Goulburn Mulwaree
Indicator: Native Species
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What the results tell us for Goulburn Mulwaree
The full extent of native animal and plant species diversity in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area is not known. About 780 plant species (native and introduced) and 261 vertebrate animal species have been recorded there, but these records are not comprehensive. Differences in reported species diversity compared with the last reporting period reflect factors such as improved use of data sources.
Twenty-two plant and 40 vertebrate animal species that occur in the Council area are listed as either vulnerable or endangered in NSW and/or nationally and a further 44 threatened plant and animal species are predicted to occur in the Council area.
Native plants and animals in the Council area are subject to national, state and local laws relating to biodiversity protection. Although various recovery actions had been initiated for many threatened species, no data were available on the extent to which activities were carried out in the Council area or on their effectiveness in conserving the species.
What native species occur in the Council area?
No comprehensive lists of plant or animal species were available for Goulburn Mulwaree Council area. As past extensive clearing has resulted in significant loss of natural habitat for native plants and animals, species occurring in vegetation remnants within or near the Council area provide some indication of the area's former native species diversity. Important areas containing remnant vegetation include national parks, nature reserves, travelling stock reserves, road reserves and cemeteries.
Plants (flora)
About 780 plant species, most of them native and including more than 70 lichen species, have been recorded in the Council area. This is about 40 species less than the previous reporting period, reflecting differences in data sources and survey efforts since 2004. No information was available on the abundance of native plant species in the Council area during the reporting period.
Twenty-two plant species recorded in the Council area are listed as endangered or vulnerable. This is a decrease of seven threatened species since the last reporting period, again reflecting differing data sources to the previous reporting period (see Differences in reporting periods).
No updated data on predicted species were provided, however based on figures put forward in the previous reporting period, scientific experts predict that an additional 20 vulnerable or endangered species may also occur in the Council area (see Table 2), although there were no confirmed records of them at the end of either this or the previous reporting period.
Other regionally significant plants (but not listed as vulnerable or endangered) which have more recently been discovered within the Council area include Narrow-leaved Black Sallee (Eucalyptus moorei) and Privet-leaved Stringybark (Eucalyptus ligustrina) (Falconer 2005).
| Common name | Scientific name | Conservation status | Recovery Plan or Action Plan | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National† | NSW‡ | Change* | |||
| Grevillea parviflora | V | V | No | None | |
| Solanum celatum | - | E | No | None | |
| Pimelea axiflora subsp. pubescens | - | E | No | None | |
| Buttercup Doubletail | Diuris aequalis | V | E | No | None |
| Camden Woollybutt | Eucalyptus macarthurii | - | V | N/A | None |
| Cotoneaster Pomaderris | Pomaderris cotoneaster | E | E | No | National recovery plan in preparation (as at 27/10/08) |
| Creeping Hop-bush | Dodonaea procumbens | V | V | No | National recovery plan in preparation (as at 28/10/08) |
| Delicate Pomaderris | Pomaderris delicata | - | E | No | None |
| Dwarf Kerrawang | Rulingia prostrata | E | E | N/A | National recovery plan in preparation (as at 28/10/08) |
| Dwarf Phyllota | Phyllota humifusa | V | V | N/A | None |
| Few-seeded Bossiaea | Bossiaea oligosperma | V | V | No | None |
| Matted Bush-pea | Pultenaea pedunculata | - | V | No | None |
| Michelago Parrot-pea | Dillwynia glaucula | - | E | No | None |
| Mongarlowe Mallee | Eucalyptus recurva | E | E | No | National recovery plan in preparation (as at 28/10/08);NSW Draft recovery plan |
| Pale Pomoderris | Pomaderris pallida | V | V | N/A | None |
| Pine Donkey Orchid | Diuris tricolor | V | V | No | None |
| Round-leafed Wilsonia | Wilsonia rotundifolia | - | E | No | None |
| Tallong Midge Orchid | Genoplesium plumosum | E | E | No | National recovery plan (2004); NSW recovery plan |
| Velvet Zieria | Zieria murphyi | V | V | No | None |
| Wingello Grevillea | Grevillea molyneuxii | E | V | No | None |
# Status (threat category): E=endangered; V= Vulnerable CE = Critically Endangered
† National Status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; ‡ NSW Status under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995; *Change in status since the end of the last reporting period (see also Threatened species – national status).
