Communities for Communities Newsletter
Issue 18
In this issue:

Ecological Communities Section update

Five threatened ecological communities listed under national environment law

River Murray–Darling to Sea and Macquarie Marshes disallowance

Alpine Sphagnum bogs and associated fens recovery planning

Eucalyptus Woodlands of the Western Australian Wheatbelt technical workshop

Ministerial decision on the Long Lowland Rivers ecological community

Two recovery plans adopted by the Minister

Conferences and events in 2014
Ecological Communities Section update
 Our new website went live in mid-2013. The site features a new map function that gives an overview of
ecological communities and their locations across Australia and answers some common questions. You can
visit the new website here:
www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/threatened-species-ecological-communities/threatenedecological-communities
 A new fact sheet on the recently-listed Proteaceae Dominated Kwongkan Shrubland ecological community is
now available on the Department’s website. The fact sheet outlines:
 what an ecological community is
 why it is nationally protected
 what the listing aims to achieve
 what the listing means for people in the region.
The fact sheet and further information on the ecological community is available at:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=126&status=Endangered
 Conservation Advices have recently been approved for four existing listed ecological communities:
 Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion
 Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant)
 Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula
 Turpentine-Ironbark Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion
The Conservation Advices are available at:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publiclookupcommunities.pl
Newly listed ecological communities
Since the last issue of this newsletter, five new ecological communities have been listed under national environment
law, which are:
 Scott River Ironstone Association
 Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh
 Eyre Peninsula Blue Gum Woodland
 Proteaceae Dominated Kwongkan Shrubland
 Kangaroo Island Narrow-leaved Mallee (Eucalyptus cneorifolia) Woodland
These additions bring the total number of nationally listed ecological communities to 66. Summaries of the five new
listings can be found on the following pages.
Further information on all these ecological communities, including full conservation advice, detailed descriptions,
threat analyses, distribution maps, priority research and conservation actions, can be found on the Department’s
website at: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publiclookupcommunities.pl.
Scott River Ironstone Association
Date listed: May 2013
Category: Endangered
Location: Occurs on the Scott Coastal Plain in the south-west of Western Australia.
Descriptive features: Exists as low to tall seasonally-flooded shrubland or heathland, occurring on shallow soils over
massive ironstone formations. The shallowness of the soils, the iron content, and seasonal flooding and waterlogging
are all thought to heavily influence the assemblage of plant species. Vegetation type is generally heathlands and low
to tall shrublands, with dominant species depending on the degree of waterlogging. Patches of the ecological
community may be dominated by Melaleuca preissiana, Hakea tuberculata, Kunzea micrantha or Melaleuca incana
subsp. Gingilup while Loxocarya magna typically dominates the understorey.
Key threats:

