North East Bioregional Network

Scamander River and Avenue River catchments from North Sister (photo: Rob Blakers) Land Use Plan Potato growing on the fertile soils of Pyengana, Forestry and farming in the hills of Pyengana, George River catchment (above), photo: Nick Fitzgerald photo: Nick Fitzgerald THE NE TASMANIAN Through this process, we hope to identify areas WILDCOUNTRY PROJECT where changes might be made to maximize Acknowledgements sustainable land use for Tasmania’s north-east. - using landscape scale ecological The contribution of Tasmanian processes to guide conservation and University of Tasmania experts This is the first version of what we hope will be a management who participated in the workshops or useful, evolving document, which links the theory of environmental sustainability to provided advice is gratefully “Sustainable development” is a much-used term practical, on-ground outcomes that will help to acknowledged. in the field of environmental planning. It’s written maintain the health and security of Tasmania’s into Tasmanian legislation1, and few would deny north-east for the long-term future. We invite This project would not have been it as an admirable goal. But what does it really input from interested stakeholders to expand possible without the assistance of Nicole mean in practice? Gill, Peter McQuillan, David Keast, Nick upon and improve this plan as we obtain new Fitzgerald and Simon Branigan. The North East Bioregional Network, in information. cooperation with the Wilderness Society’s CONSERVATION ACTION PLANNING The structure and layout of this report WildCountry project, are working together to has been closely modelled on a discover what an “environmentally sustainable” - a tool to help make sense of document produced by the WildEyre plan for a landscape might actually mean. environmental complexity team, who are working on a similar project in South Australia. The section WildCountry aims to determine what nature Conservation action planning is a term that ‘Assessing threats to the conservation needs to survive and to act on this at the was first coined by The Nature Conservancy; it assets’ (page 9) is largely based on the appropriate time scales and spatial scales. refers to a collection of planning tools and ideas WildEyre plan. We thank them for Consequently, WildCountry is a long-term vision that allow working groups to conceptualise, allowing us to use their plan as a basis operating from the regional to the continental plan actions and monitoring, implement these for our document. For more scale. WildCountry is a science-based actions and monitoring, then analyze the data information: www.wildeyre.com.au approach to conservation planning, built on the obtained to adapt the project to improve it disciplines of landscape ecology and as more knowledge becomes available, and This project was made possible by a conservation biology to inform a whole of share this knowledge with the broader grant from the Dara Foundation through landscape approach to conservation and community1. This framework has been the Wilderness Society’s Wild Country restoration. It recognizes that we need to progressively improved by being put into program. Additional funds were consider ecological processes in addition to the practice in hundreds of successful provided by the Launceston more familiar components of biodiversity such environmental management projects Environment Centre (www.lec.org.au). as species and communities. Several internationally. Thanks to the Wilderness Society WildCountry landscape conservation projects (Tasmania) for layout and design. are being developed across Australia in For this project, we have tried to follow the collaboration with environmental organisations, conservation action planning guidelines government agencies and local community outlined in The Nature Conservancy’s groups.2 publication Landscape-scale conservation – A practitioner’s guide2. An advantage of using We believe that to have truly “sustainable the conservation action planning (CAP) process development”, the needs of the local is that it is designed for flexibility. Data collected environment need to be considered at a as part of the project is collected in a central landscape scale. We believe that it is not database, which can be adapted and enough to create parks and reserves to protect updated as new information comes to light. local biodiversity – this can only be one piece of the land management puzzle.

We need to look more broadly at the ecological processes that maintain the health of the local area – fires, floods, capacity for species movement, over micro and macro scales. Much research has recently been done into what these ecological processes might be in Australia, and more specifically, for Tasmania.3

1 Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993.

2. See http://www.wilderness.org.au/campaigns/wildcountry 1 http://conserveonline.org/workspaces/cbdgateway

3 See McQuillan, P.B., Watson, J., Fitzgerald, N.B., Leaman, D. 2.Low, G. (2003) Landscape-scale conservation – a Practitioner’s & Obendorf, D. (1999) The importance of ecological processes Guide. The Nature Conservancy. for terrestrial biodiversity conservation in Tasmania – a review. Pacific Conservation Biology, 15, pp. 171-196.

1. 2. Introduction IdentifingTasmania’s north-east is a placeConservation of great biodiversity. Internationally Assets Tasmania’srenowned fornorth-east its natural beauty,is a place the landof great rolls down biodiversity. from forested International tiers, - ly throughrenowned farmland, for its forest, natural grassland beauty, and the heath land to the rolls shores down of thefrom Tasman forested tiers,Sea. through Many farmland, and animals forest, find grassland their homes and here; heath some toare the found shores of thenowhere Tasman else Sea. in the Many world. plants This land and use animals plan seeks find to protecttheir homes these values, strengthening the landscape, its ecosystems and local communities, to give them the best chance of adapting to a changing world and climate.

Forestry and farming in the hills of Pyengana, George River catchment (above), photo: Nick Fitzgerald

THE PROJECT AREA Land Tenure The project area covers approximately 215 500 of North East hectares, and takes in the major towns of St Helens, St Marys, and Scamander. It is largely Coast Land contained within the Break’O’Day Use Plan Area Municipality, with smaller sections extending into Mount the adjacent Dorset and Glamorgan-Spring Bay William Municipalities. The area supports a broad range National of industries, including native and plantation Park forestry, sheep grazing, dairy farming, cropping, orchards, viticulture and aquaculture. Ansons Bay Approximately 31% of the project area is privately owned – some of this area includes covenanted vegetation.

The project area contains the catchments of the Scamander, Douglas, George and Ansons rivers, as well as parts of the Apsley and Break o’ Day river catchments. About a third of the project area is formally reserved at some level: formal reserves make up approximately 30% of the study area; informal reserves occupy a further 6%. The Douglas-Apsley National Park and Mt William National Park make up about half of the formally reserved area, or 16% of the St Helens entire project area. The Bay of Fires Conservation Area is currently being considered for an upgrade to National Park status.

