Approved NSW & National Recovery Plan Uromyrtus australis (Peach Myrtle) August 2005 © Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW), 2005. This work is copyright. However, material presented in this plan may be copied for personal use or published for educational purposes, providing that any extracts are fully acknowledged. Apart from this and any other use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW). Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) 59-61 Goulbourn Street (PO Box A290) Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (information & publications requests) TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Fax: (02) 9995 5999 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au Requests for information or comments regarding the recovery program for the Peach Myrtle (Uromyrtus australis) are best directed to: The Uromyrtus australis Recovery Co-ordinator Threatened Species Unit, North East Branch Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) Locked Bag 914 Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Phone: 02 6651 5946 Cover illustrator: Adam Gill This plan should be cited as follows: Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) 2005, Approved Recovery Plan for the Peach Myrtle (Uromyrtus australis), Department of Environment and Conservation(NSW), Sydney. ISBN 1 74137 387 5 August 2005 DEC 2005/238 Printed on recycled paper Approved Recovery Plan Uromyrtus australis Recovery Plan for the Peach Myrtle (Uromyrtus australis) Foreword The New South Wales Government established a new environment agency on 24 September 2003, the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), which incorporates the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Responsibility for the preparation of Recovery Plans now rests with this new department. This document constitutes the formal National and New South Wales State Recovery Plan for Uromyrtus australis and, as such, considers the conservation requirements of the species across its known range. It identifies the actions to be taken to ensure the long-term viability of Uromyrtus australis in nature and the parties who will undertake these actions. Uromyrtus australis is included as Endangered on the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and Endangered on the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Uromyrtus australis (Family Myrtaceae) is a tree of warm temperate rainforest from the Nightcap Range in north east NSW, where it mainly occurs in National Parks and State Conservation Areas with one record for private land. The future recovery actions detailed in this Recovery Plan include: (i) monitoring to detect trends in the population, (ii) research into genetics, such as the extent of clonality, inbreeding depression and differentiation across the population and (iii) surveys of under-sampled habitat. It is intended that this Recovery Plan will be implemented over a five year period. Actions will be undertaken by the DEC. LISA CORBYN BOB DEBUS MP Director General Minister for the Environment Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) Page i Approved Recovery Plan Uromyrtus australis Acknowledgments The DEC has prepared this plan in consultation with specialist plant ecologists. The Plan is largely based on a draft Recovery Plan prepared by consultant botanist Nick Wilson under contract to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (now DEC) Threatened Species Unit, Northern Directorate. Nigel Cotsell, Nick Sheppard, Maria Matthes, John Hunter and Lynn Baker of the Threatened Species Unit, contributed to the preparation of the Plan and Dianne Mackey and Katrina McKay contributed to Plan preparation and finalised the Plan. The consultant wishes to thank numerous people who provided information about Uromyrtus australis including John Hunter (DEC), Robert Kooyman (Earth Process Ecological Services), Gordon Guymer (Queensland Herbarium) and Peter Wilson (National Herbarium of NSW). Maurizio Rossetto (Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney) provided information on the genetic study of threatened plants. Robert Kooyman (at times with associates) undertook much of the survey work that forms the basis for the current distribution and population knowledge underpinning this Recovery Plan. Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) Page ii Approved Recovery Plan Uromyrtus australis Table of Contents Foreword............................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ ii 1 Introduction...................................................................................................................1 2 Legislative Context......................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Legal Status ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2.2 Responsibilities under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 ............................................. 1 2.3 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999........................................................ 2 2.4 Relationship to other legislation ...................................................................................................... 2 3 Species Information ....................................................................................................... 2 3.1 Description and taxonomy ............................................................................................................... 2 3.2 Distribution....................................................................................................................................... 4 3.3 Land tenure ...................................................................................................................................... 7 3.4 Life history and ecology.................................................................................................................... 7 3.5 Ability of species to recover ............................................................................................................. 9 4 Threats and Management Issues .................................................................................... 9 4.1 Current threats ................................................................................................................................. 9 4.2 Potential threats ............................................................................................................................. 10 5 Previous Recovery Actions .......................................................................................... 10 6 Proposed Recovery Objectives, Actions and Performance Criteria .............................. 10 7 Implementation............................................................................................................ 14 8 Social and economic consequences.............................................................................. 14 9 Biodiversity Benefits .................................................................................................... 14 10 Preparation Details ...................................................................................................... 15 11 Review Date................................................................................................................. 15 12 References ................................................................................................................... 15 13 Acronyms Used in this Document ............................................................................... 16 Appendix 1: Summary of advice from the NSW Scientific Committee............................... 18 Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) Page iii Approved Recovery Plan Uromyrtus australis Figures Figure 1 The fruit, flowers and foliage of Uromyrtus australis.......................................................................... 3 Figure 2 The distribution of Uromyrtus australis in north east NSW.............................................................. 5 Tables Table 1 Some diagnostic characteristics separating Uromyrtus australis from superficially similar Myrtaceous shrubs and small trees. ................................................................................................... 4 Table 2 General location data for Uromyrtus australis, estimates of population sizes and reservation status of the land concerned. ....................................................................................................................... 6 Table 3 Estimated costs of implementing the actions identified in the recovery plan................................. 17 Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) Page iv Approved Recovery Plan Uromyrtus australis Scientific Committee with respect to the plan, 1 Introduction details of any amendments made to the plan to take account of that advice, and a statement of the Uromyrtus australis A.J.Scott is found only in north reasons for any departure from that advice. This east New South Wales (NSW) on the Nightcap summary is provided in Appendix 1. Range where an estimated 800–1000 plants occur across 46 locations. The species was first recorded in The TSC Act requires