land clearing

fragmentation

grazing by native and non-native species

dieback due to Phytophthora cinnamomi

weed invasion
Other features: Contains 54 orchid species. Provides habitat to the three plant and four animal species below that
are listed as threatened nationally:
 Banksia nivea subsp. ulinginosa (swamp honeypot)
 Darwinia ferricola (Scott River darwinia)
 Lambertia orbifolia subsp. Scott River Plains (Scott River roundleaf honeysuckle)
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 forest red-tailed black-cockatoo
 Baudin’s black-cockatoo
 Carnaby’s black-cockatoo
 Chuditch.
Further information:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=123&status=Endangered
Subtropical and Temperate Coastal Saltmarsh
Date listed: August 2013
Category: Vulnerable
Location: From Curtis Island in south eastern Queensland, along the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania
and South Australia to Shark Bay in south-western Western Australia. Also encompasses coastal saltmarsh occurring
on islands within this geographic range.
Descriptive features: Found on the sandy/muddy shores of coastal areas that are subject to regular or intermittent
tidal influence. Vegetation found within the community is salt-tolerant and dominated by low herbs, shrubs/chenopods,
sedges and grasses. Non-vascular plants including algae, diatoms and cyanobacterial mats are also present.
Key threats:
 land clearing
 fragmentation
 infilling
 tidal restriction
 invasion by exotic weeds
 rising sea levels
 climate change
 mangrove encroachment
 pollution
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Other features: This ecological community provides extensive ecosystem services and supports a wide range of
insects, fish, birds and insectivorous bats. It is particularly important for fish and prawn species as it provides shelter
and a nursery habitat for juveniles. Additionally, coastal saltmarsh ecosystems are considered to be one of the most
efficient at capturing carbon in the world.
Note: Ecological communities listed as vulnerable do not currently trigger the referral provisions of the EPBC Act.
However, listing this ecological community significantly increases awareness and provides valuable information and
incentive to support its management and recovery.
Further information:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=118&status=Vulnerable
Eyre Peninsula Blue Gum Woodland
Date listed: August 2013
Category: Endangered
Location: Endemic to the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. The ecological community occurs in the Koppio Hills,
Cleve Hills and west of the Marble Range. It is mainly restricted to well-drained, moderate to high fertility soils and is
typically associated with sheltered valleys, lower hill slopes and watercourses.
Descriptive features: Typically woodland to open forest with a canopy dominated by Eucalyptus petiolaris (blue
gum). Mid-layer varies from open to dense in response to soil moisture and management history and consists of
native sclerophyllous shrubs and small trees. Ground layer is variable in development and composition, ranging from
sparse to a thick layer of native grasses and other herbs. Ground layer flora typically is dominated by one or more of
the graminoid genera.
Key threats:
 land clearance and disturbance
 invasive species
 salinisation
 dieback due to Phytophthora cinnamomi
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 inappropriate fire regimes
Other features: Provides habitat for three threatened plant species that are listed nationally and numerous native
plant and animal species, including:
 Acacia pinguifolia (fat-leaved wattle)
 Pultenaea trichophylla (tufted bush-pea)
 Olearia pannosa subsp. pannosa (silver daisy-bush)
 musk lorikeet
 yellow-tailed black-cockatoo
 diamond firetail
 western pygmy-possum
 numerous insectivorous bats.
Further information:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=124&status=Endangered
Proteaceae Dominated Kwongkan Shrubland
Date listed: February 2014
Category: Endangered
Location: Found on the south coast of Western Australia, from Albany in the east to Cape Arid in the west.
Descriptive features: Kwongkan shrubland that ranges from sparse to dense thickets, where Proteaceaeous species
form a significant component (e.g. plants from the genera Adenanthos, Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea, Isopogon and
Lambertia). Proteaceae species present are variable across the region. The ecological community is typical of
vegetation within some of the reserves across the region, such as Stirling Range National Park, Fitzgerald River
National Park and Cape Le Grand National Park.
Key threats:
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 land clearing
 fragmentation
 changing fire regimes
 dieback due to Phytophthora cinnamomi
 invasive species
 climate change
Other features: Provides habitat for 45 plant and 15 animal species that are listed as nationally threatened such as:
 Daviesia glossosema (maroon-flowered daviesia)
 Gastrolobium luteifolium (yellow-leafed gastrolobium)
 Scaevola macrophylla (large-flowered scaevola)
 the dibbler
 heath mouse
 Carnaby’s black cockatoo
 western bristlebird
 western ground parrot
 western whipbird
Further information:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=126&status=Endangered
Kangaroo Island Narrow-leaved Mallee (Eucalyptus cneorifolia) Woodland
Date listed: May 2014
Category: Critically Endangered
Location: Limited to the eastern half of Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
Descriptive features: Mallee woodland with Eucalyptus cnerorifolia as the most common tree in the canopy. Other
eucalypt species, notably E. albopurpurea (purple-flowered mallee box), E. diversifolia (coastal white mallee) or E.
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phenax (white mallee), may be present but are not dominant. In mature patches the canopy is often closed with a
sparse or absent understorey of shrubs, groundstorey plants and considerable bare ground and plant litter. The
ecological community can occur in a number of vegetation states and appearance can vary depending on the nature
of and time since disturbance. A hot fire, in particular, may transform the ecological community into a shrubland—it
