An Inventory and Condition Survey of the Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find Area, Western Australia No

COVER 2/12/08 10:31 AM Page 1 COVER 2/12/08 10:31 AM Page 2 ERNM OV EN G T E O H F T W A E I S L T A E R RN AUST Agriculture Western Australia ISSN 1326-3379 Agdex 320/10 An inventory and condition survey of the Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area, Western Australia No. 90 A.L. Payne A.M.E. Van Vreeswyk H.J.R. Pringle K.A. Leighton P. Hennig Pages 001-066 2/12/08 10:34 AM Page i An inventory and condition survey of the Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area, Western Australia By: A.L. Payne, A.M.E. Van Vreeswyk, H.J.R. Pringle, K.A. Leighton and P. Hennig Technical Bulletin No. 90 March 1998 Agriculture Western Australia 3 Baron-Hay Court SOUTH PERTH 6151 Western Australia ISSN 1325-3379 i Pages 001-066 2/12/08 10:34 AM Page ii The authors A.L. Payne, A.M.E. Van Vreeswyk, H.J.R. Pringle and P. Hennig, Natural Resource Management Services, Agriculture Western Australia and K.A. Leighton, Land Data Services, Department of Land Administration, Western Australia. Other contributors S.L. Johnson, Water and Rivers Commission, Western Australia; M. Dowd, Agriculture Western Australia; and A. Chapman, Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia. Acknowledgments This survey could not have been conducted without the cooperation, advice and assistance of pastoralists throughout the area. The authors also wish to thank L.J. and H. Merritt for providing essential logistical support, M. Newell for describing soil profiles and other technical support, J. Holmes, P.T. Godden and A. Bivens for their contributions as navigators, D.A. Blood and S.A. Gilligan for valuable assistance with field work, staff of the Western Australian Herbarium (particularly R.J. Cranfield) for identifying plant specimens and numerous colleagues who provided constructive criticism on parts of this report. Dr I. Foster’s contribution to the climate chapter is particularly acknowledged. Finally, the authors wish to thank A.F. MacDonagh and P.T. Godden for their work on map production and staff of Agriculture Western Australia’s Document Support Centre for typing and reworking drafts of our manuscript. The report was edited by A.M.E. Van Vreeswyk, K.A. Leighton and G.M. Wilson. Definition The Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area, as described in this report, includes the following 1:250,000 map sheets: Sandstone, Kirkalocka, Youanmi, Ninghan and Barlee, and parts of Yalgoo and Perenjori. The Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area contains multiple biogeographic, physiographic and administrative boundaries and as such cannot be recognised as a region in its own right. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry An inventory and condition survey of the Sandstone-Yalgoo-Paynes Find area, Western Australia. Bibliography ISBN 0 7307 0008 9. 1. Pastures - Western Australia - Sandstone (W.A.) Region 2. Pastures - Western Australia - Yalgoo (W.A.) Region 3. Pastures - Western Australia - Paynes Find (W.A.) Region 4. Rangelands - Western Australia - Sandstone (W.A.) Region 5. Rangelands - Western Australia - Yalgoo (W.A.) Region 6. Rangelands - Western Australia - Paynes Find (W.A.) Region I. Payne, A.L. II. Western Australia. Agriculture Western Australia (Series: Technical bulletin (Agriculture Western Australia); no. 90). 633.202099413 ii Pages 001-066 2/12/08 10:34 AM Page iii Contents Page Summary .................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 5 Review ......................................................................................................................... 9 A brief land use history...................................................................................... 11 Climate ............................................................................................................... 19 Geology and hydrogeology ............................................................................... 39 Regional vegetation ........................................................................................... 49 Declared plants and animals ............................................................................. 53 Native fauna ....................................................................................................... 57 The survey .................................................................................................................. 67 Methodology....................................................................................................... 69 Geomorphology.................................................................................................. 79 Soils..................................................................................................................... 95 Vegetation ........................................................................................................... 119 Ecological assessment........................................................................................ 131 Land systems ...................................................................................................... 187 Resource condition............................................................................................. 345 Appendices .................................................................................................................. 357 1. Plant species lists (i) Perennial plant species recorded in the survey area ..................... 358 (ii) Common perennial plants in the survey area ................................ 369 (iii) Annual species collected during the survey or known to occur in the survey area .................................................................. 371 2. Land system map (1:500,000 scale) iii Pages 001-066 2/12/08 10:34 AM Page iv iv Pages 001-066 2/12/08 10:34 AM Page 1 Summary Scope of the survey 1. The area surveyed by field work during 1992-93 covers about 94,700 km2 and includes nearly all of the Sandstone, Youanmi, Barlee, Kirkalocka and Ninghan 1:250,000 scale map sheets and parts of the Yalgoo and Perenjori sheets. Three small townships fall within the area, namely Sandstone in the east, Paynes Find in the south-centre and Yalgoo in the west. Apart from a very small portion of the Greenough River catchment in the far north-west there are no major river catchments in the survey area, which is drained internally into the salt lake systems of Lake Barlee, Lake Noondie, Lake Mason, Lake Moore and Mongers Lake. 2. Pastoralism is the most extensive land use in the area. Fifty four pastoral leases fall wholly, and twelve fall partly within the survey area and collectively occupy about 86,460 km2 (91% of the area). Mining is an important land use which is largely confined to greenstone belts scattered throughout. Areas set aside for nature conservation at the time of survey covered approximately 3,857 km2 (4.1%) consisting of the previous Mt Elvire pastoral lease and parts of the Mt Manning and Karroun Hill nature reserves. The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) has since purchased the Burnerbinmah pastoral lease which increases the area set aside for conservation to 4,456 km2 (4.7%). 3. This report provides a regional inventory and descriptive reference of land resources. It includes reviews of land use history, climate, geology and hydrogeology, previous vegetation surveys, declared plants and animals, and native fauna. Detailed accounts are provided of survey methodology, geomorphology, soils, vegetation, ecological assessment, land systems, and resource condition (in terms of pastoral impact) of the survey area. Plant species lists and a land system map are presented as appendices. 4. Resource condition statements are provided for the whole survey area and for each land system. These were derived from more than 9,400 visual traverse assessments, which are shown on the accompanying 1:500,000 scale land system map. Severely degraded and eroded areas were identified and mapped. Quantitative data collected at condition sites was used to analyse the impacts of grazing in four major habitats. 5. The report deals specifically with resource description and assessment, recognising the widespread impact of pastoralism on resources in the process. A companion report1 focusing on pastoral resources and pastoral management has also been produced, based on the findings of this rangeland survey. Pastoralists are encouraged to refer to both reports. Land characteristics 6. The climate varies from semi-arid in the south and west to arid in the north-east (mean annual rainfall 230-280 mm). When subjected to analysis, in terms of moisture potential for widespread plant growth, long-term records show the clear predominance of effective winter rainfall (probability 88% throughout), and the highly unreliable nature of effective summer rainfall (25% throughout). A probability-based assessment of rainfall and plant growth provides a basis for long-term strategic planning for pastoralists and other land managers who are operating in a highly erratic and unreliable seasonal environment. 7. Geologically, the area is dominated by a granite-greenstone terrain of the Archaean Yilgarn Block with occasional ranges widely separated by gently sloping pediments, which give way to very gently inclined sheetflood alluvial plains upslope from salt lakes. Drainage is mostly disorganised and internal. Soils are mainly shallow, sandy and infertile and, across most of the

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