Brigalow Belt bioregion – a biodiversity jewel Brigalow habitat © Craig Eddie What is brigalow? including eucalypt and cypress pine forests and The term ‘brigalow’ is used simultaneously to refer to; woodlands, grasslands and other Acacia dominated the tree Acacia harpophylla; an ecological community ecosystems. dominated by this tree and often found in conjunction with other species such as belah, wilga and false Along the eastern boundary of the Brigalow Belt are sandalwood; and a broader region where this species scattered patches of semi-evergreen vine thickets with and ecological community are present. bright green canopy species that are highly visible among the more silvery brigalow communities. These The Brigalow Belt bioregion patches are a dry adapted form of rainforest, relics of a much wetter past. The Brigalow Belt bioregion is a large and complex area covering 36,400 000ha. The region is thus recognised What are the issues? by the Australian Government as a biodiversity hotspot. Nature conservation in the region has received increasing attention because of the rapid and extensive This hotspot contains some of the most threatened loss of habitat that has occurred. Since World War wildlife in the world, including populations of the II the Brigalow Belt bioregion has become a major endangered bridled nail-tail wallaby and the only agricultural and pastoral area. Broad-scale clearing for remaining wild population of the endangered northern agriculture and unsustainable grazing has fragmented hairy-nosed wombat. The area contains important the original vegetation in the past, particularly on habitat for rare and threatened species including the, lowland areas. glossy black-cockatoo, bulloak jewel butterfl y, brigalow scaly-foot, red goshawk, little pied bat, golden-tailed geckos and threatened community of semi evergreen Biodiversity hotspots are areas that support vine thickets. Sadly, there are already plants and animals that once lived in the Brigalow Belt that we signifi cant biodiversity values threatened have lost forever such as the Darling Downs hopping- with destruction. mouse and paradise parrot. Eighty percent of the bioregion lies within Queensland, Map 1. Queensland Brigalow Belt Bioregion the remainder lies within New South Wales. The bioregion stretches up north to Townsville in Queensland extending south of Dubbo in central-western New South Wales. The bioregion is divided into Brigalow Belt North and Brigalow Belt South. What are the characteristics of the Brigalow Belt in Queensland The bioregion is charcterised by the brigalow tree Acacia harpophylla, a wattle tree with silvery foliage that grows as forests or woodlands on clay soils. The canopy is usually 10-15m in height, and brigalow is the dominant tree species. However large areas of the bioregion are dominated by other communities What is a bioregion? Bioregions are relatively large land areas containing natural ecological communities with characteristic fl ora, fauna, and environmental conditions, and are bounded by natural rather than artifi cial borders. © Environmental Protection Agency 2008 Brigalow habitat © Alison Goodland What are the issues? continued... The bioregion occupies an area nearly 20 percent of Weeds such as parthenium have invaded many areas Queensland. Despite the threat to so many species and replaced native ground layer plants. Inappropriate only approximately 3.6 percent of the region is in fi re regimes and predation by feral animals, in particular protected areas. Of the 163 regional ecosystems pigs, cats and foxes, pose additional threats to local identifi ed in the Brigalow Belt in Queensland by plant biodiversity. ecologists, 33 are classifi ed as endangered and 32 as being of concern. How you can help • Protect remnant bush in your community or on your land to help provide habitat for all our native species. • Support local efforts to conserve threatened species in your area by joining a local organisation such as a Landcare or catchment group, natural history or a ‘friends of’ group or by volunteering for Green Corps or the Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers. • Participate in special events, information nights, tree planting days and weed eradication programs. • Help manage threats such as overgrazing, weeds, fi re and feral animals to maintain healthy native vegetation. To fi nd out more about saving threatened species check out www.wwf.org.au/tsn or contact the Threatened Species Network at [email protected]. © WWF-Australia June 2008 Golden-tailed gecko © Craig Eddie Brigalow scaly-foot Spinifex habitat © Craig Eddie Description It shelters beneath sandstone slabs, logs, loose bark, The Brigalow scaly-foot is a legless lizard, lead grey dense leaf litter and in grass tussocks, including to greyish