This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 16/12/2008 Approved Conservation Advice (s266B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) Approved Conservation Advice for Bulbophyllum gracillimum 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 species. Description Bulbophyllum gracillimum, Family Orchidaceae, is an epiphytic orchid, growing on trees, forming clumps with slender rhizomes about 2 mm across. Nodes are borne on thickened, bulb-like stems which are up to 18 mm long, 15 mm wide, egg-shaped, widely spaced, with four or five prominent ridges, dark olive green. Leaves are up to 8 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, oblong, thick, leathery, dark olive green. Inflorescences are up to 25 cm long, wiry, bearing a terminal group of purplish-red flowers, each about 30 mm long, spreading in a horizontal semicircle. The dorsal sepal is projected forwards, hooded, constricting to a tail-like apical appendage. The lateral sepals are bent downwards, joined at the base, the apices drawn out into thread-like tails to 25 mm long. The petals are drooping, bearing long hairs. The labellum (lip) is up to 2 mm long, 1 mm wide, white to cream, fleshy, curved, basally grooved. Flowering occurs from August to March (Jones, 1988). Conservation Status Bulbophyllum gracillimum is listed as vulnerable. This species is eligible for listing as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) as, prior to the commencement of the EPBC Act, it was listed as vulnerable under Schedule 1 of the Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (Cwlth). Bulbophyllum gracillimum is also listed as vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland). Distribution and Habitat Bulbophyllum gracillimum is known from the Janet and Tozer Ranges, Iron Range area in the upper Claudie River area of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. It occurs in rainforest at an altitude of 300-400 m. The species is also found in New Caledonia, New Guinea, Malaysia and Indonesia (Dockrill, 1992). Harrison (2002) noted that seedlings and juvenile plants are not uncommon where it occurs. It is conserved in Iron Range National Park (Briggs & Leigh, 1996). This species occurs within the Cape York (Queensland) Natural Resource Management Region. The distribution of this species is not known to overlap with any EPBC Act-listed threatened ecological community. Threats The main potential threat to B. gracillimum is collecting by orchid enthusiasts (Lavarack, 1980; Landsberg & Clarkson, 2004; QLD EPA, 2007). Research Priorities Research priorities that would inform future regional and local priority actions include: Bulbophyllum gracillimum Conservation Advice - Page 1 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 16/12/2008 Design and implement a monitoring program or, if appropriate, support and enhance existing programs. More precisely assess population size, distribution, ecological requirements and the relative impacts of threatening processes. Undertake survey work in suitable habitat and potential habitat to locate any additional populations/occurrences/remnants. Undertake seed germination and/or vegetative propagation trials to determine the requirements for successful establishment, including mycorrhizal association trials. Investigate feasibility of establishing a DNA tagging system to enable identification and prosecution of illegal collections from the wild (See Palsboll et al., 2006). Regional and Local Priority Actions The following regional and local priority recovery and threat abatement actions can be done to support the recovery of B. gracillimum. Habitat Loss, Disturbance and Modification Monitor known populations to identify key threats. Monitor the progress of recovery, including the effectiveness of management actions and the need to adapt them if necessary. Identify populations of high conservation priority. Investigate formal conservation arrangements, management agreements and covenants on private land, and for crown and private land investigate inclusion in reserve tenure if possible. Control access routes to suitably constrain public access to known sites on public land. Minimise adverse impacts from land use at known sites. Conservation Information Raise awareness of B. gracillimum within the local community. Enable Recovery of Additional Sites and/or Populations Undertake appropriate seed and mycorrhizal fungi collection and storage. Investigate options for linking, enhancing or establishing additional populations. Implement national translocation protocols (Vallee et al., 2004) if establishing additional populations is considered necessary and feasible. This list does not necessarily encompass all actions that may be of benefit to B. gracillimum, but highlights those that are considered to be of highest priority at the time of preparing the conservation advice. Existing Plans/Management Prescriptions that are Relevant to the Species Cape York Back on Track Biodiversity Action Plan (EPA, 2008). This prescription was current at the time of publishing; please refer to the relevant agencies website for any updated versions. Information Sources: Briggs, JD & Leigh, JH 1996, Rare or Threatened Australian Plants, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, CSIRO Division of Plant Industry, Canberra, ACT. Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) 1994, Census of Plants in Botanic Gardens, viewed 11 August 2008,<http://www.anbg.gov.au/chabg/census/search.html>. Dockrill, AW 1992, Australian Indigenous Orchids, revised edition, vol. 2, Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2008, Cape York Back on Track Biodiversity Action Plan, Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane, viewed 17 March 2008 <http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/ nature_conservation/wildlife/back_on_track_species_prioritisation_framework/> Bulbophyllum gracillimum Conservation Advice - Page 2 of 3 This Conservation Advice was approved by the Minister / Delegate of the Minister on: 16/12/2008 Harrison, M 2002, ‘Bulbophyllum species of Australia’, Australian Orchid Review Dec2001/Jan 2002, pp. 4-19. Jones, DL 1988, Native Orchids of Australia, Reed Books, Frenchs Forest. Landsberg, J & Clarkson, J 2004, Threatened Plants of the Cape York Peninsula: A report to the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service. Lavarack, PS 1980, Orchids of McIlwraith Range, Cape York Orchid Project, Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service. Palsboll, PJ, Berube, M, Skaug, HJ & Raymakers, C, 2006 DNA registers of legally obtained wildlife and derived products as means to identify illegal takes, Conservation Biology, 20, 1284-1293. Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (QLD EPA) 2007, Endangered Plants, viewed 11 August 2008, <http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/endangered/endangere d_plants/>. Vallee, L, Hogbin, T, Monks, L, Makinson, B, Matthes, M & Rossetto, M 2004, Guidelines for the Translocation of Threatened Plants in Australia (2nd ed.), Australian Network for Plant Conservation, Canberra. Bulbophyllum gracillimum Conservation Advice - Page 3 of 3 .