Table . Contribution of Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) watering over 2014–15 and 2015–16 to Basin Plan objectives associated with vegetation diversity. Measured Measured 5-year Basin Plan 1-year expected Measured and predicted Predicted 1–5-year Basin outcomes expected 1-year outcomes 1–2-year outcomes objectives outcomes 1–2-year outcomes1 outcomes outcomes 2015–16 2014–16 Some species favoured Some species only Some species only Presence of some species by Commonwealth apparent following apparent following in extant vegetation likely Establishment, environmental water inundation by inundation by to be dependent on growth, spread inundation but Commonwealth Commonwealth inundation by and reproduction dependent on Selected environmental environmental water Commonwealth of hydrophilic Area. inundation but inundation but environmental water taxa dependent on Selected dependent on Selected inundation but Greater Area. Area. dependent on Selected Species plant Area. Plants diversity species Exotic taxa mostly Lower proportional cover Lower proportional cover Mostly lower diversity constrained by and richness of exotic and richness of exotic proportional cover and Mortality, Commonwealth taxa observed in taxa observed in richness of exotic taxa in reduced environmental water response to inundation response to inundation response to inundation establishment inundation but a few by Commonwealth by Commonwealth although may be a risk of and spread of Biodiversity cases where exotic cover environmental water and environmental water and promoting exotic cover taxa promoted by other sources. other sources. through short-duration inundation. inundation. (Basin Plan S. 8.05) Mostly, but not Increased total cover and Greater vegetation cover Mostly, but not consistently, increased dominance of inundated in plots/transects consistently, increased Increased diversity and cover of vegetation communities subjected to at least diversity and cover of richness and vegetation communities. and mostly higher some wetting during this vegetation communities. productivity of Highly dependent on species richness (though period. wetland timing of survey and highly dependent on vegetation community type (e.g. range of intrinsic and Greater communities Ecosystem wetland versus extrinsic factors). Vegetation vegetation diversity floodplain). diversity Shifts in Consistently shifted Consistent and distinctive Consistent and distinctive Consistently shifted composition of vegetation composition shifts in vegetation shifts in vegetation vegetation composition floodplain and towards dominance by a composition driven by composition driven by towards dominance by a wetland range of hydrophilic wetting. wetting. range of hydrophilic vegetation species (often emergent species (often emergent communities grasses and sedges) and grasses and sedges) and
Table . Contribution of Commonwealth Environmental Water Office (CEWO) watering over 2014–15 and 2015–16 to Basin Plan objectives associated with vegetation diversity. Basin Plan objectives Basin outcomes 5-year expected outcomes 1-year expected outcomes Measured and predicted 1–2-year outcomes1 Measured 1-year outcomes 2015–16 Measured 1–2-year outcomes 2014–16 Predicted 1–5-year outcomes Biodiversity (Basin Plan S. 8.05) Species diversity Plants Greater plant species diversity Establishment, growth, spread and reproduction of hydrophilic taxa Some species favoured by Commonwealth environmental water inundation but dependent on Selected Area. Some species only apparent following inundation by Commonwealth environmental inundation but dependent on Selected Area. Some species only apparent following inundation by Commonwealth environmental water inundation but dependent on Selected Area. Presence of some species in extant vegetation likely to be dependent on inundation by Commonwealth environmental water inundation but dependent on Selected Area. Mortality, reduced establishment and spread of taxa Exotic taxa mostly constrained by Commonwealth environmental water inundation but a few cases where exotic cover promoted by inundation. Lower proportional cover and richness of exotic taxa observed in response to inundation by Commonwealth environmental water and other sources. Lower proportional cover and richness of exotic taxa observed in response to inundation by Commonwealth environmental water and other sources. Mostly lower proportional cover and richness of exotic taxa in response to inundation although may be a risk of promoting exotic cover through short-duration inundation. Ecosystem diversity Vegetation Greater vegetation diversity Increased richness and productivity of wetland vegetation communities Mostly, but not consistently, increased diversity and cover of vegetation communities. Highly dependent on timing of survey and community type (e.g. wetland versus floodplain). Increased total cover and dominance of inundated vegetation communities and mostly higher species richness (though highly dependent on range of intrinsic and extrinsic factors). Greater vegetation cover in plots/transects subjected to at least some wetting during this period. Mostly, but not consistently, increased diversity and cover of vegetation communities. Shifts in composition of floodplain and wetland vegetation communities Consistently shifted vegetation composition towards dominance by a range of hydrophilic species (often emergent grasses and sedges) and Consistent and distinctive shifts in vegetation composition driven by wetting. Consistent and distinctive shifts in vegetation composition driven by wetting. Consistently shifted vegetation composition towards dominance by a range of hydrophilic species (often emergent grasses and sedges) and
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