Approved Conservation Advice for the Brigalow (Acacia Harpophylla
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This Conservation Advice was approved by the Delegate of the Minister on 17 December 2013 Approved Conservation Advice for the Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant) ecological community (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) This Conservation Advice has been developed based on the best available information at the time this Conservation Advice was approved; this includes existing plans, records or management prescriptions for this ecological community. 1. DESCRIPTION 1.1. Name of the ecological community The name of the ecological community is Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co- dominant); also referred to as the Brigalow ecological community. 1.2 Summary The Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant) ecological community (the Brigalow ecological community) occurs within Queensland (Qld) and New South Wales (NSW). Acacia harpophylla (brigalow) is a distinctive silver-foliaged shrub or tree. It is commonly the dominant species in a range of open forests and woodlands; these are collectively referred to as brigalow woodlands. The Brigalow ecological community is characterised by the presence of Acacia harpophylla as one of the most abundant tree species (Butler, 2007). A. harpophylla is either, dominant in the tree layer, or co-dominant with other species – notably Casuarina cristata (belah), other species of Acacia, or species of Eucalyptus. Occasionally these other species may be more common than A. harpophylla within the broad matrix of brigalow woodlands vegetation. The Brigalow ecological community has a considerable range of vegetation structure and composition united by a suite of species that tend to occur on acidic and salty clay soils (Isbell, 1962; Johnson, 1964; Bui and Henderson, 2003). However not all vegetation in which A. harpophylla is dominant or co-dominant is part of the listed ecological community (see section 1.7.3. Excluded Queensland regional ecosystems). The Brigalow ecological community was listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) on 4 April 2001. The ecological community was defined using the respective state vegetation classifications available at that time. In Qld, the Brigalow ecological community is defined based on the Regional Ecosystem (RE) framework used for biodiversity planning (Sattler and Williams, 1999; Queensland Herbarium, 2013). In NSW, the Brigalow ecological community included two NSW vegetation communities: Brigalow community of the northern floodplain; and, Brigalow outlier of the Mulga Lands bioregion (Wade, 1992). Since the time of listing, REs in Qld have been revised and updated, including the identification of new brigalow REs. In NSW, a new vegetation classification, the NSW Vegetation Classification and Assessment (VCA) database, has since become available (Benson et al., 2006; 2010). Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant) ecological community Approved Conservation Advice. Page 1 of 21 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Delegate of the Minister on 17 December 2013 Contents 1. DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Name of the ecological community ................................................................................ 1 1.2 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.3. Vegetation types in Queensland ...................................................................................... 3 1.4. Vegetation types in New South Wales ............................................................................ 4 1.5. Regrowth ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.6. Condition ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.7. Key diagnostic characteristics and condition thresholds ................................................. 5 1.7.1. Step 1 Key diagnostic characteristics ....................................................................... 5 1.7.2. Step 2 Condition thresholds ..................................................................................... 5 1.7.3. Excluded Queensland regional ecosystems .............................................................. 6 1.7.4. Relationships to other vegetation classifications ..................................................... 6 1.7.5. Additional Considerations ........................................................................................ 7 1.8. Surrounding environment and landscape context ........................................................... 7 1.9. Area critical to the survival of the ecological community .............................................. 8 1.10. Physical environment .................................................................................................... 8 1.11. Vegetation ..................................................................................................................... 9 1.11.1. Tree layer ................................................................................................................ 9 1.11.2 Lower tree and shrub layer/s ................................................................................. 10 1.11.3. Ground layer ......................................................................................................... 10 1.12. Fauna ........................................................................................................................... 10 2. CONSERVATION STATUS ............................................................................................... 11 3. DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................. 11 4. THREATS ............................................................................................................................ 12 4.1. Clearing ......................................................................................................................... 12 4.2. Fire ................................................................................................................................ 12 4.3. Invasive species ............................................................................................................. 13 4.3.1 Weeds ...................................................................................................................... 13 4.3.2 Pest animals ............................................................................................................. 13 4.4. Inappropriate grazing regimes ....................................................................................... 14 4.5 Climate change ............................................................................................................... 14 5. PRIORITY CONSERVATION ACTIONS ......................................................................... 14 5.1 Research and monitoring priorities ................................................................................ 14 5.2 Priority recovery and threat abatement actions .............................................................. 15 5.2.1. Threat reduction/control ......................................................................................... 15 5.2.2 Land management ................................................................................................... 15 5.2.3 Management for wildlife ......................................................................................... 16 Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominant) ecological community Approved Conservation Advice. Page 2 of 21 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Delegate of the Minister on 17 December 2013 5.2.4 Develop and Propagate Conservation Information ................................................. 16 5.3 Existing plans/management prescriptions relevant to the ecological community ......... 16 6. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 17 6.1 Other information sources .............................................................................................. 21 ____________________________________________ 1.3. Vegetation types in Queensland The Brigalow ecological community in Qld includes areas that meet the descriptions of the following 16 Qld REs, determined at the time of listing. The bioregions for the REs are those identified within Qld’s state biogeographic regionalisation system (rather than the national Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) bioregions). Regional ecosystems of the Qld Brigalow Belt Bioregion RE 11.3.1 Acacia harpophylla and/or Casuarina cristata open forest on alluvial plains. RE 11.4.3 Acacia harpophylla and/or Casuarina cristata shrubby open forest on Cainozoic clay plains. RE 11.4.7 Open forest to woodland of Eucalyptus populnea with Acacia harpophylla and/or Casuarina cristata on Cainozoic clay plains. RE 11.4.8 Eucalyptus cambageana woodland to open forest with Acacia harpophylla or A. argyrodendron on Cainozoic clay plains. RE 11.4.9 Acacia harpophylla shrubby open forest to woodland with Terminalia oblongata on Cainozoic clay plains. RE 11.4.10 Eucalyptus populnea or E. pilligaensis,