The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve: Final

6 THREATS TO NATIVE FAUNA
6.1 INTRODUCTION
There are many threats acting on vertebrate fauna at JKCR. Threats tend to belong to one of several
broad groupings: introduced species (including introduced diseases); habitat loss and degradation; or
direct interference and mortality. This section identifies all threats impacting or likely to impact on all
priority vertebrate fauna in JKCR. Threats are ranked as to their relative importance in section 6.3.
Management recommendations for ameliorating these threats are delivered in section 7. Cavedwelling
fauna, including threats and management, are dealt with in greater detail in section 9.
6.2 KEY THREATENING PROCESSES
Key Threatening Processes (KTPs) are threats listed under the NSW TSC Act or Commonwealth
EPBC Act as a process that threatens, or could threaten, the survival or evolutionary development of
species, populations or ecological communities.
For reference all KTPs relevant to JKCR have been listed in Table 9 although not all are important at
the current time. The relative priority of threats is analysed later in this section.
Table 9 All key threatening processes listed on the NSW TSC Act and/or Commonwealth EPBC Act
identified for JKCR
Threat Act Threat type
Loss and degradation of native plant and animal habitat by invasion of
escaped garden plants, including aquatic plants.
92
EPBC Weed
Invasion and establishment of exotic vines and scramblers TSC Weed
Invasion of native plant communities by exotic perennial grasses TSC Weed
Competition and grazing by the feral European rabbit TSC/EPBC Pest animal
Competition and habitat degradation by feral goats, Capra hircus
Linnaeus 1758
TSC/EPBC Pest animal
Competition from feral honeybees (Apis mellifera) TSC Pest animal
Herbivory and environmental degradation caused by feral deer TSC Pest animal
Predation and hybridisation by feral dogs, Canis lupus familiaris TSC Pest animal
Predation by feral cats TSC/EPBC Pest animal
Predation by the European red fox TSC/EPBC Pest animal
Predation by the plague minnow (Gambusia holbrooki) TSC Pest animal
Predation, habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by
feral pigs (Sus scrofa)
Alteration to the natural flow regimes of rivers, streams, floodplains &
wetlands.
TSC/EPBC Pest animal
TSC Habitat loss/change
Ecological consequences of high frequency fires TSC Habitat loss/change
Anthropogenic climate change TSC/EPBC Habitat loss/change
Loss of hollow-bearing trees TSC Habitat loss/change
Removal of dead wood and dead trees TSC Habitat loss/change
Infection by Psittacine circoviral (beak & feather) disease affecting
endangered psittacine species
Infection of frogs by amphibian chytrid causing the disease
chytridiomycosis
TSC/EPBC Disease
TSC/EPBC Disease
Infection of native plants by Phytophthora cinnamomi TSC/EPBC Disease
The Vertebrate Fauna of Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve