at the time of the first post-fire storm. The fires had little obvious effect on temperature and pH regimes. Peak turbidities and concentrations of suspended solids and phosphorus were much greater in the Cann and Genoa river systems than elsewhere. Maximum values for these indicators were 130 NTU, 2300 mg I-1 and over 0.8 mg I-1, respectively. In the Thurra and Wingan basins, which were also burnt, stream suspended-solids levels were lower (<200 mg I-1), but solutes sometimes reached very high maxima (indicated by peak electrical conductivities of up to 110 mS m-1). Variations in catchment topography and soils and the relative importance of surface and subsurface flow probably account for these differences. The first post-fire storm produced the highest measured levels of many indicators in most streams, although the greatest flows were associated with the third storm. Nitrite and ammonia were notable exceptions to this generalization. Estimates of catchment exports indicated high sediment yields and moderate to high phosphorus yields from the Cann and Genoa catchments, by comparison with other Australian data.

The rate and spatial scale at which natural environments are being modified by human land-uses mean that a regional or national perspective is necessary to understand the status of the native biota. Here, we outline a landscape-based approach for using data from the ‘New Atlas of Australian Birds’ to examine the distribution and status of avifauna at a regional scale. We use data from two bioregions in south-east Australia – the Gippsland Plain and the Strzelecki Ranges (collectively termed the greater Gippsland Plains) – to demonstrate this approach. Records were compiled for 57 landscape units, each 10′ latitude by 10′ longitude (~270 km2) across the study region. A total of 165 terrestrial bird species was recorded from 1870 ‘area searches’, with a further 24 species added from incidental observations and other surveys. Of these, 108 species were considered ‘typical’ of the greater Gippsland Plain in that they currently or historically occur regularly in the study region. An index of species ‘occurrence’, combining reporting rate and breadth of distribution, was used to identify rare, common, widespread and restricted species. Ordination of the dataset highlighted assemblages of birds that had similar spatial distributions. A complementarity analysis identified a subset of 14 landscape units that together contained records from at least three different landscape units for each of the 108 ‘typical’ species. When compared with the 40 most common ‘typical’ species, the 40 least common species were more likely to be forest specialists, nest on the ground and, owing to the prevalence of raptors in the least common group, take prey on the wing. The future status of the terrestrial avifauna of the greater Gippsland Plains will depend on the extent to which effective restoration actions can be undertaken to ensure adequate representation of habitats for all species, especially for the large number of species of conservation concern.

We review the distribution, habitat and conservation status of the eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus) in Victoria. Data on the habitat occurrences and rates of detection were gleaned from 133 published and unpublished fauna surveys conducted from 1968 to 2003 in Gippsland; northern Victoria; the Melbourne area and south-western region. C. nanus was reported from a broad range of vegetation communities, which predominantly included a dense mid-storey of shrubs rich in nectar-producing species such as those from the families Proteaceae and Myrtaceae. Survey effort using a range of methods was immense across surveys: 305,676 Elliott/cage trap-nights, 49,582 pitfall trap-nights, 18,331 predator remains analysed, 4424 spotlight hours, and 7346 hair-sampling devices deployed, 1005 trees stagwatched, and 5878 checks of installed nest-boxes. The surveys produced 434 records of C. nanus, with Elliott/cage trapping, pitfall trapping and analysis of predator remains responsible for the vast majority of records (93%). These data and those from the Atlas of Victorian Wildlife indicate that although C. nanus has a widespread distribution in Victoria, it is rarely observed or trapped in fauna surveys. Only 11 (8%) of the surveys we reviewed detected >10 individuals. C. nanus is likely to be sensitive to several recognised threatening processes in Victoria (e.g., feral predators, high frequency fire, feral honeybees). There is also evidence of range declines in several regions, which suggests that the species is vulnerable to extinction. Therefore, we recommend that it be nominated as a threatened species in Victoria.

