Citation Quarmby, J.P. (2010) Recovery Plan for Twelve Threatened Orchids in the Lofty Block Region of South Australia 2010. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, South Australia. This recovery plan was prepared under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Note: This recovery plan sets out the actions necessary to stop the decline of, and support the recovery of, the listed threatened species or ecological community. The Australian Government is committed to acting in accordance with the plan and to implementing the plan as it applies to Commonwealth areas. Department of Environment and Natural Resources The plan has been developed with the involvement and cooperation of a broad range of stakeholders, but individual stakeholders have not necessarily Adelaide and Mount Lofty Natural Resource commited to undertaking specific actions. The Management Board attainment of objectives and provision of funds may be subject to budgetary and other constraints Northern and Yorke Natural Resource affecting the parties involved. Proposed actions may Management Board be subject to modification over the life of the plan due to changes in knowledge. © Department of Environment and Natural Resources ISBN 1 921238 80 1 FIS 90534 Cover photographs: Top left: Caladenia macroclavia (J. Quarmby); top centre: volunteers caging (D. Bickerton); top right: volunteers weeding (P. Clark); bottom left: Pterostylis sp. ‘Halbury’ (J. Quarmby); bottom right: Caladenia woolcockiorum (J. Quarmby). Acknowledgements Firstly the author would like to thank the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board, Northern and Yorke Natural Resource Management Board, and the South Australian Government Department for Environment and Natural Resources for funding the Lofty Block Threatened Orchid Recovery Project. Thanks also to the numerous community groups that have volunteered their time, skills and expertise to the project, particularly members of the Threatened Plant Action Group, Native Orchid Society of South Australia, Friends of Parks groups, and Trees for Life. The contribution of all members of the Lofty Block Threatened Orchid Recovery Teams to the preparation of this recovery plan is gratefully acknowledged, including: Andrew Allanson, Rob Bates, Stuart Beinke, Doug Bickerton, Heather Bryant, Pat Clark, Peter Clark, Peter Copley, Jackie Crampton, Erik Dahl, Leah Egan, Ian Falkenberg, Guy Fishlock-Smith, Kate Greenhill, Tom Hands, Cathy Houston, Malcolm Houston, Amelia Hurren, Tim Jury, Janine Kraehenbuehl, Graham Lawrie, Peter McCauley, Phil McNamara, Rosemary Pedler, Jen Pitman, Andy Sharp, Jenny Skinner, Wendy Stubbs, Steve Taylor, Thai Te, Jean Turner and Andrew West. Special thanks to Roman Urban for providing GIS support, including the preparation of all maps. Finally the author would like to sincerely thank all of the other people that have contributed to this recovery plan or have been involved in the Lofty Block Threatened Orchid Recovery Project over the years. Photographic Credits Thanks to Doug Bickerton and Pat Clark for the use of their photographs of volunteers on the cover, and to Rob Bates for his photograph of Caladenia xantholeuca on page 87. All other photographs were taken by the author. Thanks also to Gilbert Dashorst (State Herbarium of South Australia) for his line drawing of Caladenia argocalla (pp. 1, 29, 121 and 141). i ii Executive Summary This plan provides the framework for the recovery of twelve nationally threatened orchid species that occur in the Lofty Block region of South Australia (refer to Table A). It was prepared to satisfy the requirements of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The plan is intended to guide the implementation of recovery actions. Table A: Summary information for twelve threatened orchid species in the Lofty Block region. Species EPBC Act Listing Est. Population Size No. of sub-populations Extent of Occurrence (km²) Key Threats Caladenia argocalla Endangered 1800 13 1666 Weed invasion, herbivory, lack of pollination and recruitment, road (White Beauty Spider-orchid) and track management Caladenia behrii Endangered 3440 32 598 Herbivory, weed invasion, lack of recruitment (Pink-lipped Spider-orchid) Caladenia gladiolata Endangered 780 4 317 Weed invasion, herbivory, lack of pollination (Bayonet Spider-orchid) Caladenia intuta Critically 400 2 2.7 Weed invasion, grazing, vegetation Endangered clearance, trampling (Ghost Spider-orchid) Caladenia macroclavia Endangered 35 5 382 Herbivory, weed invasion, grazing, lack of pollination (Large-club Spider-orchid) Caladenia rigida Endangered 5500 24 458 Herbivory, weed invasion, lack of recruitment (White Spider-orchid) Caladenia