It is home to a broad range of ecosystems and at least ninety five recognized vegetation Scamander communities. Included among these are 17 threatened vegetation communities, and a further seven vegetation communities considered to be of conservation significance; ¯ in combination, these vegetation St Marys Legend communities cover only about 2% of the project Land Use Plan area area. The landscape also supports at least 123 State Forest threatened flora species, and an area around Reserves St Marys is a recognized hotspot of eucalypt Conservation Area or Regional Reserve Forest Reserve biodiversity. Informal Reserve National Park The project area supports at least 32 threatened Nature Recreation Area or Historic Site Douglas - fauna species, many of which are birds. Within Apsley Nature Reserve or State Reserve the area are 3 of Tasmania’s 43 Important Bird National Private Nature Reserve or Conservation Covenant Areas (IBAs), as identified by Birds Australia. Park

These include the Douglas Apsley and St. Helens 0 10 20 km IBAs, and parts of the Cape Portland IBA. Spatial data from theLIST and TASVEG 2.0 © State of Tasmania

1. 2. Many native shrubs such as this mountain needlebush (Hakea Oldgrowth blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) tree in wet eucalypt forest in State Forest at Siamese Ridge, photo: Nick Fitzgerald lissosperma) have woody seed capsules designed to survive fire even if the is killed, however too frequent fires can kill the new plants before they mature and produce more seed, photo: Nick Fitzgerald 5. Climate change and variability STEP 1: SELECTING THE FOCAL Climate is a key environmental determinant, UNDERSTANDING ECOLOGICAL CONSERVATION ASSETS affecting ecological processes at various PROCESSES scales and thus influencing associated species The first step of the conservation action planning process is to choose a selection of – what are they, and why are they distributions. A better understanding of the likely environmental assets which, if protected, will important? ecological interactions with climate will aid management decisions both in response to ensure the long-term health and sustainability Eight ecological processes have been and for mitigation of human-induced climate of the project area, and allow the landscape identified as key to the WildCountry change. to express healthy broad-scale ecological approach to maintenance of healthy processes. country1 6. Land / coastal zone fluxes There is interaction and exchange between These may be coarse-scale land system 1. Strongly interactive species terrestrial and marine systems. For instance, elements (e.g. rivers), broad vegetation classes Some species play key regulating roles in the rivers transport nutrients and sediments (and (e.g.wet forests), groups of species with similar habitats in which they live. This may occur pollutants) from far inland to the sea. This needs and threats (e.g. shorebirds), or from ‘top down’, for example, predators affects productivity in the coastal zone. broad-ranging individual species that might not such as wedge-tailed eagles control grazing Conversely, seabirds can deposit large amounts be adequately protected by just conserving animals such as wallabies; it may also be of nutrient derived from the ocean on land. certain ecosystems (e.g. Tasmanian devils). ‘bottom up’, with animals such as swift Tidal movement interacts with freshwater flows to parrots providing critical pollination services. For most projects, it’s thought that the biodi- It is important to ensure that such species determine the mixing of fresh and salt water as persist in the landscape in sufficient numbers well as concentrating nutrients in estuaries. versity of the landscapes can and should be to perform these roles. limited to eight or fewer focal assets. If carefully 7. Long-term, spatially-extensive chosen, the protection and enhancement of 2. Hydro-ecology evolutionary processes these will also ensure the well-being of a broad The presence and absence of water are The creation of new species often involves variety of smaller nested assets. An example of critical in Australian ecology. There are range expansion of the parent species followed this might be that the protection and mainte- important links between water, vegetation by isolation and differentiation between the two nance of healthy functional wetlands (a focal and wildlife. For instance, wetlands populations. This evolutionary process is usually conservation asset) can provide security for accumulate nutrients and water and dependent on habitat continuity, when climatic many types of migratory birds (a nested asset). therefore provide rich habitat. Forest conditions are suitable, allowing movement vegetation plays a critical role in regulating over relatively long distances. Destruction or The focal conservation assets for this project groundwater. fragmentation of habitat could prevent such were chosen by the North East Bioregional processes and lead to local extinctions by Network’s Scientific Working Group, and 3. Long distance biological movement inbreeding or random events. informed by some consultation with relevant Long distance movement is a key part of local experts. the life history of many Tasmanian species. 8. Productivity Many birds migrate large distances annually The living elements of landscapes vary with the It is important to note that while the marine or move about the Tasmanian landscape quantity and rate of plant growth - ‘productivity’. seeking food. Conserving these species may systems of the north-east are a very important Productivity is dependent on local conditions require the protection of very large areas or facet of the local environment, unfortunately, including rainfall, seasonal climatic patterns critical stepping stones in the landscape. we did not have the capacity to include them and soil characteristics. The uneven distribution within the scope of this document. 4. Disturbance regimes of productivity in the landscape – both in time Natural disturbance regimes maintain diversity and space – is an important consideration in in many habitats. Fire is one critical source of conservation planning, particularly given the disturbance, with frequency, spatial pattern disproportionate loss and degradation of highly and intensity of burns critical for maintenance productive land compared to less arable land. of some species. Fire regimes across much of Tasmania have been altered in the past two centuries resulting in changes to the pattern and function of ecosystems. Likewise, floods are a natural phenomenon that maintains the health of rivers, floodplains and wetlands.

