Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain: a nationally protected ecological community This guide is designed to assist land managers, owners and occupiers, as well as environmental assessment officers and consultants, to identify, assess and manage the Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain ecological community; a threatened ecological community, listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), Australia’s national environment law. This guide is a companion document to the approved Conservation Advice, which can be found on the Australian Government’s species profile and threats (SPRAT) database at: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/ publiclookupcommunities.pl. On this webpage, click on the details link—alongside the ecological community name—to download the documents and the map for the listed ecological community. © Commonwealth of Australia, 2016. Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain: a nationally protected ecological community is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/au/ This guide should be attributed as ‘Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain: a nationally-protected ecological community, Commonwealth of Australia 2016’. The Commonwealth of Australia has made all reasonable efforts to identify content supplied by third parties using the following format ‘© Copyright, [name of third party] ’. Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment and Energy. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication. Images Front cover—Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain © Rob Davis. Back cover—Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain, Cardup Nature Reserve © Department of the Environment and Energy. 2 / Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain: a nationally protected ecological community The Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain ecological community—What it is? Why it is threatened? What does national protection mean for people in the region? • The unique collection of plants and animals or above the Banksia canopy. The understorey that make up this Banksia Woodlands is species rich with many wildflowers, including ecological community are only found together sclerophyllous shrubs, sedges and herbs. around the Swan Coastal Plain of Western • Banksia Woodlands vary in their structure Australia, within the Southwest Australia global (height, cover, density) and species composition biodiversity hotspot. across the Swan Coastal Plain. These variations • The ecological community was listed as can occur over small distances, but the endangered under Australia’s national woodlands are united by having a generally environment law, the Environment Protection and dominant Banksia component, which includes at Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), least one of four key species—Banksia attenuata on 16 September 2016. (candlestick banksia), B. menziesii (firewood • The national Threatened Species Scientific banksia), B. prionotes (acorn banksia) and/or Committee classified the ecological community B. ilicifolia (holly-leaved banksia). as Endangered as its extent has declined • The listing covers a number of sub-communities. significantly. It was once common and formed These have been combined into a single almost a continuous band of large bushland nationally-significant ecological community patches around Perth and other near coastal because they are similar, adjacent and/or areas, but it has been lost by about 60 per cent intergrade and share key threats that benefit from overall, with most remaining patches small complementary management. in size. This fragmentation is leading to the • Banksia Woodlands provide vital habitat for decline of many plants, animals and ecosystem over 20 nationally threatened species such as functions. Therefore it is very important to Carnaby’s and forest red-tailed black cockatoos, protect, manage and restore the best surviving chuditch (western quoll) and western ringtail remnants for future generations. possum; as well as many wildflowers unique to • National listing is an important step in securing the south-west and other animals that depend on the future of the Banksia Woodlands by: them, such as the honey possum. – raising awareness of the ecological • The ecological community also provides community and priority actions to ecosystem services and contributes to the health combat threats and wellbeing of local residents. For example, – requiring consideration of the impact of new the woodlands help cool temperatures in the developments on the best quality woodlands surrounding region; store carbon; filter and maintain aquifers, including those supplying – encouraging priority support for conservation drinking water for Perth; mitigate local flooding, and recovery efforts, including through soil loss, and pollution; and, provide amenity and Australian Government funding initiatives. recreation such as scenic areas for bushwalking. • The ecological community typically has a The ecological community also can support soil prominent tree layer of Banksia sometimes with health, crop pollination and pest management. scattered eucalypts and other tree species within 3 • A national Conservation Advice identifies • The Conservation Advice includes minimum current threats to the ecological community, condition thresholds to help identify when including land clearing for development, national consideration may be necessary. mining for basic raw materials and Degraded, low quality patches below these associated fragmentation, dieback diseases thresholds do not need national approval. (e.g. Phytophthora), invasive weeds and • Routine property maintenance and other feral animals, changes to fire regimes, established practices (e.g. most farming hydrological degradation (including changes activities and routine roadworks)— to groundwater), climate change and other particularly if carried out in line with disturbances to remaining patches. Given the state laws covering native vegetation— great extent of past damage to the ecological do not typically require consideration community, these threats are likely to lead under national environmental law. to the loss of many species and ecosystem • Activities with EPBC Act approval prior functions, unless it is protected and restored. to the listing of this ecological community, • Listing the Banksia Woodlands ecological also do not need to seek further approval. community under the EPBC Act means that • The Conservation Advice outlines a range of an activity that is likely to have a significant priority research and management actions impact on the ecological community needs to that provide guidance on how to protect, be considered and approved at the national level manage and restore the ecological community. before proceeding—activities such as major It encourages local actions and a co-ordinated, new developments, works or infrastructure. ecosystem-scale approach to threat For example, clearing large areas of intact and abatement in the region and for the many high-quality native vegetation for mining or threatened species that are found within the residential subdivision. These activities will ecological community. need to now avoid or mitigate impacts on highest quality woodlands. Photo: (from left) Native violet (Hybanthus calycinus) is common across the range of Banksia woodlands and unlike most violet relatives is a small sub-shrub (Copyright K Dixon). Wattle birds are aggressive defenders of the nectar sources in Banksia Woodlands and will actively defend nectar resources, sometimes to the detriment of other honey eater species (Copyright B Knott). Carousel spider orchid (Caladenia arenicola) is found through Banksia Woodlands and with its specialist sexually deceptive system of pollination requires high quality woodlands to ensure pollinator presence (Copyright K Dixon). 4 / Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain: a nationally protected ecological community National ecological What is the Banksia communities Woodlands ecological Australia’s national environment law, the EPBC Act, community? provides a legal framework to protect and manage The ecological community is a woodland associated Matters of National Environmental Significance with the Swan Coastal Plain (and some adjacent (MNES), which include nationally threatened areas) of southwest Western Australia. It typically has species and ecological communities. a prominent tree layer of Banksia sometimes with The EPBC Act defines an ecological community scattered eucalypts and other tree species present as an assemblage of native species which inhabits a within or above the Banksia canopy. The understorey particular area in nature. In other words, ecological is species rich and has many wildflowers, including