Roadside Vegetation Management Roadside Vegetation Values • Recognised in 1960s by Premier David Brand • Crucial wildlife habitat and ecological corridors • South West is one of the worlds 34 biodiversity hotspots • • Busselton to Augusta is listed as one of Australia's 15 Important tourism and local community benefits- biodiversity hotspots wildflowers, a sense of place, ‘back-road experience’. • Contain significant native biodiversity including ecological • Contain sites of Aboriginal and Cultural significance communities that are not represented in national parks, public reserves or private land • Provide windbreaks, shelter for stock, erosion control and valuable source of seed for revegetation projects. Remnant Vegetation Remaining 40% of remnant vegetation remaining in the City-the majority this is within the Whicher Scarp and the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge. Limited on the Swan Coastal Plain. • 2,296 hectares of City reserves • 3,012 hectares of City managed road reserves • DBCA- limited tenure on Swan Coastal Plain Ruabon- Tutunup Corridor

• One of only 3 intact transect across the Swan Coastal Plain, the others are Mundijong and Capel-Boyanup rail and road reserves • Longest and healthiest of these three examples • Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) • Represents the largest Busselton Ironstone TEC remnant remaining uncleared • The corridor supports 389 native species, 2 TECs, 14 threatened and 13 Priority flora • 63 native fauna species, 5 threatened and 1 priority Flora Values Threatened/priority flora populations and species

In City area: 650 flora populations in City On City managed lands: 240 flora populations of 140 species On Roadsides: 150 populations and 30 species

A number of species are hugely significant as they all have their core populations on the City’s road reserves:

• macutcheonii -only wild population remaining is on a CoB road reserve • ssp. grandis • Caladenia procera • Caladenia excelsa • Gastrolobium argyrotrichum • Grevillea elongata Threatened Flora and TECs location on roadsides Fauna Values of Roadsides

Ecological linkages for the natural movement of wildlife -crucial for helping species adapt to climate change RCC Mapping- 2009 RCC Results

Information gathered depicts the conservation status and the width of the road reserve Case Study- Protection of Conservation Significant Roadside Vegetation

NRM Community Action Grant Working in partnership with DBCA Flora Officers Three sections of roadside vegetation selected with high conservation values: • Critically Endangered Shrubland of the SCP Ironstone SCP 10b; and • 6 Threatened Flora species and 7 Priority listed flora Management Measures • Fencing • Weed and Feral animal control • Use of local provenance seedlings from community nursery • Community revegetation works • Collection of rare flora seed- Threatened Flora Seed Centre • Media exposure of the roadside conservation project

Princefield Road

DRF: • nivea subsp ulignosa • Verticordia plumosa var. vassensis Quenda on site Issues: • Stock movement along the road impacting vegetation • Vehicle Access and Weed invasion Management: • Fencing 0.3 ha, weed control, revegetation, signage Community Input and Signage

• Revegetation-Busselton Naturalists Club and community members • Species list in consultation with DBCA botanists • Use of local provenance native species from Geographe Community Landcare Nursery Kolhagen Road BEFORE TEC- Shrublands of Southern SCP-Busselton Ironstone DRF: • subsp. argillacea • subsp. uliginosa • Daviesia elongata • Verticordia plumosa var. ananeotes • Calothamnus lateralis var. crassus Management: • Feral animal control • Rabbit proof fencing installed- 0.8ha AFTER Edward Road

DRF: • Grevillea brachystylis subsp brachystylis • Grevillea brachystylis subsp grandis • Verticordia plumosa var vassensis • Verticordia densiflora var pedunculata Management: • Fencing (1ha) to protect from stock and rabbits • Weed control, revegetation and signage Construction of Pusey Road

Pusey Road- community input Speed limit reduced from 100km to 80km Designed to retain all roadside vegetation Line marking of road edge, guide posts

BEFORE WORKS AFTER WORKS Pusey Road

• Flora Road signage installed • Tourist Road- encouraging people to slow down and enjoy the ‘back-road’ experience Operational Management for Roadworks

• Internal processes: Review of infrastructure future works program, database checks of conservation values, flora and fauna survey commissioned if flagged, operational environmental checks for all projects, RCC staff training

• Yoongarillup Road- designed to minimise impacts on roadside vegetation- moving the alignment of the road depending on the quality of the vegetation on each side of the road. Avoiding impacting habitat trees. Tree Decline

Recent Tree Decline Workshop with Professor Giles Hardy- Murdoch University

Impact of Canker on Marri trees- loss of Marri trees in roadsides

Loss of Jarrah trees (and other susceptible species) from dieback

Follow-up arborist assessments of trees in reserves and roadside areas in Dunsborough area

Possible treatment of key roadside areas Fire Overuse of fire for risk mitigation purposes could potentially alter the composition of vegetation communities and impact threatened flora, fauna and vegetation.

Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas-DFES -Draft Element 3: Vehicular Access of the Guidelines for Planning in Bushfire Prone Areas. The key changes include: DFES propose the following changes/clarification to facilitate improvements to the operational environment for emergency services: – Current guideline requirements: public roads, emergency access way and fire service access routes require 6m trafficable surface with a horizontal clearance of 6m. – Proposed : public roads and emergency access way require minimum 7m carriageway plus 2.5m traversable land on either side of the carriageway to provide minimum horizontal clearance = total 12m Landholder clearing for fencing, cross overs

• Number of recent incidents of clearing of roadside vegetation

• Notified by DBCA of clearing who consulted with DWER

• Some areas containing DRF

• Lack of community awareness of the values of roadside vegetation, the process required for clearing, and understanding of what the yellow hockey sticks mean.

• Native Vegetation Clearing (under Part V of the EPA Act 1986. Reg. 5, Item 11: Clearing along a fenceline- Crown Land (exemption)

• However, there is still a requirement to get prior authority from the owner of the Land (City).

• The exemption does not apply to an environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs). • Media article in local newspaper promoting the value of roadside vegetation and praising a local fencing contractor who notified the City and DBCA

• DBCA and contractor pruned vegetation and collected seed for the Threatened Flora Seed Centre Dual roles : transport and conservation.

Roadside Conservation Strategy and operational plan.

Roadsides are part of our community identity, a connection with nature, a link to the original vegetation across landscapes and for some rare flora species their only habitat.

Coordinated Roadside Reserve Project Thank you