Approved Recovery Plan Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Thersites mitchellae (Cox, 1864) Recovery Plan July 2001 © NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2001. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from NPWS. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service 43 Bridge Street (PO Box 1967) Hurstville NSW 2220 Telephone: 02 9585 6444 www.npws.nsw.gov.au For further information contact Threatened Species Unit Conservation Programs and Planning Division, Northern Directorate NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Locked Bag 914 Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Telephone: 02 6651 5946 Cover illustration: Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Thersites mitchellae Illustrator: Ann Sheppard This plan should be cited as follows: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2001). Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Thersites mitchellae recovery plan. NPWS, Hurstville, NSW. ISBN 0 7313 6298 5 National Parks and Wildlife Service Recovery Planning Program Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Recovery Plan Foreword The conservation of threatened species, populations and ecological communities is crucial for the maintenance of this State’s unique biodiversity. In NSW, the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) provides the framework to conserve and recover threatened species, populations and ecological communities through the preparation and implementation of recovery plans. The preparation and implementation of recovery plans is identified by both the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia’s Biological Diversity and the draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy as a key strategy for the conservation of threatened flora and fauna. The object of a recovery plan is to document the research and management actions required to promote the recovery of a threatened species, population or ecological community and to ensure its ongoing viability in nature. The TSC Act requires that the Director-General of National Parks and Wildlife prepare recovery plans for all species, populations and ecological communities listed as endangered or vulnerable on the TSC Act schedules. The TSC Act includes specific requirements for both the matters to be addressed by recovery plans and the process for preparing recovery plans. This plan satisfies these provisions. This recovery plan describes our current understanding of Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail, documents the research and management actions undertaken to date, and identifies the actions required and parties responsible in addressing the conservation of the species in the wild. Brian Gilligan Bob Debus MP Director-General Minister for the Environment National Parks and Wildlife Service Recovery Planning Program Table of contents Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 2.0 Description and distribution ................................................................................................................. 3 3.0 Current conservation status .................................................................................................................. 3 4.0 Habitat and ecology ............................................................................................................................... 3 5.0 Relevant legislation ................................................................................................................................ 4 6.0 Recovery plan implementation ............................................................................................................. 4 6.1 Critical habitat ........................................................................................................................... 4 6.2 Environmental assessment ......................................................................................................... 4 7.0 Management issues ................................................................................................................................ 5 7.1 Threats and reasons for decline .................................................................................................. 5 7.2 Social and economic consequences ........................................................................................... 5 7.3 Biodiversity benefits .................................................................................................................. 5 8.0 Previous actions undertaken ................................................................................................................. 5 8.1 Listing under TSC Act ............................................................................................................... 5 8.2 Survey and research ................................................................................................................... 6 8.3 Habitat identification and protection .......................................................................................... 6 8.4 Community awareness ............................................................................................................... 6 9.0 Species’ ability to recover ...................................................................................................................... 6 10.0 Recovery objectives .............................................................................................................................. 6 11.0 Recovery performance criteria ........................................................................................................... 7 12.0 Recovery actions ................................................................................................................................... 7 12.1 Survey and research ................................................................................................................. 7 12.2 Protection of extant populations and habitat ............................................................................ 7 12.3 Commonwealth listing ............................................................................................................. 8 12.4 Community awareness and involvement ................................................................................. 8 13.0 Implementation .................................................................................................................................... 9 14.0 Preparation details ............................................................................................................................... 9 15.0 Review date ........................................................................................................................................... 9 16.0 References ............................................................................................................................................. 9 17.0 Implementation Tables......................................................................................................................... 10 Table 1 Responsibility for implementation ...................................................................................... 10 Table 2 Estimated costing ................................................................................................................ 11 Table 3 Relevant responsibilities ..................................................................................................... 12 Figure 1 Distribution map .............................................................................................................................. 13 Appendix 1 Environmental impact assessment guidelines ............................................................................ 14 Appendix 2 Community awareness brochure ................................................................................................ 17 Appendix 3 Guidelines for collection ............................................................................................................ 21 Approved Recovery Plan Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail 1.0 Introduction Island Nature Reserve in the Tweed River near Murwillumbah (Stanisic 2000). A Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Thersites complex of smaller populations and habitat mitchellae is a large terrestrial snail found fragments has also been identified in only in remnant lowland rainforest and remnant areas around Cumbebin Wetland at swamp forest areas on the NSW far north Byron Bay (Fig. 1). coast. Its status has declined from common to extremely rare and it is now listed as an Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail was recorded at endangered species under Schedule 1 of the a site at Wilsons River near Mullumbimby TSC Act. The aim of this recovery plan is to in 1980 (Stanisic 1999) (Fig. 1). The identify and protect the remaining habitat Wilsons River site (elevation 230 m AHD) and extant populations of the species and to is outside the normal range of the species encourage community involvement in the and the other snail species present there, conservation and recovery of the species. including Ngairea corticicola, Thersites richmondiana and Pedinogyra rotabilis, are 2.0 Description and distribution indicative of an upland snail fauna The genus Thersites (Family Camaenidae assemblage rather than the lowland snail Subfamily Camaeninae)