DOCSLIB.ORG

The Impact of the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus Cuniculus L.) on Diversity of Vascular Plants in Semi-Arid Woodlands

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Impact of the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus Cuniculus L.) on Diversity of Vascular Plants in Semi-Arid Woodlands The impact of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on diversity of vascular plants in semi-arid woodlands NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation The impact of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on diversity of vascular plants in semi-arid woodlands A consultancy report for WEST 2000Plus Prepared by: David Eldridge NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation The impact of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on diversity of vascular plants in semi-arid woodlands report Acknowledgments I am grateful to the following people for their hard work and assistance with field data collection: James Val, Scott Jaensch, Ron Rees, Sharee Bradford, Daryl Laird and Peter Connellan. James Val and Bruce Cooper provided comments on an earlier draft. Special thanks are due to Ron Rees (WEST 2000Plus) who has worked tirelessly to promote rabbit control in the Western Division. Published by: Centre for Natural Resources New South Wales Department of Land and Water Conservation Parramatta March 2002 ? NSW Government ISBN 0 000 0000 0 ISSN 0000 0000 CNR2002.006 NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation ii The impact of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on diversity of vascular plants in semi-arid woodlands report Contents Page Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................v Terms of Reference ..........................................................................................................v 1. Background......................................................................................................................1 2. Research approaches to a study of rabbits and biodiversity ..................................................2 3. Methodology ....................................................................................................................3 3.1 Selection of sites ...................................................................................................3 3.2 Selection of the warrens ........................................................................................3 3.3 Detailed warren measurements at all sites ...............................................................4 3.3.1 Vegetation cover measurements..................................................................4 3.3.2 Additional measurements (conducted at Yathong only).................................4 3.4 Statistical analyses .....................................................................................5 4. Results.............................................................................................................................6 4.1 Floristics and species richness................................................................................6 4.2 Community vegetation structure.............................................................................6 4.2.1 Plant types.................................................................................................6 4.2.2 Community Plant Structure.........................................................................6 4.2.2.2 Calcareous loams – Warrananga Bluebush...................................................8 4.3.2.3 Non-calcareous loams – Warrananga Sandplain ...........................................8 4.2.2.4 Non-calcareous sands– Morquong...............................................................9 4.3 Morphology of warren surface soils...................................................................... 10 4.4 Differential germination of plant species............................................................... 10 4.5 Post-calicivirus warren reinvasion ........................................................................ 10 5. Discussion...................................................................................................................... 16 5.1 Effects of rabbits on biodiversity .......................................................................... 16 5.2 Effects of rabbits on soil and ecological processes................................................. 17 5.3 Impact of rabbits on other fauna ........................................................................... 18 6. Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 19 7. References ..................................................................................................................... 20 NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation iii The impact of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on diversity of vascular plants in semi-arid woodlands report Figures Page Figure 1. Mean soil cover for various surface components on the warren and non-warren microsites at Yathong...................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 2. Percentage germination of the four plant species after 10 days on warren and non-warren microsites....................................................................................................................... 