Annual Report 2012-13

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Contents
Director’s Foreword
About ARI
History & Purpose
Strategic Framework
ARI Research Strategy
Structure, Staffing & Development
Funding
Risk Management and OH&S
2012-13 in Review
ARI Facilities
Science Review
2012-13 Highlights
Forest Biodiversity project
Melbourne Strategic Assessment Science Plan
NaturePrint v3
Victorian Instream Habitat Program
Index of Estuarine Condition
Threatened galaxias protection and recovery
A decade of Native Fish Strategy in the Murray Darling Basin
Retrospective Fire and Biodiversity projects
Achievements
Aquatic Ecology
Waterway Management & Restoration
Wildlife Ecology
Community Ecology
Performance & KPIs
Publications
The Future
Photograph Acknowledgements
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19
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Director’s Foreword
This year was a watershed one for ARI.
A vastly improved facility, the delivery of our research blueprint for the immediate future in the form of our
Research Strategy, a comprehensive review of our science capability and direction and continued scientific excellence have left us in great shape for the period ahead.
Kim Lowe - Research Director - ARI
It confirmed the Institute’s role as the pre-eminent ecological advisor to Government in Victoria.
At ARI, we have a highly qualified, resilient and dedicated team of scientists, providing ecological research that informs policy, provides crucial science for Government and our external clientele, and makes a valued contribution to ecological science.
We continue to influence biodiversity outcomes by undertaking high quality, applied, ecological research, including:
•
•
The successful delivery of 158 milestones across 105 of projects for both DEPI and our external clients and collaborators;
The publication of 60 scientific journal papers and 95 ARI Technical Series or Client reports;
•
•
•
•
•
The presentation of 17 ARI Research Snapshot seminars and hosting or presenting numerous other science seminars at ARI to internal and external audiences;
Publication of 4 electronic newsletters highlighting our research activities to over
700 stakeholders;
Continued implementation of ARI’s Science Communication Framework.
The implementation of ARI’s Research Strategy;
The completion of the ARI Science Review;
• Increased media exposure in television, radio and print
This year, with an increased focus on collaboration, we have continued to build high quality
Science Leadership through a comprehensive leader development program, built strong partnerships with universities and other collaborators and continued to improve business support processes that ensure our science staff can do what they do best – deliver great science.
I look forward to building on this foundation in coming years
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About ARI
The Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) is the Victorian Government’s ecological research institute.
It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1970 and has become one of Australian’s leading centres for applied ecological research, with an emphasis on flora, fauna and biodiversity.
ARI focuses on providing strategic research and management advice to answer key questions affecting ecologically sustainable land or water management and resource use policies.
The Institute has played a major role in Australian biological discoveries including the identification of the first living example of the Mountain Pygmy
Possum (by Bob Warneke) and the discovery of the
Long-footed Potoroo (By John Seebeck).
ARI has key partnerships with universities and ecological researchers across Australia. Clientele include DEPI, Victorian State agencies including
Pamphlet created for the opening of the Institute by Queen Elizabeth II in April, 1970
Catchment Management Authorities and water authorities and the Commonwealth Government
(through the Murray Darling Basin Authority and the Department for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Community)
The highly qualified institute staff make a significant contribution to ecological science, publishing over sixty peer reviewed journal articles, books, conference papers and reports annually. This is in addition to newsletters, popular publication articles, theses and software.
ARI holds a significant library of publications built up over four decades.
The Institute also has strong links with state and national media, providing content for radio and television, particularly in the youth scientific education sector.
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About ARI
ARI directly supports all five of DEPIs five departmental outcomes.
1.
Effective management of water resources to meet future urban, rural and environmental needs.
2.
Effective environmental policy, investment and regulation.
3.
The community benefits from effective management of Victoria’s public and private land assets.
4.
Reduced impact of major bushfires and other extreme events on people, infrastructure and the environment.
5.
A high performing and efficient organisation.
Directly, the Institute supports the DEPI Objective ‘Effective policy for environmental outcomes and resource efficiency ’ through the strategy Invest in and conduct scientific
research to inform policy. Indirectly, ARI supports objectives and strategies across the
Department relating to Fire, Water and Land Management.
At a local level, the Institute focused on five themes for 2012-13 that were documented in both the 2012-13 operational plan and the ARI Research Strategy 2012-2016:

Aligning our work to State and Federal Government strategies and priorities.
 Understanding our stakeholders’ needs and maximising the value of our work by conducting and bringing together projects of mutual strategic value.

Raising the profile of our research both nationally and internationally.

