SwallowLagoon NatureConservationReserve
ManagementStatement
LandStewardshipBiodiversityDepartmentofSustainabilityandEnvironment
December2005
This Management Statement has been written by Hugh Robertson and James Fitzsimons for the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria.
This Statement fulfils obligations by the State of Victoria to the Commonwealth of Australia, which provided financialassistance for the purchase of this reserve under the National Reserve System program of the Natural Heritage Trust.
©The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2005
This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of theCopyright Act 1968.
ISBN1 74152 217X
Disclaimer:
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its
employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.
Cover:
Plains Grassy Woodland, Swallow LagoonNature Conservation Reserve(Photo: James Fitzsimons).
Objectives
This Management Statement for the Swallow Lagoon Nature Conservation Reserve
outlines the reserve’s natural and cultural values, visitor services and the directions for its management in the short to long term.
The overall operational management objective is:
Maintain, and enhance where appropriate, the condition of the reserve while allowing natural processes of regeneration, disturbance and succession to occur and actively initiating these processes where required.
Background andContext
Reasonforpurchase
Since the implementation of the National Reserve System Program (NRS) in 1992, all Australian states and territories have been working toward the development ofa comprehensive,adequateandrepresentative(CAR)systemofprotectedareas.
Ina systematic process to increase the reservation levels of Victoria’s most threatenedecosystems, particularlynativegrasslands and grassy woodlands, the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s conservation land purchase program aims to acquire areas of private land containing high quality samples of suchecosystems foradditiontothereservesystem.Amonga number of sites identified as suitable for voluntarypurchase and addition to the protected area estate, the Swallow Lagoon grassy woodlands were purchased due to their size and good condition.
ThepurchasewasassistedwithfundingfromtheNationalReserveSystemProgram of the Commonwealth Government’sNatural Heritage Trust (Project No. N444).
Location
The Swallow Lagoon Nature Conservation Reserve (Swallow Lagoon NCR) of 194.7 ha is located on Swallow Lagoon Road, approximately 1.5 km northwest of Munro (Figure 1). It consists of: Crown Allotment5B,Section 8, Parish of Stratford.
The grasslands fall within the South East Coastal Plain IBRA 5.1 bioregion, (Environment Australia 2000) and Gippsland Plain subregion, and withinthe Red Gum Plains Local Landscape Zone (DSE 2003).
Reservation andManagement Intent
The purchase of the Swallow Lagoon grassy woodland was completed on 11 April 2002 and the land was transferred to the Crown on 19 April 2002. The reserve was assigned to Parks Victoria for management on 20 October 2003 (Park Reserve ID 4218).
Swallow Lagoon NCR is temporarily reserved for the “preservation of an area of ecological significance” under theCrown Land (Reserves) Act 1978and managed asa Nature Conservation Reserve.
Thegenericmanagementobjectives forNatureConservationReservesasdefinedbyParks Victoria (2003) are:
Nature conservation reserves a) conserve and protect species, communities and habitats of indigenous plants, animals and other organisms; b) provide for research and studyofthenaturalenvironmentofthereserve wherethisisconsistent witha) and there is minimal impact on the reserve; c) provide opportunities for appropriate enjoyment and recreation and education by the public where this does not conflict witha);d) protectAboriginalculturalsites and places; and e)protecthistoric features inspecificreserveswherenoted.
Nature conservation reserves are consistent with IUCN Protected Area CategoryIa: Strict Nature Reserve (NRE 1996).
As the purchased land was originally freehold, no Land Conservation Council (LCC), Environment Conservation Council (ECC) or Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) recommendations apply.
The Crown Land (Reserves) (Nature Conservation Reserve) Regulations 2004regulate activities in this reserve.
Natural Values andCondition
Refer to Figure2 for the location of threatened species recorded in the Atlas of VictorianWildlife and Flora Information System1.
Vegetation Types
Swallow Lagoon NCR containsa variety of vegetation types. Ecological Vegetation
Classes (EVC)that occur in the reserve include Plains Grassy Woodland, Lowland Forest, (potentially) Damp Sands Herb-rich Woodland and an undescribed EVC. The reservealso includes areas of derived native grassland (Figure 2)2.
