0't9661 ''t! db\Ltotili rr'"i : . -: Llor s1,r '-\-"'l r ALBANY DISTRICT THREATENED FLORA MANAGEMENTPLAN NATURAL HERITAGE TRUST PROJECT 6520 1i-li:Liilil:1iii Di irAirii;li:i'iT {ii CCiiSb,ftVATl04{ .1L.Ar'ltl i:iAi.iAiii;f,iEN i ANNUAL REPORT .iIT3T[iiNAU;TIIAIIA 1999 by SarahBarrett for the AJbanyDistrict Threatened Flora Recovery Team Propertyand copyright ofthis documentis vestedjointlyin the Director,National Parks and Wildlife Service,Environment Australia, and the Executive Director, WA Departmentofconservation and Land Management. TheCommonwealth disclaims responsibility for the viewsexpressed. NaturalHeritageTrust Departmentof Conservationand Landl\4anagement Departmentof Conservationand Land Management SouthCoast Region office 120Albary Highway Albany WA 6330 irttjfi6.L ' o=-nr, .1, . ,.: ij:::iiiiFirF; !, i.iii:; r:ri\lrl;iiili'i ri'l i INTRODUCTION !',1i:il]!.;iili ;'iUi l ir-l"ii The Albany District ThreatenedFlora Recovery Team continues to co-ordinate the managementactions arising from the Wildlife Management Plan for the Declared Rare and Poorly Known Flora in the Albany Dishict @obinson and Coates 1995) and Interim Recovery Plans for individual Threatened Species (Appendix 1). The Recovery Team now also coordinates the implementation ofthe Interim Recovery plan for the Eastem Stirling Range Montane Heath and Thicket Community, a Critically Endangered Plant Community. The project currently manages73 Declared Threatened Flora in the Albany District (Fig. 1) which constitutes227o of WestemAustralia's ThreatenedFlora. Fourteen ofthese are ranked Critically Endangered,26 Endangered and 33 Vulnerable with priority managementallocated to Critically Endangeredspecies. 334 priority taxa occur in the District (Fig. 1) and the project aims to assessthe statusofpoorly known Priority 1 and2 taxa. One ofthe most significant threats to the flora of the District continues to be the plant pathogen Pfrytophthora cinnamomi which constitutes the major threat for some 19 of these species.Management of Phytophthora, in particular aerial phosphite application and monitoring, is an integral part of the Wildlife Management Plan. 0ther key issuesare: - the need for ongoing monitoring of and additional survey for Declared Threatened speciesas well as Priority I and 2 speciesin a District with 918,195ha of remnant vegetation of which 476,044 ha occurs in Protected Areas managed by the Dept of Conservation & Land and Management and 442, 150 ha on Shire and other Govemment Reserves,Vacant Crown land or private property (Fig. 2). The remotenessand rugged terrain ofareas of the Conservation Estate such as in the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Parks can make survey and monitoring difficult. :! - inadequateknowledge ofThreatened Flora distribution on remnantvegetation on private property - lack of awarenessand ownership in the community of Threatened Flora in the District and the threats posed to this flora. t *. r!.' j ,lt I(CY D.cLr6d Raro znd P,ioriryFld. I 1m 0 1OO 2S t{toih.t.r. Fig. I DeclaredRare and Priority Flora in the Albany District. (Map prcilucedby PeterWilkins, SouthCoast Region Macro-corridors project). XEY I 16 0 1OO 2OOKtom.t.r. ,.:, Fig.2 Remnantvegetation (> 50 ha) of the Albaay District. (Map produ€d by PeterWilkins, SouthCoast Region Macro-corridors project). SCOPEITEMS ADDRESSED: I Continueimplementation of PhosphiteProgram for the protectionof endangered speciesand communitiesfrom Phytophthora Twenty-onesites containing Critically Endangeredor Endangeredspecies were selectedfor phosphiteapplication in 1999(Table 1). Theimpact of Phytophthoraon ThreatenedFlora populationswas assessedwith the assistanceof the Albany District EnvironmentalOfficer andDieback Interpreter Dept. of Conservation& Land Management(CALM). Populationswere selectedfor phosphiteapplication based on the predictedimpact of P. cinnamomiand fundsavailable for the Phosphiteprogram. Six of the 21 siteswere within the Critically EndangeredEastem Stirling MontaneCommunity. Nine siteswere repeats from the 1998program that had only receivedhalf theproposed applicationof 12kg ha-'in autumn1998 due to badweather conditions. Four sites were new additionsto the programwhile eight siteswere due for re-sprayas it was threeyears sincetheir initial aerial applicationin 1996. Phosphitemonitoring Monitoringwas conducted on sitessprayed in 1996,L99'7 and 1998. New monitoringquadrats were establishedfor: Darwinia oryleprs(Critically Endangered)Baby Bamettpopulation, to monitor the impactof both Pftytophthoracinnamomi artd,trampling. : -Darwinia wiltwerorum Wittwer's MountainBell @ndangered),Talluberlup population: While regeneratingwell from fre, this populationoccurs within a Phytophthorainfested, areaand was consideredfor inclusion in the