Improving our science leadership and the quality of our science outputs.
 Working collaboratively to share knowledge and resources and to support each other and enhance learning.
These themes have driven our operational and strategic planning, and are being supported by our continued leadership development, ensuring a high performance culture and our focus on improved stakeholder management.
They are reflected in the ARI Research Strategy which is underpinned by the principles of
Collaboration, Alignment to Government, Responsiveness, Leadership, Influence and
Teamwork.
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About ARI
The Institute is guided by its Research Strategy 2012-2016. This outlines ARI’s research objective :
The Strategy outlines Victoria’s Biodiversity Targets and provides three research themes which are reflected in all projects undertaken and planned. Each theme is underpinned by
Research Goals that challenge staff to build ecological knowledge, increase understanding and drive application of that knowledge and understanding to improve biodiversity outcomes across the State.
Ecological Processes - Understanding ecosystems and species’ biology is the foundation of ecological knowledge and provides a sound basis for interpreting effects of human-induced disturbances, as well as making informed decisions about ecosystem protection and recovery.
Disturbance Ecology - Knowledge of ecosystems’ disturbances such as response to fire, drought, flood, climate change, habitat loss and degradation, exotic species, harvesting of native species, and impact of invasive species will indicate how to mitigate the adverse effects of these disturbances.
Protection & Recovery - Evaluating whether intervention leads to ecological improvements will inform future choices of management and lead to increased knowledge of ecological thresholds, and an increased ability to promote ecosystem resistance, resilience and new, desirable ecosystem-states.
The Research Strategy also articulates our future research directions relating to the type of work we undertake, the standards we set, the innovation we encourage and the way we collaborate.
It encourages further development of our science leadership, a focus on continuous improvement and rigorous evaluation of our research outputs.
Ecological
Processes
“How healthy systems function””
Disturbance
Ecology
“How disturbed systems function”
Protection &
Recovery
“How to protect and recover ecosystems”
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About ARI
Structure
The Institute operates four science sections with two oversight roles relating to Science
Leadership & Capability and Collaboration & Communication
Research
Director
Science Leadership
& Capability
Collaboration &
Communication
Aquatic Ecology
Capability
Waterway
Management &
Restoration
Community
Ecology
Wildlife Ecology
The Institute has 64 staff (plus around 10 contractors) with 56 of those staff operating in science related roles. ARI staff are highly qualified, with over 20 science staff holding
Doctorates and the remainder holding Masters or Bachelor degrees.
The workforce is experienced, with an average of 11.4 years’ service and has a median age of 41.
Leadership & Development
The ARI Management Committee comprises the Research Director, section and specialist science leaders and the Business Manager. This leadership group have had a strong development program in 2012-13 including 360

