Estuary Assessment 2000: Victoria
Victoria
Key findings
Key messages
- Victorian estuaries (approximately 60) vary from small wave- and river-dominated estuaries in the west, to several large embayments such as Port Phillip Bay and Western Port in central Victoria, to a network of small wave-dominated estuaries in the east.
- The condition of these estuaries also varies regionally, primarily because of the differences in the size and morphology of the surrounding catchment, and the dominant land use practices. Many of the estuaries in eastern Victoria are located within National Parks and are in near-pristine condition. These are valuable conservation and wilderness areas.
- The small wave-dominated estuaries common in West Victoria are at risk from inappropriate land use practices and are in need of targeted management. As many of these estuaries have ephemeral openings to the coast, and the adjacent catchment is often steep and predominantly agricultural, nutrients, sediment and toxicants can accumulate in these estuaries.
- Urbanisation, industry, agriculture, forestry and water diversions and extractions have resulted in major modifications to many Victorian estuaries.
- Pressures on estuaries will increase with a trend to increasing coastal development.
- The importance of estuaries is now well recognised in Victoria, both at government and community levels. Environmental objectives for estuaries are now explicitly recognised in a number of key policies and management plans and are undergoing further development.
- Efforts are under way to streamline and integrate catchment and coastal management strategies, research and monitoring.
- Greater access to information and resources for community groups to monitor and care for estuaries is being implemented. While there is a good understanding and monitoring of large estuarine systems in Victoria, collecting more information to improve our understanding of small estuaries is essential.
Key needs
- Risk-based frameworks for prioritising areas for management action.
- Greater focus on the management of Western Victorian estuaries as these estuaries are most susceptible to impact from land use.
- A decision-support system for making informed decisions about entrance openings.
- Streamlining of management structures particularly in the Gippsland Lakes.
- Greater public access to estuary information and education.
- Improved linkages between indicators of catchment and estuarine health as a basis for setting works priorities.
- Identification of particular estuaries as a representative of western estuaries and to complete comprehensive comparative studies on these estuaries for the development of reference estuaries.
- Greater data collection and process studies to understand small wave-dominated estuaries common throughout Victoria. Specific knowledge and data gaps include primary productivity, turbidity and water depth.
- Explicit methods and data for valuing intrinsic features of estuaries and the industries that rely on them as part of the basis for developing investment priorities.
- The ongoing development of environmental objectives for estuaries in Victoria.
Management arrangements
In Victoria the responsibility for estuaries is spread throughout several agencies with no formal coordination across agencies. A number of peak bodies are responsible for coordination of State or regional coastal and catchment issues.
- Environment Protection Authority (responsible for controlling the discharge of wastes to the environment, preventing pollution and assessing water quality).
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment (responsible for overseeing the management of the land and resources of Victoria's coastal public land and marine resources for conservation and recreational uses).
- Parks Victoria (manages Victoria's national, State, marine, regional and metropolitan parks and conservation reserves; responsible for estuaries within these parks).
- Victorian Coastal Council and Regional Coastal Boards (implements strategic planning for Victoria's coastal resources, including estuaries).
- Victorian Catchment Management Council (advises the State government on issues relating to catchment management; a key role is to promote awareness of integrated catchment management and associated issues in the community).
- Catchment management authorities and catchment land protection boards (ensure the sustainable development of natural resources and maintain and improve land and water resources in their region through development and implementation of catchment strategies; responsible for monitoring and reporting on the condition and management of land and water resources, and promoting cooperation for management of land and water resources in their region).
- Fisheries Co-management Council (State Government's peak advisory body on fisheries management, facilitating co-management of fisheries across all stakeholders and assisted in its efforts through input from eight Fisheries Committees).
- Environment Conservation Council (make recommendations to the State Government on the use of public land and water, taking into account resource use, social issues and environmental needs). The council has recently prepared recommendations on a system of marine protected areas in Victoria. These recommendations included three small estuaries in eastern Victoria within the Croajingolong National Park, Mallacoota Inlet, some areas in Port Phillip Bay and Western Port Bay.
Policies
The Environment Protection Act 1970 (Vic) provides an over-arching legislative framework for environment protection in Victoria.
- The State Environment Protection Policies (Waters of Victoria) 1988 apply throughout the State and set out a framework for protection of fresh, marine and estuarine environments defined by beneficial uses. The policy identifies protected beneficial uses and environmental quality objectives for estuarine and coastal segments. The policy has been revised to include water quality objectives specifically for estuaries and inlets.
- Schedules to waters of Victoria for Port Phillip Bay and Western Port set region specific attainment programs.
- The Coastal Management Act 1995 (Vic) underpins the Victorian Coastal Strategy, first released in 1997 and ensures protection of significant environmental features, provides clear direction for future use of the coast, identifies suitable development areas and ensures sustainable use of natural resources. The strategy is being revised to specifically recognise the protection of estuaries as a key action.
- Coastal action plans identify strategic directions and objectives for the use and development in the region. This detailed planning facilitates recreational use and tourism and provides for protection and enhancement of the environment. Nine actions plans are in place.
- Environment management plans have been prepared from initiatives such as the Port Phillip Bay Study. Plans for port facilities at Port of Melbourne, Hastings and Portland are also being prepared.
- Ramsar-listed sites falls under the responsibility of Parks Victoria's Strategic Management Plan for Ramsar-listed water bodies and overrides other Gippsland Lakes management plans.
- The Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 (Vic).
- Municipal planning schemes developed by coastal municipalities.
- Regional catchment strategies to address the impacts of catchment based activities that affect the coastal and marine environment.
- Neighbourhood environment improvement plans.
- Regional catchment strategies.
- Fisheries and Park plans and strategies.
- Melbourne's Metro Strategy.