1 http://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/wildcountry- science-a-new-picture-of-the-continent. Mackey, B. G., Soulé, M. E., Nix, H. A., Recher, H. F., Lesslie, R. G., Williams, J. E., Woinarski, J. C. Z., Hobbs, R. J. and Possingham, H. P., 2007. Applying landscape-ecological principles to regional conservation: the WildCountry project in Australia. Pp. 192-213 in Key topics in Landscape Ecology. ed by J. Wu, and R. J. Hobbs. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

3. 4. Identifing Conservation Assets Tasmania’sIdentifing north-east is Conservationa place of great biodiversity. Assets International- ly renowned for its natural beauty, the land rolls down from forested tiers, through farmland, forest, grassland and heath to the shores of the Tasman Sea. Many plants and animals find their homes

Oldgrowth blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) tree in wet eucalypt forest in State Forest at Siamese Ridge, photo: Nick Fitzgerald

Ecological Classes Riparian Wet forest Dry forest, heathland and moorland Wet forest dominated by Brooker's gum (Eucalyptus brookeri- Native grassland ana) is a threatened forest type in Tasmania, it occurs in small Shoreline systems patches as at the Nicholas Range in the north-east, Wetland, saltmarsh and estuary Ansons Bay photo: Nick Fitzgerald Other (agricultural, urban, etc.) Wet forests The wet forests of the north-east are very diverse in composition – they range from short forests dominated by native olive, dogwood and pink- wood, to tall wet eucalypt- dominated forests through to mixed forests where the eucalypts coexist with an understorey of rainforest trees, through to stands of pure rainforest without any eucalypts at all. These are united in their roles in the local landscape as protectors of water quality and flows and as providers of habitat for a diverse range of species. Large raptors, such as the threatened wedge-tailed eagle, require large tracts of undisturbed tall wet forests to successfully nest and breed. Stag beetles, survivors of the last ice age, sought refuge in the St Helens north-eastern rainforests, and today, several species are found nowhere else. Forests of swamp gum (Eucalyptus regnans), the world’s tallest , still stand undisturbed in some corners of this region. On the trunks of wet forest trees grow fungi, lichens and bryophytes of myriad shapes and form. And beneath the forests’ protective mantle, drop by drop, delicate underground karst systems Scamander continue to quietly evolve.

More than twenty distinct vegetation communities have been identified within the wet forests of the north-east. Included among these are the threatened vegetation communities wet forest and Eucalyptus brookeriana wet forest. St Marys Some of the best examples of wet forests within the north-east may be found at the Blue Tier, the Rattler Range, on Mt Elephant, and in the Douglas Apsley National Park.

Significant flora and fauna Threatened stag beetles (Hoplogonus bornemisszai, H. simsoni, H. vanderschoori) Wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax fleayi) Grey goshawks (Accipter novaehollandiae) Spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus maculatus) Giant velvet worms (Tasmanipatus barretti) 0 10 20 km Slender tree fern (Cyathea cunninghamii)

Spatial data from theLIST and TASVEG 2.0 © State of Tasmania ¯

3. 4. Healthy young Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii); oldgrowth Coastal sand dune vegetation at Taylors Beach, Bay of Fires, photo: Nick Fitzgerald dry sclerophyll forest at Mt Pearson, photos: Nick Fitzgerald

Tasmanian Devil The Tasmanian devil is the only individual species we have chosen as a focal conservation asset. As well as being an animal which ranges over a broad area and habitat range, Tasmanian devils are highly interactive, playing an important role in the north-east project area, both in their role Oldgrowth dry forest dominated by ironbark (Eucalyptus Bay of Fires near Broadwater Creek lagoon, Hinterland forests as scavengers, and as potential sieberi) at Mount Pearson, photo: Nick Fitzgerald visible in background. Photo: Martin Hawes predators of introduced pest species such as foxes and cats. Dry forests and heathlands Shoreline systems The recent devil facial tumour disease Dry forests and heathlands account for the Perhaps the most dynamic of the focal outbreaks have decimated devil great bulk of diversity and coverage within our conservation assets, the shoreline systems of the project area stretch along about 250 km of numbers state-wide, causing them to be project area – at least forty distinct vegetation types have been identified. coastline. Sandy beaches and rocky shorelines listed as endangered. The disease The diverse dry forests of the north-east are are the mediators between land and sea, originated in the north-east and has dominated by a broad range of eucalypt protecting one from the other. The shoreline caused more devastation to devil species; their understoreys may be dominated systems are vital habitat for many migratory and resident shorebirds – the Birds Australia populations here than elsewhere, by heathy, scrubby or grassy species. Old dry forests are critical nesting habitat for a variety nominated Important Bird Areas (IBAs) of St resulting in very low population densities of mammal and bird species – the masked Helens and Cape Portland fall wholly and and a demographic shift to a younger owl relies on the hollows found in old trees to partially respectively within the project area. population with very few mature devils. successfully breed. Dry blue gum (Eucalyptus White bellied sea eagles soar along the coastline, swooping to snatch fish from coastal Without swift, coordinated action, there globulus) and black gum (Eucalyptus ovata) forests provide critical foraging habitat for the waters, and constructing large nests of sticks is a real risk of extinction for devils in the endangered swift parrot, which relies on the in tall blue gums. Smaller birds, including the wild, a factor which also convinced us energy-rich nectar of these trees. threatened fairy tern, create well-hidden nests that they would make a good focal on sandy beaches. conservation asset in their own right Local heathlands also provide an important source of food for insects, small birds, reptiles The coastal vegetation communities play and mammals – they are abuzz with a rich an especially important role in maintain- array of native bees, which share this habitat ing shoreline integrity on sections of sandy with many native spiders, insects and other coastline, especially in light of projected sea invertebrates. Bettongs forage in them for level rises. Communities represented in this underground fungi, and threatened New zone include coastal grasslands and herbfields, Holland Mice hop through them in search of and sand dune scrub dominated by coastal seeds. wattle (Acacia longifolia). On the stunning granite beaches of the Bay of Fires, dramatic Important threatened dry forest communities lichen lithoseres daub the rocks a fiery orange, within this area include Oyster Bay Pine backed by swaying swathes of black sheoak (Callitris rhomboidea) forests, blue gum (Allocasuarina littoralis) forest, a threatened (Eucalyptus globulus) forests and woodlands, forest type. and black peppermint (Eucalyptus amygdalina) forests and woodlands on sandstone. Some of the best examples of dry Significant flora and fauna forests in this area can be seen in the Douglas Fairy terns (Sterna nereis) Apsley National Park, the Constable Creek Little terns (Sterna albifrons sinensis) catchment, around the Bay of Fires region and Sea eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) in the Nicholas Range. Native spinifex (Spinifex sericeus) Sea bindweed (Calystegia soldanella) Good examples of heathland communities in this area include buttongrass moorland in the highlands at Mt Victoria, and lowland sedgy heathland and wet heath which occur within a matrix of dry forest in the Bay of Fires and Ansons Bay region.

