NSW Central Murray Forests Ramsar Site Ecological Character Description

About the document

An Ecological Character Description describes the ecological character of a wetland at the time of its listing as a Wetland of International Importance. The Ecological Character Description is a fundamental management tool for site managers, forming the basis of management planning and action as well as including guidance on site monitoring requirements to detect changes in the ecological character of the site.

The New South Wales (NSW) Central Murray Forests Ramsar site is located on the floodplain of the Murray River in south-central NSW, Australia. It comprises three geographically discrete but interrelated units: Murray Valley National Park and Murray Valley Regional Park (formally the Millewa Forest), Werai Forests, and Koondrook-Perricoota Forests.

The Ramsar site is within the Murray-Darling Basin catchment. Each of the forests within the Ramsar site is on the floodplain of the Murray River and its tributaries. The two critical wetland vegetation categories are river red gum forests and floodplain marshes. Over 90 percent of the site is covered in inundation dependent forest and woodland. Inundation of the site is driven largely by flows within the Murray River. The hydrology of the site is highly regulated and seasonality of low and moderate flow is determined largely by irrigation needs. Large scale floods that inundate the forests are generally the result of rainfall events.

The ecological character of a wetland is the sum of all the components, processes and services of that wetland. Ecosystem components are physical, chemical and biological parts of a wetland, from large-scale to very small-scale (e.g. habitat, species and genes). Ecosystem processes are the dynamic forces within an ecosystem. They include all those processes that occur between organisms and within and between populations and communities, including interactions with the non-living environment that result in existing ecosystems and bring about changes in ecosystems over time. Ecosystem services are the benefits that people receive from ecosystems.

The document describes the critical components, processes and services for the NSW Central Murray Forests Ramsar site. The description also identifies limits of acceptable change which describe the range of variation which key aspects of the ecology of the site can vary without representing a change in the ecological character.

The Ecological Character Description also sets out the current Ramsar listing criteria met by the site, the key threats and knowledge gaps for the NSW Central Murray Forests Ramsar site. Recommended monitoring needs and communication messages are also provided.

Further information on what Ecological Character Descriptions are and how critical components, processes and services are identified is available in the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australian Ramsar Wetlands – Module 2 of the National Guidelines for Ramsar Wetlands – Implementing the Ramsar Convention in Australia.