Threatened Species & Ecological Communities Regional Strategic Management Plan South Coast Region, Western Australia June 2009 Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation for Australian Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc. This South Coast Threatened Species and Ecological Communities Strategic Management Plan has been prepared by Sandra Gilfillan, Polly Mitchell, Janet Newell, Alan Danks and Sarah Comer, of the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation, South Coast Region. For bibliographic purposes this document should be cited as: Gilfillan, S., Mitchell, P., Newell, J., Danks, A. & Comer, S. (2009). South Coast Threatened Species and Ecological Communities Strategic Management Plan, Department of Environment and Conservation, Albany. South Coast Threatened Species and Ecological Communities Strategic Management Plan Department of Environment and Conservation South Coast Region 120 Albany Highway Albany WA 6330 FOREWORD This Strategic Management Plan is the result of a pilot project in regional threatened species recovery planning, initiated in 2004 by the Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA). The aim of this project was to investigate the feasibility of an integrated regional approach to threatened species recovery and threat abatement planning. The development of this Plan was managed by the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in partnership with DEWHA and the South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc. (South Coast NRM). This Plan is intended to guide threatened species recovery and threat abatement in the South Coast Region. It is intended to complement and not duplicate regional NRM planning and current threatened species Recovery Plans. This Plan has tested the feasibility of preparing a regional Recovery Plan under the guidelines for a Recovery Plan under the Commonwealths Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The structure of this regional Plan meets most but not all of the requirements for a Recovery Plan under the EPBC Act. This Strategic Management Plan will operate from 2009, following endorsement by DEC and DEWHA. It will remain in force until such time as it is withdrawn or replaced. A review of the plan will be completed after 5 years. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Development of this Regional Strategic Management Plan began in 2004 with a project team of: Alan Danks Regional Leader Nature Conservation, DEC, South Coast Region Sarah Comer Regional Ecologist, DEC, South Coast Region Sandra Gilfillan Recovery Planner, DEC, South Coast Region As well as the project team the development of this Plan was guided by the Steering Committee: John Watson Regional Manager, DEC, South Coast Region Bruce McLaren DEWHA (formally AGDEH) John Blyth A/Manager WATSCU, DEC Liz Thorburn NHT WA Rob Edkins Chief Executive Officer, South Coast NRM (formally SCRIPT) Nathan McQuoid Biodiversity Officer, South Coast NRM (formally SCRIPT) Neil Blake South Coast NRM (formally SCRIPT) Neil Riches State NRM Biodiversity Facilitator, Australian Government This Plan has been written by Sandra Gilfillan, Polly Mitchell and Janet Newell (Recovery Planners, South Coast Region, DEC), under the guidance of Alan Danks and Sarah Comer. Thanks to many others involved in the development and provision of information for this Plan including Recovery Teams, Anne Cochrane (DEC Science Division) and Sarah Barrett (DEC South Coast Region). The majority of the funding support for the development of this Plan was provided by the Australian Government, with additional funding and in-kind support from DEC and South Coast NRM. TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................................i 1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................1 1.1 South Coast Region ..................................................................................................1 1.2 Rationale for this Regional Plan...............................................................................3 1.2.1 Trialing of a Regional Approach..............................................................................3 1.3 Scope of this Plan .....................................................................................................4 1.4 Objectives .................................................................................................................5 1.5 Regional Plan Evaluation .........................................................................................5 1.6 Relationship to Existing Regional Recovery and Threat Abatement Documents....5 1.7 Document Structure..................................................................................................6 1.8 Assessment of the Regional Approach.....................................................................6 2 LEGISLATIVE PROTECTION OF THREATENED SPECIES AND ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES...........................................................................................................................11 2.1 Legislative Protection.............................................................................................11 2.1.1 Commonwealth.......................................................................................................11 2.1.2 State ........................................................................................................................11 2.1.3 International Conventions and Agreements ...........................................................12 2.2 Listing of Threatened Species ................................................................................12 2.2.1 Commonwealth.......................................................................................................12 2.2.2 State ........................................................................................................................13 2.2.3 Alignment of State and Commonwealth Listed Species ........................................14 2.3 Non-legislative priority lists ...................................................................................14 2.4 Recovery Planning and Implementation.................................................................14 2.4.1 Recovery Plans .......................................................................................................15 2.4.2 Threatened Flora Management Programs...............................................................15 2.4.3 Recovery Teams .....................................................................................................15 2.4.4 Funding...................................................................................................................16 2.5 Land Tenure............................................................................................................16 2.5.1 Protected Areas.......................................................................................................17 2.5.2 Unallocated Crown Land........................................................................................17 2.5.3 Other Land Tenure..................................................................................................17 3 THREATENED SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES OCCURRING IN THE REGION. .....19 3.1 Threatened Species and Communities in the Region .............................................19 3.1.1 Threatened Fauna ...................................................................................................19 3.1.2 Threatened Flora.....................................................................................................20 3.1.3 Threatened Ecological Communities......................................................................25 3.2 Priority Species and Communities in the Region...................................................25 3.2.1 Priority Fauna .........................................................................................................25 3.2.2 Priority Flora...........................................................................................................26 3.2.3 Priority Ecological Communities ...........................................................................26 3.3 Distribution of Threatened Species Across the Region..........................................26 3.3.1 Threatened fauna records........................................................................................26 3.3.2 Threatened Flora Records.......................................................................................27 3.3.3 Threatened Ecological Community Records..........................................................28 3.3.4 All Threatened Species Records.............................................................................29 3.3.5 Limitation to use of Point Records.........................................................................29 4 THREATENING PROCESSES IN THE REGION ............................................................. 33 4.1 Primary Threatening Processes .............................................................................. 33 4.1.1 Inappropriate Fire Regimes.................................................................................... 33 4.1.2 Phytophthora Cinnamomi Infestation 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