Victorian Resources Online - Werribee Plains

Fauna

The Werribee Plains region provides habitat for a number of rare and threatened fauna species, including species protected under international agreements. Within the entire Port Phillip and Westernport CALP region, there are approximately 120 species of threatened wildlife. The Grassland Broad Vegetation Type (BVT) alone is home to over 20 threatened species.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment has wide ranging responsibilities for the management of plant and animal issues across Victoria, including the conservation of native fauna and flora and the control of invasive plants and animals.

The main legislation and policies that relate to fauna in this region include:

The Golden Sun Moth is an endangered species
associated with native grasslands in the Werribee
Plains region.

Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (Victoria) (external link)
Victoria's Biodiversity Strategy (the former NRE, 1997) (external link)
Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) (external link)

China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA)
The Bonn Convention of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (external link)

The extent of threatened and listed fauna is closely linked to remnant native vegetation. The Draft Port Phillip and Westernport Native Vegetation Plan (external link) details areas of vegetation that provide habitat for birds migrating from China and Japan (CAMBA and JAMNA) and species listed under the Bonn Convention.

When an area of native vegetation provides habitat for species listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, CAMBA/JAMBA, or the Bonn Convention, there is an obligation to consider the impact of development on the survival of threatened species. This is particularly important given the current level of clearing and fragmentation within the region.

In addition to the habitat value provided by existing vegetation, the Draft Port Phillip and Westernport Native Vegetation Plan has mapped proposed wildlife corridors. The creation of wildlife corridors aims to provide links between different populations of wildlife, ensuring evolutionary processes and habitat range are protected. This may also be achieved through revegetation and complementary land management activities on public and private land. The regional corridor network proposed under the Vegetation Plan utilises road, rail and riparian corridors where possible to connect fragments of remnant vegetation.

Related Links

The Melbourne Water website provides a list of birds that occur in the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee (external link) Note: To view the information PDF requires the use of a PDF reader. This can be installed for free from the Adobe website (external link). This Plant covers an area of 10 850 hectares, part of which were declared a sanctuary for the protection of native fauna in 1921. In 1982, Lake Borrie and much of the surrounding Plant were declared a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar convention (external link). The Plant regularly supports over 20 000 waterfowl. Approximately 270 species of birds have been recorded at the Western Treatment Plant (about one third of Australia's total number of avifauna species). Migratory wading birds fly to the plant from Siberia to escape the northern winter.

Melbourne Water in association with with Melbourne Waterwatch and the Amphibian Research Centre, is sponsoring a community-based frog monitoring program (external link) within greater Melbourne.

Land for Wildlife Notes are available on the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) website (external link). These include information on: managing bushland, natural regeneration, wildlife habitats, invasive plants and animals, and wildlife in farm planning.