For the Grey-Headed Flying Fox © State of NSW and Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW

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For the Grey-Headed Flying Fox © State of NSW and Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW Best practice guidelines for the grey-headed flying fox © State of NSW and Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW This work is copyright. However, with the exception of photographs, materials presented in these guidelines may be copied for personal use or educational purposes, providing that any extracts are fully acknowledged. Apart from this and any other use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW. Cover photos: Cabramatta Creek – photo: Nick Colman; Grey-headed flying fox - photo: Vivien Jones Published by: Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW 59–61 Goulburn Street, Sydney PO Box A290, Sydney South 1232 Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (information and publications requests) TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Fax: (02) 9995 5999 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au DECC 2008/540 ISBN 978 1 74232 000 7 October 2008 Printed on environmentally sustainable stock Contents 1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 The grey-headed flying fox ........................................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 Distribution ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................1 1.3 Ecological role of the grey-headed flying fox ................................................................................................................................2 1.4 Reproduction .....................................................................................................................................................................................................2 1.5 Cabramatta Creek Flying-fox Reserve .................................................................................................................................................2 1.6 Threats to grey-headed flying foxes ....................................................................................................................................................5 2 Guidelines for bush managers and regenerators ..........................................................................................................8 2.1 Australian bat lyssavirus ...............................................................................................................................................................................8 2.2 Bushland regeneration .................................................................................................................................................................................8 2.3 Phytophthora cinnamomi .......................................................................................................................................................................11 2.4 Fire management .........................................................................................................................................................................................11 2.5 Fauna management ...................................................................................................................................................................................14 2.4 Community access ......................................................................................................................................................................................16 2.7 Community awareness .............................................................................................................................................................................17 2.8 Summary of management strategies ..............................................................................................................................................18 3 Licensing issues ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 19 Appendix 1: Volunteering .............................................................................................................................................................................. 20 Appendix 2: Plant species in the diet of flying foxes in northern NSW ............................................................ 20 Appendix 3: Netting of fruit trees ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 References ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Figures Grey-headed flying foxes ..............................................................................................................................................................................................1 Distribution of the grey-headed flying fox ........................................................................................................................................................2 Young grey-headed flying fox and mother .......................................................................................................................................................3 Changes in vegetation at Cabramatta Flying-fox Reserve from 1943 to 2007 ...........................................................................3 Aerial photo of Cabramatta Creek - Warwick Farm area in 1943 .........................................................................................................5 Australian white ibis at Cabramatta Creek Flying-fox Reserve ..............................................................................................................7 Treating a severely dehydrated flying fox .......................................................................................................................................................15 Viewing platform at Cabramatta Creek Flying-fox Reserve ..................................................................................................................17 Volunteer working on bush regeneration ......................................................................................................................................................18 Best practice guidelines 1 Introduction Much of Sydney’s native vegetation has been cleared or disturbed. As a consequence many native plants and animals have become locally extinct or threatened with extinction. These threatened species must be managed carefully to ensure their survival. Cabramatta Creek Flying-fox Reserve contains severely degraded remnants of two endangered ecological communities listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW) (TSC Act): River Flat Eucalypt Forest and Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest. The reserve is also home to a significant maternity colony of the grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus). The grey-headed flying fox, which once had a population of many millions, now numbers less than 300,000 nationally and continues to decline (DEC 2005). It is listed as a threatened species in 2001 in NSW (TSC Act), as a vulnerable species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) and as a vulnerable species in Victoria. The aim of legislation is the protection and recovery of endangered species (Eby and Lunney 2002). The Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW (DECC) and the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority have identified the need to provide best practice guidance to land managers and private landholders seeking to conserve grey-headed flying foxes. Cabramatta Creek Flying-fox Reserve has been chosen as a demonstration site for this threatened species. All flying-fox camp restoration projects should be managed to current best practice standards, as inappropriate restoration can significantly affect the usefulness of the camp. Land managers, private landowners and bush regenerators are encouraged to apply the strategies and techniques outlined in this document. 1.1 The grey-headed flying fox The grey-headed flying fox is Australia’s largest flying fox, with a head and body length of 23–29 cm and a wingspan of up to 1 m. It has dark grey fur on the body, lighter grey fur on the head and a russet collar encircling the neck. It can be distinguished from other flying foxes by the leg fur which extends to the ankle. 1.2 Distribution The grey-headed flying fox is found along the east coast of Australia from Bundaberg to Melbourne. At any time the majority of the flying foxes will occupy only a small proportion of this range. The northern range of grey-headed flying foxes is contracting to the south. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were recorded in far north Queensland. In 1929 there were camp sites occupied permanently or regularly around Rockhampton. Grey-headed flying foxes are no longer found in the Rockhampton area and known sites have contracted by approximately
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