feedback , follow-up sessions and the identification of leadership expectations through a leadership charter.
Personal development for all staff continues to be a focus of the Management Committee, especially on Safety & Wellbeing. This has been expanded this year to include the creation of a Science Forum for junior science staff and the continued development of a coaching culture across the Institute.
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State Vote
Initiative
External
Total Funds
12 000 000
10 000 000
8 000 000
6 000 000
4 000 000
2 000 000
0
4
About ARI
ARI secures funding from three main sources. An amount of base (State Vote) funding is allocated to the Institute each year, however, this has declined from $2.6m in 2009/10 to
$1.65m in 2012/13. All other funding is secured from within other areas of DEPI (initiative) or externally to the Department. Within DEPI, this model is unique to the Institute.
Total funding has been slightly declining since 2009/10 as can be seen in Table 1
FY 8/09 FY 9/10 FY 10/11 FY 11/12 FY 12/13
2,103,703 2,607,365 2,348,163 1,925,416 1,653,956
828,842 2,380,245 2,498,714 1,737,303 3,476,775
6,978,205 6,824,239 6,007,860 6,972,277 4,095,055
9,910,750 11,811,849 10,854,737 10,634,996 9,225,786
FY 8/09 FY 9/10 FY 10/11 FY 11/12 FY 12/13
State Vote Initiative External Total Funds
44%
State Vote
Table 1 - Total Funding (5 year summary)
FY 12/13
Initiative
18%
38%
External
In 2012/13, base funding represented 18% of total revenue, down from 22% in 2009/10.
This means the Institute must continually take itself to the market to secure additional external funding. This continues to be an area of focus for the Research Director and the
Management Committee.
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About ARI
Our work involves high levels of field and laboratory work, so it is not surprising that the key risk identified for ARI is in the area of safety and wellbeing. Systems to ensure the safety of staff involved in activities such as electrofishing, remote driving and machinery use are well documented and regularly reviewed and audited. All staff have their responsibilities clearly outlined in their performance plans.
ARI has an OH&S Committee that meets monthly, regularly consults with staff and management and is charged with the continual review and improvement of systems.
Inspections are undertaken routinely at the Heidelberg location and Site Safety Surveys are conducted in the field. The Committee also ensures safety alerts are disseminated appropriately.
The Institute has an ongoing training agenda, particularly focused on Safety & Wellbeing training. Over 150 person days were invested in training during the year.
Despite these efforts, there were four injuries recorded for the year, all of which related to muscular stress. These resulted in one staff member reducing work hours in the short term.
OHS Incident Summary 2012-13
In mid-2013, a comprehensive review of
Safety & Wellbeing documentation commenced to comply with new systems implemented across DEPI.
Risk Register
Work has also commenced on the review of the risk register for the Institute. Key risks are identified at project and institute level as part of the business planning process with mitigation activities built into business plans. Progress against these activities are monitored monthly through the InterPlan® business planning and reporting system implemented across the Department.
Risk Management is a regular agenda item for the Management Committee.
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2012-13 in Review
ARI Heidelberg including the new conference room
The past two years has seen an investment by the Department of over $1.5m in upgrading the facilities at ARI. This has been the most significant investment since the Institute opened in 1970. This refurbishment included the conversion of the existing library and conference rooms into state-of-the-art workspaces and meeting rooms. A new conference facility was established (see photo) catering for both internal or external meetings of up to 100 people.
A new library and maintenance shed were built and the first floor was refurbished, providing modern workspaces and meeting rooms. Further investment was also made in ARI’s aquarium, the final stages of which are still being completed. Staff were consulted for both design and fit-out of the improvements.
The current facilities will serve ARI well into the next few decades
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2012-13 in Review
As one of many actions to improve science, an independent review of science at ARI was conducted in
December 2012. This review was important to assess
ARI’s science quality to stakeholders, benchmark it
against other like institutions and provide a base line for improvement. The review was undertaken by a panel of
scientists who understand the ‘niche’ that ARI occupies
and who could provide a peer perspective. The independent review panel consisted of: Emeritus
Independent Science Review
(December 2012)
Professor Barry Hart (Chair) - Monash University;
Professor Michael Clarke - La Trobe University; Dr Simon Ferrier - CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences;
Professor Graham Mitchell - Chief Scientist DSE; and Dr Mark Kennard - Griffith University.
The Review found ARI to be "..an impressively resilient organisation... " that delivers research excellence "...contributing to high quality, relevant and effective applied research
knowledge to assist in the conservation of biodiversity in Victoria and southern Australia."
The Review's report is reassuring and confirms the research objective at ARI - to generate
and disseminate knowledge, through world-class, applied, ecological research. The review provided 18 recommendations to help improve science outputs. These recommendations are being implemented and will further improve the quality, impact, influence and transfer of ARI’s science. The ARI Science committee is working with staff to use these recommendations as the basis for an Action Plan that is currently being developed.
A key action, already implemented, has been the running of two intensive scientific writing four day workshops. This included Writing and Reviewing Scientific
Publications conducted by Prof
Andrew Boulton (ex-University of
Writing and Reviewing scientific publications workshop conducted by
Professor. Andrew Boulton - at the ARI Conference Room
New England and CSIRO publishing).
The benefits of this work is already being realised and will increase the number and quality of all ARI science publications.
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2012-13 in Review
‘A New Strategic Approach to Biodiversity Management’ project (shortened to the Forest
Biodiversity project) was established to develop an effective landscape approach to the management of threatened species throughout the forests of eastern Victoria. The aim of the research component of the project was to provide extensive new data on the distribution and habitat use of priority threatened fauna species to inform the development of the new management framework and help set the policy direction for threatened species.
The research project focused on two key areas of the state, the
Central Highlands and East Gippsland. In the Central Highlands, targeted surveys for nine high priority species were undertaken, including the endangered Leadbeater’s Possum, large forest owls, gliding possums and two newly described fish. Population and habitat models were developed for seven of these species, including a Population Viability Analysis (PVA) for Leadbeater’s
Possum to assess its current and future predicted status, and the impact of bushfire on population viability.
In East Gippsland, a specific project was undertaken on Longfooted Potoroos including a PVA and field surveys to investigate the population size and habitat requirements of the species to inform its management. Sampling strategies used to collect the new data were rigorously designed to complement existing data sources and to provide the maximum information on species’ current distribution and preferred habitat across the public land estate.
Leadbeater's Possum (Gymnobelideus
leadbeateri)
Overall, 660 sites were surveyed in the Central Highlands and 170 sites in East Gippsland, generating
344 new records of the targeted threatened species and
155 records of other threatened fauna. A new technique was developed to increase the likelihood of detecting highly cryptic species such Leadbeater’s Possum, using call playback and thermal imaging cameras. The population and habitat models developed from the survey data provide a contemporary view (i.e. post 2009 fires) of where these species are most likely to occur in landscape, and of the occurrence of potential suitable habitat.
Impact of fire on Leadbeater's Possum habitat
These models will be used to help identify the most important areas for the conservation of these species and will underpin the development of evidence-based policy for the management of threatened species throughout the forests of eastern Victoria. This work has had extensive impact, attracting a high level of interest from politicians, media, industry and stakeholders, and changing the policy on how some key threatened species are managed.
The project was funded by the Victorian Department of
Primary Industries.
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2012-13 Highlight
When the Victorian Government expanded
Melbourne’s Urban Growth Boundary in 2009 it made commitments to the Australian Government, aimed at managing the impacts on species and communities listed under the federal Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Those commitments included the establishment of new
Conservation reserves to be managed under a program of Adaptive Management. The establishment and management of the reserves is to be funded on the basis of a ‘cost recovery’ model funded by
Matted Flax-lily (dianella amoena) - Western
Grasslands Reserve on the Victorian Volcanic Plains development.
The implementation of adaptive management involves the integration of science into management planning, and requires a tight feedback loop connecting scientists to land managers. ARI is charged with delivering the science. Parks Victoria will manage the land.
Most of the conservation areas support ‘Natural Temperate Grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic
Plain’, a critically endangered community which is one of Australia’s most degraded and threatened systems. Its management and restoration is a complex challenge, with many unsolved problems.
ARI’s role will be broad, and will call on the Institute’s full range of scientific skills. It requires natural history skills to keep the science grounded and to understand the basics, it requires a broad understanding of ecology and agricultural practice, quantitative skills for modelling, design skills to ensure efficient monitoring, and communication skills to ensure our learnings become widely known.
A small group at ARI has now started the Science Program for adaptive management. Several tasks are underway, including:


