Reservation of important wetlands

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Reservation of important wetlands
Recent experiences in conservation planning and
practical implementation in Victoria

• James Fitzsimons1,2 Hugh Robertson1,3
• 1 School of Life Environmental Sciences, Deakin
  University
• 2 The Nature Conservancy
• 3 NZ Department of Conservation

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Overview

• Process for assessing conservation status,
  reserve design and level of protection of
  wetlands
• Changes in wetland reservation in northern
  Victoria
• Challenges to establishing freshwater protected
  areas
• Policy dilemmas, decisions and debates

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• Freshwater Reserves
• National and State commitments to the
  Establishment of a Comprehensive, Adequate
  Representative (CAR) reserve system
• Recent reviews suggest Australia lacks an
  representative freshwater reserve system
• Little quantitative analysis on the reservation
  of freshwater ecosystems

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• Objectives
• Investigate whether there are biases in the
  reservation of different types of wetlands
• Investigate whether there are biases in the types
  of reserves applied to wetlands
• Evaluate the influence of wetland reserve design
  on the conservation of freshwater ecosystems
• Compare these reservation variables, before and
  after a strategic public land use assessment

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VEAC River Red Gum study area
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VEAC River Red Gum study area
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• River Red Gum Forests Investigation
• Area of River Red Gum Forests investigation
  1,220,000 ha
• Wetland area prior to European settlement
  145,000 ha
• Extant wetland area 99,700 ha
• Current wetland area in Reserves 27,300 ha
• Recommended area in Reserves 47,000 ha

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Depletion and reservation of different wetland
types in northern Victoria
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Depletion and reservation of different wetland
types in northern Victoria
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Depletion and reservation of different wetland
types in northern Victoria
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Reservation of Important Wetlands- Ramsar and
Directory

• DIWA and Ramsar

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Area of wetlands occurring in various reserve
categories in northern Victoria
Protected area
Other reserve
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Area of wetlands occurring in various reserve
categories in northern Victoria
Protected area
Other reserve
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Wetland reserve design in northern Victoria
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Challenges for freshwater reservation in northern
Victoria

• Achieving a balance between conservation,
  recreation and resource use
• Anticipating impacts of climate change
• Anticipating future water availability and
  infrastructure to deliver environmental water to
  wetlands
• Recommendations for public land only
• Considered Victoria only
• Only recommendations! - VEAC has had a high
  success rate in the past (95 recommendations
  accepted) but nothing guaranteed
• Government response may offer clues on current
  thinking publicly available soon

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Policy debates required

• What activities or levels of consumptive use are
  acceptable in freshwater protected areas?
• Duck hunting?
• Fishing?
• Water extraction?
• Or are these debates irrelevant without water?