Artists for the Environment.
Save Our Wetlands?
The Victorian State Government has released new regulations[1] that water down the rules protecting Victorian habitats from clearing, these include
Make clearing native vegetation easier and quicker (as opposed to the current situation where vegetation clearance is a last resort).
Largely remove the need for professional on-site flora and fauna assessments before clearing, replacing them with computer models.
Create a ‘cash for clearing’ system, which means that the bulk (approximately 90%) of applications to clear will simply require a fee to be paid before clearing.[2]
The major benefactor of these new regulations will be the fossil fuels industries.
There is a lot at stake, Gippsland has internationally renowned wetlands. The Lakes, rivers and marshes of Gippsland are teemed with wildlife and provide an abundance of food and habitat for birds, fish and invertebrates.
Wetlands prevent flooding by holding water much like a sponge. By doing so, wetlands help keep river levels normal and filter and purify the surface water.
Wetlands accept water during storms and whenever water levels are high. When water levels are low, wetlands slowly release water.
Wetlands also release vegetative matter into rivers, which helps feed fish in the rivers. Wetlands help to counter balance the human effect on rivers by rejuvenating them and surrounding ecosystems.
Many animals that live in other habitats use wetlands for migration or reproduction. For example, herons nest in large old trees, but need shallow areas in order to wade for fish and aquatic life. Amphibians often forage in upland areas but return to the water to mate and reproduce.
While wetlands are truly unique, they must not be thought of as isolated and independent habitat. To the contrary, wetlands are vital to the health of all other biomes and to wildlife and humans everywhere.
Unlike most other habitats, wetlands directly improve other ecosystems. Because of its many cleansing benefits, wetlands have been compared to kidneys. The analogy is good one. Wetlands and kidneys both help control water flow and cleanse the system.
Wetlands also clean the water by filtering out sedimentation, decomposing vegetative matter and converting chemicals into useable form.
The ability of wetlands to recycle nutrients makes them critical in the overall functioning of earth. No other ecosystem is as productive, nor as unique in this conversion process[…][3]
Gippsland’s Wetlands Wildlife.
Australasian Bittern |
Darter |
Laughing Kookaburra |
Sacred ibis |
Australasian Grebe |
Drown Goshawk |
Little Bittern |
Sacred Kingfisher |
Australasian Shoveler |
Dusky Moorhen |
Little Black Cormorant |
Satin Flycatcher |
Australian Hobby |
Dusky Woodswallow |
Little Eagle |
Scarlet Robin |
Australian Kestrel |
Eastern Rosella |
Little Egret |
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper |
Australian Magpie |
Eastern Spinebill |
Little Grassbird |
Shining Bronze-Cuckoo |
Australian Magpie Lark |
Eastern Yellow Robin |
Little Pied Cormorant |
Silver Gull |
Australian Pelican |
Eurasian Coot |
Magpie Goose |
Silvereye |
Australian Raven |
Eurasian Tree Sparrow |
Maned Duck |
Southern Boobook |
Australian Shelduck |
European Goldfinch |
Marsh Harrier |
Spotted Turtle-Dove |
Azure Kingfisher |
European Greenfinch |
Masked Lapwing |
Straw-necked Ibis |
Baillon’s Crake |
Fan-tailed Cuckoo |
Mistletoebird |
Striated Pardalote |
Barn Owl |
Feral Pigeon |
Musk Duck |
Striated Thornbill |
Black Swan |
Flame Robin |
Musk Lorikeet |
Stubble Quail |
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike |
Glossy ibis |
New 1-lolland Honeyeater |
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo |
Black-fronted Plover |
Golden Whistler |
Noisy Miner |
Superb Fairy-wren |
Black-shouldered Kite |
Golden-headed Cisticola |
Pacific Black Duck |
Tawny Frogtnouth |
Black-winged Stilt |
Great Cormorant |
Pacific Heron |
Tree Martin |
Blue-billed Duck |
Great Crested Grebe |
Painted Snipe |
Varied Sittella |
Brown Falcon |
Great Egret |
Pallid Cuckoo |
Weebill |
Brown Quail |
Greenshank |
Peaceful Dove |
Welcome Swallow |
Brown Thornbill |
Grey Butcherbird |
Peregrine Falcon |
Whiskered Tern |
Buff-banded Rail |
Grey Currawong |
Pied Cormorant |
Whistling Kite |
Cape Barren Goose |
Grey Fantail |
Pied Currawong |
White-bellied Sea-Eagle |
Cattle Egret |
Grey Shrike-thrusli |
Pink-eared Duck |
White-browed Scrubwren |
Chestnut Teal |
Grey Teal |
Purple Swamphen |
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Clamorous Reed Warbler |
Hardhead |
Rainbow Lorikeet |
WHoneyeaterhite-eared Honeyeater |
Collared Sparrowhawk |
Hoary-headed Grebe |
Red Wattlebird |
White-faced Heron |
Common Blackbird |
House Sparrow |
Red-browed Firetail |
White-fronted Chat |
Common Myna |
Intermediate Egret |
Red-capped Plover |
White-throated Needletail |
Common Skylark |
Latliams Snipe |
Red-necked Stint |
Willie Wagtail |
Common Starling |
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Richard’s Pipit |
Ye I low-billed Spoonbill |
Crescent Honeyeater |
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Royal Spoonbill |
YeIlow-rumped Thornbill |
Crimson Rosella |
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Rufous Night heron |
Yellow Thornbill |
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Rufous Whistler |
Yellow-faced White-browed Woodswallows |
Reptiles
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Amphibians
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Common Blue-tongued Lizard |
Common Froglet |
Common Long-necked Tortoise |
Green and Golden Grass Frog |
Delicate Skink |
Peron’s Tree Frog |
Garden Skink |
Southern Brown Tree Frog |
Grass Skink |
Spotted Marsh Frog |
Lowland Copperhead |
Striped Marsh Frog |
Red-bellied Black Snake |
Verreauxs Tree Frog |
Tiger Snake |
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Flora Noted at the Sale Wetlands |
Austral crane’s-bill |
Common centauty |
Jimmy’s shining peppermint |
Silver wattle |
Bangalay |
Downy dodder-laurel |
Lightwood |
Small loosestrife |
Birchwood |
Drooping mistletoe |
Long-flower mistletoe |
Spike wattle |
Black wattle |
Dwarf mallow |
Manna gum |
Spreading waffle |
Burgan |
Early black wattle |
Musky heron’s-bill |
Swamp paperbark |
Carolina mallow |
Forest red gum |
Prickly tea-free |
Swamp gum |
Centaury |
Golden spray |
Red inulfoil |
Sweet wattle |
Cinquefoil |
Grassland crane’s-bill |
River red gum |
Yertchuk |
Coast manna gum |
Heath tea-free |
Running marsh flower |
Wooly tea-bee |
Coast wattle |
Hedge wattle |
Salt lawrencia |
Yellow box |
Common boobialla |
Hop goodenia |
Shiny swamp mat |
White clover Narrow-leaf vetch |
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Courtesy of the Victorian National Parks Association.