The operation of a Technical Advisory
Group, composed of 13 experts from a range of backgrounds, including academics,
 consultants and land managers.
A program of field survey and inventory, to help us understand the values we are managing.
 The development of models of the grassland ecosystem, which will help us understand the constraints and possibilities of management. It forms the structure within which goals for management have
River Red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in Flood -
Western Grasslands reserve - Victorian Volcanic Plains been set, and predictions about which management tactics will produce the best results.
Monitoring and Reporting Framework which outlines which parameters should be used to monitor which species and communities, and what success and failure will look like .
This project was funded by the Environment & Landscape Performance Division of DEPI.
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2012-13 Highlight
For more than a decade ‘systematic conservation planning’ has been widely considered as a smart approach to considering the conservation needs for the broadest suite of biota and other conservation features. Over the last three years ARI staff within the Ecological Analysis and
Synthesis group have been involved in the development of ‘NaturePrint’. In 2012-13 the team successfully completed the third major iteration, known as Version 3. This body of work was singled out by ARI’s Independent Science Review as ‘truly outstanding’ for the way it ‘combined and extended several techniques at the cutting edge of scientific practice quantitative modelling of biodiversity, while at the same time producing a system tailored to the needs of real-world biodiversity policy development, planning and management’.
NaturePrint is a collective term for a suite of spatial models of biodiversity elements that can be brought together in various combinations for conservation planning and prioritisation needs. It includes spatial models of the distribution of habitat for more than 500 terrestrial fauna species, 1480 flora species, and a small number of invertebrate species. NaturePrint also integrates current information on the extent, type and condition of native vegetation across Victoria, as well as its level of depletion or loss.
Many of the species that occur in Victoria are also distributed across adjacent states. A major advance in
Version 3 was to consolidate Victorian Biodiversity Atlas records with data obtained from NSW, SA, and ‘BirdLife
Australia’ . This provided a pool of approximately 11.4
NaturePrint Map million records recorded from 1.63 million surveys from which to develop spatial models of species’ habitat distribution. Multiple independent models are constructed for each species, and then summarised as mean and variance maps. The combination of these two products and other statistical validation processes allows ARI to understand the levels of confidence that can be afforded to each component model.
‘NaturePrint’ is commonly represented as a single map that brings together all of the above elements. ARI conducted this integration using the Zonation software developed at the University of
Helsinki. Bringing these data together with this software provides a finely-grained ranking of conservation importance across the whole of the state based on the principle of efficiently maximising the retention of all desirable conservation features equally while considering ecological complementarity.
The prospects for using the ‘NaturePrint’ products are enormous, whether in providing detailed information on the likelihood of habitat for individual species, or providing a cohesive, integrated view for setting priorities for conservation actions. The library of these products and our familiarity with the computational tools mean that we can develop bespoke analyses tailored for specific needs. Examples of these thus far have included the Melbourne Strategic Assessment where these products and tools have been used to accommodate conservation priorities in urban development plans, and the ‘Forest Biodiversity project’ which considers the distribution all listed threatened fauna species for the future zoning of protection of areas from timber harvesting. NaturePrint is funded by the Environment & Landscape Performance Division of DEPI.
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2012-13 Highlight
Assessing Instream Woody Habitat in Victorian Streams
Instream woody habitat (IWH), commonly known as ‘snags’, consists of trees, branches and logs that fall or are washed into streams. IWH plays a vital role in many functions that are essential in maintaining stream health, such as protecting the stream from erosion, providing foraging and spawning sites for fish, and trapping organic matter. These functions in turn support recreational fisheries and other social and cultural values. Historically, IWH has been removed from many
Victorian streams to improve navigation, protect infrastructure and reduce the risk of flooding.
However, research has shown that removing IWH has minimal impact on flood mitigation, but instead can impair river bank stability and ecological health. It is also thought to be a major contributing factor in the decline of fish populations, including Murray Cod, Trout Cod, Macquarie
Perch and Australian Bass.
Stream restoration programs now commonly involve re-introducing IWH into streams and revegetating riparian zones. These actions are aimed at improving instream habitat and the health of riverine fish populations. To identify and prioritise areas where
IWH needs protection and augmentation, baseline information on the amounts of IWH in streams was required. Scientists at ARI are investigated the amount and distribution of IWH in Victorian streams so that informed decisions can now be made about where to protect or rehabilitate IWH.
The two year project (July 2011 - June 2013) has:
 Mapped densities of IWH across Victorian streams.
 Identified factors that influence IWH densities and investigate how they relate to restoration actions, such as bank
 stabilisation and riparian revegetation.
Investigated the relationship between IWH and fish populations to predict the response of fish populations to IWH rehabilitation.
 Developed a decision support tool to help

