Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045:body:0:p10
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00045
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 25561–28556

may result from a range of activities (Grover and Baldock, 2010; 2012).

If the bogs and fens become damaged, their water holding capacity is frequently reduced or destroyed as a result of erosion and channelling (Ashton and Williams, 1989; Wahren et al., 1996). Such degradation can lead to drying out of bogs, further reducing the integrity of the ecological community and impacting the hydrology of the surrounding area. As critical functions of the ecological community include water retention (Ashton and Williams, 1989), regulation of flows and water quality (Silvester, 2009), such changes can in turn have repercussions downstream. In particular, the ecological community plays a critical role in filtering nutrients (McDougall, 1989; Silvester, 2009) and retaining them in the ecological community.

Fire

The ecological community has evolved with the occurrence of fire. Individual fires may not necessarily be considered a direct threat to the ecological community, although fire damage significantly increases its susceptibility to other threats. Repeated burning at short intervals in conjunction with high fire intensity is likely to have a detrimental impact on the ecological community (C. Pascoe, pers comm., 2014), particularly under drought conditions (Whinam et al., 2010). Fire severity impacts on the peat layers and the subsequent ability of the ecological community to recover.

The impacts of fire on the ecological community are long-term (20+ years). However, evidence from recent fire suggests that whilst post-fire recovery of Sphagnum cristatum is frequently negligible for several years, a more rapid recovery rate can occur later (McDougall, 2007; Clarke et al., in review).

Condition (state)

The state of the community fluctuates over time (including hundreds to thousands of years) and little is known about its condition before European settlement. Most, if not all, of the occurrences of this ecological community on mainland Australia have been affected by various combinations of threats, such as repeated fires, expansion in range and abundance of exotic plants, and the grazing and trampling by hoofed animals. Whinam and Chilcott (2002) noted historical declines in Sphagnum extent and suggest that UV radiation may be a factor in association with other disturbances and fire. Tasmanian bog and fen communities have also been affected by a range of threatening processes, such that degradation is also likely to be widespread, particularly on the Central Plateau.

Condition thresholds define categories of condition for an ecological community and may be used to prioritise protection for the best quality vegetation remnants by excluding very low quality examples from the legal definition. Condition thresholds have not been adopted for the ecological community. Furthermore, a method for assessing baseline condition for Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens is yet to be developed and is a recommended action in this plan (Actions 8.1b.).

Peat