Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045:body:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 38659–41563

as the most insidious threat impacting the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community, even though the future implications and specific details are as yet unclear (Keith, 2004; McDougall and Walsh, 2007; Williams and McDougall, 2007). Climate change has the potential to magnify current threats, including fire and invasive species. Global trends in weed species suggest that weed species richness is increasing at higher elevations including in the Australian Alps (Johnston and Pickering 2001; Mallen-Cooper and Pickering 2008). The Australian Alps has been identified as a hot spot for future potential invasions from species already naturalised in disturbed habitats or lowland areas (Duursma et al., 2013).

It is projected that the parts of ecological communities occurring at the climatic and elevational limits of their possible range are amongst the most vulnerable to the potential impacts of a changing climate (Mansergh et al., 2002; Whinam et al., 2003). The ecological community is a specific example of this situation. Even a small increase in mean ambient temperature is likely to result in the loss of more bogs and fens due to changes in snowfall and snowmelt regimes, which in turn affect groundwater and runoff patterns. Although there is little documented evidence of ecological responses to warming as yet (Wahren et al., 2013; Clarke et al., 2014), observed trends show a significant decline in snow cover and snow depth since the 1960's in the south-east Australian highlands (Dunlop and Brown, 2008; Osborne, Green and Davis, 1998). Models of climate change impacts on natural snow cover also suggest continuing reduction of the snow pack even under modest climate change scenarios (Galloway, 1988; Hewitt, 1994; Whetton, 1998; CIG, 1996). Over time, a reduction in snowmelt and soil moisture is likely to result in occurrences of the ecological community being replaced by tussock grasslands or wet heath assemblages (Pickering et al. 2004).

In addition, recent literature supports the proposition that mountain regions will become critical refugia for both flora and fauna under enhanced greenhouse scenarios (Shoo and Williams, 2006; Mackey et al., 2012), which will affect alpine bogs and fens found in those areas (Mansergh et al., 2002).

4.3 Fire

The post-European settlement practice of burning to provide green feed for livestock and supposedly to reduce fuel load has permanently altered parts of the Australian alpine and subalpine landscape. Most of the detrimental changes to this ecological community that can follow a fire, such as loss of vegetation cover and subsequent soil loss, are also associated with the impacts of grazing and exotic weed invasion, both of which are addressed elsewhere in this section.

Although the ecological community has evolved with fire, fire is not a process that supports the ecosystem function of the Alpine