This conservation advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 26/3/2008

A statement for the purposes of approved conservation advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)

ApprovedU Conservation Advice for Diuris praecox (Newcastle Doubletail)

This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this conservation advice was approved.

DescriptionU Diuris praecox, Family Orchidaceae, also known as Newcastle Doubletail or Rough Double Tail, is a smooth, hairless terrestrial herb with flowering stems to 40 cm high (Jones, 1991; Bishop, 1996). The species is known to occur as solitary individuals or in clumps (Jones, 1991). For most of the year the plant exists as subterranean tubers, only producing leaves and flowering stems in winter (DECC, 2005a).

ConservationU Status Newcastle Doubletail 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). The species is also listed as vulnerable under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (NSW).

DistributionU and Habitat Newcastle Doubletail is endemic to central-eastern NSW (Jones, 1991), between Ourimbah and Nelson Bay, within the Hunter−Central Rivers (NSW) Natural Resource Management Region (DECC, 2005a). There are records of the species in Munmorah State Conservation Area and Wyrrabalong National Park (NSW NPWS, 2007). The species occurs on hills and slopes of near-coastal districts in open heathy forests which have a grassy to moderately dense understory (Jones, 1991; Jones, 1999, pers. comm.), on well-drained sandy soil (Jones, 2001, pers. comm.). The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities.

ThreatsU The main identified threats to Newcastle Doubletail are loss and fragmentation of habitat through clearing for urban development; weed invasion; uncontrolled track expansion; and impacts from recreational use (DECC, 2005a).

ResearchU Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include: • Identify key threats to the species and develop appropriate recovery actions (DECC, 2005b), and • Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences.

RegionalU Priority Actions The following regional priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Newcastle Doubletail.

HabitatU Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Manage threats to areas of vegetation that contain populations/occurrences/remnants of the Newcastle Doubletail.

Diuris praecox Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This conservation advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 26/3/2008

• Identify populations of high conservation priority. • Ensure chemicals or other mechanisms used to eradicate weeds do not have a significant adverse impact on Newcastle Doubletail. • Ensure road widening and maintenance activities (or other infrastructure or development activities) in areas where Newcastle Doubletail occurs do not adversely impact on known populations. • Investigate formal conservation arrangements such as the use of covenants, conservation agreements or inclusion in reserve tenure (DECC, 2005b).

FireU • Develop and implement a suitable fire management strategy for Newcastle Doubletail. • Identify appropriate intensity and interval of fire to promote seed germination. • 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.

ConservationU Information • Raise awareness of Newcastle Doubletail within the local community.

EnableU Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations • Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. • Implement appropriate national translocation guidelines (Vallee et al., 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible. • Undertake appropriate seed and microrrhizae collection and storage. • Identify and map potential habitat (DECC, 2005b).

LocalU Priority Actions The following local priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Newcastle Doubletail.

HabitatU Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Monitor known populations to identify key threats. • Monitor the progress of recovery, including the effectiveness of management actions and the need to adapt them if necessary. • Control access routes to suitably constrain public access to known sites on public land. • Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites.

InvasiveU Weeds • Identify and remove weeds in the local area, which could become a threat to Newcastle Doubletail, using appropriate methods. • Manage sites to prevent introduction of invasive weeds, which could become a threat to Newcastle Doubletail, using appropriate methods.

FireU • Implement an appropriate fire management regime for local populations. This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to the Newcastle Doubletail, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice.

ExistingU Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species • NSW Threatened Species Priority Action Statement for Diuris praecox (DECC, 2005b), • Munmorah State Conservation Area Plan of Management (NSW NPWS, 2005) and Fire Management Plan (NSW NPWS, 2003),

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• Wyrrabalong National Park Pan of Management (NSW NPWS, 1995) and Fire Management Strategy (NSW NPWS, 2006), and • Private native forestry code of practice for Northern NSW (DECC, 2007).

Information Sources: Bishop, T 1996, Field guide to orchids of New South Wales and Victoria, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) 2005a, Threatened species profile database, Rough Doubletail, viewed 11 March 2008,

.UH Department of Environment & Climate Change (DECC) 2005b, Diuris praecox - Priority actions (NSW Threatened Species Priority Action Statement), viewed 20 December 2007,

.UH Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) 2007, Private Native Forestry Code of practice for Northern NSW, Sydney South. Jones, DL 1991, New taxa of Australian Orchidacea - Australian orchid research 2, Orchid Foundation, Essendon, Australian. Jones, DL 1999, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Personal Communication. Jones, DL 2001, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Personal Communication. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) 1995, Wyrrabalong National Park Plan of Management, viewed 11 March 2008,

.UH New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) 2003, Fire Management Plan Munmorah State Conservation Area, viewed 11 March 2008,

.UH New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) 2005, Munmorah State Conservation Area and Bird Island Nature Reserve Plan of Management, viewed 11 March 2008,

.UH New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) 2006, Wyrrabalong National Park Fire Management Strategy, viewed 11 March 2008,

.UH New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) 2007, Atlas of NSW wildlife, viewed 11

March 2008, .UH Vallee, L, Hogbin, T, Monks, L, Makinson, B, Matthes, M & Rossetto, M 2004, Guidelines for the Translocation of Threatened Plants in Australia - Second Edition, Australian Network for Plant Conservation, Canberra.

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