Inner (West) Sister Island
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Inner (West) Sister Island Inner (West) Inner (West) Sister Island Scientific Expedition • 2010 Scientific Expedition • 2010 Scientific A partnership program between the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and the Resource Management and Conservation Division, DPIPWE, Tasmania Editors: Dr Stephen Harris and Dr Anthony Reid 10596BL Resource, Management and Conservation Division Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment GPO Box 44 Hobart TAS 7001 Department of www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Inner (West) Sister Island Scientific Expedition 2010 A partnership program between the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and the Resource Management and Conservation Division, DPIPWE, Tasmania. © Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Book ISBN: 978-0-7246-6572-3 Title: Inner (West) Sister Island Scientific Expedition 2010 Author(s): Stephen Harris and Anthony Reid (editors) Publisher/Place: Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment/Hobart PDF format for Web publication ISBN: 978-0-7246-6573-0 Title: Inner (West) Sister Island Scientific Expedition 2010 Author(s): Stephen Harris and Anthony Reid (editors) Publisher/Place: Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment/Hobart Cite as: Harris, S. and Reid, A. (2011). Inner (West) Sister Island Scientific Expedition 2010. Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and Resource Management and Conservation Division, DPIPWE, Hobart, Nature Conservation Report Series 11/2 Cover photo: Panoramic view across the Inner Sister Island (photo: M. Visoiu) Inside cover photos: Rolan Eberhard Design and layout by the ILS Design Unit, DPIPWE. This work is copyright. It may be reproduced for study, research or training purposes subject to an acknowledgement of the sources and no commercial use or sale. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Branch Manager, Policy and Conservation Assessment Branch DPIPWE or the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, Auckland, New Zealand. Inner (West) Sister Island Scientific Expedition • 2010 A partnership program between the Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust, New Zealand and the Resource Management and Conservation Division, DPIPWE, Tasmania Editors: Dr Stephen Harris Dr Anthony Reid Inner (West) Sister Island • Scientific Expedition • 2010 2 House Bay. Photo by Asher Jones. Contents Foreword 5 6 Hamish Saunders 6 Acknowledgements 7 Summary of Results Introduction 11 A Speculative Pre-European Vegetation 13 of Inner Sister Island, Furneaux Group Geodiversity 19 Marine Habitats of Inner Sister Island 29 Present Vegetation of Inner Sister Island 41 with notes on Threatened and Biogeographically Significant Species Avifauna of Inner Sister Island, Furneaux Group 69 Seabirds 83 Terrestrial Mammals 93 Crickets, Grasshoppers and Stick Insects 103 of Inner Sister Island Reptiles 107 Freshwater Invertebrates of Inner Sister Island 111 Terrestrial Invertebrates of Inner Sister Island 117 Asher Jones Travel Award Recipient Report 131 Claire Taylor Travel Award Recipient Report 135 Inner (West) Sister Island • Scientific Expedition • 2010 3 Inner (West) Sister Island • Scientific Expedition • 2010 4 Phyllospora comosa. Photo by Rolan Eberhard. Foreword Ten years ago the then Department of At the present time islands are also being examined Primary Industries, Water and Environment as prospective locations for translocations for species conducted a land use study of leasehold threatened elsewhere by disease, and other threats, including climate change as mediated through islands in the Furneaux Group, in conjunction altered fire regimes and other habitat shifts. Islands with leaseholders, NRM and the Outer may indeed already provide refugia for biota that Island Association. The study was to assess may potentially be disadvantaged elsewhere by the sustainability of land use practices environmental change. and determine how leasehold conditions I welcome a further report in the series that records should be framed. This work depends the results of detailed scientific work on Tasmania’s on basic information about the natural offshore islands. This program, supported by the values of such islands, information which is Tasmanian Government is a joint initiative with the often incomplete as it was in the case of Hamish Saunders Memorial Trust in New Zealand Inner Sister Island, particularly in relation which once again selected and supported the travel to fauna. A decade later this has been of two young New Zealand students to Tasmania. The opportunity was provided them to work with largely remedied. The results presented experienced Tasmanian scientists in the field. Asher