Bar-tailed Godwits (image © Chris Tzaros)
Spotted Marsh-frog
Flooded Herb Rich Grassy Plains Wetland
at Rutherford Road
Herb-rich Grassy Plains Wetlands at Carrum Downs
To most people the Herb Rich Grassy Plains Wetland that will be destroyed at the northern-most section of the Bypass near Rutherford Road, looks like an open paddock which occasionally gets flooded. Each Plains Grassy Wetland is made up of a specific mix of herbs, grasses, sedges and other small plants, making each one very individual. All of the plants found in this area are not only able to tolerate short periods of inundation, but need flooding to survive. Many of the small herbs die off in the summer, but shoot again once rain moistens the soil.
There are only two other examples of this type of wetland in the region and they are all slightly different in make up. The hydrology of the areas that these plants grow in is very specific and probably impossible to replicate. You can’t just transplant sods of this wetland to another area and hope it grows.
When talking about this specific vegetation community we also need to consider the fauna that lives there, including threatened birds like Latham’s Snipe, Great Egret and Australasian Bittern (This last bird being listed as Vulnerable on the Action Plan for Australian Birds). During dry periods there is a build up of insects and grubs in the soil, but after a bit of rain these come to the surface and are fed on by flocks of birds. Many small birds including quail love the open spaces of these grassy wetlands and some of the small raptors can be seen hovering overhead looking for mice, lizards and insects.
The Herb Rich Plains Grassy Wetland is as important as a Koala – can you imagine the outcry if you were to shoot one of the last three Koalas on the Peninsula and then use the argument that there are still two left and besides there might be others in the rest of Victoria, somewhere!
Herb Rich Plains Grassy Wetlands are listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and are currently being assessed under the EPBC Act.
This Herb Rich Plains Grassy Wetland has already been identified as a net gain site for Eastlink. Does this mean that this EVC will have a double offset irrespective of whether or not a site can be found?
|