The Status and Distribution of Non-Native Plants on the Gazetted and Territorial Islands Off the North Coast of Western Australia
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Conservation Science W. Aust. 10 : 8 (2016) The status and distribution of non-native plants on the gazetted and territorial islands off the north coast of Western Australia MICHAEL THOMAS LOHR 1,2, CHERYL ANNE LOHR 1*, GREG KEIGHERY 3 AND VICKI LONG 4 1 Department of Parks and Wildlife, Science and Conservation Division, Woodvale Research Centre, Wanneroo WA 6946, Australia 2 Edith Cowan University, School of Natural Sciences, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia 3 Department of Parks and Wildlife, Science and Conservation Division, Kensington WA 6151, Australia 4 Vicki Long & Associates (VLA), Karratha WA 6714, Australia * Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Non-native plants pose a substantial threat to island ecosystems in Australia and worldwide. A better understanding of weed distributions is necessary to more effectively manage natural resources on islands. To address this need for Western Australian islands, we created a database of all available records of non-native plants on these islands. Here we report on records from all islands located along the coast of the Pilbara and Kimberley regions in the northern half of Western Australia as well as territorial islands including Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands and the islands of Ashmore Reef. From 2936 individual records, a total of 403 non- native plant species were recorded on 100 Pilbara islands, 51 Kimberley islands and 21 territorial islands. Some of the species are known to be serious environmental weeds. We provide some information on the invasive characteristics and management of 14 environmental weeds for oceanic islands and 12 environmental weeds for continental islands. Developing management plans to address these species, as well as surveying islands adjacent to known infestations, should be a conservation priority for north coast islands. Improved biosecurity procedures and enforcement could prevent the establishment of new island weed populations and reduce future costs associated with the management of active infestations. Keywords: Australian territorial islands, Kimberley, non-native plants, Pilbara INTRODUCTION knowledge gaps that the Conservation Commission listed as impairing effective management of island Deleterious effects of non-native plants on native reserves was a lack of review of weed occurrence and biodiversity and ecosystem function have been control methods. documented worldwide (Vila et al. 2011). Introductions Islands along the north coast of Western Australia of non-native species represent a substantial component (WA) have a sporadic history of disturbance and of anthropogenic global environmental change and deliberate plant introductions. Islands in this region disproportionally affect islands (Vitousek et al. 1997). range from unnamed, occasionally submerged rocks The Conservation Commission of Western Australia to Barrow Island in the Pilbara, which covers over (2010) identified the establishment of non-native 23,500 ha. Islands in the Pilbara Region fall into plants on conservation reserve islands as a significant two broad categories, low sand cays with limestone issue affecting island biodiversity. Among the major pavement or outcrops, and continental rocky islands consisting of granophyre and basaltic ridges or rock piles (Morris 1990). Islands in the Kimberley Region are © The Government of Western Australia, 2016 highly variable but dominated by rugged landscapes of blocky sandstone (Gibson et al. 2012). Between the sheer size of the management regions along the north Recommended citation: Lohr MT, Lohr CA, Keighery G, Long coast (Pilbara >50 million ha, Kimberley >46 million V (2016) The status and distribution of non-native plants on the gazetted and territorial islands off the north coast of Western ha) and budgetary constraints, many islands along Australia. Conservation Science Western Australia 10: 8 [online]. the north coast have not been formally surveyed by https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/CSWAjournal biologists. 