Phosphiteprogram. Monitoring quadrats were establishedin Phytophthorainfested and Phytophthora fuee pockets to establish baselinedata for this soecies. Table 1. Targetsfor the autumn 1999Phosphite spray program: Location Area DeclaredRare Flora species treated by Phosphite EllenPeak** tha Andersonia axilliflora, Sphenotoma drummondii, Leucopogon gnaphalioides Ellen/Pyungoorup** tha Andersonia axilliflora, Sphenotoma Saddle drummondii, Leucopogon gnaphalioides Pyrngoorup** 3.5ha Andersonia axilliflora, Dryandra montana, Sphenotoma drummondii, Leucopogon gnaph alioide s BakersKnob** 3ha Andersonia axilliflora, Darwinia collina, Sphenotomadrummondii MoongoongoonderupW** 8ha Andei sonia axilliflora, Banl<siabrownii, Darwinia squarrosa Moongoongoonderup E* *4ha Banl<stabrownii SE Ellen Peak S** 2.5ha Lambertia fairallii SE Ellen Peak W** 2.5ha Banlcsiabrownii, Dryandra anatona SE Ellen Peak E*x 2.5ha Banksia brownii Mt Hassell * 4ha Banksia brownii Boulder Hill*** tha Andersonia pinaster Baby Bamett* 2ha Darwinia oxylepis South Sister*** 4ha Banksiabrownii Gull Rock* tha Isopogon uncinatus Gull Rock*** 0.5ha rate of spreadtrial Mt Success* 3.5ha Lambertia fai ra l lii, B anks i a brown i i, VancouverPeninsula*** lha Banl<siabrownii, Isopogonuncinatui HassellNational Park*** tha Banksia brownii WaychinnicupA*** 0.5ha Banksiabrownii WaychinnicupB*** 3ha Banl<siabrownii HassellBeach Rd*** tha Banksiabrownii * newsite +* only receivedone spray in 1998***last sprayedin 1996 SeeTransparency 1 attached:Aerial Phosphiteapplication to Darwinia oxylepis, Critically Endangered,Baby Bamett site, Sthling RangeNational park, March t999 Andersonia axilliflora (Critically Endangered): Monitoring quadrats were establishedon a new section of Moongoongoonderup west (Eastem Stirling Range) which was included in the 1999 Phosphite program. Unfortunately control plots establishedto assessthe effectiveness of the reduced 12kg ha-' application rate were also sprayed as bad weather had forced staff to evacuatethe mountain before the spray. Monitoring plots establishedfor the 1998 spray(sites which did not receivea secondapplication in 1998due to weatherconditions) were all reassessedto re-establish baselinedata. In addition new plots were establishedfor Dryandra anatona, SE Ellen Peak. The results ofphosphite monitoring to date suggestthat species survival has been enhanced,particularly in areasofslow growing vegetation such as occurs in the Eastem Stirling Range Montane Commrurity. At two years post spray percentage survival of Phytophthora- sensitive speciesin uniformly infested vegetation sprayed at 24 kg ha t was 60% compared with 307o for unsprayed individuals in control plots @arrett 1999). In areasof faster growing vegetation the chemical appearedto be diluting more quickly and the onset ofplant death was evident from two years at several sites, particularly those which were more recently bumt. While initially it was hoped that a three yearly application would suffice, it appearsfrom this year's monitoring that a two-yearly application is required. No significant adverseaffects of Phosphite on sprayed Threatened Flora populationshave been observed to dateat the applicafionrate of24 kg ha '. 2. Conduct Further Surveys and Monitoring on specieslisted in this contract's proposal t Considerable effort was put into survey for new populations and monitoring of known populations of ThreatenedFlom concentrating on Critically Endangered and Endangeredspecies as well as selectedPriority I ar,td2species (Table 2; Table 3). Where possiblelocal participationin surveywas encouragedwhich proved productive.(see Transparency 2 attached: Survey for Scaeuola macrophylla Priority 1, with volunteers from the Cape Riche area August 1999). Local Wildflower groups (Albany, Ongerup and Ravensthorpe) also provided considerable assistancewith survey. There has been less participation in survey in more remote areassuch as the Stirling Range where survey and monitoring is more arduous. For mountainous areasa volunteer progam targeting suitably fit and interestedpeople is required. Table 2. Results of survey for new populations and monitoring of known populations of Threatened and Priority Flora Species Main Threats Numbersof Recommendation Other management new populations located Critically Endangered Deyeuxia low population 4+lsub- Endangered drummondii numbers/total population numbers Drakea confluens low populatron Furthersurvey numbers/total numbers Grevillea maxwellii low population J Bndangered numbers/total uumbers Isopogonuncinatus P. cinnamomi l+2newsub- Further suvey All known populations populations monitored phosphite application Orthrosanthus low population 4 Vuloerable muelleri numbers, weeds Persoonia P. cinnamomi, 3 Furthersurvey Al1 knoua populations