Glyceria maxima (Reed sweet-grass), an emergent aquatic grass native to Eurasia, has naturalised in North America, New Zealand and southern Australia. Introduced as a ponded pasture species, it threatens native biodiversity and ecosystem processes in freshwater wetlands and waterways. We compared paired sections, either invaded or not invaded by G. maxima, of three upland streams in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia to infer its impacts on macroinvertebrate abundance, morphospecies density, and morphospecies and functional feeding group (FFG) composition. Its potential effects in altering sedimentation were explored by comparing stream channel morphology in paired stream sections at one site. Invasion by G. maxima appears to drive changes in macroinvertebrate morphospecies composition and FFG composition, reducing a diverse array of macroinvertebrates to a more uniform fauna. The estimated volume of plant/sediment matrix in a 50 m invaded stream section was around 1100 m3, nearly 15-fold greater than in an adjacent uninvaded stream section. Glyceria maxima is an autogenic ecosystem engineer, with the ability to convert sections of fast-flowing aerobic streams into partially anaerobic swamps. By generating a root-mat swamp with a high capacity to process nutrients, G. maxima may facilitate its own growth and spread, as well as that of secondary invaders.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations in southern Australia have a history of bottlenecks – earlier this century the species became extinct in South Australia, and almost so in Victoria. Subsequently large numbers of animals from island populations (founded from very few animals) have been translocated back to mainland sites and to other islands in the region. As part of a larger study of the genetic structure of koala populations in southern Australia, we have undertaken a survey of mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (mtDNA-RFLP) variability. Genomic DNA from 91 koalas from five populations was examined using 23 restriction enzymes, and mtDNA fragments were detected using a domestic cat full-length mtDNA clone. Only one of the enzymes, TaqI, revealed polymorphism – a relatively low amount of variation compared with other mammals, although low mtDNA-RFLP variation has also been reported in Queensland koalas. French Island and populations established predominantly from French Island immigrant koalas, either directly or via other island populations, were indistinguishable by haplotype frequencies. The mtDNA data are thus consistent with the interpretation that the koala translocation programme has homogenized gene frequencies amongst those populations involved. South Gippsland is not recorded as having received translocated koalas directly, and has significantly different mtDNA-RFLP haplotype frequencies from all other populations examined. The fact that this distinction was not previously observed in nuclear gene frequencies may reflect predominantly male-mediated dispersal in koalas.

The nesting requirements of the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus) were studied at 68 sites in Eucalyptus regnans forest in the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland, Victoria. Nest trees were located and their characteristics related to forest stand variables. Eighteen nest hollows were found. Nest trees had a mean diameter at breast height of 2.5 m, a mean estimated age of 221 years, a mean height of 58 m and for live nest trees a mean crown diameter of 22 m. The currently proposed rotation time for silvicultural systems of 80-150 years will reduce the number of hollow-bearing trees suitable for nesting yellow-tailed black-cockatoos. Adequate numbers of trees must be retained in logged areas and wildlife corridors and reserves, and protected to ensure a continual supply for yellow-tailed black-cockatoos and other hollow-dependent species. If agonistic behaviour is operating between female yellow-tailed black-cockatoos, nesting potential may be enhanced if trees retained on coupes are evenly distributed rather than clumped. Silvicultural systems that facilitate the protection of trees retained on coupes would benefit the conservation of the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo.

Caring for the environment has become a global issue, and the role of national parks in preserving species and environments has taken on renewed importance. Many consider that national parks are places to learn and experience nature, and from this experience can come positive conservation behaviour. A dilemma facing park agencies is their capacity to manage the park system with limited resources and funding. A park system that allows human access as well as preservation of biotic communities requires planning and resources. The view that the community may assist with conservation or management of discrete areas was cited in the literature, and assessing the possibility of community involvement is the focus for this study. The research used a case study strategy to examine Human-Environment theory, which refers to the study of humans and their environment. The theory encompasses both the built and natural environment, and the concepts of place attachment and environmental ethics. Although the theory takes in both the built and the natural environment this study did not include the built environment. The study examined the Human Natural World Relationship and conservation behaviour and was placed within an ecosystem management framework. This framework allowed the human-environment interaction to be examined so that human values could be assessed alongside economic, environmental and other values. The study examined the Human Natural World Relationship and conservation activism to establish if the community could contribute to the conservation and management of the national park. The community’s views, values and place attachments were gathered through focus groups, interviews, and the distribution of a self-administered survey to the whole community. The location for the study was Croajingolong National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Gippsland, Victoria. The location was chosen because there was minimal research on the community from the towns of Mallacoota, Cann River and Bemm River, who are the main users of the park. The study found that the identity of the community was deeply connected with the identity of the national park and that several aspects related to the town and the national park affected the community. This has implications for management to ensure that the status of the national park as well of the town of Mallacoota is protected so that the unique identity of the community and the bond they have to the park is preserved. A suggestion by one participant, who expressed the sentiment of many in the community, was that the town should be zoned as a park town has much merit. The study also found that the majority in the community held ecocentric views and were suited to involvement in conservation and management of the national park. Management can use the results of this study to inform strategies for policy and decisions making that take into account the views and values of the community in the validation of park classification, governance, funding, marketing, conflict resolution and communication with the community