Ginini Flats Wetland Complex Ramsar Site Management Plan

Summary

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance. An international agreement called the Ramsar Convention protects these wetlands. The Ginini Flats Wetlands, located in Namadgi National Park, is the only Ramsar site in the ACT.

Ginini Flats is the biggest untouched Sphagnum bog and fen area in the Australian Alps and an important component of the ACT’s High Country Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community. It became a Ramsar site in 1996. When a wetland is named a Ramsar site, the body responsible for the management of the site (in this instance the ACT Government) must develop an individual management plan to protect and care for it.

In 2017, the ACT Government endorsed the Ginini Flats Wetland Complex Ramsar Site Management Plan. The development of the draft plan included a period of public consultation.

Ginini Management Plan

The Ginini management plan:

• guides management of the site
• helps us avoid or minimise the impact of threats (such as fire and climate change)
• makes sure we meet our international obligations to conserve and protect the world’s wetlands.

The Ginini management plan outlines how to care for the wetlands, so they stay healthy, support native animals, and protect the site's cultural importance. It also allows some public use for recreation, learning, and research.

Proposed actions aim to:

• manage fire and water
• protect and rehabilitate damaged peatland
• manage invasive species
• minimise any harmful effects of infrastructure
• reduce the effect of climate change
• continue research and monitoring.

Climate change is the biggest danger to the wetlands. Warmer temperatures and changes in rainfall could lead to more wildfires and affect water flow in the peatlands. This might shrink the peat bogs or cause more erosion. Other problems include damage from feral animals and invasive weeds moving into the area.

The ACT’s High Country Bogs and Associated Fens Action Plan sets out the actions we take across the territory to conserve bogs and fens. These actions are the primary way we implement the Ginini Flats Wetland Complex Ramsar Site Management Plan, ensuring our planning and delivery are joined up across programs. Both these Plans are monitored through and informed by a dedicated Bogs and Fens monitoring program.

The ACT Government’s Managing threats to high country wetlands project focuses particularly on Ginini Flats and contributes to priority actions under the Action Plan, thereby supporting Ramsar outcomes.

The City and Environment Directorate is leading the Ginini management plan’s implementation. The Conservator of Flora and Fauna monitors its effectiveness and must report to the Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water about the Ginini management plan every 7 years.

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