Significant flora and fauna Swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) Masked owls (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops) Bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) Glossy grass skink (Pseudemoia rawlinsoni) Oyster Bay pine (Callitris rhomboidea) Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea species) Variable smoke bush (Conospermum hookeri)

5. 6. Coastal sand dune vegetation at Taylors Beach, Bay of Fires, photo: Nick Fitzgerald Wet heathland fringed by black gum (Eucalyptus ovata) forest at Kates Marsh, Bay of Fires hinterland, photo: Nick Fitzgerald

Estuaries [Black swans (Cygnus atratus) on Georges Bay, the Native grasslands dominated by kangaroo grass (Themeda The Douglas River is one of the most pristine waterways in largest estuary in the region, photo: Nick Fitzgerald triandra) are a listed as Critically Endangered under north-east Tasmania, Photo: Nick Fitzgerald Commonwealth legislation, photo: Nick Fitzgerald

Coastal wetlands and estuaries Grasslands Riparian systems Coastal wetlands and estuaries provide a Tasmanian native grasslands have been Rivers are the arteries through which the bridge between riparian and coastal systems, reduced to approximately 1% of their lifeblood of the landscape courses. The water often providing habitat for species common to pre-European coverage across the State. they carry brings life from the upper catchments one or both of these systems. Local wetlands Although the coverage of native grasslands down through the floodplains to the wetlands host unique arrays of freshwater algae, within the project area is not large they have and estuaries below. Wetlands rely on them microscopic plants that form the basis of the been chosen as a focal conservation asset for an influx of critical nutrients and sediments wetland food chains. The wetlands support for their value as habitat for a diverse range of that sustain their flora and fauna. In heavily many insect species, including a range of threatened species and communities. Lowland modified landscapes, narrow strips of riparian dragon and damsel flies endemic to the grasslands are also important to local graziers. vegetation provide shelter for fauna moving area, some of whom will become food for the between patches of vegetation, adding endangered green and gold frog, Tasmania’s Grasslands often lack the profile of more connectivity to the landscape. largest frog. A complex suite of migratory and dramatic forests and woodlands, but they are As well as providing a critical link between resident birds rely on the north-east’s coastal alive with activity. Marsupials such as wombats far-separated parts of the catchment, riparian wetlands and estuaries for food and habitat, and bandicoots are prominent members of the systems are important habitat in themselves. including the endangered eastern curlew, grassland fauna, but they also support an which probes through the mud with its long astonishing array of insects, including native They shelter threatened fish, such as the curved bill, and the unmistakable great crested grasshoppers, bees and butterflies, and Australian grayling, as well as more common, grebe, which cruises the deeper waters, with beneath the ground, native earthworms quietly ecologically important species, such as the its shock of head feathers and low crooning make their way through the soil. Grasslands platypus. Riparian scrub and coast paperbark moan. Fish spawn in the estuaries, which act as are also home to a variety of native ant (Melaleuca ericifolia) swamp forest are nurseries for the local saltwater fish populations. species, upon which the echidna depends for threatened vegetation communities its survival. associated with river habitats. One of Australia’s Important terrestrial vegetation communities rarest plants, Davies’ waxflower ( associated with the north-east’s coastal Highland Poa grasslands are a threatened daviesii), occurs only in riparian habitat on the wetlands and estuaries include Melaleuca community which occurs at the Blue Tier. There George River. ericifolia swamp forest and succulent saline is limited highland habitat within the project herbfields (saltmarsh). area and this is reflected in the small extent of Healthy Tasmanian rivers are complex in this community in the area. Lowland grasslands physical structure and bordered by intact native Important wetlands within the area include are more extensive, particularly coastal vegetation. Their habits are often meandering, Jocks, Windmill and Moriarty lagoons at Stieglitz, grasslands. Some of the best examples of and they maintain a good diversity of in-stream Sloop Lagoon and Big Lagoon in the Bay of lowland native grasslands within the north-east habitat, often provided by an “untidy” Fires. Significant estuaries within the area may be found at Four Mile Creek, where they assemblage of logs and boulders, which allows include those at Ansons Bay, Georges Bay, and occur on private land. them to shelter a broad range of aquatic the Scamander River estuary. invertebrates and larger animals. Significant flora and fauna Good intact riparian systems within the region New Holland mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) can be found in the Douglas River, the upper Wombats (Vombatus ursinus) reaches of the Scamander and Avenue rivers, Significant flora and fauna Eastern-barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii gunnii) Constable Creek, and the upper catchment of Fairy terns (Sterna nereis) Chocolate lilies (Arthropodium strictum) the Ransom River at the Blue Tier. Little terns (Sterna albifrons sinensis) Sea eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) Native spinifex (Spinifex sericeus) Significant flora and fauna Sea bindweed (Calystegia soldanella) Australian grayling (Prototroctes maraena) Freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis franklinii) Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) River boronia (Boronia gunnii) Davies’ waxflower (Phebalium daviesii)

5. 6. With a very small population on the banks of the George River, the The grey goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) is an endangered bird of prey which nests in riparian wet forest around the Blue Tier, photo David Watts. critically endagnered Davies’ waxflower (Phebalium daviesii) is one of the rarest plants in Australia, photo: Nick Fitzgerald

