Department for Environment & Heritage, gpo box 1047, Adelaide 5001
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Plan methodology
- The threatened species and ecological communities
- Management priorities
- Recovery strategies
- Costs and evaluation
- Threatened flora included in this p lan
Background to the region The AMLR is a complex and biologically diverse region covering 780,626 hectares. The regional boundary adopted for this plan is based on biogeographical features, derived from the Draft Biodiversity Strategy for Adelaide and the Mount Lofty Ranges.13 The region crosses NRM regional boundaries, incorporating the Adelaide and AMLRNRMB area and the western flank of the SA Murray Darling Basin NRM Board (SAMDBNRMB) region. The AMLR supports nine broad structural vegetation groups; Heathy Open Forest, Heathy Woodland, Grassy Woodland, Mallee, Grassland, Riparian, Wetland, Shrublands and Coastal. Over 450 native fauna species and 1500 native vascular plant species have been recorded in the region.13 The habitats of the AMLR, and the plants and animals that use them are isolated from similar higher-rainfall habitats in the south-east and south-west of the continent. The woodland and forest habitats of the AMLR are effectively an island surrounded by ocean to the south and west and the more arid woodland and mallee habitats to the north and east. As a result, the region supports a number of species and subspecies which are endemic or have the core of their State’s distribution within the region. Plan methodology A custom planning model was devised for this plan incorporating a series of information reviews and analyses in relation to species inclusion, threat analysis, species prioritisation, ecological community prioritisation, knowledge gaps and impediments to recovery. There are several limitations acknowledged in the plan relating to the analyses. The threatened species and ecological communities Many species have become extinct in the AMLR region, and a range of threatened species that may still be extant are considered ‘functionally extinct’. The species and subspecies included in this plan are considered threatened and are currently declining or have already declined to critical levels, where they are at risk of becoming either locally extinct or for endemics extinct across their whole range. Of the 130 flora species and 73 fauna species included in this plan, 18 are endemic to the AMLR (including subspecies). Thirty five of the species in this plan are listed as nationally threatened under the EPBC Act, and 149 species are listed as threatened under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (NPW Act)14. Fifty of the species are not listed as threatened under State or National legislation. Most of the species included in this plan have restricted and/or fragmented distributions within the AMLR. Some species have wider distributions within the AMLR, but their populations are considered to be declining. Many others have small population sizes and/or a limited number of sub-populations. Many species are considered disjunct from the remainder of their ranges, or are part of a limited distribution within the State. Not all threatened species which occur in AMLR that have a legislative conservation rating have been selected to be included in this plan. Due the regional focus of the plan, entire ranges for many included species are not covered in the analysis or proposed management. The plan incorporates a review and prioritisation of 18 recognised threatened ecological communities occurring within the AMLR, including three ecological communities listed as nationally threatened under the EPBC Act. The species and communities included in this plan are listed at the end of this executive summary.
Management priorities Regional threats The species and ecological communities included in this plan are subject to a wide range of threats, which are collectively contributing to decline. Species have initially become threatened because of historical actions, in particular the vast clearance of native vegetation. Species continue to suffer the prolonged stress of past threats, notably the fragmentation and isolation of populations and reduced population sizes. This makes them more vulnerable to threats currently operating in the region. The most significant direct threats to flora and fauna species include climate change, drought and severe weather, weed invasion, grazing and disturbance by stock, water management and use, residential and commercial development and inappropriate fire regimes. In addition, predation impacts on fauna species ranked relatively high in the threat analysis.
All terrestrial species included in this plan have been prioritised for recovery action. Individual flora and fauna species have been separately prioritised into six ‘Vulnerability Groups’, and further spatially refined into ‘Sub-regional Landscape’ (SRL) priorities. The Fleurieu SRL is particularly rich in threatened flora species and includes a high proportion of endemic species (not occurring in any other SRL within the AMLR). The Southern Coastline and the Foothills/Hillsface SRLs, while relatively small SRLs, are also relatively rich in threatened flora and fauna species. A dominant proportion of AMLR threatened flora species included in this plan are associated with Wetland vegetation communities, followed by Heathy Woodland communities. For fauna species, the dominant associations are with Grassy Woodland and secondly Heathy Woodland communities. Knowledge gaps Nearly half of all threatened species included in this plan have been identified as having a poor level of knowledge, particularly in terms of population status, distribution and level of decline. The level of knowledge is generally very poor for wetland threatened flora species and grassy woodland threatened fauna species. There is an urgent need to address knowledge gaps and clarify the conservation status of these species. Ecological communities Three threatened ecological communities listed on the EPBC Act are present within the AMLR - peppermint box grassy woodland of SA, iron-grass natural temperate grassland of SA and swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Other communities have also been identified as high priority for recovery, including a critical need to better determine their distribution and conservation status. These include Banksia marginata grassy low woodland, Eucalyptus microcarpa grassy low woodland, Eucalyptus dalrympleana ssp. dalrympleana Open forest and Themeda triandra/Danthonia spp. Tussock grassland. Habitat re-establishment planning There is an urgent need for habitat re-establishment for threatened species and the priorities proposed in this plan can inform the planning of those actions. However, further strategic planning is required incorporating this plan’s species-based analyses with landscape-scale analyses using restoration planning principles. Impediments to recovery Significant organisational-related impediments to threatened species recovery have been identified. These issues involve recovery capacity and funding, knowledge-base management systems and community engagement. Recovery management must address these impediments concurrent with threat abatement actions and habitat re-establishment planning. Recovery strategies The long-term aim of the plan is to reduce the probability of threatened species and ecological communities of the AMLR region becoming extinct in the wild, and to maximise species’ viability. Threatened species and ecological community recovery for the AMLR region requires urgent and sustained action under five broad strategic management themes:
The objectives and management actions proposed under the five strategic management themes attempt to set a realistic management framework over the next five years. This initial phase of regional recovery aims to:
A recovery management framework has been devised which consists of 52 management actions developed to meet 14 recovery objectives. Forty-three performance criteria have been developed to assist in tasking and measuring the achievement of actions. Costs and evaluation The total funding to implement this plan from the 2009-10 to 2014-15 financial year is estimated to be $10,164,680. However, it is likely that costs have been underestimated due to the difficulty in comprehensively costing all site-specific management requirements for the numerous species and communities included in this plan. Funds to implement this plan will be sought from State and Commonwealth governments and other sources. Progress towards achieving the recovery objectives in this plan will be reported against the performance criteria and as required by management and funding arrangements. Threatened flora included in this plan
* Unofficial regional conservation rating derived for the purposes of this plan only. CE = Critically Endangered (AUS EPBC Act only); E = Endangered, T = Threatened, V = Vulnerable, R = Rare (in respective order of threat status). Note: ‘Threatened’ used only for regional threat rating. Yüklə 3,11 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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