Snags help create healthy waterways and healthy fish populations managers make informed and effective decisions on IWH protection and rehabilitation.
Communicated the benefits of IWH protection and rehabilitation to community members and other stakeholders.
By creating healthier instream habitats, we can encourage healthier aquatic ecosystems and help reverse the decline of native fish in Victorian streams. The project received guidance from other
DEPI divisions, Fisheries Victoria, Catchment Management Authorities, Melbourne Water and the
University of Melbourne and is funded though the Victorian Investment Framework, DEPI.
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2012-13 Highlight
Fish Assessments Methodology to Support the Victorian Index of Estuarine Condition
Fish are typically positioned towards the top of estuarine food-webs and will be influenced by a range of physical and environmental properties of estuaries including water quality and habitat availability. There is currently no standard method for assessing fish assemblages in
Victorian estuaries. The development of robust methodologies to describe the nature of estuarine fish assemblages provides a link to the development of ecosystem based condition assessments. These assessments are aimed at monitoring the effects of land use and climate change.
Deakin University, in conjunction with DEPI, is developing an Index of Estuary Condition (IEC). This will provide a robust method to evaluate the environmental condition, or health, of Victorian estuaries, which will inform their management.
A juvenile West Australian Salmon (Arripis
truttaceus), one of the estuarine fish species studied during the project
The Index measures aspects of particular features that contribute to the overall health of an estuary, including physical form, hydrology, water quality, sediment and flora and fauna, including fish and birds. The IEC will complement the existing Index of Stream Condition and
Index of Wetland Condition to provide a consistent state-wide assessment of Victoria’s natural aquatic systems.
Mangroves at the entrance of Cardinia Creek, which flows into Western Port
Scientists at ARI are in the process of trialling different techniques to sample fish populations at estuaries of
Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. Fish surveys are being used to assess the composition of fish species assemblages along the salinity gradients of eleven estuaries.
Analysis of the isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen in fish and plant tissues will also provide information on the structure of food webs and the sources of nutrition for key fish species within each estuary.
Aspects of water quality and depth profile are also being recorded to help relate variation in fish assemblages to estuarine condition.
Sampling will occur in autumn and spring to ensure fish species associated with different riverine flow regimes are sampled. Data obtained from this project will ultimately contribute to management tools, including the IEC. The project was funded by
Melbourne Water and the Victorian Investment Framework, DEPI.
Riparian vegetation along Cardinia Creek will be sampled for isotope analysis
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2012-13 Highlight
DEPI has responsibility for the management of threatened species and communities in Victoria. Two newly identified threatened species of fish known as
Galaxias have been the focus for recovery actions in
Victoria. Both these species were under imminent risk of extinction and these actions have helped to minimise this risk as well as enhancing our knowledge for future management of threatened aquatic species.
Shaw Galaxias
Shaw Galaxias lives only at the top of a small creek in the upper reaches of the Macalister River Catchment in the
New 'Conservation Barrier' freshly installed for the Shaw Galaxias
Alpine National Park. Severe storms and floods in 2010 and 2011 had a big impact on their habitat and allowed an aquatic predator, brown trout to rapidly reduce their distribution to only about 150 fish in the wild, confined to a 300 metre long reach of this narrow creek.
This rare alpine fish was in imminent danger of extinction. A partnership was established between
Government agencies, volunteers and scientists including Parks Victoria, ARI, West Gippsland
Catchment Management Authority, VRFish and the Australian Trout Foundation. This partnership cooperated to protect the only known habitat of the Shaw Galaxias and reduce the risk of species’ extinction. Works included the design and installation of temporary and permanent predator barriers to prevent trout from moving up-stream into the remaining Shaw Galaxias habitat. In the area that still contained Shaw Galaxias, intensive electro-fishing was carried out, resulting in more than 700 trout being safely relocated to an area of creek downstream. A total of 15 fish have also been temporarily relocated to the ARI aquarium as insurance against further losses in the wild.
Tapered Galaxias
Tapered Galaxias are confined to only a small upland area in the Aberfeldy-Donnelly’s Fire zone in
Gippsland. When important stream-side vegetation has been burnt, heavy rainfall can cause significant erosion and run-off of silt and ash into waterways, making the water quality unsuitable for small fish like the Tapered Galaxias. This potentially threatened the survival of this species.
With funding provided by DEPI, 110 of these small freshwater fish were rescued from their burnt habitat in
Stoney Creek near Seaton and moved to the aquarium facility at ARI where they have access to clean water until the catchment recovers from the bushfire. These fish have survived thanks to the combined efforts of ARI scientists, policy staff and fire crews including CFA, Parks Victoria and
Vic Forests, who applied ‘fish-sensitive’ methods of fire suppression, undertook catchment condition assessment and assisted in the relocation of fish once the fire-ground
Tapered Galaxias post-fire collection for temporary captive housing at ARI could be accessed safely.
Both species of Galaxias are in the process of being scientifically described and have been nominated for listing as a threatened species in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. This project was funded by Parks Victoria, West Gippsland
CMA and the Environment & Landscape Performance Division of DEPI.
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2012-13 Highlight
Since 2003, many ARI staff have been involved in the Murray-
Darling Basin Authority’s Native
Fish Strategy (NFS). The NFS will not continue beyond June 2013, but the program will leave an extraordinary legacy of research and engagement outcomes,
ARI staff demonstrate boat electrofishing in the Ovens River
Demonstration Reach as part of a launch of a new fish booklet, developed in collaboration with DEPI regional staff and the NECMA.
supporting the recovery of the fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin.
NFS outcomes have been transferred to many other sites around the State and the Murray-Darling Basin. The NFS identified threats to native fish, implemented recovery actions, and engaged stakeholders to ensure ownership of projects and uptake of outcomes.
ARI staff were co-authors of the original NFS, and participated in Basin-wide groups including the
NFS Advisory Panel, Fish Passage Taskforce, Murray Cod Taskforce, and Demonstration Reach
Steering Committee. ARI also supported a full time NFS Co-ordinator. Key NFS projects for ARI staff included:

Hume-Yarrawonga Resnagging Assessment

Sustainable Rives Audit (SRA)

Sea-Hume Fishways Assessment

Marking Hatchery Fish methodology

Demonstration Reaches: Ovens River and
Hollands Creek


Barmah-Millewa Condition Monitoring
Emergency response and recovery, including fire recovery actions for threatened species

Impacts of blackwater investigations

Decision Support Tool for removal of Eastern

Gambusia
Murray Cod projects including population
ARI, GBCMA and Tahbilk Winery staff plan placement of signage developed in a partnership project to support Freshwater catfish in the Tahbilk lagoon modelling and anabranch studies

Murray-Darling Fish Information System

Substantial engagement programs, including oral history projects, the development of innovative tools, and hundreds of engagement presentations and activities.

