Restoring a Rainforest Habitat Linkage in North Queensland: Donaghy's

FEATURE doi: 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2009.00471.x Restoring a rainforest habitat linkage in north Queensland: Donaghy’s Corridor ByNigelI.J.TuckerandTaniaSimmons Re-instating habitat connectivity at the Donaghy’s site has allowed many plants, vertebrates and invertebrates to colonise newly created niches and has improved local community understanding of the value of ‘defragmenting’ landscapes. Figure 1. Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii), a locally iconic restoration target species (Source: Lars Kazmeier). Nigel Tucker is a consulting Environmental scien- habitat areas (Crater Lakes National tist, Principal of Biotropica Australia (PO Box 866 Introduction Malanda, Queensland 4885, Australia; Tel: +61 7 Park, and the Wooronooran National 4095 1116; Email: [email protected]). rom 1995 to 1998, restoration plant- Park) to provide passage and habitat Tania Simmons is engaged in natural resource Fings were undertaken to establish for a range of fauna species potentially management on Cape York Peninsula (Email: Donaghy’s Habitat Linkage, a 1.2- affected by isolation. These particu- [email protected]). The work reported in km · 100-m planting of rain forest larly included the Endangered South- this article was undertaken during the first author’s species along Toohey Creek, on the ern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius management of the Qld Parks and Wildlife’s Centre Atherton Tablelands, Queensland. The johnsonii) (Fig. 1) (Tucker 2000a) for Tropical Restoration. project was designed to link two large and the locally endemic Musky-rat 98 ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION VOL 10 NO 2 AUGUST 2009 ª 2009 Ecological Society of Australia FEATURE Box 1. Establishing a linkage Aerial photography from 1943 (Fig. 2) demonstrates the long history of clearing in the region. In 1995, a few isolated fragments of forest cover remained along Toohey Creek, the largest being only 0.25 ha and all were compromised by edge effects and stock trampling pressure. Figures 3 and 4 depict the progress towards canopy closure and establishment of the linkage over 8 years from final planting. Figure 2. In 1943, the banks of Toohey Creek were largely Figure 3. In 1998, the final planting can be seen in the middle of devoid of vegetation Lake Barinne NP is to the left of this view and the linkage. The 1995 planting to the left (Gadgarra end) and 1996/97 Toohey Creek is indicated in black. plantings to the right (Lake Barrine end) are more established. Figure 4. Looking towards Gadgarra State Forest in 2006, Donoghy’s Linkage appears to be a well-established part of the landscape. ª 2009 Ecological Society of Australia ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION VOL 10 NO 2 AUGUST 2009 99 FEATURE Kangaroo (Hypsiprimnodon moscha- Campbell (1995) documented a attitudes of the landholders and other tus). The project was managed by decline in the genetic diversity of some stakeholders associated with the site. Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPW), small mammals at Lake Barrine when The majority (85%) of the land to be and involved substantial community compared with adjacent intact popula- replanted was privately owned by participation through the partner tions at Gadgarra. Edge effects are graziers John and Therese Donaghy group Trees for the Evelyn and Ather- prominent, including the mortality of and the linkage became colloquially ton Tablelands (TREAT Inc.). large trees along the exposed margins known as Donaghy’s Corridor. Toohey Creek springs from Lake Bar- and dense clumps of rattan or Lawyer rine, a volcanic maar contained within a Cane (Calamus spp.), indicative of Habitat linkages 498 ha section of the Crater Lakes edge related disturbance (Laurance National Park and flows across farmland 1997). The Southern Cassowary is Rosenberg et al. (1997) highlight two into the Gadgarra section of the extinct within Barrine, so its critical key aspects of wildlife corridor func- 80 000 ha Wooroonooran National role in seed dispersal no longer occurs tion: (i) species habitat; and (ii) con- Park. The Lake Barrine section of Crater in the reserve. The Barrine reserve is duits for movement. To reinforce this, Lakes National Park and the Gadgarra internally fragmented by roads and we refer to corridors as ‘habitat link- section of Wooroonooran National Park powerlines and various weeds are typi- ages’, which we define here as natu- are both contained within the Wet Tro- cal in these disturbed areas. Moreover, rally discrete areas that provide habitat pics World Heritage Area. The Lake Bar- patches of rain forest isolated in a sea for a subset of local species and a link- rine reserve had been isolated from the of pasture are a common feature of the age between habitat patches for Wooroonooran massif since the 1930s Atherton