CENTRAL EASTERN RAINFOREST RESERVES OF AUSTRALIA: A MONITORING STRATEGY Guy Chester1 and Sally Bushnell2 1EcoSustainAbility, Cairns 2School of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography, James Cook University, Townsville Established and supported under the Australian Cooperative Research Centres Program © Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) and Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. This work is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the CERRA Executive Officer, PO Box 361, Grafton NSW 2460, Australia. Published by the Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management (Rainforest CRC). Written by the Rainforest CRC on contract to the Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW). Rainforest CRC logo and report design copyright. Further copies may be requested from the Rainforest CRC, PO Box 6811 Cairns QLD 4870, Australia. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service or the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of printing, neither agency or the Rainforest CRC accepts responsibility for any errors or omissions. ISBN 0 86443 746 3 Published in April 2005 This publication should be cited as: Chester, G. and Bushnell, S. (2005) Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia: A Monitoring Strategy. Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management. Rainforest CRC, Cairns. (156 pp). This project was funded through the Bushcare Program of the Natural Heritage Trust Extension. Cover Images: Top Mt Warning, NSW (© Brad Cheers) Centre Antarctic Beech Cool Temperate Rainforest (© Queensland Environmental Protection Agency) Bottom Lamington Blue Spiny Crayfish Euastacus sulcatus (Steve Parish © Queensland Environmental Protection Agency). Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia Monitoring Strategy CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................1 CERRA World Heritage Area ................................................................................................1 CERRA Geographic Extent and Regions..............................................................................2 Background to Monitoring Strategy .......................................................................................4 Methodology and Team.........................................................................................................5 CERRA World Heritage Values .............................................................................................7 What are the World Heritage Values?...................................................................................7 Other Values .......................................................................................................................10 Threats to and Integrity of Values ......................................................................................13 Threats to World Heritage Values .......................................................................................13 Integrity................................................................................................................................15 Current Research and Monitoring ......................................................................................17 Research Versus Monitoring ...............................................................................................17 Research .............................................................................................................................18 Monitoring............................................................................................................................19 Research and Monitoring Provisions of Species and Reserve Management Plans............20 Proposed Monitoring Approach for CERRA......................................................................21 Introduction..........................................................................................................................21 Overall Approach.................................................................................................................21 Selection of Monitoring Indicators .......................................................................................23 Management Application.....................................................................................................25 Spatial Approach .................................................................................................................26 Monitoring Coordination ......................................................................................................26 Indicator Identification and Evaluation.................................................................................26 Proposed Monitoring Indicators .........................................................................................43 Summary of Essential Indicators.........................................................................................43 Detail for Priority Indicators .................................................................................................44 Statutory Protection.............................................................................................................44 Management Plans .............................................................................................................46 Management Resources .....................................................................................................48 Status of Biodiversity Conservation.....................................................................................50 Vegetation Monitoring .........................................................................................................52 Forest Cover........................................................................................................................54 Impacts of Climate Change .................................................................................................56 i G. Chester and S. Bushnell Rufous Scrub-bird ...............................................................................................................58 Albert’s Lyrebird ..................................................................................................................61 Broad-toothed Rat ...............................................................................................................63 Eastern Bristlebird (northern) ..............................................................................................64 Spotted-tailed Quoll.............................................................................................................66 Stream Frogs – the Barred River Frogs ..............................................................................68 The Hastings River Mouse ..................................................................................................71 Rufous Bettong....................................................................................................................73 North Coast Leaf-tailed Gecko ............................................................................................75 Arboreal Fauna....................................................................................................................76 Fire ......................................................................................................................................78 Weed Control ......................................................................................................................80 Feral Animal Control............................................................................................................81 Bell Miner Associated Dieback............................................................................................82 Visitation..............................................................................................................................84 Implementation of Monitoring Strategy .............................................................................87 Gap Analysis .......................................................................................................................87 Strategies to Establish a CERRA Monitoring Program .......................................................90 References............................................................................................................................93 Cited References.................................................................................................................93 Further Information..............................................................................................................98 Appendix One – Research and Monitoring in CERRA....................................................101 Appendix Two – Other Monitoring Approaches..............................................................127 ii Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia Monitoring Strategy INTRODUCTION CERRA WORLD HERITAGE AREA The World Heritage Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia (CERRA) represent