Source: DEC 2005; DEH2008; NSW Government 2005
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Solanum armourense | |
| Albatross Mallee | Eucalyptus langleyi |
| Aromatic Peppercress | Lepidium hyssopifolium |
| Austral Toadflax | Thesium australe |
| Bauer's Midge Orchid | Genoplesium baueri |
| Budawangs Bush-pea | Pultenaea baeuerlenii |
| Budawangs Cliff-heath | Budawangia gnidioides |
| Budawangs Wallaby Grass | Plinthanthesis rodwayi |
| Deane's Paperbark | Melaleuca deanei |
| Ettrema Mallee | Eucalyptus sturgissiana |
| Floating Swamp Wallaby-grass | Amphibromus fluitans |
| Flockton Wattle | Acacia flocktoniae |
| Kanangra Wattle | Acacia clunies-rossiae |
| Leafless Tongue Orchid | Cryptostylis hunteriana |
| Monga Tea Tree | Leptospermum thompsonii |
| Nowra Heath Myrtle | Triplarina nowraensis |
| Pygmy Cypress Pine | Callitris oblonga |
| Robertson's Peppermint | Eucalyptus robertsonii subsp. hemisphaerica |
| Tangled Bedstraw | Galium australe |
| Tessellated Spider Orchid | Caladenia tessellata |
Source: DEC 2005
Animals (fauna)
About two hundred and sixty vertebrate animal species have been recorded in the Council area, about 70% of them are birds (see Table 3). This represents a decrease of around 39 species, with most of the change resulting from a drop in bird numbers. These changes in the numbers of different types of animals shown in Table 3 are likely to reflect factors such as differences in data sources to the previous report and survey efforts in the last four years. The number of invertebrate animals (insects etc) in the Council area is not known. No specific information was available on the abundance of animal species during the reporting period.
| Animal group (Order) | Number of Species | Number of Species |
|---|---|---|
| State of the Environment 2008 | State of the Environment 2004 | |
| Mammals | 55 | 31 |
| Amphibians | 9 | 14 |
| Birds | 161 | 207 |
| Reptiles | 23 | 31 |
| Fish | 13 | 17 |
| Total | 261 | 300 |
Source: NSW Government 2005
Forty animal species recorded in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Area are listed as endangered or vulnerable (see Table 4). They include 11 mammals, 22 birds, three amphibians, three reptiles and one fish. No updated data on changing conservation status was provided for this reporting period.
Another species of local conservation concern known to occur within the Council area is Keys Matchstick Grasshopper (Keyacris scurra) (Falconer 2005).
| Commonname | Scientificname | Conservation status# | Recovery Plan or Action Plan (Date if known) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National† | NSW‡ | Change* | |||
| Mammals | |||||
| Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby | Petrogale penicillata | V | E | No | National Recovery Plan in preparation; Action Plan (1996)2 |
| Brush-tailed Phascogale | Phascogale tapoatafa | – | V | No | Action Plan (1996)2 |
| Eastern Bentwing-bat | Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis | – | V | No | None |
| Eastern Pygmy-possum | Cercartetus nanus | – | V | No | None |
| Greater Broad-nosed Bat | Scoteanax rueppellii | – | V | No | Action Plan (1999)3 |
| Grey-headed Flying-fox | Pteropus poliocephalus | V | V | No | National Recovery Plan in preparation |
| Koala | Phascolarctos cinereus | – | V | No | Recovery Plan exhibited (21/03/03) |
| Large-footed Myotis | Myotis adversus | – | V | No | Action Plan (1999)3 |
| Spotted-tailed Quoll | Dasyurus maculatus | E | V | No | National Recovery Plan in preparation; Action Plan (1996)2 |
| Squirrel Glider | Petaurus norfolcensis | – | V | No | Action Plan (1996)2 |
| Yellow-bellied Glider | Petaurus australis | – | V | No | Recovery Plan (gazetted 07/03/03);Action Plan (1996)2 |
| Birds | |||||
| Australasian Bittern | Botaurus poiciloptilus | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Barking Owl (southern form) | Ninox connivens connivens | – | V | No | Recovery Plan exhibited (10/03/03); Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Black-chinned Honeyeater (eastern form) | Melithreptus gularis gularis | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Blue-billed Duck | Oxyura australis | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Brown Treecreeper (eastern subspecies) | Climacteris picumnus victoriae | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Bush Stone-curlew | Burhinus grallarius | – | E | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Freckled Duck | Stictonetta naevosa | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Glossy Black-cockatoo | Calyptorhynchus lathami | – | V | No | None |