14 Tables Page Table 1. Description of the four study areas...................................................................................3 Table 2. Floristics and ground cover measurements for the control and warren microsites for the four sites. .........................................................................................................................6 Table 3. Mean cover-abundance of each of the 44 species recorded at Yathong Nature Reserve ........7 Table 4. Mean cover-abundance of each of the 33 plant species recorded at the Warrananga Bluebush site ....................................................................................................................9 Table 5. Species, mean cover and percent dissimilarity contributing to 82% of the dissimilarity between control and warren species at the Warrananga Bluebush site................................. 10 Table 6. Mean cover of each of the 40 plant species recorded at the Warrananga Sandplain site ...... 11 Table 7. Species, mean cover and percent dissimilarity contributing to 75% of the dissimilarity between control and warren species at the Warrananga Sandplain site................................ 12 Table 8. Mean cover of each of the 33 plant species recorded at the Morquong site ........................ 13 Table 9. Species, mean cover and percent dissimilarity contributing to 78% of the dissimilarity between control and warren species at the Morquong site. ................................................. 15 Table 10. Mean (+ standard error of the mean SEM) numbers of active, inactive and total entrances for the ripped and unripped treatments. ........................................................................... 15 NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation iv The impact of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) on diversity of vascular plants in semi-arid woodlands report Executive Summary The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) occupies approximately 4.5 million square kilometres of southern Australia and is regarded as Australia’s number one vertebrate pest. Rabbits markedly reduce the quality of the environment through their negative impacts on plant structure and composition, and soil and landscape health. Over much of their range in continental Australia rabbits live in large underground colonies or warrens. The process of burrow excavation leads to extensive and sustained soil disturbance in the vicinity of warrens. Field survey results indicated that warrens of the European rabbit supported less than half of the number of species, significantly lower richness, and reduced cover of groundstorey plants compared with adjacent non-warren sites. Weedy plants such as Sisymbrium irio and Centaurea melitensis dominated the warren surfaces on the hard red soils (Yathong). At the other sites, the exotic weeds Carrichtera annua, Vulpia myuros, Schismus barbatus, Bromus rubens and Asphodelus fistulosus tended to make up the bulk of the plant cover on the warrens. Though they also occurred off the warrens (albeit at reduced cover), their dominance on the warrens makes them a suitable seed source for dispersal to other areas. Warren surfaces generally comprised a greater proportion of bare ground, and significantly less litter compared with the non-warren surfaces. This difference in surface morphology helps to explain the significantly greater germination rates of the weedy forbs Marrubium vulgare and Brassica tournefortii, and the lower germination of the perennial native grass Austrodanthonia caespitosa on the warren compared with the non-warren surfaces. The study of warren reactivation after release of calicivirus indicates that ripping significantly reduces the number of warrens being reactivated compared with unripped warrens. Taken together, these results confirm that rabbits have a marked negative effect on the diversity of woodland vegetation and the quality of soils. This report recommends that additional research is required to: ? examine the impact of rabbits on other taxa such as reptiles, small mammals and arthropods ? examine the impact of ripping on plants and animals associated with rabbit warrens ? examine changes in soil seed banks on rabbit warrens to determine their role as a harbor for weeds. TERMS OF REFERENCE The objectives of this project were to: ? review literature relevant to the European rabbit
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Underpinnings of Fire Management for Biodiversity Conservation in Reserves A
    Underpinnings of fire management for biodiversity conservation in reserves A. Malcolm Gill Fire and adaptive management report no. 73 Underpinnings of fire management for biodiversity conservation in reserves Fire and adaptive management report no. 73 A. Malcolm Gill CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, Albert St, East Melbourne, Vic 3002 Underpinnings of fire management for biodiversity conservation in reserves Published by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment Melbourne, November 2008 © The State of Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment 2008 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. Printed by Stream Solutions Printed on 100% Recycled paper ISBN: 978-1-74208-868-6 (print); ISBN: 978-1-74208-869-3 (online) For more information contact the DSE Customer Service Centre 136 186 Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Cover photograph: Malcolm Gill Acknowledgements This contribution was initially inspired by senior officers of the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) – especially Mike Leonard. His encouragement, and that of Gary Morgan and Dr Kevin Tolhurst (University of Melbourne, Victoria), is greatly appreciated.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2001-2002 (PDF