The Plains Grassy Woodland EVC occurs in areas of slightly lower elevation in Swallow Lagoon NCR, on poorly-drained soils. Plains GrassyWoodland is considered endangered in the Gippsland Plains bioregion and patches of the size and quality present in Swallow Lagoon NCR are of high priority forconservation (Lunt 1997a). Only around 3% (approximately 4,850 ha) of the original extent of Plains Grassy Woodland remains in the Gippsland Plains, with less than 700 ha mapped as occurring in protected areas (DSE 2004). Notably, the variant of the Plains Grassy Woodland EVC occurring on Swallow Lagoon NCR represents the Forest Red Gum Grassy Woodland Community, which is listed under theFlora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
1Notethisdoesnotnecessarilyrepresentrecordsforallthreatenedspeciesonthereserve.OnlythoserecordedintheDSEfloraandfaunadatabasesaredisplayed.
2NoteEVCmappinganddescriptions(Figure2)differfromtheEVCmappingwithintheEVC_CMP100geospatiallayer(asofApril2005).Vegetationclassificationanddelineationwasbasedonaerial photographinterpretationandsiteassessmentbyTrustforNatureandDSEofficers.
The Lowland Forest and Damp Sands Herb-rich Woodland EVCs (the latter may actually bea damper version of the formeroccurring in the minor drainage lines) occur in areas of slightly higher elevation in the reserve which have higher soil moisture and well drained soils. Both EVCs supporta high diversity of herbs and shrubs.LowlandForestisconsideredvulnerableintheGippslandPlainsbioregion, with approximately 22% (37,000 ha) of the original extent of the vegetation communityremaining,andapproximately5,200ha mapped as occurring within protected areas (DSE 2004).A further 5,800 ha occurs in State ForestSpecial Protection Zones. Damp Sands Herb-richWoodland is also considered vulnerablein the Gippsland Plains bioregion, with approximately30% (16,100 ha) of the original extent of the vegetation community remaining, and approximately 8,280 ha mapped as occurring within protected areas (DSE 2004).
An unclassified, and potentially new, EVC occurs to the reserve’s north (R. Edwards pers. comm. 2001).
The topography in Swallow Lagoon NCR is generally flat, with very slight rises and depressions which givesrise to the different vegetation classes. The underlying geology is alluvial plains of quaternary origin and includes aeolian sand formations andterracescomprisedofgravel,sand,siltandclay(LCC1982).
Grazing, predominantly by sheep, and someclearing and selective timber harvesting have occurred in the past. The cleared areas (approximately 25 ha) supports areas of derived native grassland, where some regeneration of trees and shrubs is occurring. Thepropertyhasnotbeencultivated.
EcologicalManagementofPlainsGrassyWoodlands
The ecological management options described for Swallow Lagoon NCR refer to the management of the grassy woodland vegetation, including the derived grassland. Ongoingecological managementof grassywoodland is oftenrequiredtomaintain the structure and composition of the vegetation on the Gippsland Plains (Lunt 1997a). This may include management activities to control biomass accumulation of understorey grasses and herbs, and activities to maintain orenhance habitat for native flora and fauna, including threatened species. For example, control of biomass accumulation of plants, particularly of exotic pasture grass species, may be considered desirable for flora and fauna species requiring inter-tussockspaces for habitat (Barlow 1998, Lunt 1997a). These objectives may be achieved viaa number of management options:
-Grazing: Although, grassy woodlands often do not require grazing to maintain the vegetation structure, in more open areas or areas where there isa large biomass of plants, pulse grazing may be considered appropriate. Sheep grazing over autumn and winter is preferred to allow native grassland plants to set seed and regenerate during spring and summer. The availability of water for stock isa key consideration for implementing grazing programs. If grazing is utilised, stocking rates will need to be adjusted depending on the cover abundance of vegetation and with seasonal conditions (i.e. rainfall).
-Ecological Burning: Fire maybe used asa management tool both to control exotic pasture species and to promote the regeneration of indigenous flora species reliant on the creation of inter-tussock spaces and regular burning. Lunt (1997a) identifiedthat many grassy woodlands on theGippsland Plains have been frequently burnt, which has resulted ina plant community composition significantly different from unburnt areas. Maintaininga diversity of management regimes, including burning,across grassy woodland remnants was recommendedas important for maintaining native plant diversity (Lunt 1997a). If burningisundertaken,a‘mosaic’ burningregimeforgrassywoodlandsis recommended since fires of too great intensity may inhibit regeneration of some tree and shrub species.A mosaic approach involves burning only part of the remnant at any one time (Barlow 1998).
-Regeneration/Revegetation: Supplementary planting of over-, mid-, and understoreyspeciesmaybeconsideredimportanttoenhancetheconservation values of grassy woodlands in situations where grazing, tree clearing or the degradation of habitat has prevented natural regeneration (Barlow 1998).
Management objectives and targets (short-long term)
-Actively manage the grassy woodlands using some of the management options described above to maintain species diversity, richness and structural heterogeneity of the vegetation.