| Hooded Robin | Melanodryas cucullata cucullata | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Magpie Goose | Anseranas semipalmata | – | V | No | None |
| Major Mitchell's Cockatoo | Cacatua leadbeateri | – | V | No | None |
| Masked Owl | Tyto novaehollandiae | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Olive Whistler | Pachycephala olivacea | – | V | No | None |
| Painted Honeyeater | Grantiella picta | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Painted Snipe | Rostratula benghalensis | V | E | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Pink Robin | Petroica rodinogaster | – | V | No | None |
| Powerful Owl | Ninox strenua | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Regent Honeyeater | Xanthomyza phrygia | E | E | No | National Recovery Plan adopted (for period 1999–2003); Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Speckled Warbler | Pyrrholaemus sagittatus | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Superb Parrot | Polytelis swainsonii | V | V | No | National Recovery Plan in preparation; Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Swift Parrot | Lathamus discolor | E | E | No | National Recovery Plan adopted; Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Turquoise Parrot | Neophema pulchella | – | V | No | Action Plan (2000)1 |
| Amphibians | |||||
| Alpine Tree Frog | Litoria verreauxii alpina | V | E | No | National Recovery Plan in preparation |
| Booroolong Frog | Litoria booroolongensis | – | E | No | Recovery Plan in preparation |
| Green and Golden Bell Frog | Litoria aurea | V | E | No | National Recovery Plan in preparation |
| Reptiles | |||||
| Broad-headed Snake | Hoplocephalus bungaroides | V | E | No | None |
| Rosenberg's Goanna | Varanus rosenbergi | – | V | No | None |
| Striped Legless Lizard | Delma impar | V | V | No | National Recovery Plan 1999–2003 |
| Fish | |||||
| Silver Perch | Bidyanus bidyanus | – | V | No | Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin 2003–2013 (2003)4 |
# Status (threat category): E = Endangered; V = Vulnerable† National status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; ‡ NSW status under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995; * Change in status since the end of the last reporting period (see also Threatened species— status) Sources: 1 = Garnett and Crowley 2000; 2 = Maxwell et al. 1996; 3 = Duncan et al. 1999; 4 = MDBMC 2003; Other sources: Birds Australia 2005; CSIRO 2005; DEC 2005b; DEH 2005; DPI 2005; Falconer 2005; Graham 2005; NSW Government 2005.
Although no data on predicted occurrences of vertebrates was provided for the current period, based on data collected for the previous reporting period scientific experts predict that an additional 23 vulnerable or endangered vertebrate species may occur in the Council area (see Table 5), although there were no confirmed records of them at the end of either this or the previous reporting period. One threatened invertebrate, the Giant Dragonfly (Petalura gigantea) is also predicted to occur in the area.
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Black Bittern | Ixobrychus flavicollis |
| Black-tailed Godwit | Limosa limosa |
| Eastern Bristlebird | Dasyornis brachypterus |
| Eastern False Pipistrelle | Falsistrellus tasmaniensis |
| Eastern Freetail-bat | Mormopterus norfolkensis |
| Eastern Ground Parrot | Pezoporus wallicus wallicus |
| Giant Burrowing Frog | Heleioporus australiacus |
| Giant Dragonfly | Petalura gigantea |
| Golden-tipped Bat | Kerivoula papuensis |
| Grassland Earless Dragon | Tympanocryptis pinguicolla |
| Grey-crowned Babbler (eastern subspecies) | Pomatostomus temporalis temporalis |
| Large-eared Pied Bat | Chalinolobus dwyeri |
| Littlejohn's Tree Frog | Litoria littlejohni |
| Long-nosed Potoroo | Potorous tridactylus |
| Pink-tailed Worm-lizard | Aprasia parapulchella |
| Red-crowned Toadlet | Pseudophryne australis |
| Smoky Mouse | Pseudomys fumeus |
| Sooty Owl | Tyto tenebricosa |
| Southern Bell Frog | Litoria raniformis |
| Southern Brown Bandicoot (eastern) | Isoodon obesulus obesulus |
| Square-tailed Kite | Lophoictinia isura |
