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) Approved Conservation Advice for Acacia courtii
This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this conservation advice was approved. Description Acacia courtii, Family Mimosaceae, also known as North Brother Wattle, is a tall shrub or spreading, weeping tree growing 7–20 m high. The bark is smooth and grey when young and later becomes black and furrowed. This species flowers from November through January and produces pale yellow or cream flower spikes 3–7 cm long (Tindale & Herscovitch, 1990). Conservation Status Acacia courtii is listed as vulnerable. This species is listed 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). Distribution and Habitat Acacia courtii is known to inhabit dry rocky north-west to west-facing slopes in mixed dry forests and woodlands on shallow soils, at an altitude of 40–300 m (Tindale & Herscovitch, 1990). It is often found under a canopy of White Mahogany (Eucalyptus acmenioides) and Grey Gum (E. propinqua). Acacia courtii occurs within the Northern Rivers (NSW) Natural Resource Management Region. It has a very restricted distribution, occurring only on North Brother Mountain (Dooragan National Park) and Middle Brother Mountain (Middle Brother Mountain National Park, 27 km south-west of Port Macquarie) (NPWS, 2000; Court, 2001). The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological communities. Threats The main identified threats to A. courtii include road construction; forestry activities; and inappropriate burning regimes which do not encourage post-fire regeneration (Richards, 1999; NSW NPWS, 2000). This species is also at risk of local extinction due to low population numbers.
Research Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include: • Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences/remnants. Regional Priority Actions The following regional priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Acacia courtii. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification • Manage threats to areas of vegetation that contain populations/occurrences/remnants of A. courtii.
Acacia courtii Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This conservation advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 26/3/2008
• Ensure road widening and maintenance activities (or other infrastructure or development activities as appropriate) in areas where A. courtii occurs do not adversely impact on known populations. • Minimise adverse impacts from forestry activities at known sites. Fire • Develop and implement a suitable fire management strategy for A. courtii. • 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. • Identify appropriate intensity and interval of fire to promote seed germination. Conservation Information • Raise awareness of A. courtii within the local community. This will involve liaising with local Landcare groups and private landowners who have known populations of A. courtii on their properties. Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations • Undertake appropriate seed collection and storage. • Undertake seed germination and/or vegetative propagation trials to determine the requirements for successful establishment. • Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. • Implement appropriate national translocation protocols (Vallee et al., 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible.
Local Priority Actions The following local priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of Acacia courtii. Habitat 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. • Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites. • Protect populations of the listed species through the development of conservation agreements and/or covenants. Fire • Implement an appropriate fire management regime for local populations.
This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to A. courtii, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice. Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species • NSW Priority Action Statement for North Brother Wattle (DEC, 2005).
Information Sources: Court, AB 2001, Mimosaceae. Flora of Australia Online, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, viewed 11 March 2008,
New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) 2000, Threatened Species of the Lower North Coast of New South Wales, NPWS, Sydney. Richards, P 1999, Threatened Plants Project - A project undertaken as part of the NSW Comprehensive Region Assessments, NSW Government & Commonwealth of Australia, viewed 11 March 2008,
Acacia courtii Conservation Advice - Page 3 of 3