URBAN BUSHLAND BIODIVERSITY SURVEY Stage 1: Western Sydney NATIVE FLORA IN WESTERN SYDNEY Principal Author: Teresa James Published July 1997 NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service PO Box 1967, HURSTVILLE, NSW 2001 Text and maps copyright 1997 NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior permission from NPWS. ISBN 0 7310 7674 5 and 0 7310 7686 9 NOTE Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented in this publication is accurate and up to date. However, taxonomic changes, changes to tenure, and changes to the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are made on an on-going basis, and readers should obtain appropriate up to date information. ADDENDUM Since completion of the text of the Reports of the Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey, the NSW Scientific Committee has released a Final Determination to list the Cumberland Plain Woodland as an ENDANGERED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY on Part 3, Schedule I of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. This determination is consistent with the findings of the Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey. Note that the findings and recommendations of the UBBS Reports are restricted to the time and place of the study, and as changes to the Schedules of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are ongoing, readers are advised to obtain the most up• to-date information available. URBAN BUSHLAND BIODIVERSITY SURVEY TECHNICAL REPORT NATIVE FLORA IN WESTERN SYDNEY 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Biodiversity conservation 1.2 NSW Biodiversity Survey Program 1.3 The Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey: Stage 1 - Western Sydney 1.4 Geographic scope of the UBBS 1.5 Objectives and outcomes of the UBBS 2 THE PHYSICAL CONTEXT 7 2.1 Climate 2.2 Geology, geomorphology, topography and soils 3 THE FLORA STUDY 11 3.1 Previous studies of the region 3.2 Status of present knowledge 3.3 Objectives and outcomes of the flora survey 3.4 Limitations of the study 4 METHODS 16 4.1 Compilation of existing data 4.2 Field surveys 4.3 UBBS database 4.4 GIS vegetation mapping 4.5 Conservation assessment 4.6 Preparation of plant lists 5 OVERVIEW OF THREATENING PROCESSES 25 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Habitat loss and fragmentation 5.3 Introduced species 5.4 Pollution 5.5 Altered fire regimes 5.6 Climate change 5.7 Conclusions 6. RESULTS 30 6.1 Local Government Area reports 6.2 Biodiversity in western Sydney 6.2.1 Plant communities 6.2.2 Plant taxa 6.3 Species profiles for ROTAP species in western Sydney 6.4 Species profiles for recommendations for TSC Act assessment 7. DISCUSSION 161 7.1 Conservation in western Sydney 7.2 Computer modelling 7.3 Corridors 8. RECOMMENDATIONS 189 8.1 Endangered ecological communities 8.2 Plant taxa - recommendations for TSC Act assessment 8.3 ROTAP nominations 9. CONCLUSIONS 199 REFERENCES GLOSSARY APPENDICES A List of Native Plant Species Recorded in WesternSydney B List of Significant Plant Species in WesternSydney C Summary of Existing NPWS Reserves in WesternSydney D Sample Field Record Proformas E GIS Data Layers ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this work would not have been possible without the assistance (paid and unpaid) of many people. Most of them are listed below. Other organisations and individuals provided data and made contributions in various ways. NPWS and the authors acknowledge and thank all who contributed to the project, including those not listed here. Responsibility for any errors remains with NPWS. Sydney Zone Manager Russell Couch Natural Heritage Unit Manager Naomi Stephens Project Co-ordination Michael Adams Project Manager Steve Douglas (29.1.96 - 27.7.96) Flora Team Project Officer Teresa James Technical Officers Karen Baggett Dave Thomas Anders Bofeldt Sharon Davern Rosemary Smith GIS support Robert Mezzatesta Chris Toegher Peter Bowen Technical researchers/writers/assistants Lynne Mcloughlin (flora, biophysical context, threats) Jamie Slaven (glossary, proofreading and editing, maps) Caroline Ephraums (references) All local councils are thanked for their co-operation, assistance and advice during the compilation of the LGA reports. The following consultants carried out field survey work and/or prepared preliminary reports for local government areas included in the UBBS: • Auburn - David Thomas • Bankstown - Lynne Mcloughlin • Baulkham Hills - Steve Douglas • Blacktown - Edgar Freimanis (Ecohort) • Camden & Campbelltown - Gary Leonard • Fairfield - Edgar Freimanis (Ecohort) • Hawkesbury - Stephen Bell for Ecotone Ecological Consultants • Liverpool - Roger Lembit • Parramatta - Patrick Antcliff, Wildsearch Flora & Fauna Surveys • Penrith - Roger Lembit Additional field work