High Country Bogs and Associated Fens
Description
High Country Bogs and Associated Fens are an ecological community typically found in alpine, subalpine and montane environments. They are often located above where trees normally grow, but this can change based on local land features and weather conditions. Bogs and fens each have their own unique vegetation. Due to their high interdependence, they are considered inseparable in this context. For this reason, they are listed as a single community.
Bogs and fens protect the quality of the ACT's water. They're important because they also provide homes for many animals, including the:
Where to find them
Most bogs and fens in the ACT are in Namadgi National Park.
The Ginini Flats Wetland Complex is the largest intact bog and fen community in the Australian Alps. It's protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
In 2020, the Orroral Valley fire burned almost all the bogs in the ACT. There has been a lot of work done to help these areas recover and learn how to better manage them after fires. Learn more in the ACT Sphagnum Bog Rehabilitation and Monitoring Plan [PDF 17.1 MB].
Conservation threats
The biggest long-term threat to the bogs and fens is climate change. In the short-term, other threats include:
- fires
- weeds
- damage from hard-hooved animals like pigs and deer
- invasive predators like cats and foxes
- pathogens and diseases
- recreational activities.
Hard-hooved animals such as deer and horses can be especially damaging. Changes to NSW laws and a rise in the number of these animals make harder to control them. It also increases the risk of further damage to these areas.
The ACT has a feral horse management plan which has successfully controlled horses entering from Kosciuszko National Park. But feral horses are still considered a threat if their numbers can't be managed.
Conservation status
- National – Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
- Australian Capital Territory – Endangered (Nature Conservation Act 2014).
Conservation actions
The Action Plan aims to:
- conserve and improve bogs and fens as a viable and well-represented Ecological Community in the ACT
- include the maintenance and improvement of natural ecological and evolutionary processes within ACT's bogs and fens
- legally protect its threatened species
- manage the ecological values of the ACT's bogs and fens including ecosystem function, resilience and biodiversity.
- collaborate with stakeholder and community in the conservation of the ACT's bogs and fens.