in this report not only generate a better Jones and Claire Taylor by all accounts gained a understanding of threatened plants, animals, great deal from their experience. They will now join and vegetation communities, but provide the expanding group of the nascent generation of knowledge that will contribute to good land natural history scientists who, benefitting from their management for conservation of natural experience with the Hamish Saunders Memorial values. Island Survey Program, will contribute to professional and personal connections between New Zealand and Tasmania in the coming years. Alistair Scott General Manager, Resource Management and Conservation Division. Inner (West) Sister Island • Scientific Expedition • 2010 5 Hamish Saunders Acknowledgements Hamish Saunders was a New Zealand volunteer who Thanks is again due to the Hamish Saunders died tragically in 2003 while conducting survey work Memorial Trust for participating in the program, on a Tasmanian endangered species program. Hamish particularly Alan and David Saunders, and the Trust’s graduated from Waikato University with a First Class travel award recipients Asher Jones and Claire Honours and Masters degree in marine geology. He Taylor. Sincere thanks to Kay and Robert Blyth of later completed a postgraduate GIS course with Flinders Island who were supportive of the study and distinction. He also achieved qualifications as a scuba provided background information as needed. James dive instructor, was a good sportsman and was Luddington provided transport between Flinders talented, not solely academically, but as an all round Island and Inner Sister Island and we are grateful for individual. his logistical support in this regard. Fionna Bourne and Mike Pemberton provided Agency support. We As an explorer, Hamish achieved in his 26 years also thank Wayne Dick, the Parks and Wildlife Service much of which most only dream. From Antarctica Ranger on Flinders Island, and his staff for assisting in to the Galapagos, Central America, South America, the logistical arrangements while the party were in South-East Asia, Europe and Australia, he combined the Furneaux Group. his passion for the natural world and conservation with that of an interest in local cultures and people. Dr Sylvia Singh and her family of Whitemark were Not only did he travel to these places, but he also very helpful to the party in enabling extra equipment took a great interest in the people around him. He to be taken to the island from Launceston. touched many lives. Hamish was a remarkable and We thank the many people who provided their time talented young man. The passion and enthusiasm he and expertise, some in a volunteer capacity, across the engendered in those whom he met and the gentle range of specialties dealt with in this report – they leadership he embodied is his legacy. are acknowledged separately in the individual reports This island survey program is dedicated to the herein. memory of Hamish Saunders and intended as a The editors especially thank participants for writing platform for emerging leaders in nature conservation. up the results of their work promptly following the The Tasmanian Government’s commitment and long- expedition. Thanks to Brett Littleton of Information term support for the program is reaffirmed in the and Land Services Division in the Department of publication of each of the expedition reports. Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment for his design and layout of the report. Inner (West) Sister Island • Scientific Expedition • 2010 6 Summary of Results 7. Considerable diversity was also witnessed in the intertidal zones of the island, with 1. At the time of initial European contact with the molluscan, cnidarian, crustacean and echinoderm island in the late eighteenth century, the island representatives, in addition to members from most likely supported a dense forest dominated the three main algal groups - Phaeophyta, in different places by Allocasuarina verticillata, Chlorophyta and Rhodophyta. (Reid) Eucalyptus globulus and Callitris rhomboidea. (Harris, Jones and Taylor) 8. Revised vegetation mapping includes an extensive area of previously unmapped Lowland 2. The bedrock geology is entirely granitic except Poa labillardierei (GPL) grassland. The extent and for minor igneous dykes of probable dolerite. type of other grasslands on the island has been The island is mantled by gravelly colluvium and refined. Four vegetation communities are listed aeolian sands which in some sites have lithified as threatened at the State level. (Visoiu) to form calcarenite. Soils are well drained gritty loams and sandy loams. (Eberhard) 9. Native vegetation has been increasing particularly the extent of scrub and forest types 3. Features worthy of listing on the Tasmanian over