Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045:body:0:p3
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 5951–9101

Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community has a limited distribution which is scattered throughout a wide range. Although the ecological community can form extensive interconnected networks across large plains, it is considered naturally discontinuous, and occurs in gullies, depressions and cold air drainage areas. The ecological community is found in permanently wet sites in high rainfall alpine, sub-alpine and montane areas of NSW, ACT, Victoria and Tasmania. The majority of examples of this ecological community are found in areas under conservation related tenure, usually in national parks. Therefore, this recovery plan is intended as a key resource for park management agencies, to guide and assist actions to support the recovery of the ecological community. Ideally, the priority actions identified in this plan will be incorporated into future versions of park management plans, and other key management plans, such as those for relevant state forests, and plans dealing specifically with key threats to the ecological community, such as management of feral horses.

The Recovery Plan is also intended to support decision making for environmental regulation and Alps natural resource management, including the allocation of resources.

This recovery plan summarises information that is necessary to support funding and on-ground implementation actions for the recovery of the ecological community across its full national range. The plan includes the key requirements for a recovery plan under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The recovery plan complements the information provided in the Commonwealth Listing Advice on Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens and the Commonwealth Conservation Advice on Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens.

Supporting information has been compiled in the accompanying document: Background information for the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens National Recovery Plan.

     1.1         Objectives

The primary objective for the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens recovery plan is to:

Maintain or extend the current known extent (area) and maintain or improve the condition of the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community over the life of the recovery plan.

The supporting objective of the plan is to:

Ensure effective and adaptive implementation of the plan.

Priority recovery strategies, priority recovery actions and performance criteria to achieve these objectives are set out in Section 5: Recovery Programme.

     1.2         Legislative context
This is the first national recovery plan for the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community (referred to within this plan as the ecological community on occasion), which is listed as a threatened ecological community under the EPBC Act.

National status

The ecological community was listed as endangered under the EPBC Act in January 2009, due to:

  *                   its small geographic distribution coupled with demonstrable threats,

  *                   the continued decline of functionally important species, and