brown in colour. The base of the head is spinifex. It is also known to climb small trees, using cream to pale brown, darkening towards the snout and the trunk and main branches and climbing to heights in contrasting sharply with the black bar on the base of excess of two metres. the head. This lizard is quite heavy set with a round On Boyne Island, sap from hickory wattle forms a snout and moderately large limb-fl aps. The scales major portion of the diet of both adults and juveniles. are smooth and glossy and usually occur in 18, or While primarily ground-dwelling, individuals from this occasionally 20, rows. population have been recorded climbing the rough Distribution bark of wattles to lick exuding sap. Studies on captured female species from Boyne Island record the species The core distribution of the Brigalow scaly-foot is within laying two eggs in early November with the eggs the Brigalow Belt of Queensland. It extends north to hatching in late January. the southern Desert Uplands bioregion, south west of Charters Towers, and west to Idalia National Park in Scientifi c Name: the Mulga Lands bioregion. One specimen has been Paradelma orientalis recently recorded from Wyaga in New South Wales, just south of the Queensland border. Conservation Status Habitat Vulnerable - IUCN Red The Brigalow scaly-foot is found in open forests and List of Threatened Species woodlands of ironbark, poplar box, cypress pine, belah, (International) bulloak, spotted gum, brigalow, gidgee, lancewood and hickory wattle. They have also been found in vine Vulnerable - Environment thickets. Topography varies from sandstone ridges to Protection and Biodiversity fl ats and gently undulating plains with clay, loam or Conservation Act 1999 sand. (National) Ecology and Life Cycle Vulnerable - Nature Conservation Act, 1992 The Brigalow scaly-foot is nocturnal, which means it is (Queensland) active during the night. When alarmed it rears its head and fore body and fl ickers its tongue, possibly to mimic a venomous snake. Brigalow scaly-foot © S.Wilson Key Threats Inappropriate fi re regimes: Fire frequency, intensity, Inappropriate roadside management: Roadsides and season, type and extent of fi res over time, infl uence road reserves often provide suitable reptile habitat. biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Inappropriate Populations of reptiles that live within linear remnants, fi re regimes can potentially alter ecosystem structure such as roadside strips, are particularly vulnerable and impact on the species habitat requirements by, for to disturbances that remove essential microhabitat example, removing food sources and shelter. features, for example, rocks, logs, dense leaf litter and fallen bark. Threats can arise from inappropriate Did You Know? roadside burns, slashing and road widening. Despite their snake-like appearance, the legless lizards are unlikely cousins of the Feral animals: The Brigalow scaly-foot is vulnerable to predation by foxes, cats and pigs. geckos. How to help • Support pest management activities which seek to address feral animal threats e.g. foxes, cats and pigs. • Maintain large, healthy, connected patches of native vegetation and avoid ploughing remnant strips/patches of native grassland or woodland. • Ensure grazing practices are sustainable, maintaining at least 70% ground cover. • If burning, use cool burns in a mosaic pattern that promote patchiness and leave areas of ground cover unburnt. If possible, leave stick-raked timber piles unburnt. • Consider entering into a conservation agreement (e.g. Land for Wildlife, Nature Refuges or incentive agreements through grant programs) for conservation and land management assistance. • Report sightings to WWF-Australia, the Queensland Museum or the EPA/QPWS. Taking a photo of live or dead specimens is useful to help identifi cation. To fi nd out more about saving threatened species check out www.wwf.org.au/tsn or contact the Threatened Species Network at [email protected]. © WWF-Australia June 2008 Cleared habitat © Alison Goodland Collared delma Poplar box habitat © Craig Eddie Description Ecology and Life Cycle The collared delma is the smallest of the legless lizards, The collared delma is a secretive, burrowing fl ap- growing to a total length of 15 centimetres with a tail footed lizard that shelter under rocks, logs, leaf litter twice the length of its body. and in soil cracks. They are most active during the day, however, also become active during the evening or This lizard resembles a small snake or large worm and twilight during warmer weather. is coloured reddish-brownish on top with a bluish grey fl ush to the tail. The head and neck is strongly banded They are presumed to be solitary and long lived (greater with broad black and narrow yellow/red bands. The chin