National Recovery Plan for Eucalyptus Recurva, Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW), Hurstville
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NATIONAL RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE MONGARLOWE MALLEE Eucalyptus recurva © Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW), 2011. This work is copyright. However, material presented in this plan may be copied for personal use or published for educational purposes, providing that any extracts are fully acknowledged. Apart from this and any other use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW). Prepared by: Biodiversity Conservation Section Environment Protection and Regulation Group Office of Environment and Heritage (NSW) PO Box 733 Queanbeyan NSW 2620 Tel: 02 62297000 Prepared in accordance with the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995. This plan should be cited as follows: Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW) 2010. National Recovery Plan for Eucalyptus recurva, Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW), Hurstville. ISBN: 978 1 74232 844 7 OEH 2010/573 Cover photographs: Flowering and fruiting branchlets of the Mongarlowe Mallee, and one of the Mongarlowe Mallee plants from near Mongarlowe. Photographer: J. D. Briggs DISCLAIMER The attainment of objectives and the provision of funds may be subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, and may also be constrained by the need to address other conservation priorities. Approved recovery actions may be subject to modifications due to changes in knowledge and changes in conservation status. Summary This document constitutes the formal National Recovery Plan for the Mongarlowe Mallee. The plan considers the conservation requirements of the species across its known range, identifies the actions to be taken to ensure its long-term viability in nature and the parties who will undertake these actions. The Mongarlowe Mallee is listed as Critically Endangered under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act), and Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Mongarlowe Mallee is a mallee which grows to 4.2 m tall and which has distinctive small, opposite, outwardly curved leaves. The species is only known from four sites on the Southern Tablelands of NSW, three near Mongarlowe and one near Windellama. Three of these sites each support only single plants and the other site has three individuals. The sites are all privately owned. The overall objective of this Recovery Plan is to ensure that the current natural population of the Mongarlowe Mallee is maintained. The future Recovery Actions detailed in this Recovery Plan include: Monitor individuals Sites are protected in the long-term Complete genetic studies Undertake additional combinations of hand pollination Trial new vegetative propagation techniques Establish ex-situ populations Erect fencing at Windellama Lower the maximum water level of the dam at Windellama Revegetate the berm adjacent to the Windellama plants Abbreviations used in this Plan OEH Office of Environment and Heritage, New South Wales EP&A Act Environment Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 (NSW) EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (Commonwealth) IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature TSC Act Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) 3 SPECIES INFORMATION AND GENERAL REQUIREMENTS Description The Mongarlowe Mallee (Eucalyptus recurva) is a few- to many- stemmed mallee eucalypt, with individuals varying from 1.5 m to 4.2 m in height. The stems have smooth, orange-brown to grey bark and arise from a substantial (up to 7.5 m x 12 m in diameter) lignotuberous rootsystem. Seedling leaves are opposite, broad elliptic to obovate, 1.3 –3.0 cm long and 0.7-1.6 cm wide, the leaf tip blunt. Adult leaves are opposite, each pair arranged at right angles to the next, narrow-elliptic, tapered to both ends and the tips conspicuously recurved, to 2.8 cm long and 0.7 cm broad, with abundant oil glands. Flowers are white, arranged in clusters of three on a common stalk to 5.5 mm long. Buds are broad-ovoid, up to 6 mm long and 5 mm broad. Fruits are depressed-hemispherical woody capsule 2.5 – 3.5 x 4.5 – 6 mm. There are 3 or 4 valves just below the capsule summit. Flowering occurs for a period of about 2 weeks, normally commencing in the second week of January. The size of the six known plants varies considerably. The largest individual near Windellama has 78 stems over 2 cm diameter, ranging from 1.5 to 2.8 m in height. The stems arise from an extensive lignotuber occupying an oblong area of 7.5 m x 12 m. The smallest plant (also near Windellama) has only five stems, with the tallest being about 1 metre high. Another plant nearby has seven stems and is currently 1.9 m in height. It is not known whether the three plants near Windellama (two