NFS Legacy Project to capture the substantial legacy of the NFS.
These projects created new knowledge, which informed biodiversity and fishery management, particularly in the fields of riparian and instream habitat restoration, fish passage, threatened and alien species management, fishery modelling and emergency recovery actions.
This major body of work has significantly strengthened ARI’s capability in aquatic restoration, management and stakeholder engagement. The Native Fish Strategy was funded by the Murray–
Darling Basin Authority.
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This year marked the end of an important investigation of retrospective research into the relationships between recent fire history and the presence and abundance of native flora, fauna and species of weedy plants. Since 2010, 154 sites have been sampled over two vegetation communities in Victorian foothills forests, which together represent 13 % of public land in Victoria.
The project examined effects of recent fire regimes on flora and fauna, using a retrospective approach to predict changes over time. This will help land and fire managers meet their obligations under the Code of Practice for Bushfire Management on Public Land and assist them with fuel management practices that protect life and property and maintain resilient ecosystems.
ARI focused on four interlinked main elements of these regimes: time-since-fire, fire frequency, fire severity and spatial patchiness. The Institute used a purpose-built database of fire histories for the state, in combination with existing data and new field research to assess effects of these variables on aspects of flora and fauna. These aspects included vegetation structure and floristics, relative abundance of different groups of terrestrial flora and fauna species, and the diversity of aquatic fauna (fish and invertebrates) in forest streams. Study sites were integrated with the Hawkeye long-term monitoring project to expand the geographic extent of the research and to track trends in fire regime into the future.
The work has led to important insights about how fire affects biodiversity. For example, it was found that obligate seeder shrubs responded positively to frequent fire reflecting their long-lived seed reserves and short periods to
Regenerating Forest reproductive maturity. In contrast the
Superb Lyrebird was less likely to occur (probability of occupancy declined) with increasing fire frequency in Tall Mixed Forest. Numbers of birds that nest in large hollows were greater in sites with no recorded fire in the last 40 years highlighting the importance of long unburnt forests for particular species. The muted responses of some elements of biodiversity to fire regimes is thought to be in part a result of the underlying environmental variation across the study area (rainfall, aspect, elevation etc.) which will help inform the way future studies are designed.
The wealth of data collected during this project will also contribute to other studies and modelling efforts. ARI recently completed a new metadatabase of 38 separate fire and biodiversity projects / survey type combinations for the Foothills Fire and Biota project. Foothills Fire and Biota marks the first activity by a new research collaboration between ARI, La Trobe University, Deakin University and Melbourne University and the metadatabase enables easy access to pertinent survey information from all four contributing institutions. The completion of the metadatabase provides the foundation for fresh, powerful analyses of existing datasets and better insights for fire managers.
The research is also being extended to build the capacity of DEPI to protect biodiversity and enhance carbon storage using adaptive fire management by including carbon measures in biodiversity assessments of native forest sites representing a broad range of fire regimes.
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2012-13 Achievements
Threatened species recovery
Three nationally threatened fish have been the focus of recovery efforts by ARI during 2012-13.
The Barred Galaxias Recovery Program continued with predator (trout) detection/relocation and population assessments at five of the 12 remaining sub-populations of this species.
The recently described Tapered Galaxias was at risk due to post-fire run-off of silt and ash, potentially threatening the survival of this species. With funding provided by DEPI, 110 Galaxias were rescued from their burnt habitat and are now being held at ARI’s aquarium facility until the catchment recovers.
Shaw Galaxias , of which only 150 animals remain in the wild. These are confined to a 300 metre section of small creek in the Alpine National Park. Severe floods in 2010 and 2011 allowed an aquatic predator, brown trout to access this area and the species was in imminent danger of extinction. A partnership between Parks Victoria, ARI, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, VRfish and the Australian Trout Foundation cooperated by installing a small weir as a predator barrier and relocating more than 700 trout to an area of creek downstream.
Kiewa River dam desilting assessment
AGL Hydro operates two large storages as part of the Kiewa Hydro-electric scheme in northeast
Victoria which are de-silted annually to maintain capacity. This was resulting in high levels of sedimentation downstream. In 1997, the timing of desilting was changed to higher winter/spring flow periods to reduce downstream impacts and ARI established an ecological assessment program using Two-spined Blackfish and aquatic invertebrates as indicators of stream health. The assessment program is used to inform management of desilting operations, resulting in markedly reduced downstream impacts and a much healthier aquatic ecosystem.
Sustainable Rivers Audit (Fish)
The Murray-Darling Basin Authorities (MDBA) Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) concluded this year. ARI has had a lead role in the Victorian fish assessment component of the SRA and related Southern
Basins program through design, implementation, data analysis and reporting. A major report summarising 9 years of data collection including catchment health scores was recently completed.
Addressing the effects of toxic blackwater
Large-scale flooding during the spring and summer of 2010/11 ended ten years of drought and created the most extensive blackwater event in recorded history in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB).
Over 1800 km of river were affected by blackwater for several months. This was the first study that measured the effects of a near system-wide blackwater event in Australia. Murray crayfish was most severely impacted, while Common carp benefited from the blackwater event with their abundance increasing in affected sites. This study has brought about changed water management and provided key evidence for recent changes to Murray crayfish fishing regulations in both Victoria and NSW.
Three scientific publications will also be generated from this work.
Fish condition monitoring in the Barmah-Millewa forest
The Barmah-Millewa forest is listed as an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar convention and is an Icon Site under the MDBA’s ‘Living Murray Initiative’. ARI has implemented the annual Barmah-Millewa fish condition monitoring program. This assesses long-term changes in fish communities and correlates any observed changes with factors such as flow, climate and thermal regimes, better informing management plans and condition reporting for the site.
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2012-13 Achievements
In the past year, the Waterway Management & Restoration (WMR) section continued its work on a number of projects to improve habitat, facilitate restoration , enable movement and protect threatened species.
Riparian Restoration Experiment
A Riparian Restoration Experiment was initiated in 2000 following the recommendations of a report to the Murray Darling Basin Commission by a joint project team from the CRC for Freshwater
Ecology and the CRC for Catchment Hydrology. This year, the project team focused on developing methods to test how site and landscape context might result in spatially variable responses to restoration, and to subsequently examine the degree to which the findings of the RRE might be able to inform riparian restoration more generally across the Basin. The information collected is being translated into a larger, DEPI-wide monitoring framework, which will provide information back to managers, informing key questions such as target buffer widths for different sized systems. As a result of this work, the rock-ramp fishway was reconfigured and now passes a larger number of fish including threatened species.
