Biodiversity Assets in the Goulburn Broken22 May 2013Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority

Biodiversity Assets in the Goulburn Broken

Australia is the only 'developed' country of 12 'mega diverse' countries, having an estimated 475,000 of the earth's 10 to 30 million species2.

The Goulburn Broken Catchment has a significant component of this diversity.

Biogeographic regions or Bioregions are the basis for planning and managing biodiversity assets in Victoria.

This section lists some of the major biodiversity assets found in the Goulburn Broken Catchment. The following categories are suggested as a way to categorise biodiversity assets in the Goulburn Broken through the BIS.

Native Vegetation
In the Goulburn Broken Catchment a vast majority of the native vegetation has been historically cleared for agricultural development and timber supply.
Native Fauna
There are 493 species of vertebrate fauna in the Goulburn Broken catchment which includes mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and amphibians.
Soil Biodiversity
Very little is known about the important function that soil biodiversity plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Bioregions

Biogeographic regions (or Bioregions) depict the patterns of ecological characteristics in the landscape and provide a meaningful framework to address landscape management and biodiversity issues. Bioregions are the basis for planning and managing biodiversity in Victoria. Bioregions are the basis from which the conservation status of Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs) and priorities for managing threatened species are determined.

The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority boundary crosses eight bioregions listed as follows:

Map of GBCMA bioregions
Click for an enlargement

2 from www.biodiversity.csiro.au, October 2002