Interim Recovery Plan No. 349 Diel’s daviesia (Daviesia dielsii) Interim Recovery Plan 2014–2019 Department of Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia June 2014 Interim Recovery Plan for Daviesia dielsii List of Acronyms The following acronyms are used in this plan: BGPA Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority CALM Department of Conservation and Land Management CFF Conservation of Flora and Fauna CCWA Conservation Commission of Western Australia CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CR Critically Endangered CWDTFRT Central Wheatbelt District Threatened Flora Recovery Team DAA Department of Aboriginal Affairs DEC Department of Environment and Conservation DPaW Department of Parks and Wildlife (also shown as Parks and Wildlife) DRF Declared Rare Flora EN Endangered EPBC Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation IBRA Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia IRP Interim Recovery Plan IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature LGA Local Government Authority MDTFRT Moora District Threatened Flora and Recovery Team MRWA Main Roads WA NACC Northern Agricultural Catchment Council NRM Natural Resource Management PICA Public Information and Corporate Affairs RP Recovery Plan SCB Species and Communities Branch (Parks and Wildlife) SCD Science and Conservation Division SWALSC South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council TEC Threatened Ecological Community TFSC Threatened Flora Seed Centre UCL Unallocated Crown Land UNEP-WCMC United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Centre VU Vulnerable WA Western Australia 2 Interim Recovery Plan for Daviesia dielsii Foreword Interim Recovery Plans (IRPs) are developed within the framework laid down in Department of Parks and Wildlife Policy Statements Nos. 44 and 50 (CALM 1992; CALM 1994). Note: The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) formally became the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in July 2006 and the Department of Parks and Wildlife in July 2013 (Parks and Wildlife). Plans outline the recovery actions that are required to urgently address those threatening processes most affecting the ongoing survival of threatened taxa or ecological communities, and begin the recovery process. Parks and Wildlife is committed to ensuring that Threatened taxa are conserved through the preparation and implementation of Recovery Plans (RPs) or Interim Recovery Plans (IRPs), and by ensuring that conservation action commences as soon as possible and, in the case of CR taxa, always within one year of endorsement of that rank by the Minister. This plan will operate from June 2014 to May 2019 but will remain in force until withdrawn or replaced. It is intended that, if the taxon is still ranked as Endangered (EN), this plan will be reviewed after five years and the need for further recovery actions assessed. This plan was given regional approval on 16 June 2014 and was approved by the Director of Science and Conservation on 27 June 2014. The provision of funds identified in this plan is dependent on budgetary and other constraints affecting Parks and Wildlife, as well as the need to address other priorities. Information in this plan was accurate at June 2014. Plan preparation: This plan was prepared by: Robyn Luu Project Officer, Parks and Wildlife SCB Andrew Brown Threatened Flora Coordinator, Parks and Wildlife SCB Acknowledgments: The following people provided assistance and advice in the preparation of this plan: Anne Cochrane Senior Research Scientist, TFSC, Parks and Wildlife Science and Conservation Division Natasha Moore Flora Conservation Officer, Parks and Wildlife Central Wheatbelt District Amanda Shade Assistant Curator (Nursery), BGPA Niall Sheehy Flora Conservation Officer, Parks and Wildlife Moora District Benson Todd Nature Conservation Coordinator, Parks and Wildlife Moora District Thanks to the staff of the Western Australian Herbarium for providing access to Herbarium databases and specimen information, and other departmental staff for comments and assistance in developing this plan. Cover photograph by Lorraine Duffy. Citation: This plan should be cited as: Department of Parks and Wildlife (2014) Diels’ daviesia, Daviesia dielsii Interim Recovery Plan 2014–2019. Interim Recovery Plan No. 349. Department of Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia. 3 Interim Recovery Plan for Daviesia dielsii Summary Scientific name: Daviesia dielsii NRM region: Northern Agricultural Family: Fabaceae Catchment Council Common name: Diels’ daviesia IBRA regions: Avon Wheatbelt, Swan Coastal Flowering period: July−August Plain, Geraldton Sandplains Shires: Coorow, Moora, Dalwallinu IBRA subregions: Avon Wheatbelt, Dandaragan DPaW regions: Wheatbelt, Midwest Plateau