This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Approved Conservation Advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) Approved Conservation Advice for Eucalyptus lateritica (Laterite Mallee)
This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this Conservation Advice was approved; this includes existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this species.
Description Eucalyptus lateritica, Family Myrtaceae, also known as Laterite Mallee or Mt Michaud Mallee (Brown et al., 1998), is an erect, lignotuberous mallee up to 3 m tall with rough grey- brown bark at the base. Juvenile leaves are to 180 mm long, 35 mm wide, lanceolate, held horizontally and slightly glossy. Adult leaves are also slightly glossy, thin, to 100 mm long, 15 mm wide, sparsely veined, green to dark green with many small discrete glands. Each inflorescence has up to 11 club-shaped buds that are 10 mm long and 2 mm wide, with a slightly rough surface. Flowers are white, and appear from April to October. Fruit are cup- shaped, to 15 mm long, 15 mm wide, with a thick rim and ring-like disc. Seeds are brown, lustrous, 5 mm long, 3 mm wide, narrowly pyramidal in shape, with lateral wings (Brooker & Hopper, 1986; Napier et al., 1988; Brown et al., 1998; Patrick & Brown, 2001).
Conservation Status Laterite Mallee 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). Laterite Mallee is also listed as declared rare flora under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (Western Australia).
Distribution and Habitat Laterite Mallee is endemic to Western Australia, where it is known from 13 small (generally less than 20 individuals), isolated populations occurring over a range of approximately 30 km in the Gairdner Range, Mount Lesueur, and the Coomallo Hill area (Brooker & Hopper, 1986; Brown et al., 1998; Patrick & Brown, 2001) within the Northern Agricultural (Western Australia) Natural Resource Management Region. The largest populations are on non- reserved private farmland. Insufficient information exists to determine population trends for Laterite Mallee as the number of individuals were not recorded for many populations. Additionally, the majority of records originate from the 1980s with little to no data existing from 1994 onwards. This species inhabits white or grey sandy soils of lateritic, gravelly slopes and breakaways in upland regions. Laterite Mallee occurs in mallee heath that includes Eucalyptus accedens, E. drummondii, E. gardneri, E. gittinsii, E. marginata, E. suberea, Banksia lanata, B. micrantha, Hakea trifurcata, Calothamnus quadrifidus, and Dryandra spp. (Brooker & Hopper, 1986; Patrick & Brown, 2001). The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities.
Threats The main potential threats to Laterite Mallee include disease, fire, insects, grazing, weeds and mining (coal). Laterite Mallee is “presumed not susceptible” to dieback caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi; however this has not been confirmed (Patrick & Brown, 2001), and Eucalyptus lateritica Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 the potential for disease to be a threat has been noted during a number of surveys. This species should be protected from frequent fire until the impact of fire on the species has been determined (Patrick & Brown, 2001).
Research Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include: • More precisely assess population size, distribution, ecological requirements, and the relative impacts of threatening processes. • Conduct research on the susceptibility to dieback caused by Phytophthora spp. (Patrick & Brown, 2001) and other known pathogens within the region. • Identify appropriate intensity and interval of fire regimes to promote seed germination and/or vegetation regeneration. • Review historical insect infestations to determine the status of any current infestations; the insect species involved; any ecosystem imbalances that may encourage outbreaks; and investigate appropriate amelioration methods. • Undertake genetic analysis to determine the relationship of the species to other species (such as Eucalyptus todtiana) that may be related (Patrick & Brown, 2001). • Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences/remnants. • Design and implement a monitoring program or, if appropriate, support and enhance existing programs.
Regional and Local Priority Actions The following priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Laterite Mallee. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Monitor known populations to identify key threats. • Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites. • Ensure mining infrastructure or maintenance activities involving substrate or vegetation disturbance in areas where Laterite Mallee occurs do not adversely impact on known populations. • Monitor the progress of recovery, including the effectiveness of management actions and the need to adapt them if necessary. • Investigate formal conservation arrangements, management agreements and covenants on private land, and for crown and private land investigate inclusion in reserve tenure if possible. Fire • Develop and implement a suitable fire management strategy for Laterite Mallee. • 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. Trampling, Browsing or Grazing • Manage known sites to ensure appropriate grazing regimes occur to allow recruitment from seedlings. • Prevent grazing pressure at known sites through exclusion fencing or other barriers. Diseases, Fungi and Insects • If necessary, implement appropriate management actions to minimise the adverse impacts of existing infestations of insects and disease.
Eucalyptus lateritica Conservation Advice - Page 2 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 1/10/2008 Invasive Weeds • Identify and remove weeds in the local area, which could become a threat to Laterite Mallee, using appropriate methods. • Manage sites to prevent introduction of weeds in the area, which could become a threat to the species, using appropriate methods. • Ensure chemicals or other mechanisms used to eradicate weeds do not have a significant adverse impact on Laterite Mallee. Conservation Information • Raise awareness of Laterite Mallee within the local community and through the Jurien Regional Herbarium using fact sheets or information brochures. Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations • Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. • Undertake appropriate seed collection and storage. • 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 Laterite Mallee, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice.
Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species • Lesueur National Park and Coomallo Nature Reserve 1995–2005 Management Plan (CALM, 1995), and • Threat Abatement Plan for Dieback Caused by the Root-Rot Fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi (EA, 2001), as this species may be susceptible to this fungus. These were the most current prescriptions at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agency’s website for any updated versions. Information Sources: Brooker, MIH & Hopper, SD 1986, ‘Notes on informal subgenus “Monocalyptus” of Eucalyptus’, Nuytsia, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 346-351. Brown, A, Thomson-Dans, C & Marchant, N (Eds.) 1998, Western Australia's Threatened Flora, Department of Conservation & Land Management, Como, WA, p. 44. Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) 1995, Lesueur National Park and Coomallo Nature Reserve 1995–2005 Management Plan, National Parks & Nature Conservation Authority, Perth, Western Australia. Environment Australia (EA) 2001, Threat Abatement Plan For Dieback caused by the root-rot fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi, Environment Australia, viewed 11 March 2008,
Eucalyptus lateritica Conservation Advice - Page 3 of 3