curved rice flower Pimelea curviflora yellow rice flower Pimelea flava subsp. flava ‘Threatened Species in shade plantain Plantago debilis north-east Tasmania’ soft poa grass Poa mollis tree pomaderris Pomaderris intermedia Over 150 rare and threatened species narrow leaf pomaderris Pomaderris phylicifolia have been recorded from the project subsp. phylicifolia area. These are species that are offically superb or cobra greenhood Pterostylis grandiflora listed under the Tasmanian Threatened zig zag bog sedge Schoenus brevifolius brock knawel Scleranthus brockiei Species Protection Act and/or the dwaft scullcap Scutellaria humilis Commonwealth Environment Protection swamp fireweed Senecio psilocarpus Tasmanian smoke bush (Conospermum hookeri) forest groundsel Senecio velleioides and Biodiversity Conservation Act. These Photo: Naomi Lawrence Acts provide some legislative protection rush lily Sowerbaea juncea RARE FLORA salt couch Sporobolus virginicus for the listed species by controlling actions soft Furneaux spyridium Spyridium dagger wattle Acacia siculiformis that impact on the species. Recovery Plans parvifolium var. molle juniper wattle Acacia ulicifolia Australian dusty miller Spyridium have been prepared and implemented for swamp wallaby grass Amphibromus neesii parvifolium var. parvifolium a small number of threatened species. slender aphelia Aphelia gracilis rayless starwort Stellaria multiflora chocolate lily Arthropodium strictum swamp triggerplant Stylidium grassy woodruff Asperula minima Species are listed from lowest to highest beaugleholei water woodruff Asperula subsimplex level of risk of extinction according to the small trigger plant Stylidium despectum tall wallaby grass Austrodanthonia induta Tasmanian Threatened Species tiny trigger plant Stylidium perpusillum crested spear grass Austrostipa blackii forest germander Teucrium corymbosum Protection Act 1995. knotty spear grass Austrostipa nodosa mauve-tufted sun orchid Thelymitra malvina jointed twig rush Baumea articulata tiny arrow grass Triglochin minutissimum slender twig rush Baumea gunnii Species with * attached to them trithuria Trithuria submersa gristle fern Blechnum cartilagineum yellow bladderwort Utricularia australis are included as part of the: spiny bossiaea Bossiaea obcordata pink bladderwort Utricularia tenella Commonwealth Environment Protection spreading brachyloma Brachyloma depressum trailing speedwell Veronica plebeia and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 forest daisy Brachyscome sieberi var. gunnii erect marsh flower Villarsia exaltata not the Tasmanian Threatened Species blue grass lily Caesia calliantha Cunningham’s violet Viola cunninghamii daddy longlegs Caladenia filamentosa Protection Act 1995. white alpine everlasting Xerochrysum bicolor tiny fingers Caladenia pusilla swamp everlasting Xerochrysum palustre sea bindweed Calystegia soldanella pink zieria Zieria veronicea subsp. veronicea Species with ** attached to them are listed mountain sedge Carex gunniana as threatened species in both Tasmanian thick twistsedge Caustis pentandra RARE FAUNA Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 scarce centrolepis Centrolepis strigosa subsp. pulvinata Hydrobiid snail (Terrys Creek) and Commonwealth Environment tiny midge orchid Corunastylis nuda Beddomeia tasmanica Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Australian hound’s tongue Cynoglossum australe Spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus subsp. Act 1999. large gnat orchid Cyrtostylis robusta maculatus Apsley bent grass Deyeuxia apsleyensis Caddisfly (St. Colomba Falls) trickery bent grass Deyeuxia decipiens Hydrobiosella sagitta heath bent grass Deyeuxia densa Glossy grass skink Pseudemoia rawlinsoni scarlet sundew Drosera glanduligera Giant velvet worm Tasmanipatus barretti Barbers gum Eucalyptus barberi eastern eyebright Euphrasia collina subsp. deflexifolia VULNERABLE FLORA spiny bushpea Eutaxia microphylla var. microphylla small mudmat Glossostigma elatinoides water woodruff Asperula subsimplex broom wheel fruit Gyrostemon thesioides dolerite spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes subsp. twiggy guinea flower Hibbertia virgata trichomanes cane holy grass Hierochloe rariflora Gunn’s or river boronia** Boronia gunnii glossy hovea Hovea corrickiae tailed spider orchid** Caladenia caudata hill hovea Hovea tasmannica South Esk pine Callitris oblonga subsp. oblonga harsh groundfern Hypolepis muelleri Tasmanian smoke bush** Conospermum hookeri plain quillwort Isoetes drummondii skirted treefern Cyathea Xmarcescens tall quillwort Isoetes elatior slender tick trefoil Desmodium gunnii gentle rush Juncus amabilis great heath Epacris grandis small-awn blowngrass Lachnagrostis billardierei small leaf glycine Glycine microphylla subsp. tenuiseta lesser guinea flower Hibbertia calycina shade peppercress Lepidium pseudotasmanicum wiry mitrewort Phyllangium divergens stout rapier sedge Lepidosperma forsythii small leaf pomaderris Pomaderris elachophylla twisting rapier sedge Lepidosperma tortuosum roundleaf mint bush Prostanthera rotundifolia sticky sword sedge Lepidosperma viscidum grassland greenhood** Pterostylis ziegeleri austral trefoil Lotus australis swamp fireweed* Senecio psilocarpus Cranbrook or warty paperbark Melaleuca pustulata small leaf spyridium Spyridium lawrencei yellow onion orchid Microtidium atratum clubmoss bush pea Stonesiella Hooker’s or crimsontip daisybush selaginoides Olearia hookeri yellow rush lily Tricoryne elatior Lichen Parmelina whinrayi threatened grass tree** Xanthorrhoea aff. hot rock fern Pellaea calidirupium bracteata tiny mitrewort Phyllangium distylis sand grass tree** Xanthorrhoea arenaria pygmy clubmoss Phylloglossum shiny grass tree Xanthorrhoea bracteata drummondii swamp everlasting* Xerochrysum palustre

7. 8. Assessing Landscape Health The health of the landscape within the project area is determined by the viability of each of its individual conservation assets. The health of each asset is determined by looking at their size, condition and their context in the landscape.

The grey goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) is an endangered bird of prey which nests in riparian wet forest around the Blue Tier, photo David Watts.

STEP 2: DETERMINING THE VIABILITY OF THE CONSERVATION ASSETS

Once conservation assets for the area have been identified, the next step is to do a rapid assessment of the viability of these conservation assets.

