This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Approved Conservation Advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) Approved Conservation Advice for Leptospermum deanei This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this Conservation Advice was approved; this includes existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this species. Description Leptospermum deanei, Family Myrtaceae, is a shrub growing to 5 m high, with bark shedding in long strips. Leaves are 10–15 mm long, 1–2 mm wide and sessile (stalkless). Flowers are 8–10 mm in diameter, solitary, with 5 white petals, and occur from October to November. Fruits are capsules 3.5 mm in diameter (Thompson, 1989; Thompson & Logan, 2002). Conservation Status Leptospermum deanei is listed as vulnerable. This species is eligible for listing as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) as, prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as vulnerable under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). Leptospermum deanei is also listed as vulnerable under Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW). Distribution and Habitat Leptospermum deanei occurs in Sydney’s north-western suburbs, along Lane Cove River, upper Middle Harbour Creek, Calna Creek, Marramarrra Creek, Devlins Creek (Pennant Hills Park) and Galston Gorge (Thompson, 1989; Benson & McDougall, 1998). It is reserved within the Davidson State Recreation area, Marramarra National Park (NP) and Garigal NP. The most substantial population is along Middle Harbour Creek within Garigal NP (Benson & McDougall, 1998). The species grows on sandy alluvial soils and sand over sandstone on lower hill slopes and riparian zones. Associated vegetation communities include riparian shrubland, woodland and open forest. Associated species in riparian scrub are Tristaniopsis laurina and Baeckea myrtifolia; woodland species include Eucalyptus haemastoma; and open forest species are Angophora costata, Leptospermum trinervium, and Banksia ericifolia (Benson & McDougall, 1998). This species occurs within the Hawkesbury–Nepean and Sydney Metro (NSW) Natural Resource Management Regions. The distribution of this species overlaps with the following EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities: • Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion, and • Turpentine-Ironbark Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion. Threats The main identified threats to L. deanei include stochastic events; invasion by exotic weeds; water eutrophication; pollution; and inappropriate fire regimes (Benson, 1990; Benson & McDougall, 1998; DECC, 2005a). Leptospermum deanei Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Research Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include: • Design and implement a monitoring program or, if appropriate, support and enhance existing programs. • More precisely assess population size, distribution, fire ecology, ecological requirements and the relative impacts of threatening processes. • Research the impacts of upstream development, such as water pollution, sedimentation and change in water flows (DECC, 2005b). • Issue environmental impact assessment guidelines for use by councils and determining authorities (DECC, 2005b). Regional Priority Actions The following regional priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of L. deanei. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Monitor known populations to identify key threats. • Monitor the progress of recovery, including the effectiveness of management actions and the need to adapt them if necessary. • Monitor pollution and identify any adverse impacts. • Identify populations of high conservation priority. • Manage threats to areas of vegetation that contain populations/occurrences/remnants of L. deanei. • Ensure maintenance activities (or other infrastructure or development activities as appropriate) in areas where L. deanei occurs do not adversely impact on known populations. • Manage any changes to hydrology that may result in changes to the water table levels, increased run-off, sedimentation or pollution. • Manage any disruptions to water flows. Fire • Develop and implement a suitable fire management strategy for L. deanei. • Identify appropriate intensity and interval of fire to promote seed germination. • Provide maps of known occurrences to local and state rural fire services and seek inclusion of mitigative measures in bush fire risk management plans, risk register and/or operation maps. Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations • Undertake appropriate seed collection and storage for NSW Seedbank and develop collection program of multiple provenances with the Botanic Gardens Trust (DECC, 2005b). • Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. • Implement national translocation protocols (Vallee et al, 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible. Local Priority Actions The following local priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of L. deanei. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences/remnants (DECC, 2005b). Leptospermum deanei Conservation Advice - Page 2 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 • Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites. • Protect populations of the listed species through the development of further conservation agreements and/or covenants. Invasive Weeds • Identify, remove, and prevent introduction of weeds in the local area, which could become a threat to L. deanei, using appropriate methods (DECC, 2005b). • Ensure chemicals or other mechanisms used to eradicate weeds do not have a significant adverse impact on L deanei. This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to L. deanei, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice. Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species • Garigal National Park Plan of Management (DECC, 1998), • Marra Marra National Park, Muogamarra Nature Reserve and Maroota Historic Site Plan of Management (DECC, 1998), and • NSW Priority Action Statement for Leptospermum deanei (DECC, 2005b). These prescriptions were current at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agency’s website for any updated versions. Information Sources: Benson, D 1990, ‘Leptospermum: Rare or threatened species in New South Wales’, Cunninghamia, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 337–341, National Herbarium of New South Wales, Sydney. Benson, D & McDougall, L 1998, ‘Ecology of Sydney plant species: Part 6 Dicotyledon family Myrtaceae’, Cunninghamia, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 809–987. Department of Environment & Climate Change New South Wales (DECC) 1998, Garigal National Park Plan of Management, viewed 18 April 2008, <http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/pomFinalGarigal.pdf> Department of Environment & Climate Change New South Wales (DECC) 1998, Marra Marra National Park, Muogamarra Nature Reserve and Maroota Historic Site Plan of Management, viewed 18 April 2008, <http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/PoMMarramarraNPMuogamarraNRMarootaHS.pdf> Department of Environment & Climate Change New South Wales (DECC) 2005a, ‘Leptospermum deanei – Profile’, viewed 18 April 2008, <http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10468> Department of Environment & Climate Change New South Wales (DECC) 2005b, ‘Leptospermum deanei – Priority actions (New South Wales Threatened Species Priority Action Statement)’, viewed 18 March 2008, <http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_profile.aspx?id=10468> Thompson, J 1989, ‘A revision of the genus Leptospermum (Myrtaceae)’, Telopea, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 301–448. Thompson, J & Logan, V 2002, ‘Leptospermum’ in: Harden, GJ (Ed.) Flora of New South Wales, vol.2, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, pp. 178–193. Vallee, L, Hogbin, T, Monks, L, Makinson, B, Matthes, M & Rossetto, M 2004, Guidelines for the Translocation of Threatened Plants in Australia - Second Edition, Australian Network for Plant Conservation, Canberra. Leptospermum deanei Conservation Advice - Page 3 of 3 .