2 MT Lohr et al. History of island use and disturbance assisted him in the enterprise of collecting marine resources (O’Connor & Arrow 2008). Turtles were taken There is abundant archaeological evidence of previous commercially in northern WA between 1869 and 1973. occupation of the north coast islands by Aboriginal Exclusive turtle fishing rights over particular areas people and use of island resources by south-east included islands such as Barrow, Delambre, Thevenard Asians. Aboriginal people utilised northern coastal and Depuch and the Montebello Archipelago. Although areas long before rising sea levels isolated islands from illegal, turtles were frequently captured on the beach the Australian mainland (Souter et al. 2006). Some (Halkyard 2009). Between 1901 and 1936 a turtle meat groups were exclusively island-based (O’Connor 1989). canning company operated at Cossack. Similarly, islands Recently, archaeological evidence has indicated that along the Kimberley coastline became turtle fishing sites Aboriginal people used sand cays that formed after the with the Broome Turtle Preserving Company holding rise in sea levels (Paterson & Van Duivenvoorde 2013). an exclusive licence for the Lacepede Islands and Adele Today, local Aboriginal communities continue to use Island (Halkyard 2009). From 1870 to 1872, a whaling island resources (Jones 2004). station was established on Malus Island in the Dampier South-east Asians also visited Australian islands to Archipelago to process humpback whales (Megaptera collect marine resources. Makassarese, in particular, novaeeangliae; MacIlroy 1979). Historic documents and visited Kimberley islands between the late 17th century grave sites suggest that whalers used many other north- and 1907 to collect trepang (Holothurians [L.]; O’Connor west islands (Paterson 2006). & Arrow 2008). These visits frequently involved A pastoral settlement was established on West Lewis interactions with local Aboriginal groups and the set-up Island circa 1880 and occupied for approximately two of large, albiet temporary, camps for processing marine decades (Durlacher 1900). The lease associated with resources (Morwood & Hobbs 1997). Occasionally, non- the settlement included East and West Lewis, Enderby, native plant species, particularly tamarind (Tamarindus Rosemary, Angel, Gidley, Dolphin and Legendre islands indica) were introduced by Makassans at camp sites (The West Australian 1883). Several cattle stations were (O’Connor & Arrow 2008). established in the east Kimberley in the Ord River The first recorded European to visit the Kimberley catchment in the 1880s, namely Argyle, Lissadel and or Pilbara islands was the Englishman William Rosewood stations. By the 1890s cattle were being Dampier in 1688 and 1699 respectively (Dampier 1697; exported live from Wyndam to the Philippines (Stewart George 1971; O’Connor & Arrow 2008). Following et al. 1970). Pastoral settlements do not appear to have reports of good grazing land and abundant pearl shell been established on Kimberley islands. in the coastal regions of the Pilbara by FT Gregory in Islands have also been an important resource for 1861 (Gregory & Gregory 1884), settlers established the mining sector. The first written record of Christmas the towns of Roebourne in 1866 and Cossack in Island is from 1615. The island was subsequently 1872 (MacIlroy 1979). The Kimberley proved more ‘discovered’ by the English East India Company in 1643, challenging for European settlers. The first attempts at and the first recorded landing was made by William settlement and establishing sheep stations at Camden Dampier in 1688. Christmas Island was not settled Harbour (1863–1865) failed due to the difficult terrain, until after large quantities of guano-based phosphate climate and hostility between settlers and the Worora were discovered in 1888 by George Clunies-Ross. Aboriginals (Speck et al. 1964). European pearlers Phosphate mining began in 1987 with the formation of worked on the west Kimberley coast from the 1860s Christmas Island Phosphate Company Ltd, with the (Moore 1994) but it was not until the 1880s that the first island exporting phosphate since 1901 (Commonwealth sheep and cattle stations were established (Stewart et of Australia 2002, National Archives of Australia 2016). al. 1970). The Cocos Keeling Islands were discovered The Christmas Island phosphate mine was run by in 1609 by Captain William Keeling and first settled in the British Phosphate Commission from 1920–1981, a 1826 by English merchant Alexander Hare. The islands company that also operated phosphate mines on Nauru housed a coconut industry that only ceased in 1987. and Ocean Island (Bailey 1987). The islands became a part of Australia in 1984 (Shire Iron ore, salt, natural gas and oil are produced of Cocos Keeling Islands 2015). and exported from various locations along the Pilbara WA’s northern islands have been fished sporadically coast. In 1960 the Australian Government eased on a commercial basis since the late 1800s for trepan, restrictions on iron-ore exports, which resulted in the pearl shell, turtles, tuna and whales (Morwood & rapid development of the Pilbara iron-ore industry. Hobbs 1997; Jones 2004; Paterson 2006). The Dampier First, Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd built the town and port Archipelago, particularly the islands around the Flying of Dampier on the Burrup Peninsula (also known as Foam Passage, became a major pearling area between Dampier Island or Murujuga) in 1965. Since then, 1870 and 1900, with up to 1173 people including Mistaken, East-Mid Intercourse,