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The Vertebrate Fauna of Royal and Heathcote National Parks and Garawarra State Conservation Area – Final Report I

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The Vertebrate Fauna of Royal and Heathcote National Parks and Garawarra State Conservation Area – Final Report I THE VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF ROYAL & HEATHCOTE NATIONAL PARKS AND GARAWARRA STATE CONSERVATION AREA FINAL REPORT Version 1 For enquiries regarding this report please contact Thank you to: Wendy Kinsella, Joe Stammers, Manager, Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Steven Anyon-Smith, Megan Rowlatt, Jessica Section, Metropolitan Branch, Environment Zichar and Aaran Coutts-Smith for providing Protection and Regulation Group, Department of assistance during the field surveys. Thanks to Environment, Climate Change and Water, Steve Anyon-Smith for providing information on Hurstville. Specialist advice can be sought from birds; Anne Carrick for providing information on Martin Schulz, Daniel Connolly, Elizabeth the birds of the Constables Point area; Richard Magarey or Kylie Madden. Jackson for providing information on nocturnal birds; Gary Daly, Ken Griffiths, George Madani and Arthur White for providing information on This report should be referenced as follows: frogs; Ken Griffiths, John Cann, Andrew Melrose DECCW (2011), The Vertebrate Fauna of Royal & Heathcote National Parks and Garawarra State and Henry Cook for providing information on Conservation Area. Department of Environment, reptiles; Ross Goldingay for providing information Climate Change and Water NSW, Hurstville. on Broad-headed Snakes; Tom Grant and Jason Hughes for providing information on the Platypus and Water Rat; Harry Parnaby and Glen Hoye for Map data is supplied by the Department of providing details on the bat fauna; Ken Allen for Environment, Climate Change and Water. Maps providing location details of bat roosts within are copyright Department of Environment, Royal National Park; Derek Engel and Rose Climate Change and Water NSW. They are not McLaggan for providing general fauna guaranteed to be free from error or omission. information. Thanks to Richard Jackson, Henry The Department of Environment, Climate Change Cook, Narawan Williams, Ray Williams and and Water and its employees disclaim liability for Colette Harmsen for providing photos used in the any act done on the information in the map and any consequences of such acts or omissions. report. Thank you to Ross Goldingay and Ken Griffiths for providing comments on the draft version of this report. Photographs are copyright to the individual photographer or the Department of Environment, Published by: Climate Change and Water. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW Cover Photos 43 Bridge St, Hurstville NSW 2220 Front cover PO Box 1967, Hurstville NSW 1482 Feature Photo: Early morning light on Bundeena Phone (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) cliffs © M. Schulz www.environment.nsw.gov.au Coastal Sandstone Sheltered Peppermint-Apple Forest © M. Schulz/DECCW The Department of Environment, Climate Change Eastern Pygmy-possum © N. Williams/DECCW and Water is pleased to allow this material to be Patch of Cabbage Tree Palms in Royal NP © M. reproduced in whole or in part, provided the Schulz/DECCW meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher Rockwarbler at Royal NP cliffs © M. Schulz and authorship are acknowledged. Back cover Common Scaly-foot © M. Schulz ISBN 978 1 74293 220 0 Heathland in Marley Beach area © M. Schulz Giant Burrowing Frog © E. Magarey/DECCW DECCW No 2011/0249 March 2011 OVERVIEW One of the first national parks established in the world, Royal National Park in the south of Sydney is a reserve of outstanding fauna diversity. Together with the adjoining Garawarra and Heathcote reserves, the area currently provides a home or visiting place for 347 native fauna species of which 41 are recognised as threatened species. This ranks amongst the most fauna rich reserve complexes in NSW. Away from the mown picnic areas, car parks and busy roads is another world. One of rustling leaves, lizards basking, the white glistening off the plumage of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle gliding overhead, water trickling across rocks, honeyeaters darting this way and that and the air alive with the sounds of myriad birds and insects. At night for the few that venture forth lies a world of luminescent fungi, the incessant calling of frogs following rain, the heavy wing beats of Flying-foxes passing low overhead, the distant deep throated “ooo...oooo” of a Powerful Owl and rustles in the leaf litter. A walker strolling along one of the many tracks may stroll for hours without coming across another person or rest at a vista that reveals that the reserves lie on the doorstep of the most populated city in the country. This report provides an overview and detailed discussion of the fauna values of Royal and Heathcote National Parks, Garawarra State Conservation Area and adjacent lands considered to be of high conservation value. It documents the findings of an extensive literature and data review, brings together the observations of many local naturalists who have held a long standing interest in the fauna of the area, and describes and presents the findings of a comprehensive field survey program that has surveyed the full variety of fauna habitats to provide a snapshot of the fauna species present over the 2009 -2010 year. The reserves are characterised by extensive stands of sandstone forests, heaths and woodlands that provide habitat for a suite of fauna that is typical of the Sydney Basin including species such as the Red- crowned Toadlet that are endemic to the region. However it is the diverse range of habitats, from the beaches and rugged rocky ocean shores, to the mangrove-lined mudflats of Port Hacking, rainforests of the Hacking River valley, extensive heathlands with sweeping vistas and rugged sandstone cliff lines overshadowing the weaving path of the Woronora River, that elevate the species richness to such outstanding levels. The shoreline and wetlands are amongst the most distinct habitat types, supporting a variety of waterbirds that are restricted to the coastal fringe. Similarly the rainforests and adjacent tall wet sclerophyll forests found growing on rich soils in incised gullies support their own unique assemblage of species, some of which are extensions of the more subtropical NSW north-coast. The results of this study revealed several other interesting findings. Surveys undertaken for this project identified seven species not previously recorded including two threatened species the Eastern Grass Owl and the Australasian Bittern. These are very rare finds in the Sydney area. In contrast, despite Royal NP having been established for over a century, at least 25 species are known or suspected to have been lost from the reserves. At least 15 additional species that once visited the reserves frequently are today only extremely rare visitors or have ceased to visit altogether. The species extinctions, losses and declines have primarily occurred from freshwater wetlands, heathlands, rainforest habitats and shoreline habitats, as well as through loss of grassy woodland habitat from within and proximate to the survey area. The report provides information to assist park managers’ deal with the complexity of fauna species and habitat management. A profile has been created for each threatened or regionally significant species recorded in the reserves to summarise current distribution and status, while a system has been used to rank species in terms of current conservation management priority, identifying 32 species of high or moderate priority. Habitat profiles are provided to describe the fauna typical of each of the main habitats, and the relative contribution that each of the habitats make to conservation of fauna in the reserves is assessed. Threatening processes to native fauna are identified and ranked, with management recommendations targeted towards reducing threats to the current high and moderate priority fauna species. Key current threats that require management include fire, feral animals, road fatalities, loss of connectivity, hydrological changes, public disturbance and wildlife poaching. Discussion is also made of future survey needs and issues that require consideration for the implementation of monitoring programs. The Vertebrate Fauna of Royal and Heathcote National Parks and Garawarra State Conservation Area – Final Report i CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PROJECT RATIONALE ...............................................................................................................1 1.2 PROJECT AIMS ........................................................................................................................1 1.3 SURVEY AREA .........................................................................................................................2 1.3.1 Boundaries of the survey area...............................................................................2 1.3.2 Regional context ....................................................................................................2 1.3.3 Geology, geomorphology and elevation ................................................................2 1.3.4 Climate ...................................................................................................................2 1.3.5 Vegetation..............................................................................................................4 1.3.6 Fire history .............................................................................................................4 1.3.7 History of European land use.................................................................................5
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