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King Island Biodiversity Management Plan 2012–2022

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KING ISLAND BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT PLAN 2012–2022 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This Plan is a King Island Community document prepared by Debbi Delaney under a Steering Committee composed of King Island Community representatives and Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) representatives. The content of the plan reflects the knowledge and experience of the King Island Community augmented by inputs from staff of the Threatened Species Section of DPIPWE and the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC). The Plan was based upon a draft prepared by Lauren Barrow in 2008. The preparation of the Plan was funded by King Island Natural Resource Management Group, the King Island Council, DSEWPaC, and DPIPWE. Citation: Threatened Species Section (2012). King Island Biodiversity Management Plan. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart. © Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and the Environment This work is copyright. It may be reproduced for study, research or training purposes subject to an acknowledgement of the sources and no commercial usage or sale. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Section Head, Threatened Species Section, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart. Note: The King Island Biodiversity Management Plan (KIBMP) has been prepared under the provisions of both the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (TSP Act). Adoption as a national Recovery Plan under the EPBC Act refers only to species listed under the EPBC Act. ISBN: 978-0-7246-6794-9 (pdf) 978-0-7246-6795-6 (print) Cover Photos: Left to right: Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis) courtesy of Chris Tzaros (Birds Australia); Green and Gold Frog (Litoria raniformis) and leafy greenhood (Pterostylis cucullata subsp. cucullata) courtesy of Mark Wapstra. Abbreviations DECCW New South Wales Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water1 DSEWPaC Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities2 DPI Victorian Department of Primary Industries DPIPWE Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment 3 EPBC Act Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 FPA Forest Practices Authority FP Act Tasmanian Forest Practices Act 1985 KI King Island KIC King Island Council KIBMP King Island Biodiversity Management Plan KIFMAC King Island Fire Management Area Committee KINRMG King Island Natural Resource Management Group NC Act Tasmanian Nature Conservation Act 2002 NRM Natural Resource Management OBPRT Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team PWS Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, DPIPWE RMCD Resource Management and Conservation Division, DPIPWE TLC Tasmanian Land Conservancy TSP Act Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 TSS Threatened Species Section, DPIPWE 1 Now Office of the Environment and Heritage 2 Formerly the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) 3 Formerly the Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) and the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE). King Island Biodiversity Management Plan i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY King Island, located at the western entrance to Bass Strait, is treasured by residents and visitors alike for its valuable natural assets and way of life — the natural assets underpinning the Island’s main industries and leisure activities. The Island is home to a range of native plants and animals, some of which are under threat of extinction. Plant species under threat include, but are not restricted to, native orchids and ferns, whilst the animal species include the locally endemic threatened birds, the King Island Brown Thornbill and King Island Scrubtit amongst others. It is important to manage these valuable natural assets that make King Island special to ensure their future. The management of biodiversity, including threatened species, is a crucial part of protecting the environment. This does not necessarily mean dramatically changing existing land use practices, but instead developing better approaches within them. The King Island Biodiversity Management Plan aims to manage the Island’s biodiversity in a manner that not only improves the viability of threatened flora and fauna, but also acknowledges the social and economic needs of the Island’s residents. The Plan has been developed as a cooperative approach between the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Tasmanian Government Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment and the King Island Natural Resource Management Group. In addition King Island Council, residents and a range community groups, have been actively involved in many elements of the Plan. The overall aim of the Plan is that by 2020 there are viable, healthy populations of priority flora and fauna species and vegetation communities on King Island. To achieve this overall aim, the Plan identifies actions to: recover threatened species; address biodiversity management on the Island; address threats to biodiversity and priority species; monitor biodiversity trends to inform decision making; and research to address knowledge gaps to inform adaptive management. King Island Biodiversity Management Plan ii CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. ii 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Scope of the Plan .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Interaction with other documents .................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Legislative context ............................................................................................................................................ 5 1.4 International obligations .................................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 Management Plan preparation and exhibition ............................................................................................. 7 2. KING ISLAND AND ITS PEOPLE ........................................................................................... 8 2.1 Description of King Island.............................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 European settlement ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2.3 King Island’s people ......................................................................................................................................... 9 2.4 Community consultation ............................................................................................................................... 10 3. KING ISLAND FLORA AND FAUNA ..................................................................................... 12 3.1 Threatened species categories ....................................................................................................................... 12 3.2. Flora ................................................................................................................................................................. 12 3.3 Vegetation communities ................................................................................................................................ 12 3.4 Fauna ................................................................................................................................................................. 13 3.5 Current EBPC Act and TSP Act listings .................................................................................................... 14 4. THREATS .................................................................................................................................. 17 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 4.2 The past ............................................................................................................................................................ 17 4.3 Known and potential threats to King Island’s biodiversity ..................................................................... 19 5. KING ISLAND BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT ............................................................... 26 5.1 Management objectives .............................................................................................................................. 26 5.2 Priority species for management on King Island ...................................................................................... 26 5.3 Priority vegetation communities for management on King Island ......................................................... 27 5.4 Priority threats for management on King Island ......................................................................................
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