desert channels GROUP MANAGING FOR RESILIENCE Desert Channels Queensland’s Biodiversity Plan Part 2 – Management and values of the Desert Channels Region 2012–2017 Acknowledgements Preparation of the Biodiversity Plan for Desert Channels Queensland would not have been possible without the support of many people. The authors are extremely grateful for the assistance and contributions of community members, landholders, staff of non-government organisations and state government agencies, and members of the Desert Channels Queensland Board and staff who gave their time to attend workshops and made valuable contributions to the plan content. In particular, special thanks to, David Akers, Damian Arthur, Vanessa Bailey, Mike Chuk, Daniel Creevey, Helen Cross, Leigh Deutscher, Peter Douglas, Angus Emmott, Erroll Entriken, Gerry Fogarty, Ronell Frazer, Jeanette Gellard, Hayley Glover, Doug Hayward, Dough Humann, Adam Kerezsy, Leanne Kohler, Lew Markey, Juliana McCosker, Vol Norris, Leonie Nunn, David Phelps, Jenny Silcock, Peter Spence, David Thompson, Max Tischler, Simon Wiggins and Peter Whip. Funding for the preparation of this plan was provided by the Queensland Government through the Q2 Coasts and Country program. For further information contact: Desert Channels Queensland 07 4658 0600 [email protected] Table of Contents - Part 2 Introduction 4 Assessing biodiversity value 4 Managing the landscape for biodiversity 5 Values of the Desert Channels Region 14 Plants and animals 14 Desert Channels vertebrates 14 Desert Channels native invertebrates 15 Desert Channels rare and threatened vertebrates 15 Desert Channels plants 16 Desert Channels rare and threatened plants 17 Introduced species 18 Regional ecosystems 21 Wetlands 23 Special biodiversity areas 23 Channel Country 24 Mitchell Grass Downs 36 Desert Uplands 43 Mulga Lands 55 Brigalow Belt South 57 Bibliography 58 Introduction Part 2 of the biodiversity plan provides background information on the assessment of biodiversity values within the region, management options and a comprehensive list of the values that make up the region. This includes a list of the: • Native plants and animals of the region • Introduced species of the region (weeds and feral animals) • Regional ecosystems • Wetlands • Special landscape areas (wildlife refugia) This part is used to inform Part 1 of the Desert Channels Queensland’s Biodiversity Plan, which informs the goals, initiatives and actions that are needed within the region to protect biodiversity. Assessing biodiversity value In the absence of comprehensive species distribution data, expert opinion about the biodiversity significance of landscapes, flora and fauna in our region is very valuable, and aligns with our main objective of managing for good landscape-scale outcomes. The Queensland Government has developed a biodiversity assessment and mapping methodology (BAMM) to provide a consistent approach for assessing biodiversity values at a landscape scale across the state. Five of the six bioregions in the Desert Channels region have been assessed using the BAMM, with only the Northwest Highlands still to be assessed for our region. The product is a series of recommendations and mapping about areas of highest biodiversity value within each bioregion. Using the BAMM, regional ecosystems have been evaluated by bioregion for their rarity, diversity, fragmentation, habitat condition, resilience and ecosystem processes. Expert panels have then considered connectivity, threatening processes, significance at a state, regional and local level, and special biodiversity values. From these assessments, common themes emerge across the region highlighting the importance to biodiversity of: • riparian corridors and their buffer zones • river confluences • permanent and ephemeral wetlands and their buffer zones • permanent and semi-permanent waterholes • floodplain linkages • springs • dune systems, desert, stony plains • natural terrestrial vegetation corridors • ridges, ranges, escarpments, tablelands, jump-ups • centres of endemism • areas of high flora and fauna diversity • areas with disjunct populations, taxa at the limits of their ranges, ecosystems with distinct variation • relictual populations • wildlife refugia • protected areas – national parks, resources reserves, nature refuges • remote and low disturbance areas away from artificial waters and grazing pressure • threatened ecosystems with ‘endangered’ or ‘of concern’ biodiversity status Please see ‘Special Biodiversity Values’ for further details. Managing the landscape for biodiversity Common to all landscapes across Queensland, and a uniting theme across the bioregions, is the land zone classification. Land zones are simple groupings of similar geology and landforms at a whole