page_title: Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park
section_title: Environmental threats
hierarchical_section_title: Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park / Environmental threats
caption_attribution_description: English: Erosion prone soils of Mt Pilot section
context_page_description: The Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park is a national park that is located in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. The 21,650-hectare national park is situated approximately 275 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, and extends west from Beechworth across the Hume Freeway and the Albury-Melbourne railway line to the west of Chiltern.
  The park was established under the National Parks Act, 2002 to protect a diverse range of threatened species and ecosystems. The distinctive features of the park include the Woolshed Falls, picturesque Mt Pilot summit, culturally significant Aboriginal rock art at Yeddonba and historical relics of the goldmining era scattered throughout. The park is used for a number of recreational activities including bushwalking, hiking, trail riding, rock climbing, picnicking, camping, bird watching and prospecting.
context_section_description: Northeast Victoria is susceptible to periodic natural disasters including fire, flood and drought.  Major bushfires have occurred in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in 1899, 1912, 1927, 1940 and 2003.  Bushfires in National Parks are likely to lead to the loss of conservation areas, significant species and communities and park infrastructure including toilet blocks, picnic areas, lookouts, car parks, signage and tracks.  While some species benefit from burns through heat activated germination, others like the isolated populations of black cypress pine or Mount Pilot spider orchids may face local extinction.
  Flood events and heavy rains have the potential to result in severe erosion given the park's duplex soils and steep inclines.  During flood events, contaminants such as mercury can be mobilised and transformed into chemicals that jeopardize the health of the park's aquatic systems.  It is likely that past mining practices have led to heavy metal contamination in the park's waterways and sediments.
  Pest plants including Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), bridal creeper (Asparagus asparagoides), furze (Ulex europaeus) and paterson's curse (Echium plantagineum) have been identified as problematic weeds within the park that pose a threat to native flora populations.  St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) occurring in the Mt Pilot Range have been brought under control but continued management is required.  Pest animals known to occur within the park include the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and feral cat (Felis catus).  Foxes and cats pose serious predation risks to native fauna while rabbits impact on native flora and are notorious for the degree of soil disturbance caused by burrowing.
caption: Erosion prone soils of Mt Pilot section.
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