Caring for country - Northern and Yorke Natural Resources ...

4biodiversity
World class conservation planning
An internationally acclaimed conservation
strategy being applied across our region
is allowing the Northern and Yorke NRM
Board to implement priority projects
based on accurate information about
threats to natural resources.
The Conservation Acting Planning (CAP)
strategy embraces the Southern Flinders
Ranges, Northern Mount Lofty Ranges, central
Yorke Peninsula and the Mid North and
southern Yorke Peninsula.
Developed by The Nature Conservancy in
the United States, the CAP program has
been adopted around the world as a reliable
framework for conservation planning
and action.
In the Northern and Yorke region, this
collaborative landscape scale process involves
key partners and stakeholders including
Northern and Yorke NRM Board, Department
of Environment and Natural Resources,
Commonwealth and Local Government,
Greening Australia, Australian Wildlife
Conservancy, Rural Solutions of South Australia,
Wilderness Society, Nature Conservation Society
of South Australia, Aboriginal communities and
local landholders.
Within the CAP framework, detailed mapping
and extensive threatened species records are
used to identify key conservation areas. This
process is supported by workshops involving
key stakeholders.
The NYNRM Board and Greening Australia
have recently completed a draft summary of
achievements to date in conservation action
planning for the Southern Flinders Ranges.
The region covers an area of about 1.3 million
hectares from Port Pirie in the south, Hawker in
the north, the Flinders-Olary Plains to the east
and Spencer Gulf to the west.
This document throws light on the detail and
definitive approach to conservation assessment
and action in a sub-region.
Native vegetation covers around 76 per cent
of the Southern Flinders Ranges and 58 fauna
species of conservation significance have been
recorded in the region. There are about 1,700
landholders in the region with potentially
suitable land for conservation, including
government-owned parks and reserves.
By 2015:
• Restoring and protecting more than 50
per cent of permanent watered sections of
rivers, creeks and high priority water holes
associated with gorges, springs and seeps;
• Improving condition of coastal vegetation
impacted by recreational activities with
appropriate infrastructure and education;
• Controlling all core weed infestations and
eradicating any new or outlying infestations
from high priority coastal dunes;
• Controlling all core infestations and
eradicating any new or outlying infestations
of priority temperate weeds (for example,
roses, olives, Desert Ash, Montpellier Broom
and African Weed Orchid) from temperate
forests and woodlands.
The CAP process identified the viability of
conservation assets and applied an assessment
rating which showed coastal mangrove and
samphire communities were assessed to be in a
generally good condition.
Sandy coasts and dune were rated fair, but the
impact of weeds has been noted particularly
near townships. Rivers, creeks and waterholes
were considered to be in poor condition
generally because they were in highly cleared or
modified landscapes.
Northern mallee systems were considered good
overall, although areas in the Carrieton region
were noted as fragmented and impacted by
stock grazing. The viability of temperate grassy
ecosystems was ranked in poor condition,
particularly from inappropriate grazing regimes.
Temperate forests and woodlands with a
shrubby understorey were assessed to be fair
overall, with areas on the steeper ranges in
better condition due to inaccessibility for stock
grazing. A good rating was applied to arid
ecosystems, however grazing pressure was
noted north of Quorn while an abundance of
rabbits and goats are significant contributors to
vegetation decline.
Southern Flinders Ranges, site of an internationally
acclaimed conservation strategy.
Photo: Anne Brown
Escarpments, gorges, rocky outcrops and scree
slopes, the habitat for the yellow-footed rock
wallaby, were assessed to be in good condition,
but the threat of feral carnivores on fauna
populations was noted.
A series of threats to conservation assets were
summarised including inappropriate livestock
access and grazing, inappropriate cropping
practices, an abundance of feral carnivores
(foxes and cats), weeds, habitat fragmentation
from historic land clearance, excessive water
extraction and storage, unsustainable firewood
collection and inappropriate off-road vehicle
access.
Key CAP objectives have been identified for the
Southern Flinders Ranges.
By 2020:
• Eradicating outlying weeds of national
significance and establishing effective
containment lines around core infestations;
• Controlling all recognised opuntiod cacti and
African Boxthorn infestations and eradicating
any significant outlying populations;
• improving the viability of native fauna
species, particularly the yellow-footed rock
wallaby; and
• Improving vegetation condition and
increasing palatable native plant species in
areas heavily impacted by rabbits, goats, deer
and over-abundant kangaroos.
Todd Berkinshaw, Greening Australia’s State
conservation planner, said the CAP process
was now being applied across many regions
of Australia with the Northern and Yorke
NRM Board one of the earliest adopters and
strongest supporters of the process.
He said in the Southern Flinders Ranges, the
program was now moving out of the planning
stages and focusing on large-scale investment
into on-ground conservation.
“Importantly, as CAP is a collaborative planning
process between the key conservation groups
of the region, all now share a common vision
for conservation, and are working together to
achieve real on-ground change,” Todd added.
Wombats’ $38,500 rehabilitation
The coastal habitats of Wallaroo’s
hairy-nosed wombats will be upgraded.
The degraded coastal habitat of around 80
hairy-nosed wombats will be rehabilitated and
the wombats given health checks following a
$38,500 grant from the State Government’s
Community Grants program.
Glenn Shimmin, coordinator of the Wallaroo
Biodiversity Restoration Group was “very
pleased” about the result of its funding
application. He said the group was planning to
involve the community in the project, located
on an important piece of coastal habitat
immediately south of Wallaroo.
Besides local volunteers, project participants
include the Narrunga Aboriginal Community,
Northern and Yorke NRM Board, Copper Coast
Council and the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources.
The works will take place on a 32 hectare,
Viterra-owned site of largely intact coastal
habitat on 3.7 km of coastline. This site
contains the 80-strong wombat colony, the
fourth largest of Yorke Peninsula’s 30 wombat
populations.
The project will stabilize eroding dunes through
revegetation and improve the wombat’s habitat
by re-establishing native grasses. It will also
manage woody weeds and assess the
wombats for mange.
Mr Shimmin said native vegetation on Yorke
Peninsula had been heavily cleared and new
pressures were mounting on coastal habitats
through development.
“These pressures have resulted in the loss of
species and the fragmentation of habitats,”
Mr Shimmin said.
22 Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board