Lesueur Sandplain DPaW districts: Moora, Central Wheatbelt Recovery teams: MDTFRT, CWDTFR Distribution and habitat: Daviesia dielsii is restricted to the Moora, Watheroo and Dalwallinu areas, growing in brown-grey sandy-loam over laterite and yellow sand with Callitris arenaria, Allocasuarina campestris, Calothamnus quadrifidus, Leptospermum erubescens and Hakea scoparia (Collins 2009). Habitat critical to the survival of the species, and important populations: It is considered that all known habitat for wild populations is critical to the survival of the species and that the wild populations are important populations. Habitat critical to the survival of D. dielsii includes the area of occupancy of populations, areas of similar habitat surrounding and linking populations (these providing potential habitat for population expansion and for pollinators), additional occurrences of similar habitat that may contain undiscovered populations of the species or be suitable for future translocations, and the local catchment for the surface and/or groundwater that maintains the habitat of the species. Conservation status: Daviesia dielsii is specially protected under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and is ranked as Endangered (EN) in Western Australia under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2001 criterion C1 due to less than 2,500 mature individuals being known in the wild and there being an estimated continuing decline of at least 20% within three years or one generation. The species is listed as Endangered (EN) under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Threats: The main threats to the species are poor recruitment, road, track and firebreak maintenance, altered fire regimes, weeds, rabbits, grazing and mining. Existing recovery actions: The following recovery actions have been or are currently being implemented and have been considered in the preparation of this plan: 1. All land managers have been made aware of this species and its locations. 2. Extensive surveying has occurred over the last 20 years. 3. DRF markers have been installed at Populations 1, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13 and 15. 4. Private property containing Populations 3 and 9 was gazetted as a Nature Reserve in 2004. 5. 268 seeds collected from Daviesia dielsii are stored in Parks and Wildlife’s TFSC at –18C. Plan objective: The objective of this plan is to abate identified threats and maintain or enhance in situ populations to ensure the long-term conservation of the species in the wild. 4 Interim Recovery Plan for Daviesia dielsii Recovery criteria Criteria for recovery success: The number of extant populations has increased from 14 to 15 or more over the term of the plan and/or The number of mature individuals has increased by 20% or more over the term of the plan from 538 to 645 or more. Criteria for recovery failure: The number of extant populations has decreased from 14 to 13 or less over the term of the plan and/or The number of mature individuals has decreased by 20% or more over the term of the plan from 538 to 431 or less. Recovery actions 1. Coordinate recovery actions 10. Ensure long-term protection of habitat 2. Monitor populations 11. Obtain biological and ecological information 3. Fence Population 5 12. Develop and implement translocations 4. Undertake regeneration trials 13. Liaise with land managers and Aboriginal 5. Undertake weed control communities 6. Protect plants from herbivory 14. Map habitat critical to the survival of Daviesia dielsii 7. Undertake surveys 15. Promote awareness 8. Develop and implement a fire management strategy 16. Review this plan and assess the need for further 9. Collect and store seed recovery actions 5 Interim Recovery Plan for Daviesia dielsii 1. Background History Daviesia dielsii was named by Ernst Pritzel in 1904 from specimens he collected near Moora, the specific name being in honour of Friedrich Diels who collected widely in Western Australia between 1900 and 1901 (Collins 2009). As the type specimen which had been stored in the Berlin herbarium was thought to have been destroyed during the Second World War, Crisp designated a replacement specimen in 1995. Daviesia dielsii has in the past been collected north of Marchagee. However, extensive surveys have failed to relocate plants in that area, suggesting a decline in the extent of occurrence. Daviesia dielsii is currently known from 19 populations, 13 of which are located on road reserves that have little or no natural habitat and are infested with weeds. Many mature plants are senescing with little natural recruitment occurring and five of the 19 populations no longer have extant plants. Total mature plant numbers have nearly halved since 1991, with numbers declining from 835 to 466 individuals over that time. Prior