These assessments were derived using a combination of expert consultation and interrogation of publicly available databases. An abbreviated summary of these results is below. Explanations of the rankings may be seen below:

The green and gold frog (Litoria raniformis) is Tasmania’s Poor – allowing the factor to remain in this condition for an extended period of time will make largest and most endangered frog, photo: Nick Fitzgerald restoration practically impossible. VULNERABLE FAUNA Dwarf galaxia** Galaxiella pusilla Fair – outside its range of acceptable variation, requires intervention, if unchecked is prone to White-bellied sea eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster serious degradation. Green and gold frog Litoria raniformis Crested grebe Podiceps cristatus Good – Functioning within its range of acceptable variation, may require some intervention. Australian grayling** Prototroctes maraena Fairy tern Sterna nereis subsp. nereis White-fronted tern Sterna striata Very good – functioning at an ecologically desirable status, requires little intervention. ENDANGERED FLORA Tasmanian bertya** Bertya tasmanica subsp. tasmanica blacktongue finger orchid Caladenia congesta South Esk pine* Callitris oblonga subsp. oblonga No. Focal conservation asset Focal conservation asset viability bristly rockfern Cheilanthes distans slender treefern Cyathea cunninghamii South Esk heath** Epacris apsleyensis great heath* Epacris grandis 1. Tasmanian Devil Poor border heath Epacris limbata yellow eyebright Euphrasia scabra basalt peppercress** Lepidium hyssopifolium Davies’ wax flower Phebalium daviesii 2. Wet forests Good ferny panax Polyscias sp. Douglas-Denison snug greenhood** Pterostylis atriola fairy fanflower Scaevola aemula small leaf spyridium* Spyridium lawrencei 3. Dry forests and heathlands Good threadcress Stenopetalum lineare clubmoss bush pea* Stonesiella selaginoides rabbit-ears Thelymitra antennifera 4. Grasslands Fair shiny grass tree* Xanthorrhoea bracteata

ENDANGERED FAUNA Grey goshawk Accipiter novaehollandiae Wedge-tailed eagle** Aquila audax subsp. fleayi 5. Riparian systems Good Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans Bornemizza’s stag beetle Hoplogonus bornemisszai Swift parrot** Lathamus discolor Southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina 6. Coastal wetlands and estuaries Fair Eastern curlew Numenius madagascariensis New Holland Mouse Pseudomys novaehollandiae 7. Shoreline systems Fair Tasmanian devil** Sarcophilus harrisii Little tern Sterna nereis subsp. nereis Blind velvet worm** Tasmanipatus anophthalmus Overall project area viability: Fair Masked owl Tyto novaehollandiae subsp. castanops

CRITICAL border heath* Epacris limbata Davies’ wax flower * Phebalium daviesii

7. 8. Root-rot disease () is killing native plants (Above) Devil facial tumour disease is a contagious cancer which is invariably fatal; such as grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea australis) in many parts of the (Above right) Extensive areas of mature giant ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forest have been converted to eucalypt plantations, photos: Nick Fitzgerald north-east, photo: Nick Fitzgerald STEP 3: ASSESSING THE THREATS Sources of stress are ranked from very high to High priority threats TO THE CONSERVATION ASSETS low based on: The third step in the conservation planning The conservation action planning process 1) the contribution of the source to the stress process is to identify high priority threats to the identified high priority threats to (i.e. very large contributor, large contributor, conservation asset. This is a two-phase process. biodiversity across the project area, and moderate contributor, small contributor); and The first phase involves an assessment of the key then examined the impact of each of 2) the irreversibility of the stress caused by the stresses to the conservation assets. these threats on the focal conservation source (not reversible, reversible but Stresses are directly related to the key assets (see table). not practically affordable, reversible with ecological attributes (refer step 2) and includes reasonable commitment of resources, easily On a regional scale, the highest ranking factors such as inappropriate fire regimes, reversible at low cost). threats included: reduced native species diversity, reduced water quality, habitat fragmentation, etc. Once the stresses and sources are ranked • Historical land clearing – which has according to the above criteria, a summary left many ecosystems much reduced in Stresses are ranked from very high to low rating for each threat is generated. This results coverage, and hence fragmented and based on: in the threats summary table (refer to threats vulnerable to other impacts, table opposite) that allocates a ranking for 1) the severity of damage where it occurs (i.e. each threat from very high to low, both in terms • Weeds – which threaten all systems destroys or eliminates the conservation asset, of the threat to the individual conservation by depriving native species of food and seriously degrades, moderately degrades or assets and to the collective impact of the habitat, and in some cases transform the slightly impairs); and threat across the landscape. physical geomorphology of the ecosystem, 2) the scope of the damage (i.e. very wide- spread, widespread; localised, very localised). • Climate change – especially for The second phase involves the identification wetlands which are already affected by and ranking of the source of stresses (i.e. long-term drying, but also more broadly the direct threats). For example, the source of an impact on all ecosystems as local stress for reduced species diversity is weather patterns change, generally grazing pressure (stock, rabbits and wallabies) and the source of stress relating to • Sea level rise – especially for coastal inappropriate hydrological regimes may be wetlands and estuaries and shoreline excessive water extraction. systems, where habitat for many species will be gradually submerged or destroyed,

• Coastal development – especially for coastal wetlands and estuaries and . shoreline systems, where habitat for many species is either converted or negatively impacted by the development, and

• Inappropriate recreational use – particularly within shoreline systems, where birds are greatly threatened by off-road vehicles, unwary pedestrians and dogs; coastal vegetation is also sensitive to recreational impacts.

The conservation assets most at risk from threatening processes were:

• Shoreline systems

• Coastal wetlands and estuaries

9. 10. IdentifingIdentifying HighConservation Priority Threats Assets Tasmania’sThe landscapes north-east of the north-east is a place and of the great ecological biodiversity. processes International which - ly sustainrenowned them forare itsthreatened natural bybeauty, a range the of humanland rolls activities. down Some from may forested tiers,be limitedthrough in distribution,farmland, but forest, highly grassland destructive; and others heath may tobe thebroad shores of ranging but with minimal impact. Identifying threats to the landscape theand Tasman their relative Sea. impacts Many plantsis critical and to allow animals land managersfind their tohomes develop effective conservation strategies.

