Brigalow Belt South, NSW Bioregional Conservation Assessment Scoping Report NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service BRIGALOW BELT SOUTH BIOREGION SCOPING REPORT BRIGALOW BELT SOUTH BIOREGION A project undertaken for the NSW Biodiversity Strategy For more information and for information on access to data contact the: Western Regional Assessments Unit, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service PO Box 2111 DUBBO NSW 2830 Ph: (02) 6841 9200 Fax: (02) 6841 9222 www.npws.nsw.gov.au © Crown copyright [May 2002] New South Wales Government ISBN 07313 68738 This project has been funded by the NSW Biodiversity Strategy and coordinated by Western Regional Assessments Unit, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Contributors include: Tania Laity, NSW NPWS Ed Knowles, NSW NPWS Stephen Thornton, NSW NPWS Liz Mazzer, NSW NPWS Andrew Knight, NSW NPWS Gethin Morgan, QLD Environmental Protection Agency Henry Nix, Centre for Resource and Environment, Australian National University Heidi Henry, NSW NPWS Michael Pennay, NSW NPWS Peter Christie, NSW NPWS Brent Marchant, NSW NPWS Steve Wall, NSW NPWS Anne Kerle Allison Manning, Editor Disclaimer: While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this document is correct at the time of printing, the State of New South Wales, its agents and employees, do not assume any responsibility and shall have no liability, consequential or otherwise, of any kind, arising from the use of or reliance on any of the information contained in this document. CONTENTS Project Aim..................................................................................................................................................... 1 Project Objectives......................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods 1 Key results1 Implications for biodiversity conservation management ......................................................................... 2 1 THE SCOPING PROJECT .................................................................................. 1 1.1 Aims......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Timing and funding.................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Project management................................................................................................. 2 2 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Bioregionalisation .................................................................................................... 3 2.2 New South Wales Biodiversity Strategy.................................................................. 5 2.3 Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Assessment (IBCA) .............................. 5 2.4 Bioregional assessment and conservation in western New South Wales ................ 7 2.4.1 Brigalow Belt South Bioregion – Western Regional Assessments.............................................. 7 3 BRIGALOW BELT SOUTH BIOREGION OVERVIEW................................ 8 3.1 Naming conventions ................................................................................................ 8 3.2 Brigalow Belt South Bioregion (Australia and Queensland)................................... 9 3.3 Brigalow Belt South study area ............................................................................. 10 3.3.1 Provinces.................................................................................................................................... 11 3.4 Tenure .................................................................................................................... 14 3.4.1 NPWS Estate ............................................................................................................................. 14 3.4.2 State Forests of NSW estate....................................................................................................... 16 3.4.3 Other Crown Lands.................................................................................................................... 17 3.5 Administrative boundaries and roles of administrative bodies / organisations ..... 19 3.5.1 New South Wales State Government......................................................................................... 19 3.5.2 National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) ........................................................................... 19 3.5.3 State Forests of NSW (SFNSW)................................................................................................ 20 3.5.4 Department of Land and Water Conservation (DLWC) ............................................................ 21 3.5.5 Rural Lands Protection Boards (RLPBs)................................................................................... 22 3.5.6 Regional Vegetation Committees (RVCs)................................................................................. 22 3.5.7 Catchment Management Boards (CMBs).................................................................................. 22 3.5.8 Local Government ..................................................................................................................... 23 3.5.9 Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) ................................................................................ 24 4 ABIOTIC DATA.................................................................................................. 27 4.1 Current knowledge................................................................................................. 27 4.1.1 Climate....................................................................................................................................... 27 4.1.2 Geology and geomorphology..................................................................................................... 28 4.1.3 Soils ........................................................................................................................................... 28 4.1.4 Topography................................................................................................................................ 31 4.1.5 Hydrology.................................................................................................................................. 31 4.2 Basic analysis / gaps .............................................................................................. 38 4.2.1 Bioregional stratification ........................................................................................................... 38 4.2.2 Stratification based on regional and state-wide abiotic data (STRAT5)................................... 39 4.2.3 Land capability .......................................................................................................................... 39 4.2.4 DLWC soils ............................................................................................................................... 42 4.2.5 Soils of the brigalow lands......................................................................................................... 42 4.2.6 MDBC soil landforms................................................................................................................ 42 4.2.7 Landforms.................................................................................................................................. 42 4.2.8 Geology...................................................................................................................................... 43 4.3 Recommendations.................................................................................................. 46 5 FAUNA.................................................................................................................. 47 5.1 Current knowledge................................................................................................. 47 5.2 Basic analyses / gaps.............................................................................................. 49 5.2.1 Systematic fauna site gap analysis............................................................................................. 56 5.3 Recommendations.................................................................................................. 58 6 FLORA.................................................................................................................. 60 6.1 Current knowledge................................................................................................. 60 6.2 Basic analyses / gaps.............................................................................................. 61 6.2.1 Systematic flora site gap analysis ..............................................................................................66 6.3 Recommendations.................................................................................................. 68 7 OTHER BIOTA ................................................................................................... 69 7.1 Current knowledge................................................................................................. 69 7.1.1 Invertebrates .............................................................................................................................