Tablelands landscape and mobile species with larger home when agricultural expansion resulted management solutions are required, ranges. The size and habitat suitability in the clearing of forest surrounding which can potentially reduce isolation of linkages will determine their usage the reserve (see Box 1, Fig. 2). effects in a number of other reserves. because what constitutes habitat for The project managers commenced one species may only ever provide a Fragmentation and potential planning the restoration of the linkage movement conduit for others. This for linkage habitat to alleviate these effects, suggests caution in assuming that link- Fragmentation and isolation have encouraged by a review of the litera- ages will work for all species in all resulted in a number of ecological ture on the requirements of linkages locations and their value may in fact effects within the Barrine reserve. (Tucker 2000b) and the cooperative be site and species specific. Therefore, Ta ble 1 . Criteria for the selection of planting stock Selection criteria Justification Donaghy’s example Target species food plants Provide food resources to sustain dispersing Rhamnaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Rutaceae juveniles (especially arboreal folivores) Ficus spp, Lauraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Provide food resources to attract frugivorous Elaeocarpaceae, Araliaceae seed dispersers Rapid provision of perches, Encourage seed-dispersing wildlife Pioneers eg. Bleeding Heart (Homalanthus flowers and fruits Encourage early colonisation novo-guineensis), Sarsparilla (Alphitonia whitei) Species producing good nectar resources at early age e.g. Weeping Bottlebrush (Melaleuca viminalis) Contribution to structural complexity Even aged plantings of limited life forms lack Fast growing, short lived pioneers structural complexity and are less likely to eg. Bleeding Heart, Sarsaparilla produce levels of mortality required to Vines e.g. Faradaya splendida for extra promote natural disturbance structural complexity Provide a year round supply of Sustain within linkage populations Ficus spp. fruit resources Encourage ‘lean time’ visits from seed dispersers Niche specialists Site heterogeneity Riparian species eg. Water Fig (Ficus congesta), Weeping Bottlebrush Tolerance of open, degraded conditions Post disturbance condition of lands to be restored Framework species (Goosem & Tucker 1995) (Group 9) Families of known importance to Majority of local rain forest plants are fleshy fruited Lauraceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Euphorbiaceae, frugivorous species and require zoochorous dispersal Moraceae, Myrtaceae, Sapindaceae Large fruited taxa Loss of key dispersers from small fragments Water Gum (Syzygium gustavioides), Inability of most species to germinate and persist Bumpy Satinash (S. cormiflorum) in degraded areas Rare ⁄ Threatened Species Increases population size Bull Kauri (Agathis microstachya), Coorangooloo Allows study of establishment techniques Quandong (Elaeocarpus coorangooloo) 100 ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION VOL 10 NO 2 AUGUST 2009 ª 2009 Ecological Society of Australia FEATURE to maximise the functional value of changes were beneficial within the some small mammal species from Lake the linkage area available for restora- local landscape context. Monitoring Barrine had decreased genetic variabil- tion, significant pre-planning was was undertaken by QPW staff with ity and could be genetically distin- undertaken (Tucker 2000a). This assistance from specialist research guished from the adjacent Gadgarra included the establishment of a care- institutions as required. Full details of population. This provided a unique fully chosen range of plants (Table 1), the monitoring design are detailed in opportunity to use these species for and a range of other strategies, to Tucker (2000b). monitoring purposes. Using a genetic ensure that organisms with varying For the baseline monitoring, all approach, it was theoretically possible habitat needs could be accommodated native and exotic plants occurring to document movement through the to the greatest possible extent. within the area to be restored were linkage and potentially to show inter- identified to species level prior to the breeding between two anthropogeni- commencement of works and the cally divided populations. Planning the Linkage and the position of individual trees and clumps Monitoring was mapped (Box 3, Fig. 7). Survey The planting and Other showed a diverse group of species Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPW), Actions from a range of life forms and succes- which manages both Lake Barrine and sional stages, although the 1943 aerial The restoration works were based on Wooroonooran for conservation pur- photograph (see Fig. 2) shows an accepted ecological principles and poses, operates the QPW Restoration absence of any native

Load more