Australian Speleological Federation Inc. Incorporated in the ACT

PO Box 388 BROADWAY NSW 2007 www..org.au ABN:15 169 919 964

Registered as an Environmental Organisation by the Department of Environment, Canberra

8 September 2018

Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600

Via Email [email protected]

Australia’s faunal extinction crisis

The Australian Speleological Federation Inc. (ASF) is a Federation of member societies representing 980 members, four Associates and 24 societies. Amongst its aims are “to safeguard and protect the natural environment, specifically the and environment of Australia.” As part of our structure we operate the ASF Karst Conservation Fund (KCF) as a REO by the Department of Environment and Energy. This Fund is managed as a completely separate financial entity from the Australian Speleological Federation itself.

The KCF raises funds to use in furthering the ASF aims. A large proportion of the funds are deployed on projects on critically endangered cave dwelling species, as well as those threatened by factors to do with changes from human settlement, introduced predators and the weather variability and climate change. The ASF works with management agencies and private owners to ensure good management of the caves in their care with the aim that this be sustainable and that it protects cave biota.

Caves have unique karst ecosystems because of their isolation from surface habitats. Subterranean aquatic organisms are known as whilst species that live in caves above the water table are known as . The extreme to underground life occur in organisms that through evolution have lost eyes, pigmentation and other adaptations to the restrictions of cave habitats. Cave dwelling bats are the most obvious mammals that use caves for shelter, hibernation and as maternity sites.

The States and Territories have prime responsibility for land management, the protection of ecosystems and of individual species. Many of these responsibilities are neither adequately represented in State legislation nor adequately funded within the States. The Commonwealth of Australia has the EPBC Act 1999 and National Heritage legislation. There are overlaps between the Commonwealth and State responsibilities. By default much endangered species management is underfunded and in particular there are escape clauses for the acceptance of responsibility. For instance, what jurisdiction is responsible for the extinction of a species? If this question was answered then change might occur. This is a very high level question but there are many instances where species listed as Critically Endangered do not have Draft Recovery Plans or up to date revised plans. This is an unsatisfactory state of affairs and it reflects badly on both State and Federal governments. It represents underfunding of the Department of Environment and Energy for its obligations under the EPBC Act 1999 and equally by the States under 2 their relevant legislation. As a result private funding such as provided by the KCF is essential to support the objectives of the Acts.

In the following, I example studies which ASF or its Karst Conservation Fund have participated in by advocacy or supported with funding.

1. Cape Range National Park, part of the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area

The Cape Range, WA was protected under Western Australian legislation after objections brought by the community to inappropriate mining and it was subsequently included in the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area on the basis of its karst terrain and in particular its unique cave biota. Examples are the shizomids that are restricted to the caves of the arid Cape Range. These are a relict rain forest Gondwana . There are also blind fish, a blind eel and a number of cave invertebrates in the caves and karst waters of Cape Range. A number of these invertebrates are protected by Western Australian legislation and for some they only exist in a single cave.

2. Ghost Bat Population, Mt Etna, Central Queensland

The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) population of the caves at Mt Etna, Queensland was seriously affected by quarrying of limestone at Mt Etna and the blasting open of a critical over-wintering cave for the bat. From some 100’s of bats in the 1960s there was a drop to 150 – 180 individuals in the 1990s but now there are less than 50 individuals. Studies involving careful examination of over 22 caves with capture and tagging of the bats combined with genetic analysis, which the KCF funded at Griffith University. This small residual population has a very restricted genetic diversity that was confirmed by this genetic analysis. Such genetically restricted populations do not survive for extended time scales and are vulnerable to extinction. In this instance, the population is isolated and does not interbreed with other ghost bat populations and there are other restrictions on the recovery of this population.

There are other discrete populations of ghost bats that have disappeared during the last century. One was at Eneabba, WA and one in the Centre, NT. Thus it is apparent that the ghost bat is retreating northwards where the populations appear to be more secure. Some of these population extinctions and declines are due to human factors (Eneabba and Mt Etna) whilst others may be due to changing climatic factors. Ghost bat feeding areas are also subject to habitat changes that may also contribute to the decline of populations of the Ghost Bat across its range in Northern Australia. The Ghost Bat is classified as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act 1999 but there has been limited funding for species management.

3. Southern Bent-wing Bat

The Southern bent-wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii) is confined to Western Victoria and the Lower South East, South Australia. This cave dwelling bat uses caves for roosting and has a limited number of maternity caves (Bat Cave, Naracoorte, SA and a cave on the coast near Warrnambool). It is now classified as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act 1999 due to its population decline in recent decades, its restricted distribution and its dependence on caves throughout its lifecycle. The related species the Eastern bent-wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis) occurs from Eastern Victoria to Northern Queensland. The population of this species in Victoria has also suffered a decline in population in recent decades, however, this is not the case north of Victoria.

The KCF has supported two PhD projects to study factors that may have contributed to the decline of these populations. This is essential extra funding for post graduate projects under current university funding arrangements.