    2001 2002 Annual report NSW national Parks & Wildlife service Published by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service PO Box 1967, Hurstville 2220 Copyright © National Parks and Wildlife Service 2002 ISSN 0158-0965 Coordinator: Christine Sultana Editor: Catherine Munro Design and layout: Harley & Jones design Printed by: Agency Printing Front cover photos (from top left): Sturt National Park (G Robertson/NPWS); Bouddi National Park (J Winter/NPWS); Banksias, Gibraltar Range National Park Copies of this report are available from the National Parks Centre, (P Green/NPWS); Launch of Backyard Buddies program (NPWS); Pacific black duck 102 George St, The Rocks, Sydney, phone 1300 361 967; or (P Green); Beyers Cottage, Hill End Historic Site (G Ashley/NPWS). NPWS Mail Order, PO Box 1967, Hurstville 2220, phone: 9585 6533. Back cover photos (from left): Python tree, Gossia bidwillii (P Green); Repatriation of Aboriginal remains, La Perouse (C Bento/Australian Museum); This report can also be downloaded from the NPWS website: Rainforest, Nightcap National Park (P Green/NPWS); Northern banjo frog (J Little). www.npws.nsw.gov.au Inside front cover: Sturt National Park (G Robertson/NPWS). Annual report 2001-2002 NPWS mission G Robertson/NPWS NSW national Parks & Wildlife service 2 Contents Director-General’s foreword 6 3Conservation management 43 Working with Aboriginal communities 44 Overview Joint management of national parks 44 Mission statement 8 Aboriginal heritage 46 Role and functions 8 Outside the reserve system 47 Customers, partners and stakeholders
    [Show full text]
  • Part 1 Plant Communities of the NSW Western Plains
    383 New South Wales Vegetation Classification and Assessment: Part 1 Plant communities of the NSW Western Plains J.S. Benson*, C.B. Allen*, C. Togher** and J. Lemmon*** *Science and Public Programs, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA. ** GIS Section NSW Department of Environment & Conservation, PO Box 1967 Hurstville, NSW 2220; ***Environment & Development Department, Wollongong City Council, Locked Bag 8821, South Coast Mail Centre, NSW 2521. Corresponding author email: [email protected] Abstract: For the Western Plains of New South Wales, 213 plant communities are classified and described and their protected area and threat status assessed. The communities are listed on the NSW Vegetation Classification and Assessment database (NSWVCA). The full description of the communities is placed on an accompanying CD together with a read-only version of the NSWVCA database. The NSW Western Plains is 45.5 million hectares in size and covers 57% of NSW. The vegetation descriptions are based on over 250 published and unpublished vegetation surveys and maps produced over the last 50 years (listed in a bibliography), rapid field checks and the expert knowledge on the vegetation. The 213 communities occur over eight Australian bioregions and eight NSW Catchment Management Authority areas. As of December 2005, 3.7% of the Western Plains was protected in 83 protected areas comprising 62 public conservation reserves and 21 secure property agreements. Only one of the eight bioregions has greater than 10% of its area represented in protected areas. 31 or 15% of the communities are not recorded from protected areas. 136 or 64% have less than 5% of their pre-European extent in protected areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Hymenoptera, Formicidae) 1 Doi: 10.3897/Zookeys.700.11784 Research Article Launched to Accelerate Biodiversity Research
    A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 700: 1–420 (2017)Revision of the ant genus Melophorus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) 1 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.700.11784 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Revision of the ant genus Melophorus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Brian E. Heterick1,2, Mark Castalanelli3, Steve O. Shattuck4 1 Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth WA, Australia, 6845 2 Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC. WA, Australia, 6986 3 EcoDiagnostics Pty Ltd, 48 Banksia Rd, Welshpool WA 6106 4 C/o CSIRO Entomology, P. O. Box 1700, Canberra, Australia, ACT 2601 Corresponding author: Brian Heterick ([email protected]) Academic editor: B. Fisher | Received 17 January 2017 | Accepted 22 June 2017 | Published 20 September 2017 http://zoobank.org/EBA43227-20AD-4CFF-A04E-8D2542DDA3D6 Citation: Heterick BE, Castalanelli M, Shattuck SO (2017) Revision of the ant genus Melophorus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 700: 1–420. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.700.11784 Abstract The fauna of the purely Australian formicine ant genus Melophorus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is revised. This project involved integrated morphological and molecular taxonomy using one mitochondrial gene (COI) and four nuclear genes (AA, H3, LR and Wg). Seven major clades were identified and are here designated as the M. aeneovirens, M. anderseni, M. biroi, M. fulvihirtus, M. ludius, M. majeri and M. potteri species-groups. Within these clades, smaller complexes of similar species were also identified and designated species-complexes. The M. ludius species-group was identified purely on molecular grounds, as the morphol- ogy of its members is indistinguishable from typical members of the M.
