South Eastern Australia Mallee Woodlands
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Conservation Management Zones of Australia South Eastern Australia Mallee 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: Mount Chambers, Flinders Ranges, South Australia – Copyright Mark McLeod Page 4: Flinders Ranges, South Australia – Copyright SATC/Adam Buzzone Page 10: Ethel Beach, Innes National Park – Greg Snell, Copyright Tourism Australia Page 16: Ringneck Parrot (Barnardius zonarius), Wilpena Pound, South Australia – Copyright Maxime Coquard Page 19: Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Innes National Park, Yorke Peninsula – Balambigai Balakrishnan, Copyright SATC Page 22: Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus) – Peripitus Page 24: Flinders Ranges Worm-lizard (Aprasia pseudopulchella) – Matt Clancy Page 25: Pygmy Blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua adelaidensis) – Mark Hutchinson Page 27: Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus) – JJ Harrison Page 29: Flock of Galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla), Flinders Ranges, South Australia – John Milbank, Copyright SATC Page 34: Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea), Baird Bay, Eyre Peninsula of South Australia – Greg Snell, Copyright Tourism Australia Page 35: Ngarkat Conservation Park, South Australia – Ray Jones www.travelling-australia.info Page 36: Mallee with tussock grass (Eucalyptus socialis) – Murray Fagg Page 37: Saltbush Shrubland, Flinders Ranges – Murray Fagg Page 38: Mallee with a dense shrubby understorey, Ngarkat Conservation Park – Murray Fagg Page 39: Mallee with hummock grass (Eucalyptus dumosa) – Murray Fagg Page 40: Casuarina and Allocasuarina open woodlands (Casuarina pauper), Flinders Ranges – Murray Fagg Page 41: Mallee with an open shrubby understorey (Eucalyptus gracilis) – Murray Fagg Back Cover: Mount Chambers, Flinders Ranges, South Australia – Copyright Mark McLeod © 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, South Eastern Australia Mallee 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 Ramsar and Nationally Important Wetlands�������������������������������������������������������������������17 World and National Heritage ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19 Major National Reserve System properties �������������������������������������������������������������������� 20 EPBC Act (1999) threatened ecological communities ������������������������������������������������� 21 EPBC Act (1999) threatened species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������22 EPBC Act (1999) migratory species ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 28 Threatened endemic species ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30 Invasive species ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32 Vegetation profiles and management recommendations ��������������������������������������� 35 Conservation Management Zones of Australia, South Eastern Australia Mallee 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, South Eastern Australia Mallee Woodlands Zone at a glance Area of zone: Population density: 32,644,278 hectares % of Australia: 2.05 people 4.24% per square kilometre Zone population characteristics Zone employment characteristics 700,000 4.7% 600,000 646,592 500,000 400,000 300,000 Number of people 200,000 100,000 0 otal T er 65 Ov a second language English as ndigenous 95.3% I outh (15–24) Y Employed Unemployed Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data 3 / Conservation Management Zones of Australia, South Eastern Australia Mallee Woodlands Major cities and towns Population Top five agricultural commodities Value (millions) Berri 4,107 Cereals for grain $2,993 Kadina 4,461 Fruit $1,088 Mildura 31,272 Legumes for grain $402 Murray Bridge 15,642 Vegetables for consumption $390 Port Lincoln 14,083 Lamb $306 Port Pirie 13,850 Total value of agricultural Renmark 4,381 commodities (including other $6,485 commodities not listed here) Other towns Population Balaklava 1,828 Climate characteristics* Bamera 1,916 Mean annual temperature 16.5 Celsius Bordertown 2,543 Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month 31.3 Celsius Ceduna 2,292 Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month 4 Celsius Clare 3,283 Mean Annual Rainfall 306.6 mm Kapunda 2,484 Dominant rainfall season Winter Loxton 3,783 Mannum 2,167 * The figures are interpolated 75-year means (1921 to 1995) representing the period prior to the