-Consider re-establishing over- and mid-storey species in areas of derived grassland through some of the management options described above.
-Monitor and research outcomes of management actions and adapt management regimes as the need arises.
-Accurately map and define vegetation communities and Ecological Vegetation
Classes within the reserve in conjunction with DSE.
-Encourageongoingresearchbyuniversitiesandotherscientificinstitutionsinto optimal management techniques for maintaining and enhancing grassy woodland biodiversity.
Flora
Swallow Lagoon NCR supports moderate-high quality Plains Grassy Woodland,
Lowland Forest and Damp Sands Herb-rich Woodland,which are structurally and floristically dominated by native species.
The Plains Grassy Woodland vegetation community is dominated by mixture of tree and shrubs including Gippsland Red GumEucalyptus tereticornissubsp.mediana, Yellow Box E.melliodora,Coast Manna GumE. viminalis subsp.pryoriana, Rough-bark Honey-myrtleMelaleuca parvistaminea, Black WattleAcacia mearnsiiandHedgeWattle
A. paradoxa. The understorey vegetation is dominated by native grasses included
KangarooGrassThemeda triandra,Wallaby GrassAustrodanthoniaspp., Spear Grass
Austrostipa spp. and Weeping GrassMicroleana stipoides.
The Lowland Forest and Damp Sands Herb-rich Woodland vegetation communities contains WhiteStringybarkEucalyptus globoidea, But ButEucalyptusbridgesiana,
HedgeWattleAcacia paradoxaand Black WattleA. mearnsii. The understorey vegetation containsa high diversity of native herb and grass species.
The unclassified vegetation community contains Red BoxEucalyptus polyanthemos White StringybarkE. globiodea, But ButE. bridgesiana, HedgeWattleAcacia paradoxa, LightwoodA. implexa, Black SheoakAllocasuarina littoralisand BurganKunzea ericoides. The understorey vegetation containsa high diversity of native herband grass species.
Refer to Appendix1 for flora records from Swallow Lagoon NCR.
Management objectives and targets (short-medium term)
-Record flora in the Parks Victoria Environmental Information System and DSE Flora Information System (FIS), andencourage seasonal surveys.
Fauna
Swallow Lagoon NCR contains extensive areas of grassy woodland/forest, which
provides diverse habitat for fauna, particularly woodland birds. This includes good quality tree hollows in mature Gippsland Red Gums and RedBox scattered throughout the reserve. Vegetation of the type present at Swallow Lagoon NCR also typically provides habitatfor ground-dwelling fauna such as reptiles, small mammals and ground-dwelling birds. The quality of this habitat is often reliant on the presence of fallen timber.
Refer to Appendix2 for fauna records from Swallow Lagoon NCR.
Management objectives and targets (short-medium term)
-Record fauna in the Parks Victoria Environmental Information System and Atlas of Victorian Wildlife, andencourage seasonal surveys.
Biosites3
One Biosites is recorded within Swallow Lagoon NCR:
-Site#1770‘Swallow Lagoon Road’
Another Biosite is located in close proximity to Swallow Lagoon NCR:
-Site# 1773 ‘Munro Road’ (Located approximately 1.7 kmnortheast of Swallow Lagoon NCR)
Refer to Appendix3 for further details.
Landscape context
SwallowLagoonNCRrepresentsahighqualitynativegrassywoodlandreserveon
the Gippsland Plains. Swallow Lagoon NCR is bordered to the east by Swallow
LagoonRoad, to the north by Lottons Land and to the south by Freemans Lane. Land
3‘Biosites’aresitesofbiologicalconservationsignificanceandtheirlocationanddetailsaremaintainedonaregisterbytheDepartmentofSustainabilityandEnvironment.
to the north, east and west is cleared of vegetation and land to south containsa relatively large area of native vegetation contiguous with that on the NCR (Figure 4).
Swallow Lagoon NCR isa component of the Gippsland PlainsConservation Management Network, which seeks to integrate the management of public and privateconservationlandsintheregion(FitzsimonsWescott 2005). Other nearby conservation reserves includes Providence Ponds Flora and Fauna Reserve, The Billabong Flora and Fauna Reserve, Stratford Highway Park anda number of small Bushland Reserves (Figure 3).
Dryland grazing is the predominant land use in the area but more intensive agriculture,such as cropping,is becomingincreasinglyprevalent.
