172 Plant Protection Quarterly Vol.15(4) 2000 the main infestation by using an inte- Strategy to include new areas of the Na- ssp. scoparius. In ‘The biology of Aus- grated management strategy. In addition tional Park. tralian weeds’ Volume 2, eds F.D. to the containment program, effective Panetta, R.H. Groves and R.C.H. monitoring and continued research are an References Shepherd, pp. 77-88. (R.G. and F.J. integral component of managing broom in Adams, B. (2000). Raising awareness of Richardson, Melbourne). the future. The use of biological control the broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link) Howard, C. (1995). Hunter District Sub- agents is regarded as the only economic problem on the Barrington Tops. Pro- mission to the Wilderness Assessment long-term method of reducing the size of ceedings of the broom symposium held Report for Barrington Tops. Unpub- the main broom infestations. A planned at Ellerston and Moonan, 16–17 No- lished report. systematic redistribution program for bio- vember 1998, eds A.W. Sheppard and Leys, A. (1998). NSW National Parks and logical control agents will be undertaken J.R. Hosking. Plant Protection Quarterly Wildlife Service Summary of Pest Man- in collaboration with researchers once 15, 139-40. agement Programs 1997/98. Unpub- numbers of agents build up. Briggs, J.D. and Leigh, J.H. (1996). ‘Rare or lished. threatened Australian plants’. (CSIRO NPWS (1989). Draft plan of management Acknowledgments Publishing, Melbourne). of Barrington Tops National Park, New We would like to thank M. Newton, Sen- Heinrich, A. and Dowling, B. (1998). Rare South Wales National Parks and Wild- ior Field Supervisor, NPWS, for informa- and threatened plant survey of life Service, Raymond Terrace office of tion on broom control on the Barrington Barrington Tops National Park - pla- NPWS. Tops. He has been involved with broom teau area. Unpublished report pre- NPWS (1999). The NSW National Parks control in Barrington Tops National Park pared for the NSW National Parks and and Wildlife Atlas database, CD ROM. since the 1970s. Wildlife Service. Parsons, W.T. and Cuthbertson, E.G. Heinrich, A. and Dowling, B. (2000). (1992). ‘Noxious weeds of Australia’. Postscript Threats to the rare and threatened plant (Inkata Press, Melbourne and Sydney). In March 1999 the Barrington Tops Na- species of the Barrington Tops. Pro- Smith, J.M.B. (1994). The changing eco- tional Park was expanded to include areas ceedings of the broom symposium held logical impact of broom (Cytisus scopar- of Barrington Tops State Forest and at Ellerston and Moonan, 16–17 No- ius) at Barrington Tops, New South Polblue Crown Land Reserve. The NPWS vember 1998, eds A.W. Sheppard and Wales. Plant Protection Quarterly 9, 6-11. are now responsible for management of J.R. Hosking. Plant Protection Quarterly Waterhouse, B.M. (1988). Broom (Cytisus most of the broom infestations occurring 15, 172-6. scoparius) at Barrington Tops, New on community lands. The NPWS is cur- Hosking, J.R., Smith, J.M.B. and Sheppard, South Wales. Australian Geographical rently reviewing the 1996 Management A.W. (1998). Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link Studies 26, 239-48. extensive areas of almost treeless, wet Threats to the rare and threatened plant species of heath and sedgelands occurring in drain- age depressions of both Barrington and Barrington Tops Gloucester Tops. These areas are often very open and therefore exposed to dry- Anne HeinrichA and Bill DowlingB ing winds, ice and snow. Some wetlands A 389 Playfords Road, Comboyne, New South Wales 2429, Australia. were more protected from the extreme weather conditions as they occur between B PO Box 197, Dungog, New South Wales 2420, Australia. wooded areas e.g. Little Murray wetland. Mean annual rainfall over Barrington Tops and Gloucester Tops is approxi- Summary mately 1470–1700 mm (CMPS&F Environ- Future management of rare and threat- State Forests and private land should mental 1995). Some areas on the escarp- ened plant species in the Barrington place high priority on the protection of ment side receive higher rainfall than ar- Tops National Park on the Barrington the whole subalpine habitat as well as eas further north-west, away from the es- and Gloucester Tops plateau is depend- populations of rare plants by focusing carpment (CMPS&F Environmental 1995). ent upon knowledge of their locations, funding priorities to reduce these Mean annual temperature is about 9°C abundance and threats to their survival. threats. (Tweedie 1963). A literature and field survey was carried According to Veness and Associates out in summer 1997–98 and further field Introduction (1995) the two parent rock types on the surveys in summer 1998–99 and spring The plateau in the Barrington Tops Na- plateau area are granodiorite and tertiary 1999. Surveys found that 30 species of tional Park covers an area of 11 000 ha and basalt. Resulting soils are friable with scat- rare or threatened plants, 18 of which are is dominated by subalpine woodland tered stones. Granodiorite soils consist of possibly