Northern Plains GrasslandA nationally threatened vegetation community in the Goulburn Broken

About this fact sheetThis fact sheet attempts to address the followingquestions regarding the vegetation community,Northern Plains Grassland:

• What is it?

• Where is it?

• Why is it important?

• How can I protect and manage it?

Community DescriptionNorthern Plains Grassland (NPGL) is a distinctvariant of plains grassland, which are naturallytreeless. If trees or large shrubs are present, thenit is uncommon. They are a diverse community,consisting of native grasses and herbs. Thecommunity is floristically very rich and maycontain up to 30 native plant species per 100 m2

(Foreman P 1996).

Northern Plains Grasslands are distinct fromother grasslands such as the Western Basalt PlainsGrasslands, in that they typically contain saltbush(Chenopod) species, including members of theMaireana and Einadia genus. This suggests closelinks with the vegetation communities of thesemi-arid and arid interior of Australia.

‘Derived’ grasslands are areas of former woodlandvegetation, which have been cleared. While theseareas may be important because they providegrassland habitat they are not natural grasslandsaccording to the strict legislative definitions.

DistributionNorthern Plains Grassland was once widespreadacross the flat to undulating plains of theVictorian Riverina and across the border into NewSouth Wales. Today its distribution is severelyrestricted and it commonly occurs, as smallremnants on roadsides, along railway lines,miscellaneous areas of public land and on privateproperty. Wherever disturbance has been kept toa minimum including limited use of fertilisers.

NPGL occurs on alluvial sediments, in areas thatare not regularly flooded. Soils are generallyloams to clay loams that are often poorly drained.The average annual rainfall is between 375-550mm per year. The community is largely found inthe North Central region of Victoria, near Patho,Mitiamo and Bael Bael. However there are isolated

Photo: Gaye Furphy

Photo:Francess Cincotta

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Red Swainson-pea (Swainsona plagiotropis), aspecies listed as endangered in Victoria andnationally vulnerable, is found in qualityNorthern Plains Grasslands.

Photo:Gaye Furphy

Terrick Terrick National Park contains thelargest reserved area of Northern PlainsGrassland in Victoria.

occurrences in the Goulburn Broken regionaround Echuca, Tongala, Kyabram, Numurkah andCorop. Key sites include Naringaningalook(Naring) Grassland, Numurkah Rifle Range, Odea’sRd, Tungamah Roadsides and Deviation Rd Corop.

Estimates suggests that approximately 5,374 hamay have occurred in the Goulburn Broken andand of this a mere 17 ha exists today ie. Less than0.3% of its former distribution.

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Northern Plains Grassland

Protection MeasuresNorthern Plains Grassland is one of five lowlandtemperate grassland communities collectivelylisted as threatened under Victoria’s Flora andFauna Guarantee (FFG) Act 1998 (Craigie andMoorrees 2003).

An FFG listing means there are a number ofactions, which must be taken eg. An ‘ActionStatement’ must be prepared for this community.It also means there are additional powers, whichcan be used to protect this community. Inparticular, all flora which is part of thiscommunity is declared protected flora and assuch no plants can be taken, traded, kept, movedor processed on public land but not private landwithout a permit.

The community is not listed under theEnvironment Protection and BiodiversityConservation (EPBC) Act 2000, as yet. However anomination to the Federal Government iscurrently being considered for the community(Murray Valley Grassland of the RiverinaBioregion) as critically endangered.

The conservation status of the EcologicalVegetation Class (EVC) – Plains Grassland in theGoulburn Broken, Victorian Riverina Bioregion isendangered.

Flora and faunaFew flora appear to be truly endemic or confinedto this community, rather they occur acrossgrasslands and grassy woodlands of South-Eastern Australia (McDougall and Kirkpatrick1994).

Commonly occurring species include WallabyGrasses (Austrodanthonia spp.), Spear Grasses(Austrostipa spp.), Spider Grasses (Enteropoganspp.), Windmill Grass (Chloris truncata), RigidPanic (Whalleya proluta), Darling Peas (Swainsonasp.), Lambtails (Ptilotus spp.), Daisies (Brachyscomespp., Vittadinia spp., Leptorhynchos spp.,Calocephalus spp.) and Saltbushes (Einadia sp.,Maireana spp.).

Some examples of threatened flora found in thiscommunity include Red Swainson-pea (Swainsonaplagiotropis), Murray Swainson-pea (Swainsonamurrayana) and Wooly Buttons (Leptorhynchospanaetioides).

Some examples of threatened fauna found in thiscommunity include Plains-wanderer (Pedionomustorquatus), Striped Legless Lizard (Delmar impar),and Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigriceps). ThePlains-wanderer in particular has become aflagship species for this vegetation community.

Photo: Gaye Furphy

Photo: Tom Wheller

Blue Devil (Eryngium ovinum) is anattractive perennial herb found in NorthernPlains Grasslands. This species is protectedunder the FFG Act as ‘protected flora’because it is commonly associated with thelisted community.

Female Plains-wanderer (Pedionomustorquatus) a bird species listed asvulnerable in Victoria, is found almostexclusively in Northern PlainsGrassland vegetation.

Northern Plains Grassland

ThreatsNorthern Plains Grassland vegetation is subject toa number of threatening processes, manycommon to other grasslands and grassywoodlands. These are summarised as below.

Loss of vegetation by soil disturbance andfertilizers,

Cultivating or ploughing the soil removesvegetation, encourages exotic weeds, andchanges the structural diversity and integrityof the site (permanently). Nutrients alsobecome more readily available leading to aflush of annual grasses and weeds. A shiftaway from grazing towards cropping isfurther compounding this threat.

