Released 06/01/2022
Endangered bogs and fens in the ACT’s high country will be further protected under a proposed long-term action plan, which is currently open for consultation.
Acting Minister for the Environment and Minister for Planning and Land Management Mick Gentleman said the draft Action Plan outlines known threats to the ecological community and the recommended management actions for the next ten years.
“Covering approximately 740 hectares of the ACT, the ACT High Country Bogs and Associated Fens Endangered Ecological Community is a series of unique, fragile wetlands that occur along high-country streams, drainage lines, valley edges and valley floors more than 720 metres above sea level.
“Climate change and its associated impacts pose the greatest long-term risk to ACT bogs and fens, which is likely to increase the risk and impacts from all other threats including fire and invasive pest species,” Minister Gentleman said.
“They provide critical refuge and habitat for an abundance of frog, bird, fish, mammal, reptile and invertebrate species, including the critically endangered Northern Corroboree Frog. In return, the various species help the ecological community to function through pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling.
“This draft Action Plan will support the conservation of bogs and fens into the future, including maintaining and improving these natural processes that occur within the ecological community.”
Additionally, most of the ACT’s bogs and fens in Namadgi National Park are connected to essential waterways, and the ACT Government is committed to conserving them.
“The ecological communities that live in our bogs and fens were significantly impacted during and after the bushfires in 2003 and again in early 2020. Hooved animals such as feral horses, deer and pigs also pose an ongoing threat to fens and bogs by trampling on or wallowing in waterways.
“This presents a bigger picture issue for Canberra’s water quality. The bogs and fens in Namadgi play a critical role in filtering the water that flows into the Lower Cotter Catchment area, which is our main source of drinking water,” Minister Gentleman said.
“That’s one of the reasons why the ACT Government needs to conduct pest species management programs. We will continue to monitor and adjust our management practices to protect ACT bogs and fens into the future,” Minister Gentleman said.
Have YourSay on the ACT High Country Bogs and Associated Fens Ecological Community Draft Action Plan until 20 February 2023 through the ACT Government YourSay Conversations website.
- Statement ends -
Mick Gentleman, MLA | Media Releases