    [Show full text]
  • Modification 13
    IVANPLATS SYERSTON PTYLIMITED Syerston Nickel Cobalt Burr STATEMENTy OF a ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS Tullamore Creek Bulbodne Project Mine and Processing Facility Tottenham to Bogan Gate Railway Kadungle Tullamore to Bogan Gate Road Creek Murda Fifield Carlisle Limestone Quarry Rail Siding Creek Gillenbine Creek Creek Trundle e Yarrabandai Springvale Road Condobolin Orange to Broken Hill Railway y Way Goobang erathong Creek Ootha Lachlan State Route 90 To Parkes GUNNINGG Gunningbland Creek U Valley N Creek N I dry Creek N G SEVEN Creek SISTERS RIR Way I RIDGE DGED Wallaroi LACHLAN G E RIVER Goobang ap Island amp Western Borefield May 2005 Creek Eastern Borefield Syerston Nickel Cobalt Project - SEE SYERSTON NICKEL COBALT PROJECT LIMESTONE QUARRY, RAIL SIDING, MINE AND PROCESSING FACILITY MODIFICATION STATEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS IVANPLATS SYERSTON PTY LIMITED Project No. IVP-04-01 Document No. SEE-01-D Syerston Nickel Cobalt Project - SEE TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 OVERVIEW 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT 5 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT 5 1.4 LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK - OVERVIEW 6 1.4.1 DIPNR Requirements for the SEE 11 1.5 CONSULTATION 11 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE APPROVED AND PROPOSED MINE AND PROCESSING FACILITY MODIFICATION 13 2.1 APPROVED MINE AND PROCESSING FACILITY 13 2.1.1 Overview 13 2.1.2 Operation 13 2.1.3 Ancillary Infrastructure 14 2.1.4 Workforce 15 2.2 PROPOSED MINE AND PROCESSING FACILITY MODIFICATION 15 2.2.1 Reasons for the Proposed Modifications 15 2.2.2 Description of the Proposed Mine
    [Show full text]
  • HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 3/3/11 2:20 PM Page 39
    HERPETOFAUNA TEXT 40-1.2 3/3/11 2:20 PM Page 39 THE HERPETOFAUNA OF THE BIMBLE BOX-PINE WOODLANDS OF THE COBAR PENEPLAIN, WESTERN NSW Steven Sass1 and Gerry Swan2 1EnviroKey, PO Box 7231, Tathra, NSW 2550. Email: [email protected]. 2 Cygnet Consulting, 2 Acron Rd, St. Ives, NSW 2075. INTRODUCTION 1993; Henle, 1987; Olsson et al., 2005; Sass & Wilson, 2006; Schlesinger et al., 1997). The Cobar Peneplain is one of eighty biogeo- graphic regions identified in Australia (Thack- The aim of this paper is to document the her- way & Creswell, 1995) and lies within the petofauna that occur within bimble box-pine Central West of New South Wales, occupying woodlands of the Cobar Peneplain bioregion over 73,000 square kilometres, or approxi- from records of the authors and by conduct- mately one-tenth of the area of New South ing a review of previous literature relevant to Wales (NPWS, 2000). It includes parts of the this vegetation community. The conservation Western and Central Divisions, extending status of some species is also discussed. from near Bourke in the north, through to Griffith in the south, and includes the towns of METHODS Nymagee, Cobar, Nyngan, Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo. Only 2.49% of the bioregion The Cobar Peneplain region is well known to is protected by conservation reserves (NPWS, both authors, who have conducted numerous 2003). reptile surveys there since the 1980s. More specifically, six sites have been the subject of Currently the region largely supports dense extensive herpetofauna surveys on numerous shrub woodlands, with a shrubby understorey occasions, and their data provides an exten- or herbs and grasses (CVMC, 2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Species List
    Biodiversity Summary for NRM Regions Species List What is the summary for and where does it come from? This list has been produced by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPC) for the Natural Resource Management Spatial Information System. The list was produced using the AustralianAustralian Natural Natural Heritage Heritage Assessment Assessment Tool Tool (ANHAT), which analyses data from a range of plant and animal surveys and collections from across Australia to automatically generate a report for each NRM region. Data sources (Appendix 2) include national and state herbaria, museums, state governments, CSIRO, Birds Australia and a range of surveys conducted by or for DEWHA. For each family of plant and animal covered by ANHAT (Appendix 1), this document gives the number of species in the country and how many of them are found in the region. It also identifies species listed as Vulnerable, Critically Endangered, Endangered or Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act. A biodiversity summary for this region is also available. For more information please see: www.environment.gov.au/heritage/anhat/index.html Limitations • ANHAT currently contains information on the distribution of over 30,000 Australian taxa. This includes all mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and fish, 137 families of vascular plants (over 15,000 species) and a range of invertebrate groups. Groups notnot yet yet covered covered in inANHAT ANHAT are notnot included included in in the the list. list. • The data used come from authoritative sources, but they are not perfect. All species names have been confirmed as valid species names, but it is not possible to confirm all species locations.
