Cell Descriptions - South East Natural Resources Management Board

SE4 – Blackfellows Caves
shrubland over Lepidosperma gladiatum, Isolepsis nodosa over ground covers. 1 km W of Black Rock
is sedgeland/ rushland, (Juncus sp.). Areas of Eucalyptus obliqua woodland, are found at the inner
edge of boundary, near Carpenter Rocks. Gahnia filum sedgelands are found within an extension
of the inland boundary at Jones Bay.
There are 200 bird species listed for this cell including the State listed endangered White-bellied
Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata), Eastern Osprey (Pandion
cristatus), and Little (Sternula albifrons) and Fairy (Sternula nereis) Terns. 14 butterflies, 10 mammals,
7 reptiles and 6 amphibians have also been recorded and include the EPBC listed endangered
Leathery Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).
Benthic Habitat
Entirely heavy limestone reef inshore, with low platform reef beyond about 1 km offshore.
Land Use/ Land Ownership
29% of the cell is protected in NPW Act reserve - Nene Valley Conservation Park; (see 'Small
Coastal Parks Management Plan', 1994) and Douglas Point Conservation Park. Nodal residential
settlements at Nene Valley and Blackfellows Caves. Narrow Crown land reserve between
Blackfellows Caves and Pelican Point, seaward of the Pelican Point road reserve, widens and
thins in sections along its length. Adjoining the eastern edge of Nene Valley, three Crown
Leasehold allotments extend in a ribbon along the coast within vegetated dunes.
Values/ Uses (Field visits and local reports)
Large parts of the coastal reserve are cleared and grazed. However, large areas of coastal
vegetation are also protected in reserves or heritage agreements. Nene Valley and Blackfellows
Caves are popular residential and holiday settlements. Aboriginal Heritage values throughout.
Threats (Field visits and local reports)
The Blackfellows Caves end of Nene Valley CP is heavily impacted by ORV tracks. The CP is
also threatened by pest plant and animal incursion from the settlements at either end.
Opportunities
As per the Small Coastal Parks Management Plan 1994, road reserves adjoining and internal to
the CP should be included within the park. The management plan should be revised and
expanded to improve the habitat values of the park.
Conservation Analysis (GIS)
The sum of conservation means is medium to high within the region for this cell (130.2),
although only 29% of the area of this cell is protected. Detailed summary conservation values
(see map below) are medium to high within the dunes between Jones Bay and Black Rock, there
are high totals in the remnant vegetated area in the Nene Valley Swamp, (inland from Jones Bay),
and adjacent to Nene Valley CP.
Distribution of endemic floristic vegetation, bird habitat, reptile an amphibian habitat, butterfly
habitat, habitat for Orange-bellied Parrot (focal species), viewscape and viewshed analysis, and
vegetation metrics all contribute strongly to this high priority.
Where native vegetation has been mapped, as part of the state floristic vegetation survey, the
sand dune areas score highly, with over 80% of the state’s endemic vegetation area for this
association; the lack of mapping of the near coastal wetlands gives these no values on this layer.
Total numbers of bird species are moderate to high through the region, with high values in the
small sedgelands (Jones Bay) and E. obliqua areas; these two areas also record moderate numbers
of threatened bird species, while the rest of the cell show low totals. The same spatial pattern is
Limestone Coast and Coorong Coastal Action Plan 257