| Striated Fieldwren | Calamanthus fuliginosus |
| Stuttering Barrred Frog | Mixophyes balbus |
| White-footed Dunnart | Sminthopsis leucopus |
Source: DEC 2005b
In the broader South Eastern Highlands bioregion within which Goulburn Mulwaree Council area is located, some bird species that are not listed as threatened are reported to have decreased in abundance over the last 20 years, although others are reported to have increased (Barrett et al. 2003). A selection of these species that occur in the Council area is listed in Table 6.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Declining | Increasing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Raven | Corvus coronoides | + | |
| Black Swan | Cygnus atratus | + | |
| Brown Falcon | Falco berigora | + | |
| Buff-rumped Thornbill | Acanthiza reguloides | + | |
| Crimson Rosella | Platycercus elegans | + | |
| Dusky Moorhen | Gallinula tenebrosa | + | |
| Eastern Yellow Robin | Eopsaltria australis | + | |
| Golden Whistler | Pachycephala pectoralis | + | |
| Grey Fantail | Rhipidura albiscapa | + | |
| Hardhead | Aythya australis | + | |
| Masked Lapwing | Vanellus miles | + | |
| Nankeen Kestrel | Falco cenchroides | + | |
| Noneisy Friarbird | Philemon corniculatus | + | |
| Pied Currawong | Strepera graculina | + | |
| Red Wattlebird | Anthochaera carunculata | + | |
| Silvereye | Zosterops lateralis | + | |
| Striated Pardalote | Pardalotus striatus | + | |
| Superb Fairy-wren | Malurus cyaneus | + | |
| Varied Sittella | Daphoenositta chrysoptera | + | |
| White-browed Woodswallow | Artamus superciliosus | + | |
| White-faced Heron | Egretta novaehollandiae | + | |
| White-naped Honeyeater | Melithreptus lunatus | + | |
| White-throated Treecreeper | Cormobates leucophaeus | + |
* For a complete list of declining and increasing species in the bioregion, see Barrett et al. 2003 pages 757–788; Source: Barrett et al. 2003; Birds Australia 2005; CSIRO 2005; NSW Government 2005.
Declining woodland birds that are commonly sighted in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area include the Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata), Red-browed Finch (Neochmia temporalis), Red-capped Robin (Petroica goodenovii) and Southern Whiteface (Aphelocephala leucopsis). Another locally declining bird within the area is the Double-barred Finch (Taeniopygia bichenovii). Other confirmed local sightings of interest include the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) at Marsden Weir and the influx of a flock of about 70 Long-billed Corellas (Cacatua tenuirostris) which mostly roost in Victoria Park in Goulburn (Falconer 2005).
Threats and impacts on native species
Habitat disturbance and fragmentation are major threats to the distribution and abundance of native plant and animal species within the Council area; with changes in landcover and landuse being significant factors. There is little documented information however on the specific impacts of habitat disturbance, fragmentation or other threatening factors on species.
Although native plants and animals in the Council area would have been subject to prolonged drought conditions during the current reporting period, actual drought impacts on species are generally not known and poorly understood. Such a natural event may however affect the abundance of species by causing localised deaths (plants and animals) or migration out of the area (animals).
Threatening processes affecting plants
Several key processes listed as threatening in Schedule 3 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are relevant to plant species in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area. They include:
- alteration to the natural flow regimes of rivers and streams and their floodplains and wetlands
- clearing of native vegetation
- competition and grazing by the feral European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
- competition and habitat degradation by Feral Goats (Capra hircus)
- invasion of native plant communities by exotic perennial grasses.
The main known threats to some of the endangered and vulnerable plants occurring in the Council area are outlined in Table 7. For information on known threats for other threatened plants in the area, including species predicted to occur there, see http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.
