Tender for the Programme - South West Catchments Council

DRAFT
South West Regional NRM Strategy – Ancillary Document
Carnaby’s and Red-tailed Black
Cockatoos; migratory shorebirds;
all native freshwater crayfish and
some native freshwater fish (incl.
pouched lamprey).
TECs (Community types 3c, 7, 8,
9, 18 and 19).
Other ecological communities (7
including the White Mangrove).
Various wetlands, including
Leschenault Estuary, Kemerton
wetland chain and billabongs
along Collie River.
Eastern estuary nature reserves.
Dryandra Reserve.
Migratory shorebirds.
Remnant vegetation.
Microbial mats (Lake Preston).
Mt Chudalup
Native fauna
Native flora
Peat swamps
Yeagarup Dunes
Ecosystem Solutions (2009) refined this information, assigning priority ranking on the basis of 38 criteria in
the following five groupings:
Richness (2 criteria);
Rarity (22 criteria);
Distinctiveness (3 criteria);
Representativeness (9 criteria); and
Naturalness (2 criteria).
Eight bio-landscapes were then identified as the highest value biodiversity assets in the South West NRM
region that would protect priority fauna and/or flora species/communities, in addition to rare and/or
endangered vegetation associations. A further 11 assets of secondary priority were also identified that
contained only priority fauna and/or flora species.
In the current strategy, aquatic biodiversity has been separated out from terrestrial biodiversity, as aquatic
fauna and flora have generally been under-represented in past documents and are subject to different
issues and management options. Indeed, aquatic biodiversity assets haven’t been identified as a specific
theme area at either State, regional or catchment level, but a number of priority assets are listed in various
documents that can be included in this theme area. They include:
All “Critically endangered”, “Endangered” and “Estuarine dependent” aquatic species.
Aquatic fauna including all native freshwater fish and crayfish, with priority given to Margaret River
freshwater crayfish, Dunsborough freshwater crayfish, Balston’s Pygmy Perch and the lamprey eel.
Very little is known about most aquatic species, so this list will undoubtedly be expanded at various levels
as time goes on.
4.1.2 Previously identified threats to the region’s terrestrial biodiversity
The following threats were identified as key threats for biodiversity in the six IBRA regions represented in
the South West (State NRM Office 2007, Ecosystem Solutions 2009 – high-level threats are shown in
bold):
Climate change;
Dieback (Phytophthora spp);
Decreasing rainfall (drought);
Fire (including inappropriate fire management regimes);
Environmental weeds (Category A) and introduced animals (cats, European fox, rabbits);
Problem species (introduced and native – European Honey Bee, Kookaburra, Minahs, Galahs,
Corellas);
Habitat fragmentation and/or isolation;
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