Interim Recovery Plan No. 356 Scale-leaf Poison Gastrolobium appressum Interim Recovery Plan 2015–2020 Department of Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia November 2015 Interim Recovery Plan for Gastrolobium appressum List of Acronyms The following acronyms are used in this plan: BGPA Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority CALM Department of Conservation and Land Management CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CR Critically Endangered DEC Department of Environment and Conservation DAA Department of Aboriginal Affairs DPaW Department of Parks and Wildlife (also shown as Parks and Wildlife) DRF Declared Rare Flora (also known as Threatened Flora) EN Endangered EPBC Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation IBRA Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia IRP Interim Recovery Plan IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature LGA Local Government Authority MDTFRT Moora District Threatened Flora Recovery Team MRWA Main Roads WA NP National Park NRM Natural Resource Management PEC Priority Ecological Community PICA Public Information and Corporate Affairs PTA Public Transport Authority SCB Species and Communities Branch SWALSC South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council TEC Threatened Ecological Community TFSC Threatened Flora Seed Centre UNEP-WCMC United Nations Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Centre VU Vulnerable WA Western Australia 2 Interim Recovery Plan for Gastrolobium appressum Foreword Interim Recovery Plans (IRPs) are developed within the framework laid down in Department of Parks and Wildlife (Parks and Wildlife) Policy Statement No. 35 and Corporate Guideline No. 36 (DPaW 2015). Plans outline the recovery actions that are required to urgently address those threatening processes most affecting the ongoing survival of threatened flora or ecological communities, and begin the recovery process. The department is committed to ensuring that Threatened taxa are conserved through the preparation and implementation of Recovery Plans (RPs) or IRPs, and by ensuring that conservation action commences as soon as possible and, in the case of Critically Endangered (CR) flora, within one year of endorsement of that rank by the Minister. This plan will operate from November 2015 to October 2020 but will remain in force until withdrawn or replaced. It is intended that, if the species is still ranked as CR in Western Australia, this plan will be reviewed after five years and the need for further recovery actions assessed. This plan was given regional approval on 21 August 2015 and was approved by the Director of Science and Conservation on 6 November 2015. The provision of funds identified in this plan is dependent on budgetary and other constraints affecting the department, as well as the need to address other priorities. Information in this plan was accurate at November 2015. Plan preparation This plan was prepared by: Robyn Luu Project Officer, Parks and Wildlife Species and Communities Branch, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia, 6983 Raymond Pybus Work experience Student, Curtin University, Bentley Andrew Brown Threatened Flora Coordinator, Parks and Wildlife Species and Communities Branch, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia, 6983 Acknowledgments: The following people provided assistance and advice in the preparation of this plan: Anne Cochrane Senior Research Scientist, Parks and Wildlife Science and Conservation Division Amanda Shade Assistant Curator (Nursery), Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority Niall Sheehy Former Flora Conservation Officer, Parks and Wildlife Moora District Benson Todd Former Nature Conservation Coordinator, Parks and Wildlife Moora District Thanks also to the staff of the Western Australian Herbarium for providing access to Herbarium databases and specimen information, and other departmental staff for comments and assistance in developing this plan. Cover photograph by Emma Richardson. Citation: This plan should be cited as: Department of Parks and Wildlife (2015) Scale-leaf Poison (Gastrolobium appressum) Interim Recovery Plan 2015–2020. Interim Recovery Plan No. 356. Department of Parks and Wildlife, Western Australia. 3 Interim Recovery Plan for Gastrolobium appressum Summary Scientific name: Gastrolobium appressum Common name: Scale-leaf Poison Family: Fabaceae Flowering period: September−November, DPaW region: Midwest sometimes December Shires: Coorow, Moora DPaW district: Moora IBRA regions: Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton NRM region: Northern Agricultural Sandplains Catchment Council IBRA subregions: Avon Wheatbelt P1, Avon Recovery team: MDTFRT Wheatbelt P2, Lesueur Sandplain Distribution and habitat: Gastrolobium appressum is found between Watheroo and Marchagee, growing in quartz gravel and white or yellow sand on the crowns and slopes of hills in vegetation ranging from thicket to open low scrub over low heath and open dwarf scrub (Brown et al. 1998). Habitat critical to the survival of the species, and important populations: It is considered that all known habitat for wild populations is critical to the survival of the species, and that all wild populations are important populations. Habitat critical to the survival of Gastrolobium appressum includes the area of occupancy of populations, areas of similar habitat surrounding and linking populations (these providing potential habitat for population expansion and for pollinators), additional occurrences of similar habitat that may contain undiscovered populations of the species or be suitable for future translocations, and the local catchment for the surface and/or groundwater that maintains the habitat of the species. Conservation status: Gastrolobium appressum is specially protected under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and is ranked as Endangered (EN) in Western Australia under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2014) criteria C2a due to a population size estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals; a continuing decline in numbers of mature individuals and no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 250 mature individuals. The species is listed under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) as Vulnerable (VU). Threats: The main threats to the species are road, track and railway maintenance, weeds, altered fire regimes, grazing, trampling, farming activities, rubbish dumping, dieback disease (Phytophthora cinnamomi) and future mining operations. Existing recovery actions: The following recovery actions have been or are currently being implemented and have been considered in the preparation of this plan: 1. Land owners have been made aware of Gastrolobium appressum and its locations, and their legal obligations regarding its protection 2. There has been extensive survey for the species over the last 20 years including a survey of remnant vegetation in the Marchagee Catchment in 2000 (Davies and Ladd). 3. Declared Rare Flora (DRF) markers have been installed at Populations 1 and 16, and Subpopulations 5a, 5b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 11a, 13b and 17a. 4. Dashboard stickers and posters highlighting the significance of DRF markers have been produced and distributed to relevant Shires and other organisations. 5. Eight hundred and sixty two Gastrolobium appressum seeds are stored in Parks and Wildlife's Threatened Flora Seed Centre (TFSC) at –18C. Plan objective: The objective of this plan is to abate identified threats and maintain or enhance in situ populations to ensure the long-term conservation of the species in the wild. 4 Recovery criteria Criteria for recovery success: The plan will be deemed a success if one or more of the following occur. No important populations have been lost and the number of mature plants within those populations has remained within a 10% range or has increased by >10% over the term of the plan from 988 to 1,087 or more or New populations have been found, increasing the number of known populations from 13 to 14 or more over the term of the plan with no net loss of mature plants or The area of occupancy has increased by >10% over the term of the plan with no net loss of mature plants. Criteria for recovery failure: The plan will be deemed a failure if one or more of the following occur. Important populations have been lost or The number of mature plants has decreased by >10% from 988 to 889 or less or The area of occupancy has decreased by >10% over the term of the plan with a net loss of mature plants. See table 2 for important populations. Recovery actions 1. Coordinate recovery actions 11. Develop and implement a fire management strategy 2. Fence subpopulations 12. Obtain biological and ecological information 3. Monitor populations 13. Ensure long-term protection of habitat 4. Undertake regeneration trials 14. Liaise with land managers and Aboriginal 5. Collect and store seed communities 6. Undertake surveys 15. Promote awareness 7. Undertake weed control 16. Map habitat critical to the survival of Gastrolobium 8. Determine susceptibility to dieback disease appressum 9. Maintain disease hygiene 17. Review this plan and assess the need for further 10. Develop and implement a translocation proposal recovery actions 1. Background History The first collection of Gastrolobium appressum was made near Gunyidi in 1961 by C.A. Gardner who described the species in 1964. The species is currently known from 13 populations comprising 988 mature individuals. However five of these populations have not been surveyed since 1993 and