Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens Endangered Ecological Community, Kosciuszko Resorts VIS_ID 4836

The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens Ecological Community is derived from Kosciuszko Resorts Vegetation mapped as part of the Kosciuszko Resorts Vegetation Assessment prepared by Ecology Australia in association with N.G.H. Environmental for NSW Planning in 2003 [VIS IDs from 4837 to 4841].

In April 2017 as a preliminary exercise, communities which matched the Alpine Bog EEC status were extracted from the vegetation mapping. These communities included Upland Bog, Valley Bog Complex, certain Tall Tussock Grassland polygons, Sod Tussock Grassland, Subalpine Bog, Subalpine Stream Complex, Alpine Riparian Scrub (Baeckea), and Fen.

PLEASE NOTE that the extraction from the veg mapping was undertaken as a rapid preliminary exercise, the veg mapping from which the habitat layers were derived is now over 15 years old and the habitat areas haven't been further ground truthed.

This Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens Endangered Ecological Community is vulnerable to disturbance, soil erosion, weed invasion, sedimentation, climate change and alteration of hydrology. Other significant threats identified are land clearing, fire, grazing and trampling by non-native animals, tourism and increased human infrastructure. This community can also be host to a range of other threatened flora and fauna and has been identified as having a small geographic distribution, has had a reduction in community integrity and a loss or decline of functionally important species.

Many of the threats to this community are addressed by reservation under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. However, private development within ski resort areas is assessed under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 – State Environmental Planning Policy {SEPP} (Kosciuszko National Park – Alpine Resorts) – with the Department of Planning and Environment as the consent authority and National Parks and Wildlife Service as a referral agency. Clause 17 of the Alpine Resorts SEPP relates to development applications that are to be referred to the Environmental Agency Head.

A national recover plan has been developed for the Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens Ecological Community and came in to effect on 16 January 2016. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/alpine-sphagnum-bogs-associated-fens

State Level Name: Montane Peatlands and Swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregions Listing status: Endangered Ecological Community

Commonwealth Name: Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens. Listing Status: Endangered under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

VIS_ID 4836