Palerang
Issue: Biodiversity
This issue is discussed for these areas: [an error occurred while processing this directive]
For more information refer to the following Indicators:
Ecological Communities | Fire | Native Species | Pest Animals | Pest Plants | Riparian Conditions
What does the Council area have?
Palerang Council area has a moderately rich biodiversity—62 different vegetation types have been mapped there and almost 2000 plant species (native and introduced). Fauna species recorded in the Council area include 210 bird species, 20 fish species, 52 mammal species, 45 reptile species and 27 amphibian species.
This reflects the habitat diversity in the Council area—from coastal escarpment and tablelands to the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. It also reflects the Council area's moderate native vegetation cover—23% of the Council area is some form of conservation reserve, 24% is bushland, and about 7% is under timber production, predominantly native forest.
The Council area contains occurrences of six endangered ecological communities, and populations of 31 plant and 50 animal species that are vulnerable or endangered nationally and/or in New South Wales (NSW). An additional 51 plant species and 18 animal species listed as vulnerable or endangered are also predicted to occur in the Council area.
What has changed?
Insufficient data were available to assess many aspects of the Council area's biodiversity during the reporting period. The major data gaps relate to changes in the extent and condition of terrestrial and riparian ecosystems, (including change in vegetation extent and condition), changes in native species populations and abundance, changes in threatening processes, information on aquatic macro invertebrates, the extent to which recovery plan actions have been carried out and their effectiveness and changes in the distribution and population densities of pest animal species (including the effectiveness of control measures). There is little monitoring or systematic collection of data on species, populations or communities, so data quality is generally poor.
The number of ecological communities present in the Council area that are listed as vulnerable or endangered increased during the current reporting period (Note: threatened ecological community lists are generated based on Bioregions). One ecological community with occurrences in the Council area was upgraded from endangered to critically endangered, while another became nationally listed as endangered.
Fauna species recorded in the Council area increased by 39 during the current reporting period, primarily the result of improved data sets plus recent survey efforts and the inclusion of non native species for this reporting period. The number of threatened fauna decreased by one and threatened plants with occurrences in the Council area increased by three, due to the result of further refinement of existing flora data sets. No analysis of change in status of threatened species status took place during the current reporting period, however most pressures on these species are unlikely to have been reduced during the reporting period.
Although no quantitative data is available to indicate if the condition of biodiversity is deteriorating within the Council area, general trends in NSW indicate the diversity of terrestrial species remains under threat and response mechanisms to protect them have not yet reversed this trend. Even where pressures on species are reduced, due to lag effects it may take many years for the full effects to become evident. The number of species, populations and communities listed as threatened has generally increased over time. The distribution and abundance of many species not listed as threatened continues to decline due to habitat destruction and other pressures.
For this reason, Threatened Species Conservation Act (TSC Act) listings do not give a complete picture of the broader decline occurring across the region as habitats shrink and become fragmented, reducing ecological ranges and genetic diversity. Another problem may be the considerable time lag involved in the process of identifying a species of concern, nominating it for listing and obtaining the data to finally determine its status. The true level of decline is unknown as the number of species is much greater than the state of knowledge about them. The vast majority of species that make up our biodiversity, such as invertebrates, have not been described, with their ecological functions known only in general terms and their conservation status not known at all in most cases. This lack of knowledge of the full potential of impacts may itself contribute to biodiversity loss.
Habitat removal, disturbance and fragmentation, through vegetation clearing and/or modification, are thought to have continued as major threats to native species and ecosystems in the Council area. Population increases and the resulting demand for urban development within the Council area during the reporting period placed pressure on native species and communities, particularly in lowland areas. Disturbances such as development, fires and drought led to further degradation or loss of ecological communities. Invasive plants and animals continued to exert further pressure on ecological communities and species.
Insufficient information was available during the current reporting period to accurately assess the variety of programs and projects to enhance and protect biodiversity by Council, individuals and community groups.
The 'pressure points'
The 'pressure points' are specific processes that continue to exert detrimental effects upon species and ecological communities. If these continue unabated, they will cause these species and ecological communities to slide further towards extinction. These are the main pressures that need to be relieved in order to preserve and recover species and ecological communities through effective management strategies and actions.
- habitat removal, disturbance and fragmentation, through vegetation clearing and/or modification, were considered major threats to native species and ecosystems in the Council area.
- drought conditions that were prevalent during much of the reporting period would have affected many native species and ecosystems in the Council area.
- at least 3.5 hectares of vegetation was burnt by fire hazard reduction burns, while seven wildfires occurred within the Council area during the current reporting period. No information was available on the areas burnt by these wildfires. No information was available on the number of vegetation communities, including those known to be fire sensitive, affected by fire, or the extent of impact on these communities.
- four types of pest animal species and five pest plant (weed) species were of high concern during the reporting period. These invasive species represent one of the most serious threats to biodiversity in the Council area.
- there is already evidence of climate change impacts on biodiversity, including effects on species physiology, distribution and the timing of life-cycle events. Climate change is also expected to exacerbate other threatening processes. It may enable invasive species to expand into new areas, create more frequent forest fires and cause declining water quality. The combined effects of other pressures reduce the options for native species to adapt to climate change.
Protecting and enhancing biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of life: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Biodiversity is vital in supporting human life on Earth. The natural environment maintains many essential functions that form the foundation of a healthy and sustainable environment. These are often called 'ecosystem services' and include air and water purification, waste detoxification and decomposition, crop and natural vegetation pollination, dispersal of seeds and nutrients and regulation of climate.