    [Show full text]
  • Part 1 Plant Communities of the NSW Western Plains
    2022-Handout Workshop on Theoretical Ecology and Global Change 2 - 18 March 2009 New South Wales Vegetation Classification and Assessment: Part 1 Plant communities of the NSW Western Plains Benson J.S.* (C.B. Allen, C. Togher and J. Lemmon) Science and Public Programs Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust Sydney, NSW 2000 AUSTRALIA 383 New South Wales Vegetation Classification and Assessment: Part 1 Plant communities of the NSW Western Plains J.S. Benson*, C.B. Allen*, C. Togher** and J. Lemmon*** *Science and Public Programs, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, NSW 2000, AUSTRALIA. ** GIS Section NSW Department of Environment & Conservation, PO Box 1967 Hurstville, NSW 2220; ***Environment & Development Department, Wollongong City Council, Locked Bag 8821, South Coast Mail Centre, NSW 2521. Corresponding author email: [email protected] Abstract: For the Western Plains of New South Wales, 213 plant communities are classified and described and their protected area and threat status assessed. The communities are listed on the NSW Vegetation Classification and Assessment database (NSWVCA). The full description of the communities is placed on an accompanying CD together with a read-only version of the NSWVCA database. The NSW Western Plains is 45.5 million hectares in size and covers 57% of NSW. The vegetation descriptions are based on over 250 published and unpublished vegetation surveys and maps produced over the last 50 years (listed in a bibliography), rapid field checks and the expert knowledge on the vegetation. The 213 communities occur over eight Australian bioregions and eight NSW Catchment Management Authority areas. As of December 2005, 3.7% of the Western Plains was protected in 83 protected areas comprising 62 public conservation reserves and 21 secure property agreements.
    [Show full text]
  • 1993 United Nations List of National Parks and Protected Areas
    1993 United Nations List of National Parks and Protected Areas Liste des Nations Unies des Pares nationaux et des Aires protegees 1993 Lista de las Naciones Unidas de Parques Nacionales y Areas Protegidas 1993 Prepared by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the lUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas lUCN UNEP WORLD CCMSERVATION The Woild Conservation Union MONITOP,|NG CENTRE Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge http://www.archive.org/details/1993unitednation93worl 1993 United Nations List of National Parks and Protected Areas Liste des Nations Unies des Pares nationaux et des Aires protegees 1993 Lista de las Naciones Unidas de Parques Nacionales y Areas Protegidas 1993 lUCN - The World Conservation Union Founded in 1948, lUCN - The World Conservation Union brings together States, government agencies and a diverse range of non-governmental organiaztions in a unique world partnership: more than 800 members in all, spread across 126 countries. The Union seeks to work with its members to achieve development that is sustainable and that provides a lasting improvement in the quality of life for people all over the world. UICN - Union mondiale pour la nature Fondee en 1948, 1'UICN - Union mondiale pour la nature reunit des Etats, des organismes publics et un large eventail d'organisations non gouvemementales en une association mondiale unique: en tout, plus de 800 membres dans 1 26 pays. L'Union cherche a oeuvrer, en collaboration avec ses membres, a I'avenement d'un developpement qui soit durable et ameliore de maniens permanente la qualite de vie de I'humanite tout entiere.