| Species | Threats |
|---|---|
| Cambage Kunzea | maintenance (e.g. road widening, weed spraying) |
| Cotonaster Pomoderris | inappropriate fire regimes trampling along walking tracks |
| Dense Cord-rush | pigs rooting for food |
| Doubletail Buttercup | habitat clearing and/or degradation through rural-residential subdivision and associated land uses (e.g. horse and goat grazing, illegal rubbish dumping, roadworks |
| Mongarlowe Mallee | effects of inbreeding from narrow genetic base unauthorised collection of specimens by interested visitors site damage from visitors' vehicles habitat degradation at clay mining site (Windellama location) |
| Pine Donkey Orchid | habitat loss and modification weed competition impacts of feral animals, including disturbance from rabbits and goats |
Source: DEC 2005b
Threatening processes affecting animals
Several key processes listed as threatening in Schedule 3 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are relevant to animal species in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area. They include:
- alteration to the natural flow regimes of rivers and streams and their floodplains and wetlands
- bushrock removal
- clearing of native vegetation
- competition and grazing by the feral European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
- competition and habitat degradation by Feral Goats (Capra hircus)
- competition from feral honeybees (Apis mellifera)
- infection of frogs by amphibian chytrid causing the disease chytridiomycosis
- predation by Plague Minnow or Mosquito Fish (Gambusia holbrooki)
- predation by the European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
- predation by the Feral Cat (Felis catus)
- removal of dead wood and dead trees.
Eight key threats identified for native fish within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDBMC 2003) may also be relevant to fish species within the Council area. These threats are low regulation, habitat degradation, lowered water quality, barriers, alien species, exploitation, diseases, and translocation and stocking.
Specific threats identified for many of the endangered/vulnerable animals occurring in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area are shown in Table 8. The threats include a range of factors that affect species habitat, food sources or population viability. Habitat clearance and fragmentation threaten many of the species. For information on known threats for individual threatened animal species in the area, and for other threatened species predicted to occur there, see http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.
| Species | Threats |
|---|---|
| Mammals* | |
| Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby; Eastern Bentwing-bat;Eastern Pygmy-possum; Greater Broad-nosed Bat; Koala; Large-footed Myotis; Spotted-tailed Quoll; Squirrel Glider; Yellow-bellied Glider | habitat loss, fragmentation and/or degradation through native vegetation clearance, forest harvesting and associated activities, loss of hollow bearing and mature roost trees, loss of nest sites due to removal of firewood, declining shrub diversity from overgrazing by stock and rabbits, changed fire regimes removal of old buildings predation from cats, dogs and foxes competition with foxes and feral cats strychnine baiting for dingoes non-target mortality from trapping and poisoning mortality as a result of raiding caged birds |
| Birds* | |
| Australasian Bittern;Barking Owl (southern form); Black-chinned Honeyeater (eastern form); Blue-billed Duck; Brown Treecreeper (eastern subspecies); Bush Stone-curlew; Glossy Black-cockatoo; Hooded Robin (southern form); Magpie Goose; Major Mitchell's Cockatoo; Masked Owl; Olive Whistler; Painted Honeyeater; Painted Snipe; Powerful Owls; Regent Honeyeater; Speckled Warbler; Superb Parrot; Turquoise Parrot | habitat loss, fragmentation and/or degradation through native vegetation clearance, residential development, tree loss through altered water tables, overgrazing by stock and rabbits, loss in availability of nest trees diversion of water for irrigation drainage of deep permanent wetlands or degradation of such from introduced fish or cattle reduction of river flows salinisation fox and cat predation reduction in suitably-sized prey poisoning, disturbance and predation by foxes on fledglings competition with Starlings for nest sites road mortality |
| Amphibians* | |
| Booroolong Frog;Green and Golden Bell Frog | habitat loss, fragmentation and/or degradation through destruction/infilling of wetlands, modification of steam channels, loss of cobble banks, loss of native streamside vegetation, stock damage to stream margins, weed invasion of streamside habitats (particularly by willows) predation of eggs and tadpoles by introduced fish disease—chytrid fungus changes to water quality through sedimentation and use of herbicides or pesticides near streams alteration of drainage patterns and stormwater runoff predation by feral animals such as foxes and by exotic fish such as Plague Minnow herbicides and other weed-control measures road mortality, where populations are already small due to other threats |
| Reptiles* | |
| Broad-headed Snake;Rosenberg's Goanna;Striped Legless Lizard | habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation through removal of habitat elements (such as termite mounds and fallen timber), establishment of vineyards, orchards and other agricultural enterprises, collection of bush rock, rock removal, heavy grazing and trampling by stock, invasion by weeds or escaped pasture species road mortality, enhanced by upgrading of dirt roads to bitumen which increases the speed of through traffic predation by cats and dogs changed fire regimes that result in changes to vegetation structure and composition modification of habitat through tree planting in natural grasslands or adjacent to them |
* Each threat listed does not necessarily apply to every species; Source: DEC 2005b
What is being done to conserve native species?
