Conservation Management Zones of Australia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Conservation Management Zones of Australia Western Australia Temperate Sandplain Woodlands Prepared by the Department of the Environment Acknowledgements This project and its associated products are the result of collaboration between the Department of the Environment’s Biodiversity Conservation Division and the Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN). Invaluable input, advice and support were provided by staff and leading researchers from across the Department of Environment (DotE), Department of Agriculture (DoA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the academic community. We would particularly like to thank staff within the Wildlife, Heritage and Marine Division, Parks Australia and the Environment Assessment and Compliance Division of DotE; Nyree Stenekes and Robert Kancans (DoA), Sue McIntyre (CSIRO), Richard Hobbs (University of Western Australia), Michael Hutchinson (ANU); David Lindenmayer and Emma Burns (ANU); and Gilly Llewellyn, Martin Taylor and other staff from the World Wildlife Fund for their generosity and advice. Special thanks to CSIRO researchers Kristen Williams and Simon Ferrier whose modelling of biodiversity patterns underpinned identification of the Conservation Management Zones of Australia. Image Credits Front Cover: Wildflowers, Kalbarri National Park – Sam Valtenbergs Page 4: Wildflowers, Eurady Reserve, Bush Heritage Australia – Elizabeth Lescheid Page 10: Hairy-footed Dunnart (Sminthopsis hirtipes), Eurady Reserve, Bush Heritage Australia – Leanne Hayles Page 14: White Plume Grevillea (Grevillea leucopteris), Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Page 15: Australian Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius) – Georgina Steytler, www.wildandendangered.com.au Page 16: Wildflowers, Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Page 17: Wildflowers, Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Page 18: Coastline between Kalbarri and Northampton – Arthur Mostead/Department of the Environment Page 20: Woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) – Margarita Steinhardt/The Wildlife Diaries Page 21: Painted Button-quail (Turnix varius scintillans) – Georgina Steytler, www.wildandendangered.com.au Page 22: Western Spiny-tailed Skink (Egernia stokesii badia) – Mark Sanders, EcoSmart Ecology Page 24: Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) – KeresH Page 26: Wildflowers, Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Page 28: Barking Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) – Georgina Steytler, www.wildandendangered.com.au Page 30: Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Page 31: Other shrublands, Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Page 32: Other acacia tall open shrublands and shrublands (Acacia neurophylla) – Murray Fagg Page 33: Other forests and woodlands, Sandplain Cypress (Actinostrobus arenarius), Kalbarri National Park – Anne Bergqvist Back Cover: Wildflowers, Kalbarri National Park – Sam Valtenbergs © Commonwealth of Australia, 2015. The Conservation Management Zones of Australia profile is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see here. Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Western Australia Temperate Sandplain Woodlands Contents Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country ����������������������������������������������2 Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2 Zone at a glance ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������3 Population characteristics �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Employment, volunteering and incomes �������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Agriculture, Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11 Land tenure, land use, Native Title and Local Government Areas ������������������������� 13 Zone vegetation characteristics����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 Nationally Important Wetlands �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17 World and National Heritage ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18 Major National Reserve System properties �������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 EPBC Act (1999) threatened species ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20 EPBC Act (1999) migratory species ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������25 Threatened endemic species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 Invasive species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28 Vegetation profiles and management recommendations ���������������������������������������30 Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Western Australia Temperate Sandplain Woodlands Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country The Australian Government acknowledges Australia’s Traditional Owners and pays respect to Elders past and present of our nation’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities� We honour the deep spiritual, cultural and customary connections of Traditional Owners to the Australian landscape, including Australia’s waterways, land and sea country� Introduction The 23 Conservation Management Zones of Australia are geographic areas, classified according to their ecological and threat characteristics. The zones are also aligned with the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia. The Conservation Management Zones provide a way of understanding Australia’s natural environment that will assist in long-term conservation planning and help the Australian Government to better design, deliver and report on Natural Resource Management (NRM) investments, including ensuring alignment of national NRM priorities with local action. The Conservation Management Zones also provide a filter through which to make national environmental and socio-economic data more accessible and comprehensible, and a framework for gathering on-ground knowledge and expertise about the environment. This will improve information flow to the Australian Government about regional NRM requirements, best practice management, emerging NRM issues and knowledge gaps. The Conservation Management Zones do not represent any change to existing administrative boundaries or governance structures, but aim to support the NRM and wider community to cooperatively manage environmental assets across boundaries, where they share common threats, ecological characteristics and stakeholders. Each Conservation Management Zone profile contains a standard suite of nationally available ecological and socio-economic information. We hope that this information will enable Australians of all ages and backgrounds to engage with, understand and appreciate Australian landscapes, and support all Australians to manage our natural resources more effectively. The profile information provides an indicative, high-level stock-take of the environmental and socio-economic landscape and it is not intended to be comprehensive. It should also be noted that, at present, the profiles contain only limited information on aquatic ecosystems, coastal assets and Indigenous land management practices. In future, consultation and comprehensive literature reviews will enable us to provide more complete information. 2 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Western Australia Temperate Sandplain Woodlands Zone at a glance Area of zone: Population density: 3,142,149 hectares % of Australia: 1.25 people 0.41% per square kilometre Zone population characteristics Zone employment characteristics 50,000 4.1% 46,484 40,000 30,000 Number of people 20,000 10,000 0 otal T er 65 Ov a second language English as 95.9% ndigenous I outh (15–24) Y Employed Unemployed Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 3 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, Western Australia Temperate Sandplain Woodlands Major cities and towns Population Top five agricultural commodities Value (millions) Cape Burney 453 Cereals for grain $197 Drummond Cove 1391 Legumes for grain $39 Geraldton 31360 Oilseeds $24 Green Head 256 Wool $21 Kalbarri 1281 Lamb $18 Leeman 356 Total value of agricultural commodities (including other $331 Northampton 864 commodities not listed here) Port Denison – Dongara 2768 Climate characteristics* Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions Mean annual temperature 19.1 Celsius Northern Agricultural Catchments Council WA Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month 34.0 Celsius Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month 7.2 Celsius Mean Annual Rainfall 414.8 mm Dominant rainfall season Winter * The figures are interpolated 75-year means (1921 to 1995) representing the period prior to the onset of rapid climatic warming. Cited in: Williams KJ, Belbin L, Austin MP, Stein J, Ferrier S (2012) Which environmental variables should I use in my biodiversity model? International Journal of Geographic