Eastern Australia Tropical Rainforests
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Conservation Management Zones of Australia Eastern Australia Tropical Forests and Woodlands 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: Wanggoolba Creek, Fraser Island – Peter Lik Page 4: Glass House Mountains National Park – Peter Lik Page 10: Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) – Dan Lunney Page 15: Kenilworth State Forest – Peter Lik Page 18: Up Hill Inlet, Whitsunday Island – Ben Southall, Tourism and Events Queensland Page 20: Nangur spiny skink (Nangura spinosa) – Steve Wilson Page 21: Proserpine Rock-Wallaby (Petrogale persephone) – Briony Masters, Copyright The State of QLD (Department of Environment and Heritage Protection) Page 23: Mary River Turtle (Elusor macrurus) – Chris Van Wyk Page 24: Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus( macleayii) – JJ Harrison Page 27: Green Turtle Hatchlings (Chelonia mydas), Heron Island – Darren Jew Page 33: Kondalilla National Park, Blackall Range – Peter Lik Page 34: Eucalyptus woodlands with tussock grass (Eucalyptus platyphylla) – J. Wrigley Page 35: Eucalyptus open forests with a grassy understorey – Annie Kelly, QLD Herbarium Page 36: Eucalyptus open forests with a shrubby understorey – Tim Ryan, QLD Herbarium Page 37: Eucalyptus woodlands with a shrubby understorey (Eucalyptus hallii) – Tim Ryan, QLD Herbarium Page 38: Tropical or sub-tropical rainforest, Mary Cairncross Reserve – Bidgee Page 39: Melaleuca open forests and woodlands, broad leaf tea-tree (Melaleuca viridiflora) woodlands – Neisha Burton Back Cover: Wanggoolba Creek, Fraser Island – 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, Eastern Australia Tropical Forests and Woodlands 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����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Ramsar and Nationally Important Wetlands������������������������������������������������������������������ 16 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 ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 26 Threatened endemic species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28 Invasive species ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������30 Vegetation profiles and management recommendations ��������������������������������������� 33 Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Eastern Australia Tropical Forests and Woodlands 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, Eastern Australia Tropical Forests and Woodlands Zone at a glance Area of zone: Population density: 8,206,132 hectares % of Australia: 25.68 people 1.07% per square kilometre Zone population characteristics Zone employment characteristics 2,000,000 1,851,036 5.1% 1,500,000 1,000,000 Number of people 500,000 0 otal T er 65 Ov a second language English as ndigenous 94.9% I outh (15–24) Y Employed Unemployed Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 3 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Eastern Australia Tropical Forests and Woodlands Major cities and towns Population Top five agricultural commodities Value (millions) Other broadacre crops Bundaberg 69,805 $593 Gladstone 44,355 (including sugar cane) Vegetables for consumption $425 Hervey Bay 50,431 Mackay 81,594 Beef $233 Maryborough 21,801 Fruit $233 Rockhampton 77,704 Poultry $169 Sunshine Coast 285,169 Total value of agricultural commodities (including other $1,882 Townsville 171,971 commodities not listed here) Regional centres Population Climate characteristics* Airlie Beach – Cannonvale 7,869 Mean annual temperature 21.3 Celsius Ayr 8,392 Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month 30.4 Celsius Bangara – Innes Park 10,048 Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month 9.7 Celsius Beerwah 4,336 Mean Annual Rainfall 1083.4 mm Bongaree-Woorim 17,068 Bowen 8,599 Dominant rainfall season Summer Gympie 17,283 * The figures are interpolated 75-year means (1921 to 1995) representing the period prior to the onset of rapid climatic warming. Nambour 16,251 Cited in: Williams KJ, Belbin L, Austin MP, Stein J, Ferrier S (2012) Which environmental variables should