Development of Methodology for Fish Assessments to Support the Victorian Index of Estuarine
Condition
Scientists at ARI trialled different techniques to sample fish populations at estuaries of Port Phillip
Bay and Western Port. Fish surveys will be used to assess the composition of fish species assemblages along the salinity gradients of eleven estuaries. Analysis of the isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen in fish and plant tissues will also provide information on the structure of food webs and the sources of nutrition for key fish species within each estuary. Aspects of water quality and depth profile are also being recorded to help relate variation in fish assemblages to estuarine condition.
The methodology will be incorporated into an Index of Estuarine Condition (IEC), which is being considered by government as a method for assessing the health of Victorian of estuaries.
Dights Falls Fishway Assessment
The Fish Passage Group from the ARI was commissioned by Melbourne Water to assess the efficiency of the fish ladder at Dights falls to ensure the ladder is passing all the species and size classes of fish for which it was designed. A monitoring program was also instigated to evaluate the ecological benefits of the new fish ladder on the upstream riverine fish community through monitoring changes in the abundance, size class and diversity of the diadromous fish community.
This work resulted in 14 species (11 native and three alien) of fish being collected moving upstream through the Dights Falls fish ladder.
Victorian Instream Habitat Program
The WMR team pioneered an instream woody habitat assessment methodology which has since been adopted by a DEPI state-wide assessment program and several CMA projects to inform investment frameworks and/or directly prioritise habitat restoration activities.
The section has also been active in angler engagement activities for a range of projects, promoting and involving the fishing community in the work we do. This has included numerous community talks, the revamp of the national Fish Habitat Network website (released at the national 4WD, fishing and camping expo) and angler diary programs.
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2012-13 Achievements
In 2012/13, the Wildlife Ecology section continued to undertake a wide range of applied research projects on threatened and introduced vertebrate species which will underpin evidence-based decision making by governments and communities.
A 3-year project is currently underway to understanding how fire and predation by the introduced red fox impacts on the occurrence of native mammals in south-west Victoria. This project is using the Department’s planned burning programme and the Glenelg Ark programme (sustained fox control over 100,000 ha since 2005) to tease out the relative importance of foxes and fire. Data will be collected on native mammals, foxes and habitat structure before and after four planned burns.
The project will provide managers with knowledge on how and when to apply fox control in areas subjected to planned burning to minimise the impact planned fire has on native species at risk from fox predation.
Non-lethal control tools for wild dogs and dingoes, such as establishing bio-fences, will provide an additional technique in both the fight against wild dog attacks on sheep and in management of dingo populations around Australia. The bio-fence project aims to identify the chemical signature in dingo urine that marks territory, sending the "no trespassing" message to other dingoes / wild dogs.
Chemicals are being identified and tested against captive dingoes to examine their physical and behavioural response. When completed, this project will provide a non-lethal tool to assist private and public land manager to reduce the impact wild dog predation on their livestock .
A new strain of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus called RHD-Boost is currently being investigated as a potential new biological control agent for rabbits. ARI is working with colleagues from CSIRO and
NSW DPI to develop a mathematical model that incorporates the dynamics of multiple RHD strains to investigate whether a new strain could potentially be effective for controlling rabbit numbers. The model predicted the success or failure would depend on the level of immunity in rabbits that had recovered from the wild-type virus strains, and quantified the expected suppression rates under different scenarios. This research will allow the land managers to implement the optimal sampling strategy to detect changes in rabbit abundance, allowing for more effective rabbit control.
Selective foraging by deer results in changes to forest understory composition and is a major threat to the recruitment of native plant seedlings. ARI investigated the response of forest understory to intensive deer management in New Zealand. A 4-year adaptive management experiment was conducted to quantify the relationships between deer density and components of the forest understory. The modelling suggested that the growth rate of seedlings following deer management depended on the local conditions, with complex relationships between a range of factors influencing recruitment. These results will be used to guide deer management programs in New Zealand.
Recent mortality of freshwater turtles along the Murray River during the ‘millennium’ drought brought together the Yorta Yorta people and scientists from ARI to assess the health and status of the three turtle species inhabiting Barmah-Millewa Forest. This information will help direct future management to protect turtle populations within this forest. The project also focusses on how science can learn more from Traditional Owner knowledge and how working collectively can bring these two knowledge systems together to better care for and conserve our wildlife.
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2012-13 Achievements
ARI continues to respond to the needs of our clients in the core activities of primary survey, inventory and surveillance monitoring at small and large scales, and also major works of ecological synthesis and modelling of 1000s of species over South-eastern Australia.
Projects concentrating on several threatened vertebrate species are providing improvements to their management. This work, exemplified by the development of a monitoring approach for the
Hooded Scaly-foot in native grasslands of north-central Victoria, and the modelling of the impacts of fire on the highly localised Pink-tailed Worm-Lizard in suburban woodlands in Bendigo, will assist land management agencies to better protect and manage these species. Valuable research has also been conducted for the Southern Brown Bandicoot and three species of legless lizards
Since 2000 the Community Ecology Section has been undertaking annual monitoring of waterbird numbers for Melbourne Water at the Western Treatment Plant (WTP), a Ramsar listed waterbird habitat, to fulfil their obligation under the Commonwealth EPBC Act. This year saw the completion of a major synthesis of those annual data, confirming that total waterbird numbers at the WTP were not adversely affected by the Environmental Improvement Works implemented between 2003-2005 that were designed to(to reduce nutrient inputs into Port Phillip Bay. This work enables Melbourne
Water to demonstrate their compliance to the Commonwealth Government, and to the public.
Another important project was the VIF-funded research on regional connectivity in northern central
Victoria. In collaboration with Deakin University, this involved to testing and comparing different approaches to modelling species connectivity for 12 forest-dependent fauna species. Though distinct results were produced from each technique, an important ecological linkage was identified by all of them, between forest patches near Bendigo and Maryborough. Restoring this linkage should greatly improve the connectivity of the region.
ARI’s has had continued science input into the Melbourne Strategic Assessment. The Institute has this year designed a tiered science plan that responds to the complex and uncertain impact of the expansion of Melbourne's urban footprint onto the habitat of EPBC listed species and communities
(see Case Study on page 22). The plan responds to the need to manage these species and communities adaptively within the hard constraints imposed by the program of expansion. It demonstrates how high quality research conducted at the Institute is an important component in allowing expansion, whilst protecting threatened species and communities.
ARI has a focus on ensuring its research informs policy and program design and program implementation. Key achievements in this regard from 2012/13 include:

