Strategic management of Aleppo Pines on Lower Eyre

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11 REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................27 APPENDIX 1: Nutritional analysis data........................................................................................................28 APPENDIX 2: Raw data – total cones and seeds per plant ....................................................................32 APPENDIX 3: <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites – raw data................................................................................................34 APPENDIX 4: Maps .......................................................................................................................................42 TABLES Table 1 Number <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites in each <strong>management</strong> category........................................... iii Table 2 Energetics <strong>of</strong> three main EPYTBC food resources................................................................. 11 Table 3 Protein and digestibility <strong>of</strong> EPYTBC food resources .............................................................. 11 Table 4 The mean number <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> seeds per cone ..................................................................... 13 Table 5 Mean number <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones and seeds per tree ................................................. 13 Table 6 Mean number <strong>of</strong> Hakea cones and seeds per plant.......................................................... 13 Table 7 Loss <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> in EPYTBC habitat .................................................................................. 19 Table 8 Number <strong>of</strong> sites in control priority categories ........................................................................ 21 FIGURES Figure 1 <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine (Pinus halepensis) ..................................................................................................2 Figure 2 Remnant and cleared native vegetation communities <strong>of</strong> lower Eyre Peninsula ............5 Figure 3 Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo distribution, Eyre Peninsula........................6 Figure 4 EPYTBC food resources, from left to right, seeds from Elm-seed Hakea, Wrinkled Hakea and <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine...................................................................................................................................7 Figure 5 Meyriccia latro moth larvae collected from Yacca flower spikes .....................................7 Figure 6 Chewed <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones, characteristic feeding signs <strong>of</strong> EPYTBCs .............................9 Figure 7 Mean <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones per tree......................................................................................... 15 Figure 8 Mean <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine seeds per tree ......................................................................................... 15 Figure 9 Mean Hakea cones per plant ................................................................................................. 15 Figure 10 Mean Hakea seeds per plant ............................................................................................... 15 Figure 11 The January 2005 Wangary fire scar across lower Eyre Peninsula ................................. 18 MAPS Map 1 <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites (numbers per site) and Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo habitat use, Lower Eyre Peninsula, South Australia .................................................................................43 Map 2 <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites (numbers per site), Lower Eyre Peninsula ......................................................44 Map 3 <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites (percentage burnt), Lower Eyre Peninsula ...................................................45 Map 4 <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine control boundary and priority sites, Lower Eyre Peninsula ..................................46 ii <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> on Lower Eyre Peninsula to maximise biodiversity conservation outcomes
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction This report provides a recommended approach to <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine <strong>management</strong> on lower Eyre Peninsula (EP) to benefit the region’s biodiversity. <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> are both an environmental weed (proclaimed under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004) threatening native vegetation and an important food source for the Critically Endangered Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black- Cockatoo (EPYTBC). This report aims to balance the competing interests in the control <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> on EP and present <strong>management</strong> recommendations to achieve maximum biodiversity benefit. <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine site assessments Two hundred and fifty-three <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites were surveyed across lower Eyre Peninsula. Over half (58%) <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites were identified for control (local eradication) due to negative impacts on biodiversity values (Table 1). Of these, 38% were identified for high priority eradication due to their proximity to threatened flora sites and remnant threatened vegetation communities. Seventeen percent <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites surveyed were identified as important EPYTBC feeding sites and/or occurring in the core breeding area (Koppio Hills) and recommended for retention and <strong>management</strong> (Table 1). The assessments <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites in this way aims to focus efforts on those sites posing the most threat to biodiversity values. The assessment suggests a prioritised focus for site control or <strong>management</strong> rather than an increase or decrease in existing effort by current stakeholders. Number <strong>of</strong> sites % total number <strong>of</strong> sites Table 1 Number <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine sites in each <strong>management</strong> category Eradication: High priority Eradication: Medium priority Eradication: Low priority Retain & Manage 56 18 72 43 64 22 7 29 17 25 Retain: Private <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> as an EPYTBC food resource Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos are adept feeders on <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones. In the breeding area, EPYTBCs spend at least 75% <strong>of</strong> their foraging time feeding on seeds from <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones (pre-fire data). Risk <strong>of</strong> terrestrial predation is also reduced while EPYTBCs are feeding in <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine. EPYTBCs display habitual feeding behaviour and have strong site fidelity for particular <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine trees, revisiting the same stand and even the same tree every season, both in their breeding area and winter habitat. EPYTBC nest selection is influenced by the proximity <strong>of</strong> traditional <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine stands. The majority <strong>of</strong> nests are within 2 kilometres <strong>of</strong> known feed trees. A comparison <strong>of</strong> food availability <strong>of</strong> native (Wrinkled Hakea, Hakea rugosa) and non-native (<strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine) EPYTBC food resources illustrated that an average size <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine (8-10 metres) has over one thousand times more available seed (974,524.4) than one large size hakea bush (718.6). This has important implications for EPYTBC conservation and the replacement <strong>of</strong> equivalent food resources if known <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine feed trees are removed. It is estimated that 1.77 hectares <strong>of</strong> pure hakea revegetation would be required to replace the equivalent available food resource if 10 medium sized <strong>Aleppo</strong>s <strong>Pines</strong> were removed. This equates to 35.4 hectares <strong>of</strong> representative Sugar Gum Woodland direct seeding (with an abundance <strong>of</strong> 5% hakea per hectare). Nutritionally, <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine seeds are higher in crude fats and have greater total energy content compared to both Wrinkled Hakea and Elm-seed Hakea (H. cycloptera), but are harder to digest and considerably lower in calcium. There was no evidence that <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine seeds contain any <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> on Lower Eyre Peninsula to maximise biodiversity conservation outcomes iii
Page 1 and 2: Department for Environment and Heri
Page 3: CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........
Page 7 and 8: Guidelines for management</
Page 9 and 10: 1 INTRODUCTION This report provides
Page 11 and 12: 2.3 Implications for biodiversity c
Page 13 and 14: Strategic
Page 15 and 16: 3.2 The EPYTBC Habitat Recovery Pro
Page 17 and 18: 3.4.5 Aleppo <stro
Page 19 and 20: • Metabolisable Energy (ME) (MJ/k
Page 21 and 22: The hakeas sampled at the revegetat
Page 23 and 24: 5 CONE ABUNDANCE AND IMPLICATIONS F
Page 25 and 26: 6 ALEPPO PINE MANAGEMENT ON LOWER E
Page 27 and 28: 7 ALEPPO PINE SURVEY, 2005 7.1 Meth
Page 29 and 30: 7.3 Discussion 7.3.1 Protecting lar
Page 31 and 32: 8.3 Guidelines for stakeholders GUI
Page 33 and 34: 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Lo
Page 35 and 36: APPENDIX 1: NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS DA
Page 37 and 38: Nutritional analysis data continued
Page 39 and 40: APPENDIX 2: RAW DATA - TOTAL CONES
Page 41 and 42: APPENDIX 3: ALEPPO PINE SITES - RAW
Page 43 and 44: REF PRIORITY PHOTO ID DATE No. PINE
Page 49 and 50: APPENDIX 4: MAPS Map 1 Alep

Strategic management of Aleppo Pines on Lower Eyre

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