PEEL-YALGORUP ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER DESCRIPTION (ECD)
| Project Title: |
Ecological Character Description for the Ramsar-listed Peel-Yalgorup System |
Project Code: |
WH.03c |
| Funding Source: |
Australian Government through the Coastal Catchments Initiative, Peel Development Commission;
Peel Waterways Centre; Department of Environment and Conservation and the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and/or
the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP), these are joint initiatives of the State and
Australian Government, which are administered by the South West Catchments Council. |
| Start: |
July 2005 |
End: |
On - going |
Project Officers: |
Kim Wilson and Amanda Willmott |
The Peel-Harvey Catchment Council and the Department of Environment and Conservation have
engaged Jennifer Hale Consulting to produce an Ecological Character Description for the Peel-Yalgorup System.
The final document was released February 2008 to coincide with World Wetlands Day 2008.
Download the Ecological Character Description of the Peel-Yalgorup System here
Note Large file size: ~6Mb
Ecological Character
According to the Ramsar Convention:
- Ecological character is the sum of the biological, physical, and chemical components
of the wetland ecosystem, and their interactions, which maintain the wetland and its products, functions,
and attributes.
- Change in ecological character is the impairment or imbalance in any biological, physical or
chemical components of the wetland ecosystem, or in their interactions, which maintain the wetland and
its products, functions and attributes.
- Products generated by wetlands include: wildlife resources; fisheries; forest resources; forage
resources; agricultural resources; and water supply. These products are generated by the interactions between
the biological, chemical and physical components of a wetland.
- Functions are activities or actions that occur naturally in wetlands as a product of the interactions
between the ecosystem structure and processes. Functions include flood water control; nutrient, sediment and
contaminant retention; food web support; shoreline stabilization and erosion controls; storm protection; and
stabilization of local climatic conditions, particularly rainfall and temperature.
- Attributes of a wetland include biological diversity and unique cultural and heritage features.
These attributes may lead to certain uses or the derivation of particular products, but they may also have
intrinsic, unquantifiable importance.
The function of an ECD in Ramsar site management
This project will deliver three main outputs:
- An ecological character description for the Peel-Yalgorup System, that follows the guidance set out
in the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar wetlands
- Nutrient water quality objectives for the estuarine system that will help to maintain the ecological health of the wetland
- A monitoring program for the wetland system, that will allow for the detection of changes to the ecological health of the system
Links to other resources
The Ramsar Handbook for Ecological Character Description from www.ramsar.org
For more information about the Ramsar Management Plan Project view the project information here; If you would like more
information about the ECD or if you wish to be involved, please contact Amanda Willmott
at the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council via
amanda.willmott@peel-harvey.org.au or by phoning (08) 9550 4224.