Promoting conservation and sustainable management of Australia’s cave and karst resources 3 The first project is “Population dynamics of the critically endangered Southern Bent-wing Bat” (Emmi van Harten, Latrobe University). This study of the bat is using innovative tagging methodology and to date has discovered a lot about bat movements between caves but the work is not complete.

The second project is “Health survey of two subspecies of bent-wing bats (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii and oceanensis)”. It is by Peter Holz, at University of Melbourne, who is a wildlife veterinarian who has studied the fungal, parasitic disease presence as well as presence of or evidence of viral disease agents in the populations of bent-wing bats. This health survey has not found any disease that might have contributed to the decline in the population of the Southern bent-wing bat or for the Victorian population of the Eastern bent-wing bat. There were various fungi and parasites found but no evidence of viruses that might have contributed to significant declines of these populations of the bent-wing bats. These bats rely on caves for roosting, hibernation and for their maternity caves. These bats are very significant in eating a large variety and quantity of flying such as mosquitoes, moths and agricultural pests. It is essential such fundamental research is adequately funded if species are to survive in perpetuity.

4. Owl Studies and Regional Extinction on the Nullarbor Plain

My particular studies involve discovering new caves on the Nullarbor Plain. These studies are also researching the present day diet of owls that use caves for roosting in. The owls are the Eastern Barn and Masked owls of the genus Tyto (Tyto javanica (alba) and Tyto novaehollandiae respectively). Tyto owls regurgitate pellets with bones and skulls that are intact and reveal the present diet that can be compared with the bone assemblages under the owl feeding roosts in caves. Studies in conjunction with the Latrobe University, University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum reveal that the owl diet is now severely impoverished compared to the past and some owls only eat house mice. This can be seen in the presence of about 18 species of mammals, both rodents and marsupials, under the owl feeding roosts in the caves. This regional loss on the Nullarbor Plain of a number of small mammal species is attributable to the introduction of the apex predators (cats and foxes) into Australia as well as competition from rabbits in the past. The house mouse (Mus musculus) is known to have population explosions in good seasons and this, through competition effects may have exacerbated the regional extinctions of these small rodents and marsupials.

These reductions in mammal diversity may not be the whole story as there would appear to be reductions in snake and lizard numbers as well as reductions in numbers of birds. There could also be regional extinctions of species belonging to these other vertebrate groups.

5. Aquatic Root Mat Communities and the caves of the Swan Coastal Plain and the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge of Western Australia • Aquatic Root Mat Community in Caves of the Swan Coastal Plain • Aquatic Root Mat Community 1 in Caves of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge • Aquatic Root Mat Community 2 in Caves of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge • Aquatic Root Mat Community 3 in Caves of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge • Aquatic Root Mat Community 4 in Caves of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge

Promoting conservation and sustainable management of Australia’s cave and karst resources 4 These communities exist in caves at Yanchep and the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge in Western Australia. They were listed as Threatened Ecological Communities (TEC) in 1996 under the EPBC Act (1999). Some of the caves also have associated stygofauna in under ground lakes in the caves e.g. ostracods and amphipods. The root mat communities are dependent on adequate water supplies to maintain aquifer levels and stream flow. An Interim Recovery Plan was completed (2000) and updated (2008). Suffice to say some of the recommended actions have been trialled but none have been continued. This may be that the Recovery Plans were inadequate in suggested remedies or to lack of funding to prevent the loss of the TE Cs and lake stygofauna.

These losses of TECs with the associated loss of numerous species from the cave sites represent the effects of prolonged (30 years) period of low annual rainfall and changing vegetation density above the caves.

The lower water tables resulting from prolonged low rainfall (30 years) and changing vegetation density above the caves, has led to a loss of these communities and the lakes and their associated stygofauna. These changes affect the viability of the operations at Yanchep National Park and those of the Augusta Margaret River Tourist Bureau on the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge in Western Australia. Caves record changes in climate in their record but in this instance they record losses of species richness and diversity as a result of changing climate.

Summary

Caves have distinct fauna associated with them. Such fauna have adapted to the particular cave conditions that provide habitat for such as bats and owls. Cave biota are sensitive to change whether it is from land use changes, water regimes or other longer term effects due to climate changes. The ASF endeavours to protect cave and karst environments. To this end, the Karst Conservation Fund provides funds that study caves and their associated biota.

Habitat protection is vital if extinctions are to be avoided, as is control of introduced predators particularly the cat and fox.

Preventing extinctions of Australia's fauna in support of the objectives of the EPBC Act 1999 needs considerably more funding if Australia's fauna is survive into the future without being marked by the extinction of species. There are many listed endangered species that do not have Recovery Plans in place. Extinction is forever. Department of Environment and Energy funding should reflect those needs provided for in the EPBC Act 1999.

Yours sincerely

Nicholas White Chair, ASF Conservation Commission Director, ASF Karst Conservation Fund

Promoting conservation and sustainable management of Australia's cave and karst resources