Byron Flora and Fauna Study 1999 - Byron Shire Council

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BYRON FLORA AND FAUNA STUDY, 1999 4 Some Threatened plant species are actually locally common in some areas in the Shire; however, their distribution outside the Shire is extremely limited. That is, the Shire provides the core habitat for these plants and it is essential that their populations are maintained in the Shire. 4 Environmental weeds are a major threat to Threatened plant species. 4 Some of the listed Threatened plant species are ‘ecologically extinct’; meaning that they have regeneration failure and an inability to disperse seeds effectively. This will lead to the decline of the species as existing plants senesce. Smooth Davidsonia Davidsonia sp. A and Hairy Quandong Elaeocarpus williamsianus are species that never or rarely reproduce by seed and they rely on root suckers. The future survival of such species is in jeopardy, as they cannot disperse to new sites. Habitat rehabilitation and active management is required to conserve these species effectively in the long term. FAUNA 4 The Shire is part of a region which is one of the richest and most diverse in Australia. Habitats are diverse and there is a particularly wide variety of niches for animals. The ranges of many tropical and temperate species overlap here. 4 420 terrestrial vertebrate species (30 amphibians, 45 reptiles, 283 birds and 62 mammals) are known from the Shire. One amphibian, five birds and six mammals are naturalised exotic species. 70 species or 17% are regarded as Threatened (listed as Endangered or Vulnerable under the TSC Act, 1995). 4 Targeted surveys were carried out for poorly known Threatened species (Loveridge’s Frog Philoria loveridgei, Stephen’s Banded Snake Holocephalus stephensii, Square-tailed Kite Lophoictinia isura, Comb-crested Jacana Irediparra gallinacea, Powerful Owl Ninox strenua, Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiae, Marbled Frogmouth Podargus ocellatus, Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens, Barred Cuckoo-shrike Coracina lineata). 4 Bats are widely distributed in the Shire. Significant bat assemblages are present and Vulnerable species (e.g. Eastern Tube-nosed Bat Nyctimene robinsoni, Yellow-bellied Sheathtail Bat Saccolaimus flaviventris, Golden-tipped Bat Kerivoula papuensis, Large-eared Pied Bat Chalinolobus dwyeri, Greater Broad-nosed Bat Scoteanax rueppellii) were detected during the surveys. 4 Surveys were carried out for microchiropteran bats, using ultrasonic detection methods, and targeting nine Vulnerable species at 52 sites. 4 Distribution maps were generated for all 70 Threatened fauna species from the database and are stored on Council’s GIS. HABITAT BLOCKS 4 Core areas of native vegetation with major importance as fauna habitat blocks are located mainly in the north and north-west of the Shire and along the coastal strip. These areas should be given priority for revegetation and rehabilitation. WILDLIFE CORRIDORS 4 A severance of the hinterland forests from the coastal vegetation systems has resulted from large scale clearing of the coastal plain and the basalt plateau. A tenuous connection remains in the Marshalls Ridge area in the north of the Shire linking Billinudgel Nature Reserve at North Ocean Shores to Inner Pocket Nature Reserve and through Tweed Shire to Mt Warning National Park. Other connections consist of a series of ‘islands’ of vegetation. 4 A narrow coastal corridor exists but it is interrupted by settlements and clearings. 15
A GREENPRINT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 4 Corridors do not necessarily consist of continuous vegetation as some animals (particularly the more mobile species) are capable of ‘island hopping’ between patches of vegetation and isolated trees. It should be a priority to establish links between vegetation patches within a functioning wildlife corridor. 4 Consolidation and expansion of habitat patches may sometimes be a better use of resources than the creation of a corridor. However, this needs to be considered on a site by site basis and landscape context needs to be taken into consideration. WEEDS AND REHABILITATION 4 Environmental weeds seriously threaten the Shire’s biodiversity. A large number of environmental weeds are known in the Shire. To guide management, further ground-based surveys are required to determine their distribution and abundance. 4 Education of the community and the horticultural industry is needed to prevent planting of ecologically damaging species, and to prevent dumping of garden refuse. 4 Some weed species, which are problematic in the region, are absent or in small localised infestations within the Shire. An opportunity exists to eliminate or contain them. 4 Integrated rehabilitation techniques that aim to restore important ecosystem functions are recommended as they will improve an ecosystem’s ability to naturally regenerate and promote conditions that will disadvantage the establishment of exotic species. Weed removal strategies that target single species are only recommended where early intervention of a serious weed will prevent the spread or establishment of a more serious infestation. In these instances the removal of seed sources (propagules) is a primary aim. 4 The value of some weeds for fauna food resources and shelter must be considered in any strategy. THE FUTURE 4 Despite some areas of the Shire’s vegetation being in a degraded condition, they still possess high conservation values for fauna habitat attributes and the presence of Rare or Threatened plant species, and excellent potential for consolidation and rehabilitation. 4 As native vegetation cover is already severely depleted in the Shire, it is now essential to retain and enhance the remaining native vegetation and revegetate to the extent that other land uses and available resources will allow. Measures required include: 16 • protection of remaining vegetation • rehabilitation of degraded vegetation • enrichment of species-poor regrowth • natural regeneration, with management where necessary • direct seeding • planting 4 There is a strong need to protect and manage the rainforest remnants and small forested areas with old trees, particularly those remnant areas on the coastal plain. 4 Protection and enhancement of vegetation, flora and fauna on private land is a special responsibility for landowners and managers in this biologically important region. Conservation agreements and co-operative local strategies, coupled with liaison with NSW NPWS where management of Threatened species and their habitats is involved, are suggested. 4 Existing GIS and databases are in a form which can readily be built on to assist management on Shire-wide or local scales.
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Byron Flora and Fauna Study 1999 - Byron Shire Council

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