can kill off the mallee canopy but stimulates resprouting of trees and considerable, dense regeneration of understorey
plants from the soil seed bank. Over time, various understorey species die off in the absence of further fire, and reestablishes the open vegetation structure.
Key threats:
 land clearing
 fragmentation
 changing fire regimes
 invasive weeds
Other features: Provides habitat for at least 6 plant species that are listed as nationally threatened and several that
are listed as threatened in South Australia or are considered regionally significant, as endemic or near-endemic to
Kangaroo Island. The ecological community also provides occasional habitat or resources for three nationally
threatened animals:
 Kangaroo Island dunnart
 southern brown bandicoot
 glossy black cockatoo
Further information:
www.environment.gov.au/cgibin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=102&status=Critically+Endangered
A factsheet about this ecological community is being developed and will be available through the weblink, above, in
due course.
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River Murray–Darling to Sea and Macquarie Marshes disallowance
On 11 December 2013, the Parliament passed a Government motion to disallow listing the River Murray–Darling to Sea
and Macquarie Marshes ecological communities as critically endangered. This means the listings no longer have an effect.
In making this decision, the Australian Government concluded that any potential environmental benefits of listing the
communities at such a scale will not sufficiently outweigh the uncertainty and potential regulatory burden for business
and landholders in the region.
The Government is committed to providing effective environmental protection to the Murray-Darling Basin. It intends to
deliver on this commitment by implementing the Basin Plan and by fully utilising the existing listings in these specific
areas and throughout the Basin. This includes the existing listings for wetlands, threatened species, ecological
communities and migratory birds.
The Government will also use the Threatened Species Scientific Committee’s advice on the ecological communities in
the implementation of the Basin Plan, environmental watering decisions and other natural resource initiatives.
Information on the River Murray–Darling to Sea and the Macquarie Marshes ecological communities is available on
the Department’s webpage at:
 www.environment.gov.au/cgibin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=92&status=Approval+Disallowed#listing_advice_loop
 www.environment.gov.au/cgibin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=93&status=Approval+Disallowed
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Technical workshop on the Eucalypt Woodlands of the Western Australian
Wheatbelt ecological community
A public nomination for the Eucalypt Woodlands of the Western Australian (WA) Wheatbelt was placed on the
2011 Finalised Priority Assessment List (FPAL) to assess whether it should be listed as a threatened ecological
community.
The national list of threatened ecological communities includes several communities endemic to WA, most of which are
fine-scale communities with a limited extent. The WA Wheatbelt assessment is one of the few broad-scale ecological
communities in the state to be assessed for national listing, and follows the recent listing of the Proteaceae Dominated
Kwongkan Shrublands (see article on page 5).
The technical workshop for the Eucalypt Woodlands of the WA Wheatbelt was held in November 2013. Technical
workshops are a vital early step in the process for assessing ecological communities. The workshops bring together
key experts and land managers familiar with the ecological community being assessed to clarify the community’s
description and distribution. Workshops also determine condition thresholds for distinguishing good quality from
degraded sites.
The workshop acknowledged that the
Eucalypt Woodlands of the WA
Wheatbelt is a complex ecological
community and it is not characterised
by one or a few distinctive dominant
canopy tree species, or a particular
understorey structure (e.g. grassy,
shrubby, chenopod, etc). Instead, the
woodland occurs as a mosaic of up to
30 eucalypt canopy species over a
variable understorey across the
wheatbelt landscape. The most
common canopy tree species include:
salmon gum, york gum, gimlet, red
morrel, wandoo and mallets. However, the woodland canopy is never dominated by mallee species (typical of drier
sites) or by jarrah or marri woodlands (that occupy the wetter woodlands around the Darling Range).
The Avon Wheatbelt is one of the most heavily cleared bioregions of Australia—more than 85 per cent of native
vegetation has been lost. The wheatbelt generally occupies the cleared region that lies between the 300 and 600
millimetres per year average rainfall range. However, similar cleared landscapes within this rainfall range extend into
adjacent regions. The degree to which Wheatbelt Woodlands extend into these regions is being investigated.
A draft description of the Eucalypt Woodlands of the WA Wheatbelt ecological community is being prepared, and a
draft assessment for this ecological community will be made available for public comment in the coming months. The
Minister has extended the deadline to complete this assessment to 31 December 2014.
If you would like to see what other ecological communities are currently being assessed, you can view the FPALs with
expected completion dates on the Department’s website at:
www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/threatened-species-ecological-communities/listingassessments/finalised-priority
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Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens recovery planning
The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological
community was listed as endangered in December 2008 and
the decision was made for a recovery plan to be developed.
The ecological community occurs above 1000 metres in
elevation on the Australian mainland—almost entirely within the
Australian Alps Bioregion that spreads across the ACT, NSW
and Victoria—and above 800 metres in elevation in Tasmania.
The community is made up of assemblages of high-altitude
specialist and wetland flora species, and provides habitat for
