This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 3/07/2008. Approved Conservation Advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) Approved Conservation Advice for Kunzea cambagei
This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this conservation advice was approved.
Description Kunzea cambagei, Family Myrtaceae, also known as the Cambage Kunzea, is a prostate, spreading or ascending shrub growing to 0.6 m tall. Leaves are sweetly-scented, 3–8 mm long and 3 mm wide, with a rounded tip. Flowers are cream to yellow coloured and are grouped in clusters at the ends of branches. The flowers have numerous stamens and the base of the flower is covered with silky hairs. Fruits are a hairy capsule 3 mm long (NSW NPWS, 2000a; DECC, 2005a).
Conservation Status Kunzea cambagei is listed as vulnerable. This species is eligible for listing as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) as, prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as vulnerable under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). Kunzea cambagei is also listed as vulnerable under Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).
Distribution and Habitat Kunzea cambagei occurs in the western and southern parts of the Blue Mountains, NSW, with four main populations with 20–150 individuals (NSW NPWS, 2000a). Populations are located west of Berrima, along the Wingecarribee River; Loombah Plateau east of Mount Werong; the Oberon–Colong Stock Route within Kanangra–Boyd National Park (NP); and Wangaderry Plateau within the Nattai NP (NSW NPSW, 2000a). Kunzea cambagei occurs in wet heath and woodland on coarse sandy soil on sandstone and quartzite (Benson & McDougall, 1998). This species occurs within the Hawkesbury–Nepean and Lachlan (NSW) Natural Resource Management Regions. The distribution of this species overlaps with the following EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities: • White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland, • Natural Temperate Grassland of the Southern Tablelands of NSW and the Australian Capital Territory, and • Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone.
Threats The main identified threats to K. cambagei include high fire frequency, road widening and habitat degradation by rubbish dumping and trail bikes (NSW NPWS, 2000b). The main potential threats to K. cambagei include weed spraying where plants occur on roadsides (DECC, 2005a) and bush rock removal near populated areas (NSW NPWS, 2000a).
Research Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include: • Design and implement a monitoring program.
Kunzea cambagei Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 3/07/2008. • More precisely assess population size, distribution, ecological requirements and the relative impacts of threatening processes. • Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences/remnants. • Undertake genetic analyses to 1/ assess current gene flow (using markers and analyses capable of distinguishing population divergence on an evolutionary timescale, from that which might be due to more recent impacts), and 2/ identify populations with low genetic diversity that might benefit from artificial introduction of genetic material from other populations from which they have relatively recently diverged. • Undertake research in relation to recruitment and responses to fire and disturbance (DECC, 2005b).
Regional and Local Priority Actions The following priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Kunzea cambagei. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Identify populations of high conservation priority. • Negotiate with Department of Lands and relevant landowners in the Berrima area to prepare management statements to manage threats to areas of vegetation that contain populations/occurrences/remnants of Kunzea cambagei. • Ensure road widening and maintenance activities (or other infrastructure or development activities as appropriate) in areas where Kunzea cambagei occurs do not adversely impact on known populations and that personnel are able to identify this species and its habitat (DECC, 2005b). • Ensure chemicals or other mechanisms used to eradicate weeds do not have a significant adverse impact on Kunzea cambegei. • Control access routes to suitably constrain public access to known sites on public land. • Investigate formal conservation arrangements such as the use of covenants, conservation agreements or inclusion in reserve tenure, especially sites in the Berrima area on private land and Crown lands. Fire • Develop and implement a suitable fire management strategy for K. cambagei, timing any prescribed burn to after seed has been released (autumn to winter) (NSW NPWS, 2000a). • Identify appropriate intensity and interval of fire to promote seed germination and vegetation regeneration. • Provide maps of known occurrences to local and state rural fire services and seek inclusion of mitigative measures in bush fire risk management plans, risk register and/or operation maps. Conservation Information • Raise awareness of Kunzea cambagei within the local community, particularly among landowners. Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations • Undertake appropriate seed collection and storage. • Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. • Implement national translocation protocols (Vallee et al., 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible. This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to K. cambagei, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice. Kunzea cambagei Conservation Advice - Page 2 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 3/07/2008. Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species • NSW Priority Action Statement for Kunzea cambagei (DECC, 2005b). This prescription was current at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agency’s website for any updated versions.
Information Sources: Benson, D & McDougall, L 1998, ‘Ecology of Sydney plant species: Part 6 Dicotyledon family Myrtaceae’, Cunninghamia, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 809-987. Department of Environment & Climate Change New South Wales, formerly Department of Environment & Conservation New South Wales (DECC) 2005a, Kunzea cambagei – Profile, viewed 20 March 2008,
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