Local councils are in a prime position to take a leading role in maintaining these vital ecosystem services, within their limited resource constraints. A range of activities in the Council area during the reporting period were aimed at improving the condition of native ecosystems and the habitat of native species and reducing the pressures on them. The main responses to biodiversity loss on a state level are amendments to the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, introduction of the Priorities Action Statement, increasing reservation in the protected area system, and the natural resource management reforms.
No new conservation reserves were gazetted during the current reporting period, however there were expansions of Monga National Park and Bees Nest Nature Reserve.
Of the 75 threatened plant and animal species known to occur in Palerang Council area, only five have formal recovery plans in place. Twenty-three animal species were covered by three action plans, at least two of which were completed prior to 2001.
At the time of reporting, at least seven of the 20 conservation reserves within the Council area had formal plans of management in place—Budawang and Morton National Parks (plans adopted October 2001) and Yanununbeyan National Park, Nature Reserve and State Conservation Area (plan adopted May 2005), Araluen Nature Reserve (plan adopted 2008). Nadgigomar Nature Reserve had a fire management plan prepared during (adopted 21 January 2008).
Council carried out weed control activities for the five high priority weeds during the reporting period, and achieved reductions in overall densities for all species.
Council prepared plans and strategies to help enhance biodiversity within the Council area and continued its involvement in on-ground projects. Council and community groups also undertook a number of ecological restoration projects.
The future—what does this mean for Council?
Ongoing population growth in Palerang Council area is likely to see continued expansion of urban and rural residential development. This will place further pressure on terrestrial and aquatic native species and ecosystems, including endangered ecological communities and some threatened species. Urban expansion may also result in weed invasion into areas currently relatively weed free, cause increased runoff, erosion, sedimentation, and excess nutrients entering waterways. Continuing impacts from industry sectors such as agriculture and forestry are likely to exert ongoing pressures upon biodiversity in the Council area.
The continued lack of data to allow a full assessment of the Council area's biodiversity status carries with it the risk that approved development proposals will have unanticipated adverse impacts. Lack of monitoring of native species, populations and communities within the Council area may also hamper conservation efforts, as impacts from urban and rural development, industry, forestry practices and other pressures (e.g. fire, drought) cannot be fully determined and remediation measures cannot be planned to appropriate levels. Monitoring is also essential to determine whether environmental plans and strategies and on-ground management projects are achieving the desired biodiversity outcomes.
Council needs to maintain appropriate effort and resources in the following areas of its environmental management.
- improve our knowledge of the region’s biodiversity through linking databases and information relating to biodiversity to other government agencies. This, and close liaison with these agencies to encourage programs of data collection will aid conservation planners, land managers and members of the public to gain a clearer and more up-to-date picture of biodiversity within the region and associated management issues relevant to it. The greatest information need (and the one that will be most important in the longer term) is agreed methodologies for assessing vegetation condition that will facilitate its monitoring and reporting.
- utilise a range of existing government agency programs (as outlined in the NSW Biodiversity Strategy) which protect native species and ecosystems across NSW. This includes initiatives such as adopting regional strategies (eg. pest management strategies) and management plans conducted with other agencies, local government, landowners and the community.
- implement the 'Threatened Species Assessment Guideline' to assist the community, developers and Council assessment staff with ensuring the legislative requirements are readily understood. Utilise Regional-scale Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Guidelines that provide information about how to approach survey and assessment of biodiversity to inform regional planning.
- continue to ensure biodiversity impacts are adequately taken into account in planning for and implementing land use zoning, assessment of development applications, road management and construction activities, stormwater management, hazard control burning and weed control activities. The regulation of these activities needs to be in accordance with legislative requirements and also include, as a minimum, consideration of terrestrial and aquatic native species and ecosystems generally, in addition to specific consideration of endangered ecological communities and vulnerable or endangered plant and animal species known or predicted to occur in the Council area.
- incorporate best practice’ for biodiversity planning as outlined in the Biodiversity Planning Guidelines for Local Government document. This Guide aims to assist councils to carry out biodiversity conservation as part of their day-to-day functions, especially those relating to planning and development. It provides councils with a 'good practice guide'. The Guide highlights the importance of plan making for biodiversity conservation, as well as the need to integrate both regulatory and positive approaches. It shows how councils can conserve biodiversity through their existing regulatory and operational functions. The Guide does not create new plan making processes, but presents a package of strategies and tools that can be applied within existing frameworks.
- education of staff and the wider community on biodiversity is required. There exists a general poor understanding of the importance of biodiversity in maintaining life support systems for human and environmental health. A broader understanding and appreciation of the values of biodiversity will underpin future success in conserving biodiversity and critical ecological services.
- help ensure appropriate (relevant and achievable) monitoring programs are in place to measure the effectiveness of Council's environmental policies, strategies, management activities and on-ground restoration projects in achieving desired biodiversity outcomes.
- continue to support and encourage community involvement in biodiversity conservation and monitoring.
- maintain collaborative arrangements with other land management agencies within the region to ensure ongoing success with pest animal and plant control and fire management, and to develop awareness of new land management principles, innovations or approaches.
- work closely with the Southern Rivers and Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authorities to help ensure consistency in approach to biodiversity conservation and complementary actions to achieve this.
