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Conservation Management Zones of Australia

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Conservation Management Zones of Australia Conservation Management Zones of Australia Mitchell Grasslands Prepared by the Department of the Environment Acknowledgements This project and its associated products are the result of collaboration between the Department of the Environment’s Biodiversity Conservation Division and the Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN). Invaluable input, advice and support were provided by staff and leading researchers from across the Department of Environment (DotE), Department of Agriculture (DoA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the academic community. We would particularly like to thank staff within the Wildlife, Heritage and Marine Division, Parks Australia and the Environment Assessment and Compliance Division of DotE; Nyree Stenekes and Robert Kancans (DoA), Sue McIntyre (CSIRO), Richard Hobbs (University of Western Australia), Michael Hutchinson (ANU); David Lindenmayer and Emma Burns (ANU); and Gilly Llewellyn, Martin Taylor and other staff from the World Wildlife Fund for their generosity and advice. Special thanks to CSIRO researchers Kristen Williams and Simon Ferrier whose modelling of biodiversity patterns underpinned identification of the Conservation Management Zones of Australia. Image Credits Front Cover: Lawn Hill National Park – Peter Lik Page 4: Kowaris (Dasyuroides byrnei) – Leong Lim Page 10: Oriental Pratincole (Glareola maldivarum) – JJ Harrison Page 16: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh) – World Heritage Listed site – Colin Totterdell Page 18: Mitchell Grasslands – Baz – The Landy, www.thelandy.com Page 20: Elizabeth Springs Goby (Chlamydogobius micropterus) – Gunther Schmida Page 21: Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) – © The State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Heritage Protection) Page 22: Birdlife, Diamantina National Park – Nick Rains Page 24: Rainbow Bee-Eater (Merops ornatus) – Georgina Steytler, www.wildandendangered.com.au Page 25: Lawn Hill National Park, ‘Boodjamulla’– Mark Nemeth, © The State of Queensland (Department of Environment and Heritage Protection) Page 29: Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus) – Mark Sanders, EcoSmart Ecology Page 30: Mitchell grass (Astrebla) tussock grasslands – Baz – The Landy, www.thelandy.com Page 31: Eucalyptus low open woodlands with hummock grass, Welford National Park – Murray Fagg Page 32: Eucalyptus open woodlands with a grassy understorey, Bladensburg National Park – Ray Jones, www.travelling-australia.info Page 33: Acacia open woodlands and sparse shrublands – Murray Fagg Back Cover: Lawn Hill National Park – Peter Lik © Commonwealth of Australia, 2015. The Conservation Management Zones of Australia profile is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see here. Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Mitchell Grasslands Contents Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country ����������������������������������������������2 Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2 Zone at a glance ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 Population characteristics �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Employment, volunteering and incomes �������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Agriculture, Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11 Land tenure, land use, Native Title and Local Government Areas ������������������������� 13 Zone vegetation characteristics����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 Nationally Important Wetlands �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17 World and National Heritage ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Major National Reserve System properties �������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 EPBC Act (1999) threatened ecological communities ������������������������������������������������� 20 EPBC Act (1999) threatened species ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21 EPBC Act (1999) migratory species ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 24 Threatened endemic species ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������25 Invasive species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27 Vegetation profiles and management recommendations ��������������������������������������� 29 Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Mitchell Grasslands Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country The Australian Government acknowledges Australia’s Traditional Owners and pays respect to Elders past and present of our nation’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities� We honour the deep spiritual, cultural and customary connections of Traditional Owners to the Australian landscape, including Australia’s waterways, land and sea country� Introduction The 23 Conservation Management Zones of Australia are geographic areas, classified according to their ecological and threat characteristics. The zones are also aligned with the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia. The Conservation Management Zones provide a way of understanding Australia’s natural environment that will assist in long-term conservation planning and help the Australian Government to better design, deliver and report on Natural Resource Management (NRM) investments, including ensuring alignment of national NRM priorities with local action. The Conservation Management Zones also provide a filter through which to make national environmental and socio-economic data more accessible and comprehensible, and a framework for gathering on-ground knowledge and expertise about the environment. This will improve information flow to the Australian Government about regional NRM requirements, best practice management, emerging NRM issues and knowledge gaps. The Conservation Management Zones do not represent any change to existing administrative boundaries or governance structures, but aim to support the NRM and wider community to cooperatively manage environmental assets across boundaries, where they share common threats, ecological characteristics and stakeholders. Each Conservation Management Zone profile contains a standard suite of nationally available ecological and socio-economic information. We hope that this information will enable Australians of all ages and backgrounds to engage with, understand and appreciate Australian landscapes, and support all Australians to manage our natural resources more effectively. The profile information provides an indicative, high-level stock-take of the environmental and socio-economic landscape and it is not intended to be comprehensive. It should also be noted that, at present, the profiles contain only limited information on aquatic ecosystems, coastal assets and Indigenous land management practices. In future, consultation and comprehensive literature reviews will enable us to provide more complete information. 2 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Mitchell Grasslands Zone at a glance Area of zone: Population density: 46,998,475 hectares % of Australia: 0.08 people 6.11% per square kilometre Zone population characteristics Zone employment characteristics 50,000 3% 40,000 40,645 30,000 Number of people 20,000 10,000 0 otal T er 65 Ov a second language English as ndigenous 97% I outh (15–24) Y Employed Unemployed Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 3 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Mitchell Grasslands Regional centres Population Top five agricultural commodities Value (millions) Barcaldine 1,317 Beef $689 Cloncurry 2,320 Wool $36 Longreach 3,139 Lamb $19 Mount Isa 20,568 Hay $9 Goats $4 Total value of agricultural Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions commodities (including other $761 Territory Natural Resource Management NT commodities not listed here) Desert Channels Group QLD NQ Dry Tropics Group Inc QLD Climate characteristics* South West NRM Group Ltd QLD Mean annual temperature 23.7 Celsius Southern Gulf Catchments Inc QLD Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month 37.1 Celsius Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month 7.8 Celsius Mean Annual Rainfall 399.4 mm Dominant rainfall season Summer * The figures are interpolated 75-year means (1921 to 1995) representing the period prior to the onset of rapid climatic warming. Cited in: Williams KJ, Belbin L, Austin MP, Stein J, Ferrier S (2012) Which environmental variables should I use in my biodiversity model? International Journal of Geographic Information Sciences 26(11), 2009–2047. (Data derived from Australian Climate surfaces version 2.1 for the ANUCLIM-BIOCLIM package). For future climate projections please refer to: http://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/ Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics
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