Laws and policy
National and state laws provide a framework for the protection of native plant and animal species within the Council area. Two state laws were enacted during the previous reporting period: the Native Vegetation Act 2003 and the Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003. These two laws and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 provide a landscape scale framework for biodiversity management. The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, other state laws including the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 provide the framework for the recognition and protection of threatened plant and animal species, and usually require the species to be taken into account during proposed developments.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council area is located within the Lachlan, Hawkesbury Nepean and Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA) areas. Each CMA is required to work in partnership with Local Government as well as other stakeholders. No updated CMA information was provided, however two catchment blueprints completed during the previous reporting period—the Lachlan Catchment Blueprint (Lachlan Catchment Management Board 2003) and the South East Catchment Blueprint (South East Catchment Management Board 2002)—include a range of management actions to restore, maintain or conserve biodiversity values.
Local government regulations, legislation or planning documents such as Local Environment Plans (LEPs) may also provide some protection for native species, or limit or prohibit certain activities that may lead to the further decline of protected species. All development applications are assessed in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 which requires consideration of threatened species. Applications that may have an impact on such species are referred to Council's Environmental Officer for consideration.
Threatened species recovery planning
Of the 62 threatened plant and animal species known to occur in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area, only seven have formal recovery plans in place; plans for three species were adopted during the previous reporting period. During that time, recovery plans for two species were exhibited and were being prepared for nine species (see Tables 1 and 4). Twenty-four animal species were covered by three action plans, at least two of which were completed prior to 2004.
An array of actions has been detailed by various conservation management agencies for many of the threatened species occurring in Goulburn Mulwaree Council area. Although recovery actions were initiated during the previous reporting period by researches and the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation for some threatened species with no recovery plans (DEC 2004), these actions did not necessarily occur within the area. No data were available on the extent to which recovery actions are proving effective in conserving targeted threatened species.
Other activities
No updated information was provided as to Council’s actions since 2004, however a number of key actions undertaken during the previous reporting period will have impacted into the current reporting period. The main actions Goulburn Mulwaree Council took were:
- completion of the Mount Gray Plan of Management; it will be incorporated into future Council management plans
- preparation of the Draft Rocky Hill Management Plan
- works carried out to exclude access of recreational vehicles to Rocky Hill Reserve
- adoption of the South Goulburn Endangered/Threatened Species Management Plan 2004.
- Draft Goulburn Mulwaree Biodiversity Strategy 2007 prepared on behalf of Council by Eco Logical Pty Ltd. The information contained was used in the formulation of Council’s Draft LEP 2008.
A range of nationally funded activities undertaken during the previous reporting period in the Lachlan, Hawkesbury Nepean and Southern Rivers catchments and in the Warragamba Catchment (DIPNR 2004) may also have enhanced the conservation of plant and animal species in the Council area. The Goulburn Mulwaree Council area supports 13 Landcare Groups.
About the data
Data for species records were obtained from the sources listed below.
- BioNet (NSW Government 2005)—this database includes records from the Australian Museum, Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The DEC data includes data from the former NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Atlas of NSW Wildlife database (DEC 2005a) and the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens Herbarium Collection database (Royal Botanic Gardens 2005). The DPI data includes data from the former NSW State Forests and the former NSW Fisheries.
- Atlas of NSW Wildlife (DEC 2005a)—species records are submitted to the Atlas as incidental sightings or systematic surveys, or imported from existing databases. Location details are validated on data entry, based on the grid references supplied. An accuracy index of location is applied and all records are automatically assigned a reliability category, based on the observers' experience. Unusual sightings that fail validations are queried and further validation may occur.
- Australian National Wildlife Collection Database (CSIRO 2005).
- Australia's Virtual Herbarium database—contains flora records from the Australian National Herbarium and other major herbaria in Australia (ANH 2005).
- NSW State Forests data—flora and fauna records held by NSW State Forests South Coast, Eden and Riverina Regions.
- Atlas of Australian Birds database (Birds Australia 2005)—records of threatened and migratory birds only. Detail about the database, accuracy of its records and other relevant information is outlined in Barrett et al. (2003).
Selection of species records
Species records were selected from between July 1955 to October 2008. This date range was used to eliminate species which had not been recorded in the last 50 years, and to eliminate historic records with poor locational or taxonomic detail.
