A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION Report B: For practitioners of conservation planning Copyright text 2012 Southwest Australia Ecoregion Initiative. All rights reserved. Author: Danielle Witham, WWF-Australia First published: 2012 by the Southwest Australia Ecoregion Initiative. Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright Cover Image: ©Richard McLellan Design: Three Blocks Left Design Printed by: SOS Print & Media Printed on Impact, a 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper. For copies of this document, please contact SWAEI Secretariat, PO Box 4010, Wembley, Western Australia 6913. This document is also available from the SWAEI website at http://www.swaecoregion.org SETTING THE CONTEXT i CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 SETTING THE CONTEXT 3 The Southwest Australia Ecoregion Initiative SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT METHODOLOGY 5 STEP 1. IDENTIFYING RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS AND CLARIFYING ROLES 7 Expert engagement STEP 2. DEFINING PROJECT BOUNDARY 9 The boundary of the Southwest Australia Ecoregion STEP 3. APPLYING PLANNING UNITS TO PROJECT AREA 11 STEP 4. PREPARING AND CHOOSING SOFTWARE 13 Data identification 13 Conservation planning software 14 STEP 5. IDENTIFYING CONSERVATION FEATURES 16 Choosing conservation features 16 Fauna conservation features 17 Flora conservation features 21 Inland water body conservation features 22 Inland water species conservation features 27 Other conservation features 27 Threatened and Priority Ecological communities (TECs and PECs) 31 Vegetation conservation features 32 Vegetation connectivity 36 STEP 6. APPLYING CONSERVATION FEATURES TO PLANNING UNITS 38 STEP 7. SETTING TARGETS 40 Target formulae 40 Special formulae 42 STEP 8. IDENTIFYING AND DEFINING LOCK-INS 45 STEP 9. INTRODUCING A COST LAYER 49 Cost layer 49 Threats 49 Including threats in the analysis 56 Land classification 57 Assigning costs 63 Data gaps and limitations in the analysis 66 STEP 10. RUNNING SCENARIOS 68 Input parameters 68 Scenarios 69 Calibration 70 Preparing the outputs 71 ii RESULTS 74 Scenario 4 74 Example of how to use analysis 80 DISCUSSION 82 Where to from here? 82 GLOSSARY 83 ACRONYMS 85 REFERENCES 87 APPENDICES 87 Appendix 1. Scenarios 1 to 3 87 Appendix 2. Datasets used for the SWAEI project 91 Appendix 3. Data sources 101 Appendix 4. Conservation feature list, showing targets 104 LIST OF TablES Table 1. Conservation features by asset class 17 Table 2. Stratified subspecies fauna taxa 19 Table 3. Data hierarchy for granite outcrops 29 Table 4. Categories of TECs and PECs 31 Table 5. Breakdown of remnant vegetation by IBRA region 34 Table 6. Breakdown of vegetation types by IBRA region 35 Table 7. Methods for applying conservation features to planning units 38 Table 8. Inland water body conservation target values 43 Table 9. TEC and PEC conservation targets 44 Table 10. IUCN categories (Dudley, 2008) 45 Table 11. DEC-managed lands and waters categories 46 Table 12. Tenure categories 58 Table 13. Amount of area for each tenure classification in the Southwest Australia Ecoregion 60 Table 14. Cost matrix used to create cost layer in analysis 63 Table 15. Cost values from the cost matrix 63 Table 16. Marxan input data parameters 69 Table 17. Four scenarios and parameters 69 Table 18. Marxan BLM calibration results for Scenario 4 70 Table 19. SPF calibrations for all scenarios and un-met targets for conservation features 71 Table 20. Parameters of Scenario 4 74 Table 21. Area represented across IBRA bioregions (Scenario 4) 76 Table 22. Conservation feature summary statistics 77 Table 23. Conservation targets not met in the ZCAs 79 Table 24. Conservation features found within the ACA and their contribution to meeting regional-scale targets 81 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Southwest Australia Ecoregion (SWAE) is an Technical Report B: For practitioners of conservation internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot that covers planning represents the culmination of this two-year project nearly 700,000 square kilometres. It is high in biodiversity and is a supplementary report to A Strategic Framework for values and endemism but many of these natural values are Biodiversity Conservation Report A: For decision-makers highly threatened. Species and ecological communities are and practitioners. This report describes the systematic at risk from current and historical land-use, Phytophthora conservation planning process and provides guidance on how dieback, salinity, feral animal predation and weed invasion. to interpret and implement the results. Over the past 30 years, a range of federal, state and local Systematic conservation planning is a complex process. Decisions government, and community initiatives