Loss of vegetation through inappropriategrazing

While light grazing can be beneficial, over-stocking is not and favors exotic grasses andannual weeds. Equally the total absence ofgrazing as a disturbance regime, threatenssome grasslands as perennial native grassescan out compete the small native herbswhich grow in the spaces (inter-tussock)between the native grasses.

Invasion by exotic weeds

Exotic weeds are opportunistic and typicallyinvade disturbed areas (ploughed,overgrazed, or fertilised). A number of exoticgrasses such as Phalaris and Wild Oats arealso very invasive and can out competenative species.

Habitat fragmentation and size

Most remnants are small in size and highlyfragmented in the landscape. This makesthem very vulnerable to random events andaccidental activities such as fire and roadsidevandalism. Edge affects from neighboringagricultural land including fertiliser andherbicide spray drift, are also problems inthese small and linear reserves.

Clearing ControlsSince 1989 a planning permit is required,should you propose to remove, destroy orlop native vegetation. This applies toclearing all native vegetation includingtrees, shrubs, groundcovers and grasses,unless an exemption exists.

Before removing any native vegetation,please consult a Planning Officer fromyour Local Government Authority ordiscuss your plans with a regional officeof the DSE.

Protected Flora Licence or PermitProtected flora are native plants orcommunites of native plants that havelegal protection under the FFG Act 1988.This includes all plants which belong tocommunities listed as threatened underthe Act.

If you are proposing works or otheractivities on public land which might kill,injure or disturb protected native plantsyou must obtain a Protected Flora Licenceor Permit. Application forms can beobtained from DSE Regional Offices or bycalling the Customer Service Centre on136 186.

EPBC AssessmentsIf you are proposing works which mayhave a significant impact as defined bythe EPBC Act 2000, you should contact theDepartment of Environment and Heritage(DEH).

Further information regarding the EPBCAct and making a referral can be obtainedby contacting www.deh.gov.au/epbc or on(02) 6274 1111

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Ploughing destroys Northern Plains Grasslandvegetation. Sites such as this at O’Deas Rd, do notself regenerate quickly and are very difficult torehabilitate once disturbed.

Photo: Gaye Furphy

Photo: Gaye Furphy

Spring time display of native groundcovers (Lemonbeautyheads and Pink Bindweed) on a roadsideremnant.

Northern Plains Grassland

ManagementWhile there is still much to be learnt regarding thebest management regimes for Northern PlainsGrasslands the following general points can bemade, to assist decision making.

A network of remnantsBecause these grassland sites are small andhighly fragmented, management decisionsneed to consider the contribution these sitesmake as part of the whole community.

Adaptive managementIf good quality remnants exist (and are notfurther degrading), this is likely due to priormanagement practices. Changes to thismanagement should be made with cautionand closely monitored eg. Photo points andscientific trials.

Grazing and fencingNorthern Plains Grasslands are adapted tograzing and require a degree of disturbance(fire or grazing) to maintain plant speciesdiversity and inter-tussock spaces. Fencingenables the grazing intensity and duration tobe monitored and prevents uncontrolledaccess to areas. In general conservativerotational stocking regimes which grazebetween Mid-Summer and Winter, allowingseed to set and removing stock when soilsare wet to prevent pugging, are not likely todegrade conservation values present.

No fertiliser and no tillUnder no circumstances should fertilisers beapplied nor ploughing, grading, excavation orany other form of soil disturbance. Theresulting changes in the ecology andfunctioning of the grassland are nearirreversible.

MowingThe effects of mowing are less understoodon Northern Plains Grasslands, than WesternBasalt Grasslands. If mowing is necessary forfire prevention for example, then the grassshould not be mown below 10 cm in heightand all cut grass should be removed from thesite. Burning and mowing, is generally morepreferable to random spraying with chemicalherbicides.

Signage and identifying sitesAll sites should be adequately signed on siteand recorded on relevant Department andLocal Government systems, to preventunintentional misuse and damage to thesesites. Training for roadside managers is alsoessential.

RevegetationWhere the conservation of a site is secure,revegetation with grassland species, whichmay be rare, and or no longer present at thesite is appropriate. However under nocircumstances should species, which wouldnot normally be found in Northern PlainsGrasslands, including trees and some shrubsbe planted. Care should be taken whenselecting plant species and planningestablishment techniques. This will requireexpert input.

Weed managementThe strategies for managing weeds arethreefold. Control those weeds, which can beeasily removed with little disturbance tonative species (ie. Boxthorn, Prickly Pear).Manipulate the differences in growthconditions between native and exotic such ascrash graze in Autumn/Winter or an earlySpring burn to reduce annual weed speciesUtilise adaptive management principles suchas monitoring change, trialing techniquesand implementing what works.

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Related InformationManaging your patch of bush - EVC descriptions andRevegetation Guide for the Goulburn Broken

Catchment at: www.gbcma.vic.gov.au

EVC Bioregional Conservation Status informationand Biodiversity Action Plans by Bioregion at:www.dse.vic.gov.au under ‘Conservation &Environment’.

ublished by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environmentelbourne, June 2006 © The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2006

his publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.uthorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne.rinted by [insert printer’s name and address]

SBN 1 74152 668 X

or more information contact the DSE Customer Service Centre 136 186 or DSE Benalla Office 57611611.his publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriateor your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.

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ww.dse.vic.gov.au

Photo: Frances Cincotta