woolcockiorum Vulnerable 5400 9 13 Weed invasion, herbivory, track management (Woolcock’s Spider-orchid) Caladenia xantholeuca Endangered Possibly - - Lack of recruitment, weed invasion extinct (Flinders Ranges Spider-orchid) Pterostylis bryophila Critically 1140 3 72 Weed invasion, herbivory, fire, Endangered trampling (Hindmarsh Valley Greenhood) Pterostylis cucullata Vulnerable 6380 5 366 Weed invasion, herbivory, fire, recreation (Leafy Greenhood) Pterostylis despectans Endangered 600 4 79 Lack of pollination, grazing, weed invasion (Lowly Greenhood) Pterostylis sp. Halbury Endangered 9000 2 17 Weed invasion, herbivory, trampling (Halbury Greenhood) Note: The population and extent of occurrence data is based on 2006 figures. Conservation Status All twelve species in this recovery plan are listed as nationally threatened under the EPBC Act, and as threatened in South Australia under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (refer to Table A). The conservation status of each species has also been reviewed using IUCN Red List Criteria Version 3.1 (IUCN 2001) as part of this planning process (refer to Table 1). General species information All of the species in this recovery plan have restricted and fragmented distributions (refer to Table A). Many of the species also have small population sizes and/or a limited number of sub-populations. Detailed information on the current distribution, population size, habitat, and ecology of each of the species is provided in Part B of this plan. iii All of the species in this plan are at risk from numerous threats including climate change, vegetation clearance, weed invasion, herbivory, lack of pollination and recruitment, and road and track management activities (refer to Table A). The current threats to each species are also described in detail in Part B. Recovery objectives and performance criteria The overall recovery objective for each species in this recovery plan is to improve the conservation status within a specified timeframe, e.g. from Endangered to Vulnerable within 30 years (refer to Part B). The following recovery objectives have been developed for the species in this plan: 1. To increase the known extent of occurrence of the species. 2. To increase the number of known sub-populations. 3. To maintain or increase the size of each sub-population. 4. To maintain or increase the area of occupancy of the species. 5. To maintain or improve quality of habitat critical to survival. 6. To safeguard against the risk of sub-population extinctions. 7. To increase the knowledge of the biology and ecology of the species. 8. To maintain or increase the level of community participation in the recovery process. Each recovery objective is supported by performance criteria, which provide targets for measuring the achievement of recovery objectives (refer to Table 6). Specific recovery objectives and performance criteria for each species are listed in Part B of this plan. Recovery strategies and actions The following recovery strategies have been developed for the species in this plan: A. Determine population size and trends. B. Determine current extent of occurrence and number of sub-populations. C. Mitigate the threats to sub-populations. D. Protect and manage habitat critical to survival. E. Preserve germplasm and mycorrhizal fungi in vitro. F. Determine the feasibility of translocation and implement translocation proposals. G. Undertake research related to the species. H. Inform, encourage and support landholders and the community. Each recovery strategy is supported by a number of recovery actions (refer to Table 7), which are justified and described in Section 3.3. Specific recovery actions for each species are listed in Part B of this plan, with associated timelines and delivery groups. Each recovery action may contribute to achieving more than one recovery objective and performance criterion. The relationship between recovery objectives, performance criteria and recovery actions is shown in Appendix E. Costs and evaluation The resources required to implement this plan are estimated to be $968 800, with an average cost of $138 400 per year. The budget for the plan is outlined in Part C. Funding will be sought from Natural Resource Management Boards, the South Australian Department for Environment and Natural Resources, Australian Government Department of Sustainabilty, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, community grants, and other available sources. Annual progress towards achieving the specific recovery objectives for each species in this recovery plan will be reported by the Lofty Block Threatened Orchid Recovery Teams. A major independent review of the recovery process