Pilbara Conservation Strategy Main Karijini National Park. Foreword Photo – Judy Dunlop Over the past eight years, the Liberal National The Pilbara Conservation Strategy is a strategic It is one of only 15 national biodiversity hotspots. these projects will be an important means of funding Government has delivered greater protection for the landscape-scale approach to enhance the region’s The region has many endemic species, including the strategic landscape-scale approach for managing environment than any other government in the history high biodiversity and landscape values across property one of the richest reptile assemblages in the world, fire, feral animals and weeds and meeting the key of this State. boundaries. This initiative by the Liberal National more than 125 species of acacia and more than 1000 outcomes listed in the strategy. Government provides a vision for conservation species of aquatic invertebrates. It is an international This includes the most comprehensive biodiversity in the region. It involves partnerships with local hotspot for subterranean fauna. I invite you to join the Liberal National Government conservation laws seen in Western Australia and land managers, traditional owners, pastoralists, as a partner in this ground-breaking initiative to the implementation of the $103.6 million Kimberley conservation groups, the wider community, industry, The region has a rich and living Aboriginal culture deliver a new level of conservation management for Science and Conservation Strategy — the biggest government and non-government organisations. with traditional owners retaining strong links to the Pilbara. conservation project ever undertaken in WA, which Together, we will deliver improved on-ground country and playing a key role in protecting cultural has implemented a range of measures to retain and management of the key threats to the region’s and natural heritage. Archaeological sites in the enhance the biodiversity and landscape values of the biodiversity across different land tenures, including Pilbara contain the largest concentration of rock Kimberley. parks, Aboriginal lands and pastoral leases. art in the world, estimated at around one million engravings. We are now extending the landscape scale approach to The Pilbara bioregion is a vast area of more than managing fire, feral animals and weeds, which has been 178,000 square kilometres. Its biodiversity is immensely The Pilbara is subject to large mining developments Albert Jacob MLA so successful in the Kimberley, to the Pilbara region. significant, with a wealth of threatened species and and associated infrastructure proposals. The pooling Minister for Environment ecological communities. of funding for environmental offsets associated with 2 3 Pilbara Conservation Strategy The Pilbara is as vast as it is ancient. The region, covering more than 17,800,000 hectares, is known for its spinifex-covered plains, rugged ranges, plunging gorges, tumbled iron-rich boulders and abundant wildlife. It is a living landscape cared for by the traditional the Pilbara region. It provides strategic direction for custodians for millennia. Aboriginal people retain conservation actions that may be funded from a strong links to and responsibility for Country, and variety of sources, including State and Commonwealth they have a key role in protecting the Pilbara’s cultural governments, natural resource management groups, and natural heritage. The region supports a rich and non-government organisations, community groups and diverse variety of plants and animals, is a centre of industry, including through offsets to counterbalance Vision endemism, and despite its dry climate, has important the residual impacts of resource and infrastructure The diverse natural environments and exceptional rivers and wetlands. projects. This strategy aims to deliver improved biodiversity of the Pilbara are enhanced and conservation outcomes through on-ground actions conserved, through enduring partnerships, for their The Pilbara Conservation Strategy outlines a landscape- across a variety of tenures in collaboration with intrinsic value and for the social, cultural, spiritual and scale approach to biodiversity conservation across partners throughout the Pilbara region. economic wellbeing of the community. Main Spinifex, Millstream Chichester National Park. Inset top left Ring-tailed dragon on Barrow Island. Photos – Judy Dunlop. Inset top Sturt’s desert pea. Photo – Val English Inset above Emu. Photo – Judy Dunlop 4 5 Key outcomes This strategy provides a framework and direction for to address the threats posed by feral animals and Ethel Gorge aquifer; and other important ecosystems persistence of threatened and other important species landscape-scale conservation initiatives to protect and weeds, which extend across property boundaries. A like Fortescue Marsh. Improved monitoring of and communities, how they respond to threatening enhance the biodiversity of the Pilbara while realising coordinated and cross-tenure approach to managing threatened and other important species and processes and the strategies employed to address its economic potential. feral animals and weeds, and the use of fire as a communities, complemented by targeted research them. An improved understanding of the threats management tool, will improve conservation of to improve the management of threats, will be to biodiversity in the Pilbara will help determine The top four outcomes that will be delivered are: native species and communities, as well as primary delivered across the landscape. The information appropriate management regimes to maintain and 1. Landscape-scale conservation through production, soil health, water quality, drought gained from monitoring and research will be used to improve biodiversity in the region and counterbalance improved management of key threats tolerance and improved resilience to climate change. adapt management strategies, to ensure relevancy impacts. The Fortescue Marsh, a nationally significant wetland and effectiveness of management decisions. Intensive The exceptional terrestrial biodiversity of the Pilbara that supports endemic flora, threatened fauna and a management of threats and monitoring of threatened 4. Conservation through partnerships will be protected and improved through collaborative rich diversity of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates species in the central Hamersley Range, including Achieving long-term biodiversity conservation action on a landscape scale to manage fire and and nomadic and migratory waterbirds, is one creation of a wildlife sanctuary in Karijini National outcomes across the vast Pilbara landscape is only example of an important ecosystem that will benefit Park, will provide additional safeguards for threatened possible through partnerships. This strategy’s approach from improved cross-tenure management of fire, feral species, and assist the recovery of declining wild to conservation at a landscape-scale will create animals and weeds. populations. significant opportunities for partnerships between the State Government and the mining industry, 2. Improved condition of threatened and 3. Evidence-based conservation management traditional owners, natural resource management other important species and communities Understanding the ecological requirements and groups, pastoralists, local government and research The Pilbara supports threatened species and pressures on biodiversity values is critical to developing institutions to work together to deliver conservation communities listed under State and Commonwealth appropriate and effective management actions. The outcomes throughout the region. The landscape- legislation. These include threatened species, such as rapid expansion of exploration and development scale management of key threats along with work to the bilby (Macrotis lagotis), northern quoll (Dasyurus in the Pilbara has supported increased ecological improve the condition of species and communities hallucatus), Pilbara olive python (Liasis olivaceus research, however, targeted research to better address will create opportunities for traditional owners in barroni) and mountain thryptomene (Thryptomene knowledge gaps is required to guide the management managing their lands. Developing and fostering wittweri); ecological communities such as the and recovery of species and communities. Such relationships will facilitate the implementation of Themeda grasslands on cracking clays on Hamersley knowledge gaps include determining the key conservation actions across different tenures and Station, and the stygofauna community in the ecological factors influencing the distribution and deliver long-term biodiversity benefits. Main Millstream Chichester National Park. Photo – Judy Dunlop. Inset left Dragonfly. Photo – Val English 6 7 Scope This strategy outlines a high-level approach to process (Heydenrych et al, 2016), and threatened biodiversity conservation across the vast Pilbara species research priority workshops. landscape. It identifies outcomes and implementation priorities, recognising that long-term conservation will State Government agencies, traditional owners, be most effective at a landscape-scale, achieved by non-government organisations, mining companies, working across tenure boundaries. local governments, research institutions, pastoralists and individuals are all involved in conservation of the This strategy will be implemented across the Pilbara Pilbara. This strategy recognises and complements bioregion (as identified in the Interim