(Above) Devil facial tumour disease is a contagious cancer which is invariably fatal; (Above right) Extensive areas of mature giant ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forest have been converted to eucalypt plantations, photos: Nick Fitzgerald

Coastal Tasmanian Dry forests Shoreline Riparian Summary Threats Wet forests Grasslands wetlands & devil & heathlands systems systems Threat Rating estuaries

Agriculture and Medium Medium Medium MEDIUM viticulture - - - -

Climate change - High High High High Very High High VERY HIGH

Coastal Medium High High HIGH development - - - -

Dam construction & - - Medium Medium MEDIUM water extraction - - -

Devil facial tumour High MEDIUM disease ------

Feral animals (cats, Low Low Medium Medium Low MEDIUM foxes, rabbits) - -

Feral aquatic Low Medium LOW species (inc. trout) - - - - -

Historical land High High High High High High VERY HIGH clearing -

Inappropriate fire - Medium Medium Medium - - - MEDIUM management

Incompatible Low Low High Low Low MEDIUM recreational use - -

Native forest Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium MEDIUM logging - -

Phytophthora - - Medium - - - - LOW

Plantation forestry Medium Medium Medium - - Medium Medium MEDIUM

Sea level rise - - - - High Very High - HIGH

Sheep and Low Medium Low Low LOW cattle grazing - - -

Water-borne Medium Low LOW pathogens - - - - -

Weeds - Medium Medium Medium High Medium Medium HIGH

Overall threat status HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH VERY HIGH VERY HIGH HIGH VERY HIGH

9. 10. The fairy tern (Sterna nereis subsp. nereis) is listed as vulnerable This site at Skyline Tier is being rehabilitated to native forest following the harvesting of a pine plantation planted in the 1960-70s, photo: Nick Fitzgerald and nests on sandy beaches where it is at risk from sea level rise and from human recreation, photo: © Valeria Ruoppolo and Eric Woehler, Birds Tasmania STEP 4: DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR MAINTENANCE OF Skyline Tier Restoration CONSERVATION STRATEGIES ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN THE N.E The next step of the planning process for the Broad strategies Project north-east should be to develop strategies that Native bush is being restored on the site will protect and enhance landscape-scale Strategy 1: Develop and implement of a former pine plantation at Skyline Tier ecological processes and, thereby, the catchment scale management plans which near Scamander. landscape itself. actively address ecological processes.

The North East Bioregional Network is As the project advances, these strategies should Effective catchment management planning actively engaged in ecological be further fleshed out following the SMART can be a successful tool to address broad restoration following harvesting of the pine model for Conservation Action Planning; that scale ecological processes. plantation by removing pines that have is, objectives should be Specific, Measurable, regenerated from seed and those that Actionable, Realistic and Time-bound. Such plans should specifically address issues of have invaded adjacent native bush. Specific actions should also be complemented landscape scale connectivity and A diverse variety of native flora is by a formal monitoring and evaluation associated ecological processes, especially in regenerating on the site, including several program, to ensure that when undertaken, light of climate change issues. threatened species. actions are having the expected and desired effect. Strategy 2: Frame planning legislation to Remnant patches of two threatened actively address issues of landscape scale forest types, blue gum forest and black There are many good documents and connectivity gum forest, have benefited from weed strategies written for this region which focus on control. the protection of specific species and The Linking Landscapes project identified a The project improves habitat for ecosystems, or on the mitigation of individual range of areas on public land which could be threatened fauna, catchment protection threats (e.g. weeds). In considering considered in future planning for landscape and landscape connectivity. conservation strategies for the north-east, we connectivity specifically for the north-east. have focused on those actions which we believe will promote the maintenance of Planning schemes and associated legislation ecological processes across the landscape. at a State and municipal level will need to As such, as we considered how threats would reflect the current science being developed impinge on ecological processes for each focal regarding biodiversity adaptation in response to conservation asset we have drawn out strategies climate change, including the importance of which relate directly to local key ecological landscape scale connectivity. processes.

Strongly interactive species

Strategy 3: Improved implementation of threatened species recovery plans for highly interactive species

Within the context of the north-east, these species could include Tasmanian devils, quolls, bettongs and birds of prey.

11. 12. IdentifingDeveloping ConservationConservation Strategies Assets Tasmania’s north-east is a place of great biodiversity. International- ly andrenowned Objectives for its natural beauty, the land rolls down from forested tiers,Once through threats tofarmland, assets have forest, been grasslandidentified, specific and heath strategies to the shores of and objectives need to be developed to guide on-ground actions that the Tasman Sea. Many plants and animals find their homes will achieve real landscape-scale conservation outcomes.

This site at Skyline Tier is being rehabilitated to native forest following the harvesting of a pine plantation planted in the 1960-70s, photo: Nick Fitzgerald

Strategy 4: Research and implementation Strategy 7: Increased investment in the Hydroecology of measures to restore Tasmanian devil strategic management of weeds, and soil populations. and water borne pathogens Strategy 8: Develop and implement targeted restoration programs to normalize This may include disease control measures, -Funding for local environmental weed hydroecological processes establishment of fenced disease-free management officers has been obtained by populations or reintroduction of the species to many councils in the southern NRM region, Aspects of such a program could include; the north-east from insurance populations. Any who have had great success in -targeted broad-scale restoration of riparian such works should be done in consultation with controlling environmentally significant feral vegetation, and to support works already being undertaken plant populations. A similar model of local by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Project. weed management should be considered -strategic restoration of plantations, modeled within this region. on those already being trialled by the North Strategy 5: Pro-active management of feral East Bioregional Network at Skyline Tier near trout populations -General works hygiene training programs to Scamander. teach people how to prevent the spread of Trout should not be introduced to any new weeds and soil- and water-borne pathogens Any such programs should be waterbodies within the area. Trials might also on dirty equipment have also been complemented by a monitoring program be undertaken to remove trout from sections of developed in the south, and might be charting the changing condition of local rivers where they impact upon native extended to this region. watercourses as the projects progress. Such threatened fish species. monitoring programs could be modeled -Implement a set of regionally consistent on successful local programs such as the Strategy 6: Increased investment in the on-the-job hygiene protocols, and resource Waterwatch-driven monitoring of condition of strategic management of feral terrestrial their enforcement. streams on the Blue Tier using aquatic animal species macroinvertebrates and the SIGNAL system. -No new tracks or roads should be permitted Species of particular concern include cats and in areas identified as Phytophthora foxes. management areas.