and the compilation of final reports was carried out by the UBBS team. Administrative support Michael Mikov Sue Millar Katherine Thiveos Sonia Sansour Mary Nigem Information technology support YidaZhou Cover design Peter Sherratt Peer review Doug Benson (Royal Botanic Gardens) Project Reference Committee Doug Benson (Royal Botanic Gardens) Dr Jocelyn Powell (Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Trust) Dr Dan Bickel (Australian Museum) Richard Davies (Greening Australia) Anne PughfMartin Beveridge (Department of Urban Affairs and Planning) Dr Shelley Burgin (University of Western Sydney) Dr Rob Close (UWS) Louise Brodie (National Trust) Helen Webb and Ian Hancock (Nature Conservation Council) Terry Agar (Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils) Giselle Howard (Department of Land and Water Conservation) Peter Shadie (NPWS) Peter Wilson (NPWS) Many individuals and organisations provided datafor the project. These include: Greening Australia NSW Nature Conservation Council Australian Conservation Foundation Martin Smith Urban Bushland Management Consultants Paul Kravchenko David Thomas Steve Douglas Colin Gibson and Robert Miller Van Klaphake Elizabeth Boesel, Friends of Galaringi Winston Hills and Toongabbie Bushcare Group 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Biodiversity Conservation Biodiversity has been defined as the variety of all life forms - the different plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they are a part. The concept of biodiversity emphasises the interrelatedness of the biological world, and encompasses the terrestrial, marine and aquatic environments (Commonwealth of Australia, 1996). It can be seen as including a hierarchy of levels from whole systems at the landscape or ecosystem level down through assemblages (associations and communities) to populations, species and genes. Definitions of biodiversity should not exclude human effects: "disturbed communities, cultural landscapes, and the spread of exotic species by humans are as much part of the world's biotic diversity as are landscapes with little...human presence" (Recher 1993). In NSW large areas have undergone dramatic modification since white settlement, and biota in those areas most intensively developed for agriculture and urban development have suffered most, experiencing severe declines in local biodiversity. As a result, 27 (21%) of the 130 mammals present in NSW at the time of European settlement are presumed extinct and a further 30 (38.5%) are threatened. Twelve species of birds are presumed extinct and 98 (21%) are threatened. While few are extinct, 12% of reptiles and 27% of amphibians are considered threatened. Although less than 1% of vascular plant species are presumed extinct, many are threatened (Papps and Wilson 1995). Biodiversity conservation can only be tackled through government and community commitment to its central aims, and community support and participation in implementation of conservation programmes. In Australia, community concern and government commitment have been growing steadily through the 1990s. In 1996, the Prime Minister and all state Premiers signed the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity. NPWS has established "Ecosystems Management" as a priority corporate issue for the 1995-96- 1997-98 period. This goal recognises the importance of managing whole ecosystems to maximise the effectiveness of management of individual reserves. It follows that reserve management needs to be complemented by a broad spectrum of conservation management approaches outside the formal reserve system. Effective strategies and programs to conserve biological diversity require close cooperation between NPWS and other agencies as well as the community at large. To this end, the conservation planning process will require community education and empowerment as well as the development of a workable assessment procedure for establishing whole ecosystems for protection and/or rehabilitation. Ready access to high quality information on these issues will be an important aspect of community involvement. NPWS aims to develop a comprehensive, adequate and representative ("CAR") system of ecosystem reserves in New South Wales. The key element of this strategy is the acknowledgment that the conservation of biodiversity requires adequate protection of whole ecosystems. The ideal is not to maximise conservation of diversity within individual remnants, but to conserve the full range of biodiversity across the landscape or region. For the reserve system to be comprehensive it should include the full range of ecosystem types known to be represented in New South Wales. For the reserve system to be adequate it needs to be able to ensure viability and integrity of populations and communities. No precise basis exists