endemic, are likely to occur, or where the major tree species is Eucalyptus a dark reddish brown, silty clay loam A are known to occur, on the plateau area pauciflora Sieber ex Spreng. interspersed horizon while basalt topsoils are charac- of Barrington Tops and Gloucester Tops. with Eucalyptus stellulata Sieber ex DC., terized by strong pedal layers of a very Nine possible new species, all Orchid- Eucalyptus dalrympleana Maiden and Euca- reddish brown, subplastic, silty clay loam. aceae, were located during the literature lyptus fastigata H.Deane & Maiden. In ad- The A2 horizon in basalt areas consists of and field surveys. Populations of rare dition the plateau has an extensive system a dark reddish brown, silty clay or is and threatened plants were found both of subalpine wetlands and patches of cool unbleached (Veness and Associates 1995). in the National Park and in forestry land. temperate rainforest dominated by Much of the 11 000 hectares in the Na- Threats include further spread of broom Nothofagus moorei (F.Muell.) Krasser up to tional Park and extensive areas outside the (Cytisus scoparius), spread of other 1550 m above sea level (asl). Park are affected to varying degrees by weeds, feral pigs, recreational use and A considerable part of the plateau is broom (Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link subsp. fire. Managers of the National Park, occupied by subalpine wetlands which are scoparius) which has the potential to Plant Protection Quarterly Vol.15(4) 2000 173 reduce the available habitat for rare or subsampled in several random plateau could have an adverse impact on threatened plant species. The Gloucester quadrats (10 × 10 m). the rare plants as this is a serious pest in Tops (c. 1000 hectares) has no known • The location of broom plants within 50 similar climatic areas in the southern ta- broom infestations. A broom management m of the rare plant population at risk blelands of New South Wales. This threat strategy has been prepared to contain was recorded. to rare plants would be similar to broom broom within affected catchments using • Signs of potential threats were noted except that the seeds of blackberry are annually applied control measures along e.g. access, feral animal activity, fire. spread by birds and mammals present on roadways and at the boundaries of the in- Sites were only surveyed once or twice the plateau. festation. There are also management given the size of the survey areas so some strategies to control other weeds, to better terrestrial orchids and annual plants 5. Rare plant populations not adequately manage recreational usage and fire and to would have been missed. conserved. The largest population of control feral animals. However in order to Identities of all rare and unknown Corybas sp. A so far located on the protect rare and threatened plant plants were confirmed by voucher speci- Barrington Tops and another smaller one populations, their locations, abundance men sent to Sydney or Canberra. Plant remain outside reserves on Barrington and threats to their survival needed to be names follow Harden (1990–1993), except Tops. This orchid is however reserved at determined. where there have been more recent revi- Ben Halls Gap National Park. Similarly Surveys for rare and threatened plant sions. Chiloglottis platyptera has a large popula- species were carried out on the Barrington tion in a forestry area surrounded by log- Tops (1350–1585 m asl) and Gloucester Results ging activities and is present in Ben Halls Tops (1140–1300 m asl) plateau in the Na- Rare and threatened plants located on the Gap National Park. Populations of tional Park, State Forests and private land plateau Grevillea granulifera and Pterostylis sp. D ensuring coverage of all the different plant A list of rare and threatened plants on the were found at only one unreserved site. communities. plateau of Barrington and/or Gloucester Before the survey documented here, Tops and their status is given in Table 1. Discussion botanical surveys of the Barrington Tops The plateau of Barrington Tops and and Gloucester Tops plateau although Potential threats to rare and threatened Gloucester Tops appears to be a centre of quite extensive in their coverage had very plants endemicity as well as providing suitable few details on rare and threatened species 1. Broom. Broom has altered grassland subalpine habitat for many other rare and (Fraser and Vickery 1938a,b, Mort 1983, and woodland understorey habitats of threatened plants. Such plants occurred in Adam 1987). One survey of State Forests most of the rare plants by shading out her- all habitats of the plateau. However, con- (Binns 1995), did identify a number of rare baceous plant species. Nearly all rare and centrations of these plants occurred in or and threatened plants as did the New threatened plant populations on Barring- near the edges of the subalpine wetlands South Wales north east forest biodiversity ton Tops have been affected to some de- and along creeks on the Barrington Tops study (NPWS 1995).
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