Threatening Processes
Pest Plants
Pest plants posea threat to the conservation values of Swallow Lagoon NCR. Pest
plantshave the ability to alter the structure of the understorey vegetation and posea
threat to species reliant on the ecosystem.Weedcover isvariableacross Swallow Lagoon NCR and, where present, mostly consists of introduced pasture grasses, thistles, and small annual herbs. Pest plants recorded at Swallow Lagoon NCR includePaspalumPaspalum spp., Yorkshire FogHolcus lanatus, Cat’s EarHydrochoeris radicataand Cape WeedArctotheca calendula.
Burgan Kunzeaericoides, which isa native species, occurs ina few small areas of the reserve. In high abundance, Burgan can alter the structure of vegetation through loss of structuralheterogeneity, although at present, is not considereda threat to the conservation values of Swallow Lagoon NCR.
Management objectives and targets (short-long term)
-Regularly observe and control the establishment and spread of pest plants, particularlyintroduced pasture grasses, through grazing or burning and encourage the establishment of native grasses in their place (see ‘Ecological Management of Plains Grassy Woodlands’). Spraying of pest plants may also be required for some areas (e.g. areas subject to past disturbance) for species that do not respond to other management techniques.
-Liaise with the Shire of Wellington to ensure control of pest plants that occur along roadsides adjoining Swallow Lagoon NCR to prevent their spread into the reserve.
Pest animals
Foxes are present throughout the district, but the impact of predation on native
fauna in the reserve is unknown. However, they may posea significant threat to ground nestingor feedingbirds, small mammals, and reptiles.Local community members have previously carried out fox drives on the property when under freehold ownership. Rabbits and hares have also been observed in the local area but their impact on the grassy woodland is undetermined. Noisy MinerManorina
melanocephala also has the potential to impact on the presence and abundance of woodland dependent bird species.
Management objectives and targets (short-long term)
-Control foxes to maintain habitat values of the reserve for birds, small mammals
and other ground-dwelling fauna.
-Maintain rabbit and hare numbers at less than5 per spotlight km.
Other threats
Firewood removal, tree felling, post cutting, illegal grazing and rubbish dumping
also posea threat to the conservation values of the Swallow LagoonNCR. Firewood
removal causes disturbance to vegetation and removes habitat used by ground- dwelling fauna. Tree-felling and post-cuttingpotentiallyremoves significantlarge trees and can create unnatural canopy openings. Rubbish dumping can lead to the spread of pest plants and the introduction of pest animals.
Management objectives and targets (short-long term)
-Ensure access gates to the reserve remain locked to prevent vehicle access, firewoodremoval,tree-felling and post-cutting, illegal grazing and rubbish dumping.
Physical assets
Swallow Lagoon NCR contains three dams that receive water from local runoff and
can be accessed by stock (Figure 1).A shed in moderate condition also occurs on the reserve. Boundary fencing is in moderate condition atSwallow Lagoon NCR, but mayrequirerepairinsomeareas.Therearenointernalfencesinthereserve.
Management objectives and targets (short-medium term)
-Maintain dams if required for stock water.
-Removeshedifnotrequiredformanagementpurposes.
-Liaise with adjoining landowners to ensure boundary fences are maintained ina stock-proofconditionandrepairfencesalongroadreserveswhererequired.
Heritage Values, Condition and Risk
There are no recorded places of heritage value and there is noevidence of places
with heritage value in Swallow Lagoon NCR.
Management objectives and targets (short-medium term)
-If sites of heritagevalue sites areidentified, assess theircondition and establish management objectives.
IndigenousValues,ConditionandRisk
There are no recorded archaeological sites and no identified sites or features in Swallow Lagoon NCR, and potential for sites of indigenous value is considered to be low.
Management objectives and targets (short-long term)
-Reflect the Traditional Owners’ cultural lore, and interests and aspirations in the
area in managingthereserve, and work withthem and thescheduled local Aboriginal community in accordance with relevantlegislationandParks Victoria’s operationalpolicies.
-Work with the Traditional Owners and consult the scheduled local Aboriginal community in survey of the reserve to identify the location of significant indigenous sites, places and objects.
-If sites, places and objectives are identified, seek guidance from the Traditional Owners on their future management and assessing their condition.
Visitor Services, Condition and Risk
There is currently no level of visitor services for Swallow Lagoon NCR (classified as ‘Very Basic’). The provisional futurelevel of service will be ‘Very Basic’ (no facilities). Access is currently restricted to pedestrian access off Swallow Lagoon Road, Lottons Lane and Freemans Lane (Figure 1). While there is no data available, visitor numbers to the Swallow Lagoon NCR arelikely to be low (0-5000 p.a.), because the reserve has been purchased only recently.
Management objectives and targets (short-long term)