Conservation and Environment

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Mapping and Measuring Biodiversity - past projects

The development of innovate ways to assess biodiversity allows us to build a greater understanding of the complex interactions between individual species and the environment in which they live. Utilising these methods provides us with the ability to undertake inventory and assessment, which is essential for the establishment of baseline biological data that will aid in the successful management of our environment.

Key past projects:

• Surf Coast Shire Flora and Fauna Biodiversity
• Movement Patterns of River Blackfish
  

Surf Coast Shire Flora and Fauna Biodiversity The local government area of the Surf Coast Shire in south-western Victoria includes numerous reserves dedicated primarily to the preservation of native biodiversity. Nine of these reserves were recently the subject of flora and vertebrate fauna surveys to collect baseline information which was generally lacking for each specific location. The reserves varied in size from below 1ha to 50ha, and were mainly situated within, highly modified agricultural land or within urban areas of towns, the latter often relatively close to large tracts of extant native vegetation such as Heathy Woodland and Lowland Forest. Overall, these reserves embraced a variety of vegetation communities, including wetlands, sedgelands, grasslands and woodlands. In total, 16 Ecological Vegetation Classes were mapped, most of which rated High or Very High on the basis of their Bioregional Conservation Status (for the Otway Plains Bioregion) and vegetation quality — ten of these vegetation classes were considered to be Endangered, three Vulnerable, and one Depleted. Flora surveys also included Habitat Hectare assessments and compilation of flora species lists. Fauna surveys consisted of small mammal trapping, deployment of hair-tubes, spotlighting for possums and gliders, diurnal bird surveys, owl call-playback, microbat trapping and reptile searches. Most of the fauna species recorded are considered to be common and generally typical of the environments found within the reserves. A total of 23 mammal, 101 bird, six reptile and two frog species were recorded, including five species listed as threatened in Victoria: Pied Cormorant, Great Egret, Nankeen Night Heron, Latham’s Snipe and Rufous Bristlebird. These records, in conjunction with existing information, will enhance the management of these reserves. For further information contact Phoebe.Macak@dse.vic.gov.au

Movement Patterns of River Blackfish River Blackfish Gadopsis marmoratus occur in freshwater rivers and streams throughout south-east Australia and is a popular angling species that grows up to 60 cm in length. The daily movement patterns of this secretive native fish have been investigated in Armstrong Creek near Warburton, east of Melbourne. Small radio transmitters (2cm in length) were implanted into the abdominal cavities of fifteen individual fish. Three times a week over a 50 day period their precise daytime locations were determined using radio-tracking. Movements over a 24 hour period were also monitored by tracking locations each hour for three consecutive days and nights. Most River Blackfish remained inactive during daylight, staying within short lengths of creek (<20 m). A small number of fish displayed more active behaviour that was characterised by several rapid shifts in location followed by more sedentary phases. As sunset approached, fish began to move to other stream areas and continued moving around throughout the night until close to sunrise, when they returned to the area they occupied during daylight. Throughout the study, River Blackfish were located mostly within the deeper, slow flowing pool areas of the creek, but also used the shallow, faster flowing riffle and run habitats. During a flood period several fish moved among the vegetation of the inundated riparian areas. The range and abundance of River Blackfish has declined over the last 100 years. Although many stream rehabilitation programs now aim to conserve or restore suitable habitat conditions for River Blackfish, gaps in current knowledge of the ecological requirements of this species have limited their effectiveness. The observations of daytime ‘rest’ and nightime movement of River Blackfish, and the use of particular creek habitats, provides important additional information that will assist in the future development and implementation of targeted strategies for the species. Funding for this study was provided by Melbourne Water. For further information contact Wayne.Koster@dse.vic.gov.au A journal article based on this work is available: Koster, W.M. and Crook, D.A. (2007) Diurnal and nocturnal movements of river blackfish (Gadopsis marmoratus) in a south-eastern Australian upland stream. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 17(1): 146-154 Page Top