- Biosphere and Watermark Program.
Community initiatives
Community initiatives include several regional Waterwatch programs and the Western Port Seagrass Partnership established in Western Port. Coastcare/Coast Action, Land for Wildlife, Fishcare and Landcare are recognised in the Victorian Coastal Strategy as key initiatives in raising public awareness of marine and coastal issues. The Marine and Coastal Community Network brings together Natural Heritage Trust funded on-ground action programs and integrated management plans but there is little focus on preventative management and research. Habitat assessment groups have been an effective method of capturing fishermen's knowledge of Victoria's estuaries.
State priorities
- Coastal boards and catchment management authorities working together to provide integrated and coordinated management from catchment to coast.
- Monitoring of major estuaries and embayments is being integrated with the State Monitoring Network for freshwater quality and quantity.
- Greater coordination of environment portfolio research programs.
- As part of the revision of State of Environment Protection Policy Waters of Victoria, estuary-specific, environmental objectives are being developed and estuaries are being specifically listed.
- Ongoing monitoring of small estuaries.
- Studies to develop a better understanding of primary productivity and sediment processes in estuaries to gain a better understanding of the processes of algal bloom development and the potential for early warning systems for harmful algal blooms.
Around the State
Eastern Victoria
The 21 estuaries from Andersons Inlet to the Mallacoota in the far east of Victoria are characterised by being wave-dominated with the greatest proportion being near-pristine estuaries. One tide-dominated estuary is present in this region (Corner Inlet). These estuaries are generally within steep catchments and are influenced by winter-dominated rainfall. In the far east, estuaries in the Croajingolong National Park include 12 near-pristine estuaries. Significant beds of seagrass occur in many of the region's inlets.
The Gippsland Lakes are a focus for tourism, commercial and recreational fishing. Gippsland Lakes has been extensively degraded as a result of extensive catchment-derived inputs of sediment and nutrients and coastal infrastructure development. Reduced flows to several estuaries have resulted from water extraction upstream (e.g. the Snowy River). The many wave-dominated estuaries in this region with developed catchments receive increased nutrient loads resulting from extensive agricultural activity and urban use.
Comprehensive data exists for the Gippsland Lakes, one of the most studied estuaries in Australia. Little data exists for other estuaries, particularly water quantity and quality information. Gippsland Lakes is the focus for a Victorian Government rescue package and has a well-organised coastal board and two catchment management authorities. A number of management plans have been developed including the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Action Plan 1999 and the Gippsland Coastal Waters Coastal Action Plan 2001. An important priority for management in the lakes is integrating management processes.
Central Victoria
Central Victoria has 13 estuaries from Barwon River to Powlett River including the significant embayments of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Many of the other estuaries are 'child' estuaries draining into these embayments. The catchments are heavily urbanised with 4 million people in Melbourne and Geelong. Many rivers and creeks run through urban and industrial developments and have been modified into drains. Rural parts of catchments are mostly used for pasture, cropping and market gardens.
Port Phillip Bay and Western Port are major shipping ports and support a wide range of recreational pursuits. They also support commercial fishing, recreational fishing and aquaculture. Eutrophication, sedimentation, oil spills and the introduction of marine pests are key threats to the integrity of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Catchment erosion, resuspension of unconsolidated bay sediments and potential impacts from oil spills are key threats to Western Port and have contributed to large-scale seagrass declines in the bay. All the estuaries are classified as modified except Kororoit Creek flowing through industrial use that is classified as extensively modified.
As many of the smaller estuaries discharge into larger embayments they are tide-dominated (nine) or river-dominated (two). There are comprehensive data on the ecology, condition and function of Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Western Port, Port Phillip Bay and the Yarra catchment have specific State environment protection policies with defined environmental quality objectives. There is an active Central Coastal Board and Catchment Management Authority and environment management plans are in place for Port Phillip Bay and for port facilities including the Waterfront Geelong Coastal Action Plan 1998. There are several current and proposed marine protected areas and designated aquaculture areas.
Western Victoria
The 25 estuaries from the Glenelg to the Thompson are mostly small (21 are wave-dominated). There is only sparse seagrass coverage and mangroves are absent from these estuaries. The catchments are mostly steep and experience summer rainfall and high erosion rates. Grazing is the main land use in the catchments. Significant wilderness areas (e.g. the Otways) with high recreational use also exist. Several of the estuaries are important for port and shipping activities. The region has the greatest number of estuaries that are modified. Many western Victorian estuaries are at risk from inappropriate land and extractive uses. As many of these estuaries have only ephemeral openings to the coast, and the adjacent catchment is often steep and predominantly agricultural, nutrients, sediment and toxicants can accumulate in these estuaries. Water quality and quantity information is only available for some estuaries.
Estuary entrances are sometimes opened by local groups with permits to prevent flooding of farms and residences, improve water quality and to promote recruitment of fish. The artificial opening of these estuaries can cause environmental problems (e.g. fish kills and loss of waterfowl breeding). Wetlands also rely on periods of flooding and opening the estuaries can prevent their full ecological functioning. Decision support systems to articulate and allow evaluation of trade-offs in the opening of estuary entrances is needed.
Five coastal action plans have been developed, including:
- Southwest (Aire to Glenelg) Estuaries Coastal Action Plan 2000
- Warrnambool Coastal Action Plan 1999
- Moyne Coastal Action Plan 2001
- Skenes Creek to Marengo Coastal Action Plan 2001
- Anglesea Coastal Action Plan 1999
- Lorne Coastal Action Plan 1998
Pressures on estuaries will increase as an aging population retires and moves to the coast.
Further information
For further information about the Australia-wide assessment, please contact: National Land and Water Resources Audit Phone: 02 6263 6035 Email: info@nlwra.gov.au
CRC Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management
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