Prioritisation of High Conservation Status Offshore Islands
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chapter 4 prioritisation of high conservation status offshore islands 0809-1197 prepared for the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts Revision History Revision Revision date Details Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by number Dr Louise A Shilton Principal Ecologist, Beth Kramer Ecosure Environmental Neil Taylor 00 13/07/09 Draft Report Dr Ray Pierce Scientist, Ecosure CEO, Ecosure Director, Eco Oceania Julie Whelan Environmental Dr Louise A Shilton Scientist, Ecosure Neil Taylor 01 19/08/2009 Final Report Principal Ecologist, Dr Ray Pierce CEO, Ecosure Ecosure Director, Eco Oceania Distribution List Copy Date type Issued to Name number 1 19/08/09 electronic DEWHA Dr Julie Quinn 2 19/08/09 electronic Ecosure Pty Ltd Dr Louise A Shilton 3 19/08/09 electronic Eco Oceania Pty Ltd Dr Ray Pierce Report compiled by Ecosure Pty Ltd. Please cite as: Ecosure (2009). Prioritisation of high conservation status of offshore islands. Report to the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Ecosure, Cairns, Queensland. Gold Coast Cairns Sydney PO Box 404 PO Box 1130 PO Box 880 West Burleigh Qld 4219 Cairns Qld 4870 Surrey Hills NSW 2010 P +61 7 5508 2046 P +61 7 4031 9599 P +61 2 9690 1295 F +61 7 5508 2544 F +61 7 4031 9388 [email protected] www.ecosure.com.au offshore-islands-chapter-4.doc_190809 Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication. © Ecosure Proprietary Limited 2009 The information contained in this document produced by Ecosure Pty Ltd is solely for the use of the Client identified on the cover sheet for the purpose for which it has been prepared and Ecosure Pty Ltd undertakes no duty to or accepts any responsibility to any third party who may rely upon this document. 4 Profiles for 100 Priority High Conservation Status Offshore Islands (>200 ha) Individual island and island group profiles are listed in alphabetical order, based on the island group name or the primary island listed in the priority list. Information within island profiles has been sourced from supplied DEWHA datasets (see section 2.1, Chapter 2) as well as from the directly accessed references listed at the end of each profile. It should be noted here that the DEWHA data has been derived from multiple sources; details of which are recorded in metadata supplied with the datasets, are too many to mention in this report. Similarly, numerous documents were sourced for information about threatened fauna and flora and feral impacts; such as species action or recovery plans, conservation listing advices and factsheets. Specific information is cited, but where such documents guided the feral species impacts matrices for fauna (Appendix E) and flora (Appendix F), they have not been cited as, again, there are too many to mention in this report. Due to the requirements of this project, some text is drawn directly from management plans and other relevant documents that are specific to islands or areas encompassing the island(s) in question, principally in the ‘Past & current pest management & monitoring’ section within each each profile. All directly sourced documents are acknowledged and cited. In contrast to any management recommendations referenced in the ‘Past & Current Pest Management & Monitoring’ those provided in the ‘Recommended Actions’ section within each island profile are our recommendations. To assist with understanding the geographical context of priority islands, eight maps are provided in Appendix G. These are: MAP 1 – 100 Priority Islands; the whole of Australia and the areas zoomed in on for maps 2 to 8 MAP 2 – Priority Islands in the Northern Territory (NT) MAP 3 – Priority Islands in Queensland (QLD) MAP 4 – Priority Islands in New South Wales (NSW) MAP 5 – Priority Islands in Victoria (VIC) MAP 6 – Priority Islands in Tasmania (TAS) MAP 7 – Priority Islands in South Australia (SA) MAP 8 – Priority Islands in Western Australia (WA) For ease of reference, the relevant map number is provided near the top of each island/island group profile. high conservation status offshore islands ecosure.com.au 25 Adele Island (WA) HIGH CONSERVATION STATUS AUSTRALIAN OFFSHORE ISLAND PRIORITY: Top 100 (lower 50) ISLAND NAME & GROUP: Adele Island MAP 8 LATITUDE: 15º 31' S [Decimal Degrees -15.523º] LONGITUDE: 123º 09' E [Decimal Degrees 123.156º] AREA: 268 ha DISTANCE TO NEAREST OTHER LAND & TYPE (mainland/island): 81 km to the mainland 76 km to Cockatoo Island (WA) JURISDICTION: Western Australia TENURE: Nature Conservation Reserve STATUS: Nature Reserve A44675, Conservation Commission of WA, Kimberley GENERAL GEOGRAPHY: Adele Island is a low lying, fish-hook shaped island approximately 2.9 km long by 1.6 km wide. It is surrounded by extensive sandbanks lying over a limestone platform forming a large lagoon. DEMOGRAPHY & HUMAN USE: Adele Island has a lighthouse and is on the Register of the National Estate (Place File No. 5/09/212/0024). It is considered likely to be of major significance to the Western Australia marine estate (DEWHA 2009k). ECOSYSTEM TYPES/ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES: Unknown. THREATENED FAUNA: THREATENED FLORA: No known EPBC listed threatened fauna No known EPBC listed, or otherwise listed, species are known to occur on Adele Island. threatened flora species are known to occur on Adele Island. CR: na CR: na EN: na EN: na VU: na VU: na 16 EPBC listed Marine or Migratory species (Bonn, CAMBA, JAMBA and/or ROKAMBA) are known to occur on Adele Island: Australian Pelican, Bridled Tern, Brown Booby, Brown Noddy, Caspian Tern, Crested Tern, Eastern Reef Egret, Great Frigatebird, Gull-billed Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Lesser Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Nankeen Night Heron, Red-footed Booby, Roseate Tern and Silver Gull. 1 additional EPBC listed Migratory species are likely or may occur on the island: Saltwater Crocodile. SEABIRD/SHOREBIRD BREEDING SITES: OTHER SIGNIFICANT NATURAL VALUES: high conservation status offshore islands ecosure.com.au 26 13 of the known migratory species (above) Adele Island is listed under Class ‘Natural’ of have been recorded breeding on Adele the Register of the National Estate. Island. Significant records include: Adele Island was declared a Nature Reserve in Lesser Frigatebird - 5700 in 1982; significant 2001 in recognition of the island’s status as a rookery in 2007. bird breeding sanctuary. Brown Booby - 1750/1972; important The island is also important for turtle nesting breeding area in 2008. (Masini et al. 2009). Additional recent seabird breeding records include: Lesser Crested Tern - small breeding population in 2008. Masked Booby - 450/1992; small number in 2008. Red-footed Booby - 11/1992; small breeding population in 2008. PEST VERTEBRATES PRESENT: Pacific Rat is the PEST VERTEBRATE IMPACTS: No specific information, only vertebrate pest species known to be but general impacts of Pacific Rat could be present on Adele Island, and is believed to expected. have been introduced via Indonesian fishing boats. Pacific Rat is included with other rodents as a listed EPBC Key Threatening Process. OTHER THREATS PRESENT: Unknown. OTHER THREAT IMPACTS: Unknown. PAST & CURRENT PEST MANAGEMENT & MONITORING: No island specific management plan was identified. DEC is currently surveying biodiversity on 20 of the largest islands to develop a conservation management plan in collaboration with traditional owners (Masini et al. 2009). This management plan will be the ‘Kimberley Strategy’. FURTHER PEST ERADICATION REQUIREMENTS: Only the Pacific Rat is known to be present. POTENTIAL ERADICATION RISKS: These should POTENTIAL BIOSECURITY RISKS: Likely to be be scoped in the pending conservation significant risks of additional vertebrate pests (e.g. management plan and further feasibility other rats and cats) and other pests arriving at the studies implemented as required. island. These risks and appropriate biosecurity planning should be identified in the management plan. RECOMMENDED ACTIONS: Priority is to complete surveys and management plan, and enhance biosecurity plans and undertake feasibility studies for pest eradication as identified in the management plan. KEY REFERENCES Australian Bird Study Association 2008. Corella Seabird Island Series. Cd-Rom available from Australian Bird Study Association (www.absa.asn.au). DEWHA 2008i. The North-west Marine Bioregional Plan Bioregional Profile. A Description of the Ecosystems, Conservation Values and Uses of the North-west Marine Region. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts, Canberra, ACT. Available at: www.environment.gov.au. Accessed on 28 May 2009. DEWHA 2009k. Australian Heritage Database. Available online at: www.environment.gov.au. Accessed on 16 June 2009. Masini, R., Sim, C., Simpson, C., McKenzie, N., Start, T., Burbidge, A., Kenneally, K. and Burrows, N. high conservation status offshore islands ecosure.com.au 27 2009. A synthesis of scientific knowledge to support conservation management in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), The Government of Western Australia. Available at: www.dec.wa.gov.au. Accessed on 17 June 2009. high conservation status offshore islands ecosure.com.au 28 Albany Island (QLD) HIGH CONSERVATION STATUS AUSTRALIAN OFFSHORE ISLAND PRIORITY: Top 100 (lower 50) ISLAND NAME & GROUP: Albany Island MAP 3 LATITUDE: 10º 43' S [Decimal Degrees -10.730º] LONGITUDE: 142º 36' E [Decimal Degrees 142.605º] AREA: 584 ha DISTANCE TO NEAREST OTHER LAND & TYPE (mainland/island): 0.5 km to the mainland JURISDICTION: Queensland TENURE: Freehold/Lands Lease/Reserve STATUS: Aboriginal freehold land/Crown leasehold land/Other Crown land GENERAL GEOGRAPHY: Unknown.