of landscape scale. Twelve land zones are described for the State with nine of these represented in the Desert Channels region. Each land zone has a distinctive set of natural attributes, as shown on the following page. This provides a simple way to think about the best management options for long term resilience. Land zones and their natural attributes in the Desert Channels region Bioregion Geology Land Attributes Zone C D M M B N 3 Drainage lines with riparian habitats, H E G L B W waterholes, alluvial plains, floodplain C U D S H habitats, artesian mound spring complexes wind borne 4 Clay plains not associated with current alluvium, with grasslands, and acacia/eucalypt woodlands 5 Old loamy and sandy plains with diverse deposits eucalypt and acacia woodlands 6 Inland dune fields with hummock grasslands, open forblands and shrublands Plains or dunes formed from unconsolidated water or Bioregion Geology Land Description Zone C D M M B N 7 Ironstone jump-ups and footslopes - H E G L B W isolated remnant plateaus and scarps with C U D S H diverse open shrub and woodlands, caves and hollows 9 Undulating country with grasslands on deep cracking clay soils, and acacia woodlands 10 Sandstone ranges forming plateaus, scarps and hills, with shrublands and acacia/eucalypt woodlands 11 Hills and lowlands on metamorphic rocks with eucalypt woodlands Sedimentary bedrock, usually undulation to hilly Sedimentary bedrock, usually undulation C D M M B N 12 Hills and lowlands on granitic rock, with H E G L B W caves and crevices C U D S H hilly Igneous undulating to bedrock, usually SOURCE: Adapted from Sattler and Williams 1999, The Conservation Status of Queensland’s Bioregional Ecosystems Natural vegetation condition is widely acknowledged as a very good surrogate for biodiversity condition. In the absence of detailed data about biodiversity condition for all plants and animals in the region, an analysis of regional ecosystem variety and condition can be undertaken. Some land zones are widely represented in the region, and have high numbers of regional ecosystems (for example land zone 3 with its extensive wetland systems), whilst others are represented in only a few small areas, with far fewer regional ecosystems (such as land zone 12 with its igneous hills). From this analysis it is clear that certain land zones are under more pressure than others, as illustrated below. Biodiversity status of regional ecosystems by land zone in the Desert Channels region Land Zone Description 3 Drainage lines with riparian habitats, waterholes, alluvial plains, floodplain habitats, arte- sian mound spring complexes 4 Clay plains not associated with current alluvium, with grasslands, and acacia/eucalypt woodlands 5 Old loamy and sandy plains with diverse eucalypt and acacia woodlands 6 Inland dune fields with hummock grasslands, open forblands and shrublands 7 Ironstone jump-ups and footslopes - isolated remnant plateaus and scarps with diverse open shrub and woodlands, caves and hollows 9 Undulating country with grasslands on deep cracking clay soils, and acacia woodlands 10 Sandstone ranges forming plateaus, scarps and hills, with shrublands and acacia/euca- lypt woodlands 11 Hills and lowlands on metamorphic rocks with eucalypt woodlands 12 Hills and lowlands on granitic rock, with caves and crevices SOURCE: Queensland Government’s Regional Ecosystem database www.ehp.qld.gov.au/ecosystems/biodiversity/re_introduction.html For each of the nine land zones in the region, a suite of issues and best practice management approaches can be described, as shown below Land Attributes Threatening process Biodiversity outcome Prevention/recovery action Zone 3 Drainage lines with riparian habitats, waterholes, alluvial plains, floodplain habitats, artesian mound spring complexes 3 Riparian habitats INTRODUCED PLANTS Change in vegetation structure Manage exotic weed species Invasion by exotic weed species INTRODUCED PLANTS Altered vegetation structure, loss Exclude exotic pasture legumes Invasion by exotic pasture legume of habitat quality from riparian areas (leucaena) INTRODUCED PLANTS CAUSING Loss of essential habitat for hollow Strategically graze buffel grass ALTERED FIRE REGIME dependant species prior to fire season to reduce fuel Hot fires due to high buffel grass load fuel load destroy hollow bearing trees FERAL ANIMALS Loss of ground layer habitat and Strategic control of feral pigs Pigs - destruction of ground layer associated fauna habitat, predation of small reptiles, amphibians & insects FERAL ANIMALS Localised loss of species, Need R&D to develop effective Cats - predation on birds, small alienation of essential breeding broad scale control techniques mammals, reptiles, amphibians; habitat occupy tree hollows and bird nests FERAL ANIMALS