are about 10 m apart, 40 m from the other) are genetically different, or whether they may have originated in the distant past from a common lignotuber. The sizes of the three plants located near Mongarlowe are: (a) 20 stems to 2 m high and a lignotuber spread of 5 x 3 m. (b) 50 stems to 4.2 m high in the mid-1990s, but these had all died by 2009. The plant is resprouting from the lignotuber, which covers an area 2.8 m x 1.8 m. (c) 6 stems to 1.5 m high from a lignotuber 1 m across. Distribution The Mongarlowe Mallee is known from four sites on the Southern Tablelands of NSW, three near Mongarlowe and one near Windellama (Figure 1). Three of these sites support what are believed to be single plants, whilst the other has three individuals present. All occurrences are within largely uncleared country that is unsuitable for agriculture. It therefore appears that the species is naturally rare, rather than having been reduced in numbers through human activities. The first botanical specimen of this species was collected from one of the Mongarlowe plants by a local landholder in August 1985. The species was subsequently described in 1988 by M.D. Crisp. A second plant in the Mongarlowe area was discovered in 1990 by a botanical consultant undertaking a vegetation survey in relation to the then proposed Welcome Reef Dam. A third plant which is located north of Mongarlowe was detected during a targeted aerial survey conducted by NPWS in January 2001. It was not until 1994 that the larger of the Windellama plants was found. This find was made during a flora and fauna study being undertaken prior to a mining company submitting a Development Application for an extension to a clay mining operation. A smaller plant near the larger Windellama plant was not found until 2001. The third plant at Windellama was found in 2010, only about 10 m from the smaller plant. The stems are all fairly small, being up to 10 mm in diameter, and show evidence of having been broken or browsed in the past. 4 Figure 1. Map showing the four sites of Mongarlowe Mallee Habitat The species is found in low heathland and in some cases at the margins of the heathland and adjacent low woodland. The woodlands are dominated by Brittle Gum (Eucalyptus mannifera) and Snow Gum (E. pauciflora), but scattered Candlebark (E. rubida) and Broad-leaved Peppermint (E. dives) trees are also nearby at some sites. In the Mongarlowe area the heathland is dominated by Stunted Sheoak (Allocasuarina nana) with emergent shrubs of Finger Hakea (Hakea dactyloides), a Tea-tree (Leptospermum sp.) and Hairpin Banksia (Banksia spinulosa). Other associated species include Trigger Plant (Stylidium graminifolium), Boronia rhomboidea, Isopogon prostratus, Lepidosperma laterale, Mirbelia oxylobioides, Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea var. longifolia), Petrophile pulchella, and a Speargrass (Austrostipa sp.). At Windellama the heathland is more diverse and dominated by a sedge (Restio sp.) and a prostrate Kunzea (Kunzea sp. nov.). Other associated species include Oxylobium sp., Common Fringe Myrtle (Calytrix tetragona), Allocasuarina sp., Bracken Fern (Pteridium esculentum), Geebung (Persoonia sp.), Lepidosperma laterale, Gahnia sp., Two-spiked Rush (Lomandra longifolia), Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Trigger Plant (Stylidium graminifolium), Juncus sp., Sowerbaea juncea and several grasses, including Lovegrass (Eragrostis brownii), Purple Wire-grass (Aristida ramosa), Tussock Grass (Poa sieberiana) and a Wallaby Grass (Notodanthonia sp.). 5 All sites are on gentle slopes, with the site aspects ranging from easterly to northerly to westerly. The Mongarlowe plants occur from mid to upper slope, whilst the Windellama plants are on the lower part of a gentle slope. At all sites the soil is a shallow, pale-grey sandy loam overlying white or grey clay. Site tenure All four sites are on freehold land, owned privately. Biology and ecology Life Cycle No seedling establishment has been observed at any of the known sites and survival of the species in the wild currently appears dependent on the survival of the existing adults, most of which appear to be already of a great age. The extent of flowering among the six known individuals is highly variable. The first known Mongarlowe plant has flowered prolifically every year it has been observed since its discovery. The second plant found near Mongarlowe also flowered prolifically until it suffered major die-back of most of its stems sometime between 1995 and 2000. The third plant near Mongarlowe flowered prolifically in 2001, 2002 and 2003, and budded for flowering in January 2004. This plant has not been visited since then. The larger of the Windellama plants had not been observed to flower from the time of its discovery in 1994 until 2001. That plant then flowered in 2001 and 2002 and had buds present for another flowering in 2003.