The completion of a significant next iteration of the NaturePrint models of biodiversity conservation prospects (see Case Study on page 21). This suite of models provides a nuanced and integrated view of biodiversity that can aid strategic conservation planning and evaluation of proposals affecting native vegetation.

A major review of evidence (published and grey literature) to inform standards for investment and regulation of biodiverse native revegetation undertaken for ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation. This will enable government to assess whether sufficient information exists to enable them to more tightly specify success measures and standards for revegetation they fund or consider in an offset context.
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Performance and KPIs
The Institute’s performance can be measured across a number of parameters relating to science, project delivery, finance and staffing. Work has commenced to formalise a set of these indicators, which will be presented in the 2013-14 Annual Report. Some early trends of these yet to be developed indicators are listed in this summary.
It has a KPI listed in the State’s Budget Paper 3 (BP3) relating to publications. Being a research institution, this measure is a key indicator of the quality of our science and the way it is received in the academic community. Performance against that measure has been consistent over a number of years.
Indicator
Presentations made and scientific publications in peer reviewed journals
External Funding Secured ($,000)
Increase management effectiveness scores
OHS incidents recorded
OHS incidents unresolved
2012-13 Target
60
Trend only for 12-13
10%
<5
4,095
Benchmark Only for
2012-13
4
0
2012-13 Result
60+
0
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The Future
Goulburn River
Fire
The Research Director and Management
Committee have built a sound base during
2012-13. The foundations are now in place to confirm the Institute’s position as the premier ecological research body in
Victoria.
It will continue to build relationships with the policy and program areas of the newly formed Department of Environment and
Primary Industries, ensuring the Victoria has access to the highest quality scientific data available to inform policy, implement government initiatives and protect our environment.
Next year will also see the last stages of the
Aquarium refurbishment completed, strategic research partnerships will continue to be pursued, and the leadership team will continue to create the space for our science staff to excel.
2013-14 will also see the further development of our indicator suite. Process and system improvements including a new training and qualification database will be introduced and our OH&S system will be reviewed and modernised.
We will continue to focus on the impact that our work has for Government, for our research partners and investors and for the general public.
There is much to look forward to.
Echidna (Remote Camera) East Gippsland
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Cover - Smoky Mouse (Pseudomys fumeus)
Mt Terrible
Cover - Growling Grass Frog (Litoria raniformis) -
Wimmera
Cover - Staff in the Field
Cover - Gorse (Ulex europeaus)
Wombat State Forest
Cover – Barred Galaxias (Galaxias fuscus)
ARI Aquarium – Relocated from Falls Creek
Cover – Fungi (Mycena minya)
Location unknown
Electrofishing Demonstration
Collaboration at Tahbilk Lagoon
Conservation Barrier - Shaw Galaxias
Stoney Creek Tapered Galaxias collection
A juvenile West Australian Salmon (Arripis truttaceus)
Location unknown
Mangroves at the entrance of Cardinia Creek
Riparian vegetation along Cardinia Creek
Instream Woody Habitat
Otway Ranges
NaturePrint Map
Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena)
Victorian Volcanic Plains
River Red gums ( Eucalyptus camaldulensis ) in flood
Victorian Volcanic Plains
Regenerating Forest
Leadbeater's Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri)
Central Highlands
Impact of fire on Leadbeater's Possum habitat
Goulburn River
Fire
Echidna (Remote Camera) – East Gippsland
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Peter Menkhorst &
Phoebe Macak
Lauren Dodd
DEPI File Photo
Sally Kenny
Tarmo A. Raadik
DEPI File Photo
Fern Hames
Fern Hames
Michael Nicol
Brett Whitfield
Jeremy Hindell
Fiona Warry
Fiona Warry
Zeb Tonkin
DEPI File Photo
Steve Sinclair
Steve Sinclair
DEPI File Photo
Tamara Leitch &
Claire McCall
Lindy Lumsden
Adrian Kitchingman
DEPI File Photo
DEPI File Photo
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Photos
Published by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries
Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
123 Brown Street Heidelberg VIC 3084
+61 (03) 9450 8600 www.depi.vic.gov.au/ari
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