threatened fauna species—notably the southern and northern
corroboree frogs, and the alpine water skink.
The Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens ecological community is an integral component of the catchments
and hydrological processes of the Australian Alps and Tasmanian montane areas. Threats to the survival of the
ecological community include:
 climate change—particularly the long-term drying of the landscape and the increase in bushfire frequency and
severity that it causes
 invasive weeds
 pathogens
 grazing, trampling and pugging by feral horses, pigs, deer and domestic stock.
After a successful meeting of the Recovery Plan Steering Committee early in January 2014, a draft plan is intended to be
released for public consultation in the first half of 2014.
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Ministerial decision on the Long Lowland Rivers of South East Queensland and
North East New South Wales ecological community
In line with the advice of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, the Minister recently decided not to list the
Long Lowland Rivers of South East Queensland and North East New South Wales as a threatened ecological
community under national environment law as it does not currently meet the listing criteria. However, a decision not to
list this ecological community as nationally threatened should not detract from future efforts to conserve the
biodiversity, ecological processes and services inherent within the river systems.
The Committee found that the uneven nature and degree of threats produce variable impacts in the individual river
systems of the ecological community. The degradation across much of the ecological community’s geographic
distribution is substantial, and there are signs this may continue to happen in parts of the ecological community. Also,
some migratory fish species are in decline, with a substantial disruption of migration, breeding and recruitment.
However, these impacts can be improved by positive interventions such as conservation stocking of fish, recovering fish
passage and meeting environmental flow objectives.
The Threatened Species Scientific Committee remains concerned about threats to the ecological community’s survival
over the longer term, particularly if adequate management measures are not undertaken, or the drive for recovery
actions and environmental protection is lost.
Priority conservation actions to manage threats and stop the ecological community from becoming threatened are
needed in the longer term and are outlined by the Committee in their conservation advice. The advice is published on
the Department’s website to provide more guidance and options for environmental decision-making, including on
rehabilitation and conservation initiatives in the region.
The Department has been working closely with the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee to develop a multispecies recovery plan for aquatic threatened species in the Mary River. This plan should contribute significantly to
conservation outcomes in the ecological community.
The SPRAT profile for the ecological community can be accessed at:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=95
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Ecological community recovery plans adopted by the Minister
Two recovery plans for threatened ecological communities prepared by state governments were recently adopted by
the Minister:
 Peppermint Box (Eucalyptus odorata) Grassy Woodland of South Australia
Prepared by the South Australian Government
www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-peppermint-box-eucalyptus-odorata-grassywoodland-south-australia
 Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley
Prepared by the New South Wales Government (see note below)
www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-recovery-plan-weeping-myall-coobah-scrub-wilga-shrublandhunter-valley
The current EPBC listing of the Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley is restricted to
a single patch, whereas the more recent New South Wales listing recognises a broader extent of the ecological
community. The recently adopted recovery plan is written to include the broader extent of weeping myall (Acacia
pendula) in the Hunter Valley.
The broader recognition of the ecological community has prompted a separate review process of the national listing of
the Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley. Any revised definition of the nationally
listed ecological community is likely to be similar in extent to the NSW definition and therefore also covered by the
recovery plan.
The full list of recovery plans adopted by the Minister can be found at:
www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowallrps.pl
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Conferences and events in 2014
Atlas of Living Australia Science Symposium
Canberra
11–12 June
www.ala.org.au/category/blogs-news/communications/
Australian Society for Fish Biology and Australian Society for Limnology Joint Congress
Darwin
30 June – 4 July
www.asfbasl.org.au/
Australian Mammal Society Scientific Meeting
Melbourne
7–10 July
australianmammals.org.au/conferences/conference_2014
Sustainable Landscape Futures Conference
Canberra
10–11 July
www.canberra.edu.au/faculties/arts-design/sustainability
The 17th International River Symposium
Canberra
15–18 September
riversymposium.com/
Ecological Society of Australia 2014 Annual Conference
Alice Springs
28 September – 3 October
www.esa2014.org.au/
Australasian Systematic Botany Society Inc. Conference
Palmerston North, New Zealand
24–28 November
www.anbg.gov.au/asbs/conferences.html
National Soil Conference
Melbourne
23–27 November
www.soilscienceaustralia.com.au/
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Who’s who in the Ecological Communities Section?
Director:
Matt White
Assistant Directors:
Ann Holden
John Vranjic
Elizabeth Ferguson
Project Officers:
Paul Barraclough
Mark Bourne
Anthony Hoffman
Kåren Watson
Sharon Warne
Andrew Chalklen
Jessica Miller
Casey Harris
If you have any questions or comments about the articles in this newsletter please contact:
matthew.white@environment.gov.au
Media enquiries
Please direct all media enquiries to
media@environment.gov.au
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