Wetlands in Glenelg Hopkins
44% of Victoria’s wetlands are found in the Glenelg Hopkins region.
Glenelg Hopkins has more than 5400 wetlands, covering 73 000 ha.
In conjunction with the community, Glenelg Hopkins CMA developed a Regional Wetland Status Report in 2006 to document and recognise wetland values in the region and provide direction to wetland management.
Since the release of this document, the CMA has run three wetland tenders, one grassland tender and two stewardship programs on the Victorian Volcanic Plains to protect high priority wetlands. 473 ha has been protected under the Grassland Tender program and 484 ha under the Wetland Tender programs.
Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands
During the summer months, lack of rain means that some wetlands dry out completely. For Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands, this regular drying is what makes them so special and unique.
The Victorian Volcanic Plains are a hotspot for the recently EPBC listed Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands.
Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands are isolated freshwater wetlands that are usually inundated seasonally through rainfall, and then dry out in the summer. These special wetlands provide habitat for a range of wonderful plants and animals, and are particularly good habitat for breeding frogs as the absence of fish can increase the survival rate of tadpoles. A large variety of waterbirds also rely on wetlands, including various species of ducks, water hens, ibises, egrets, herons, spoonbills, rails, bitterns and snipe.
Stewardship Program
Private landholders across the VVP within the Glenelg Hopkins region will share in $562,469 of National Landcare Program funding to undertake a range of activities that will assist in protecting biodiversity while maintaining productive farming practices. Activities include fencing grasslands and wetlands to improve grazing management, weed control, photo point monitoring, pest plant and animal control and monitoring and mosaic burning.
The total area protected by the Round 2 VVP Stewardship Program, which goes for 9 years, is 516.2 ha of critically endangered Ecological Community (EC) – as listed under the EPBC Act – on the VVP and can be broken down to the following 3 key ECs:
- 66.4 ha of Grassy Eucalypt Woodland of the VVP,
- 224.5 ha of Natural Temperate Grassland of the VVP and
- 225.3 ha of Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands (Freshwater) of the Temperate Lowland Plains.
From this, 305.5 ha will be permanently protected via a Trust for Nature conservation covenant.
Seasonal Herbaceous Wetland
Project Partners
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
Funding & Investors
Australian Government
