The Long Lowland Rivers of South East Queensland and North East New South Wales Ecological Community
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The Long Lowland Rivers of South East Queensland and North East New South Wales Ecological Community 1. The Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) was established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and has obligations to present advice to the Minister for the Environment (the Minister) in relation to the listing and conservation of threatened ecological communities, including under sections 189, 194N and 266B of the EPBC Act. 2. The Committee provided the attached listing and conservation advice on the Long lowland rivers of south east Queensland and north east New South Wales ecological community to the Minister in November 2013. 3. The Committee advised that the ecological community does not currently meet the criteria for listing as threatened under any category. 4. In February 2014 the Minister decided not to list the Long lowland rivers of south east Queensland and north east New South Wales as a threatened ecological community under the EPBC Act. 5. This means that the ecological community is not eligible for protection as a matter of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act and this document is not an approved conservation advice under section 266B of the EPBC Act. 6. Although the ecological community does not currently meet the listing criteria, concerns remain, about threats to the ecological community’s survival over the longer term; particularly if adequate management measures are not undertaken, or the impetus for recovery actions and environmental protection is lost. 7. The ecological community provides broader habitat for many component species. Some of these are listed as threatened, either nationally or by state jurisdictions, hence are protected in their own right. The nature of protection afforded to any threatened species should take into account the habitat values provided by the river systems inhabited by the species. 8. Some of the key ecological processes, habitat values and other considerations regarding the conservation of the seven long lowland river systems that make up the ecological community are covered in the conservation advice. 9. The decision not to list the ecological community as nationally threatened should not detract from future efforts to conserve the biodiversity, ecological processes and ecosystem services inherent in the seven long lowland river systems. Some priority conservation actions to abate threats and stop the ecological community from being threatened are needed in the longer term and are outlined in Section 5 of this advice. Importantly, existing measures must be maintained to conserve the ecological community and restore species composition, integrity and functionality. 10. The attached document should be cited as: Threatened Species Scientific Committee (2014). The Threatened Species Scientific Committee’s listing and conservation advice to the Minister for the Environment for the Long lowland rivers of south east Queensland and north east New South Wales ecological community. Department of Environment, Canberra. The Long lowland rivers of SE Qld and NE NSW ecological community Published in April 2014 The Threatened Species Scientific Committee’s Listing and Conservation Advice to the Minister for the Environment for the Long Lowland Rivers of South East Queensland and North East New South Wales Ecological Community begins on the next page The Long lowland rivers of SE Qld and NE NSW ecological community Published in April 2014 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (s266B) Listing and Conservation advice for Long Lowland Rivers of South East Queensland and North East New South Wales 1. The Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) was established under the EPBC Act and has obligations to present advice to the Minister for the Environment (the Minister) in relation to the listing and conservation of threatened ecological communities, including under sections 189, 194N and 266B of the EPBC Act. 2. The Committee provided its advice on the Long lowland rivers of south east Queensland and north east New South Wales aquatic ecological community to the Minister in 2013. 3. The ecological community does not meet the criteria for listing as threatened under any category. 4. The nomination and a draft description of this ecological community were made available for expert and public comment for a minimum of 30 business days. The Committee had regard to all public and expert comment that was relevant to the consideration of the ecological community. 5. This listing and conservation advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time it was considered; this includes scientific literature, advice from consultations, and existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this ecological community. Listing and Conservation Advice - Long lowland rivers of SE Qld and NE NSW Provided in November 2013 Table of Contents 1. Description ............................................................................................................................5 1.1 Name of the ecological community ................................................................................5 1.2 Location and physical environment ................................................................................5 Figure 1: Map showing the relative position of the Macleay/MacPherson Overlap. ......6 Figure 2: Position in the landscape ..................................................................................8 Figure 3: Generalised geological cross-section of a flood plain .....................................9 Figure 4: Major components of riffle/pool/ bar habitats ...............................................10 Table 1: Rainfall in south east Queensland and north east New South Wales ...............11 1.3 Vegetation .....................................................................................................................12 Aquatic vegetation ...........................................................................................................12 Riparian vegetation .........................................................................................................12 1.4 Fauna .............................................................................................................................13 1.5 Key diagnostic characteristics .......................................................................................15 Exclusions .......................................................................................................................16 Notes on key diagnostic characteristics ..........................................................................17 1.6 Surrounding environment and landscape context .........................................................18 Area critical to the survival of the aquatic ecological community ..................................18 Buffer zones and other considerations ............................................................................18 2. Summary of threats .............................................................................................................20 3. National context and other existing protection ...................................................................21 4. Summary of eligibility for listing against the EPBC Act criteria. ......................................22 5. Priority Conservation Actions .............................................................................................24 5.1 Research priorities and priority recovery and threat abatement actions .......................24 5.2 Existing plans/management prescriptions .....................................................................25 5.3 Limitations and constraints to biodiversity protection ..................................................27 5.4 Recovery plan ................................................................................................................28 5.5 Implications of not listing this ecological community ..................................................29 6. Appendices ..........................................................................................................................29 Appendix A: Distribution map and description of catchments. ..........................................29 Figure A1: Distribution map of the ecological community ............................................29 Description of catchments ...................................................................................................31 Table A1: River systems in which the ecological community occurs .............................31 Appendix B: Species lists ....................................................................................................34 Table B1: Vascular plants that are characteristic of the ecological community ...........34 Table B2: Vertebrate fauna ............................................................................................37 Table B3: Invertebrates ..................................................................................................42 Listing and Conservation Advice - Long lowland rivers of SE Qld and NE NSW Provided in November 2013 Page 2 of 103 Table B4: Weed species ..................................................................................................45 Appendix C: Detailed description of biology and ecological processes .............................47 Vegetation dynamics .......................................................................................................47