have sought to address and trade-offs are made to balance veracity with timely delivery. such threats, yet biodiversity loss continues. As such, the role of Technical Report B: For practitioners of The Southwest Australia Ecoregion Initiative (SWAEI) is a conservation planning is to guide those choosing to undertake a consortium of representatives from local, state and federal systematic conservation planning process. governments, environmental non-government organisations and natural resource management (NRM) groups concerned about the ad hoc nature of biodiversity planning and Dermot O’Gorman management initiatives. The consortium has undertaken an CEO WWF-Australia extensive systematic conservation planning project that aims to identify highly prioritised areas, or Zones for Conservation Action (ZCA). This project delivers a coordinated, strategic planning framework for the conservation of biodiversity in the south-west of Australia. It is based on scientific principles, informed by experts, and has been developed using methods that are widely used and easy to interpret. SOUTH WEST AUSTRALIAN ECOREGION INITIATIVE 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report recognises the valuable contribution that many Ms. Justine Lawn, Dr. Craig Lawrence, Ms. Louise Leigh, Mr. committed individuals and organisations have made to the Mike Lyons, Prof. Jonathan Majer, Mr. Michael Manton, Mrs. SWAEI over many years. Their expertise, guidance, general Katina Marchbank, Mrs. Danielle Matthews, Dr. Peter Mawson, assistance and advice has been critical to the systematic Ms. Cheryl-Anne McCann, Mr. Norm McKenzie, Ms. Helena conservation planning process, however, this report may not Mills, Dr. Melinda Moir, Ms. Sophie Moller, Mr. Rod Nowrojee, fully reflect their views. Dr. Blair Parsons, Mrs. Patricia Pedelty, Dr. Adrian Pinder, Asst/Prof. Pieter Poot, Dr. Suzanne Prober, Mr. Viv Read, Members of the SWAEI Working Group: Dr. Ken Atkins (chair), Mr. Jeff Richardson, Mr. Neil Riches, Prof. Dale Roberts, Dr. Dr. Geoff Barrett, Mr. Paul Bowers, Mr. Paul Gamblin (chair), Richard Robinson, Mr. Rod Safstrom, Dr. Erica Shedley, Mr. Mr. Hamish Jolly, Mrs. Katina Marchbank, Mr. Neil Riches, Mr. Damian Shepherd, Mr. Marcus Singor, Mr. Simon Smale, Mrs. Rod Safstrom, Mrs. Linda Soteriou and Mrs. Renata Zelinova. Melanie Smith, Mr. Dave Stapleton, Ms. Bernadette Streppel, Members of the Stakeholder Reference Group: A/Prof. John Prof. Will Stock, Dr. Tim Storer, Mr. Bradley Tapping, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Mark Batty, Mr. Justin Bellanger, Ms. Danielle Berry, Deon Utber, Mrs. Emma Van Looij, Dr. Ryan Vogwill, Mr. Ken Ms. Vanessa Bray, Mr. Alan Briggs, Mr. Leon Brouwer, Dr. Allan Wallace, A/Prof. Grant Wardell-Johnson, Mr. Corey Whisson, Burbidge, Prof. Michael Burton, Ms. Jessica Chapman, Mr. John Dr. Matthew Williams, Mrs. Rachel Williams, Dr. Colin Yates Collins, Ms. Sharon Colliss, Mr. Mark Cowan, Mr. Cameron and Mrs. Renata Zelinova. Crowe, Dr. Robert Davis, Ms. Paula Deegan, Mr. Phil Drayson, Members of the Conservation Planning Team: Dr. Geoff Barrett Dr. Frances D’Souza, Mr. Alex Errington, Dr. Stuart Halse, Mr. (chair), Prof. Bob Pressey FAA, Dr. Trevor Ward and Ms. Danielle Charles Hammond, Mr. Alan Hill, Prof. Richard Hobbs, Dr. Ric Witham. How, Ms. Carol Innes, Mr. Greg Keighrey, Mr. Glen Kelly, Ms. Annora Longhurst, Mr. Mike Lyons, Prof. Jonathan Majer, Ms. Project Manager: Ms. Danielle Witham Lisa Mazzella, Dr. Abbie McCartney, Mr. Ben Miller, Ms. Hellene Technical Analysis: Gaia Resources McTaggart, Ms. Sue Middleton, Dr. Melinda Moir, Ms. Sophie Moller, A/Prof. Sue Moore, Mrs. Rebecca Palumbo, Ms. Heather The author thanks the countless other professional people who Percy, Mr. Bob Pond, Dr. Suzanne Prober, Mr. Martin Rayner, provided occasional advice in their field of expertise and the data Prof. Dale Roberts, Dr. Rom Stewart, Dr. Kevin Thiele, Ms. custodians who assisted greatly in supplying and interpreting Lindy Twycross, Mr. Deon Utber, Mr. Martin Von Kaschke, Mr. the data. Ken Wallace, Ms. Bronwyn Williams, Mrs. Rachel Williams, Mr. Additional thanks to Prof. Bob Pressey FAA, Mr. Piers Higgs, Ray Wilson and Dr. Colin Yates. Mrs. Mel McVee, Ms. Grit Schuster and Dr. Trevor Ward for Workshop participants and expert advisors: Dr. Ken Atkins, contributing to or editing this report. Dr. Mike Bamford, Mr. Geoffrey Banks, Dr. Geoff Barrett, Special thanks to Mrs. Cheryl Gole, Ms. Jane Madgwick and Ms. Alison Beard, Mr. Brett Beecham, Mr. Toumi Belouardi, Mr. Richard McLellan from WWF-Australia, who played Mr. Karl Bossard, Ms. Mieke Bourne, Mr. Michael Braby, Ms. a considerable role in establishing the SWAEI; Mr. David Vanessa Bray, Mr. Michael Brooker, Dr. Allan Burbidge, Dr. McFarlane from WWF-Australia, who provided administrative Andrew Burbidge,