-Tracks should be closed and rehabilitated in areas where they are no longer required, to prevent the spread of weeds, soil and water-borne diseases.

11. 12. Farmland and protected bushland near St Marys overlooking the A guided walk provides interpretation of the natural heritage of forests on the slopes of the Blue Tier, photo: Nick Fitzgerald East Coast, photo: Nick Fitzgerald.

Long distance biological movement Strategy 11: Development and implementation of regional migratory North East Tasmania Strategy 9: Develop and implement birds protection programs regional plans to actively promote Land Trust long-distance biological movement Any such programs should be developed in Many conservation values occur on consultation with relevant expert bodies (e.g. private land. Purchasing land for This could occur as part of the ecologically Birds Tasmania, DPIPWE), and focus on local conservation is an effective means of focused catchment management process migratory species such as the swift parrot, protecting biodiversity, particularly when and would probably best be driven at a local and migratory shorebirds. it is done in a strategic manner to level. Examination of projects undertaken complement conservation on elsewhere in Tasmania to improve landscape Swift parrot protection measures might public land. The not-for-profit North East connectivity (e.g.; the Biolinks project include: Land Trust works in partnership with the undertaken by Huon and Kingborough statewide Tasmanian Land Conservancy councils) may provide some guidance for -targeted covenanting of mature eucalypt to protect valuable natural places in the development and implementation. Such forests on private land, and reservation of it north east by purchasing and managing a process should also incorporate research on public lands within the swift parrots’ range land of ecological value. and planning tools being developed by the to ensure nesting habitat remains available. Tasmanian government regarding climate Mature Eucalyptus obliqua and Eucalyptus www.netlandtrust.org.au change, refugia and connectivity issues. amygdalina forests, although not threatened www.tasland.org.au communities, are considered to provide a Strategy 10: Restore connectivity within high percentage of nesting hollows for this riparian systems purpose,

This would involve; -targeted restoration of blue gum forest within -reducing anthropogenic barriers to the swift parrot’s range. longitudinal (e.g. dams and weirs) and lateral (e.g. river and floodplain) connectedness of Measures to improve the protection of riverine systems, migratory and resident coastal birds might include: -actively managing for hydrological regimes that maintain ecological and physical -active management to protect and processes, improve condition of key estuarine, wetland and coastal habitats for migratory shorebirds -active management of riparian vegetation, and waterbirds, in recognition of its importance in buffering, providing nutrients and habitat and -designation of ‘no-go’ zones on beaches influencing geomorphology of river systems and employment of enforcement officers to ensure that shorebirds are left undisturbed during mating and breeding season.

13. 14. Identifing Conservation Assets Tasmania’s north-east is a place of great biodiversity. International- ly renowned for its natural beauty, the land rolls down from forested tiers, through farmland, forest, grassland and heath to the shores of the Tasman Sea. Many plants and animals find their homes

A guided walk provides interpretation of the natural heritage of forests on the slopes of the Blue Tier, photo: Nick Fitzgerald Pasture in the upper catchment of the Break O’ Day River near St Marys with the Nicholas Range in the background, photo: Nick Fitzgerald

Ecologically appropriate disturbance Land/coastal zone fluxes Long-term, spatially extensive regimes evolutionary processes Strategy 14: Development and Strategy 12: Develop a regional strategy implementation of a strategic coastal Strategy 17: Identify climate refugia within to ensure planned burns are conducted to weed control program the landscape and provide them with maintain ecological health formal protection Regional planning should be informed by It is recognized that the primary focus of statewide plans such as the Tasmanian Strategy 18: Protect local eucalypt planned burning in asset protection zones will Beach Weeds Strategy and the Strategy for genetic diversity by actively managing be for fuel reduction, however most of the the Management of Rice Grass (Spartina gene-flow from exotic eucalypts project area does not require fuel reduction anglica) in Tasmania. and therefore burning should be based entirely Mechanisms for achieving this may include: on ecological principles. Special focus in this area might be given to Where possible, such burns should be done on ensuring that the areas where rice grass has -using local native tree species for plantations a tenure-blind basis, i.e. according to been removed remain free of rice grass.. in preference to Eucalyptus nitens, ecological need rather than land Also, monitoring and control of key management authority, and should be transformer species, such as sea spurge, and -ensuring adequate buffers to prevent gene coordinated by a group containing members in some sensitive locations, possibly marram flow between native eucalypts and E. nitens. representing all major landuses. This would grass, should also be undertaken. allow local plans for burning to be integrated Productivity into a regional strategy. Strategy 15: Explicit consideration of coastal zone fluxes to be considered in Strategy 19: Regional conservation Areas of high conservation value should be any future proposed coastal engineering. planning and associated incentives to given priority when planning burns and may achieve representation of vegetation require detailed local-scale planning to ensure Strategy 16: Restrict future coastal communities across different land systems an appropriate variety of fire regimes (including development to established urban maintaining unburnt areas) are implemented envelopes. Several Tasmanian projects are working on to maintain the full range of ecological values. this area at present, and the results of these This requires implementation through local projects should be used to inform future Climate change and variability government planning schemes and/or the planning activities. State Coastal Policy. Strategy 13: Actively consider climate Strategy 19: Restoration of native change issues in landscape-scale planning vegetation communities that have been extensively cleared or fragmented The field of climate change research is complex and constantly evolving. There are Strategic restoration of native vegetation many state and national strategies and plans should target parts of the landscape that which focus on these issues within a Tasmanian have been heavily modified, particularly on context. Within the north-east, strategies to fertile soils, such as floodplains, riparian zones better allow ecosystems to adapt to climate and areas surrounding estuaries. change might include:

-planning for landward retreat of coastal ecosystems,

-maintaining and restoring connectivity within the landscape, and protecting identified climate refugia to allow ecological migration in response to climate change,

-improving ecological resilience by targeted restoration and buffering of fragmented and degraded landscapes.

13. 14. www.northeastbioregionalnetwork.org.au www.wilderness.org.au