    [Show full text]
  • Malleefowl Conservation in New South Wales: a Review
    ZV-327-11 (pp 125-142) 02-01-2007 15:11 Pagina 125 Malleefowl conservation in New South Wales: a review D. Priddel & R. Wheeler Priddel, D. & R. Wheeler. Malleefowl conservation in New South Wales: a review. D. Priddel & R. Wheeler, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, PO Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] Key words: Megapodiidae; malleefowl; Leipoa ocellata; threatening processes; conservation; manage- ment; recovery actions. Together with land clearance, grazing by stock and inappropriate fire regimes, predation by the intro- duced European red fox Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) has decimated populations of malleefowl Leipoa ocellata Gould, 1840. The decline of the malleefowl has been most pronounced in New South Wales, where foxes prey so heavily on malleefowl that adult mortality exceeds recruitment of young into the breeding population. Although young malleefowl are particularly vulnerable to foxes, sub- adults and adults are also taken. Within New South Wales, heavy predation by foxes occurs both in the remnants of native vegetation within agricultural lands and in the large tracts of mallee that lie further inland. Foxes appear to be the prime cause of malleefowl mortality throughout much of the malleefowl’s geographic range. Both fire and grazing by domestic stock reduce the carrying capacity of the habitat for malleefowl. In reserves where stock are excluded, there is no evidence that food resources are limiting malleefowl populations. Exotic herbivores, such as goats and rabbits, probably contribute to the demise of the malleefowl by reducing vegetative cover. Malleefowl are particularly vulnerable to predation by raptors in habitats where vegetative cover is sparse.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity Summary: Wimmera, Victoria
    Biodiversity Summary for NRM Regions Species List What is the summary for and where does it come from? This list has been produced by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPC) for the Natural Resource Management Spatial Information System. The list was produced using the AustralianAustralian Natural Natural Heritage Heritage Assessment Assessment Tool Tool (ANHAT), which analyses data from a range of plant and animal surveys and collections from across Australia to automatically generate a report for each NRM region. Data sources (Appendix 2) include national and state herbaria, museums, state governments, CSIRO, Birds Australia and a range of surveys conducted by or for DEWHA. For each family of plant and animal covered by ANHAT (Appendix 1), this document gives the number of species in the country and how many of them are found in the region. It also identifies species listed as Vulnerable, Critically Endangered, Endangered or Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act. A biodiversity summary for this region is also available. For more information please see: www.environment.gov.au/heritage/anhat/index.html Limitations • ANHAT currently contains information on the distribution of over 30,000 Australian taxa. This includes all mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and fish, 137 families of vascular plants (over 15,000 species) and a range of invertebrate groups. Groups notnot yet yet covered covered in inANHAT ANHAT are notnot included included in in the the list. list. • The data used come from authoritative sources, but they are not perfect. All species names have been confirmed as valid species names, but it is not possible to confirm all species locations.
    [Show full text]
  • EIS 1813 Flora and Fauna of the Coonamble-Walgett District
    EIS 1813 Flora and fauna of the Coonamble-Walgett district ARI AIRS JJI Ii O6 88 LAND & WATER CONS LRVAI ION FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE COONAMBLE I WALGETT DISTRICT 4 NJ A - tol Department of Land and Water Conservation FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE COONAMBLE / WALGETT DISTRICT November 2001 DARREN SHELLY, ECOLOGIST, DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION, RESOURCE ANALYSIS UNIT, CENTRAL-WEST REGION. DUBBO. Crown © 2001 Department of Land and Water Conservation This book is copyright. Parts may be reproduced for purposes of study and / or research provided acknowledgment of the source is clearly made. Inquiries should be addressed to be Department of Land and Water Conservation. This document should be cited as: Shelly, D., 2001. Flora and Fauna of the Coonamble / Walgett District. Department of Land and Water Conservation, Dubbo. ISBN 0 7347 51974 FOREWORD The semi-arid zone of New South Wales is a large area, where changes in vegetation and fauna communities can be gradual compared to the forested slopes and coast, which receive high rainfall. The semi-arid zone is being impacted on by continuing expansion of agricultural development but there is a recognised lack of even basic information with regards to existing biodiversity that would allow for planned development with minimal environmental impact. It is only recently that semi-arid NSW is getting the recognition it deserves via funding for environmental inventories. Throughout the state there is a general recognition that the maintenance of biodiversity must not rely on the conservation reserve system alone but needs to incorporate areas outside nature reserves (Hale and Lamb 1997).
    [Show full text]