Due to extensive data and time constraints, some exotic plant species may be included in the list of native plant species and hence also included in the plant species total for the Council area.
Some species, especially plants, may appear more than once in the species lists of native plants and animals where slight variations in spelling or formatting of scientific names have occurred between or within the datasets used to compile these lists.
The total number of plant and animal species referred to in this report equals the total number of taxa listed in the lists of native plant and animal species (i.e. the total 'species' count includes varieties, subspecies, forms and hybrids).
Differences between reporting periods
The DECC Wildlife Atlas is the only source used to generate species lists for vulnerable and threatened flora species during this reporting period. This tool allows for geographic searching by Local Government Area Boundaries, hence revealing a more spatially accurate data set for the LGA in question. It is possible that the differences in threatened fauna species between 2008 and the 2004 report are due to a different catchment boundary being utilised for the previous reporting period (i.e. CMA regions), which do not correspond entirely with LGA boundaries.
Threatened species—status
Plant and animal species listed under the Commonwealth Government's Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 were automatically transferred to the new Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and were formally listed under the EPBC Act on 16 July 2000. Although this listing date falls within the current reporting period, the status of such species was considered to remain unchanged from the previous reporting period. Data on the status of plant and animal species listed under NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) was not provided for this reporting period and was considered to remain unchanged.
Threatened species predicted to occur in the LGA
No data was provided for predicted threatened species in the current reporting period. Data given here is based on that provided for the previous reporting period. This data was sourced from the DECC, Threatened Species Unit, Southern Directorate as an extract from its Property Vegetation Planning Database.
References
ANH—see Australian National Herbarium
Australian National Herbarium (2005) Australia's Virtual Herbarium database, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, CSIRO and Australian National Botanic Gardens, Department of Environment and Conservation, Canberra.
Barrett, G, Silcocks, A, Barry, S, Cunningham, R and Poulter, R (2003) The New Atlas of Australian Birds, Royal Australasian Ornithologist's Union, Melbourne.
Birds Australia (2005) Atlas of Australian Birds database, Birds Australia, Melbourne.
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (2005) Australian National Wildlife Collection Database, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.
CSIRO—see Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
DEC—see Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)
DEH—see Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth)
Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW) (2004) Recovery Planning Database, Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville.
Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW) (2005a) Atlas of NSW Wildlife Database, Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville.
Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW) (2005b) Threatened Species, Populations and Ecological Communities of NSW Catchments, viewed October 2008, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.
Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth) (2008) Species Profile and Threats Database, http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl.
Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources (NSW) (2004) 2003/04 Combined NSW Catchment Management Authorities Annual Report, Volume 1: CMA Activities and Achievements, Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources, Sydney.
Department of Primary Industries (2005) Fisheries Scientific Committee Final Recommendations, , http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/threatened_species/fsc/recomend.
DIPNR—see Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources (NSW)
DPI—see Department of Primary Industries (NSW)
Duncan, A, Baker, GB and Montgomery, N (eds) (1999) The Action Plan for Australian Bats, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Falconer, R (2005) representative of Local Field Naturalists and Ornithological Group, Goulburn, personal communication.
Garnett, ST and Crowley, GM (2000) The Action Plan for Australian Birds, Environment Australia, Canberra.
Graham, C (2005) Charles Sturt University, personal communication.
Lachlan Catchment Management Board (2003) Lachlan Catchment Blueprint, Department of Land and Water Conservation, Sydney, online at http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/cmb/blueprints/pdf/lachlan_blueprint.pdf.
Maxwell, S, Burbidge, AA and Morris, K (eds) (1996) The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes, Environment Australia, Canberra.
MDBMC—see Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council
Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council (2003) Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin 2003–2013, Murray Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.
NSW Government (2005) BioNet System, NSW Government, viewed October 2008, http://www.bionet.nsw.gov.au/BioNet.cfm?is_ie5up.
OCE—see Office of the Commissioner for the Environment
Office of the Commissioner for the Environment (2000) Australian Capital Region State of the Environment Report 2000, Office of the Commissioner for the Environment, Canberra.
Royal Botanic Gardens (2005) Herbarium Collection Database, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
South East Catchment Management Board (2002) South East Catchment Blueprint – An Integrated Catchment Management Plan for the South East Catchment 2002, NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation, Sydney, online at http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/cmb/blueprints/pdf/south_east_blueprint.pdf.
