Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan NSW & Queensland March 2010 B order order April 2009 R anges R ainforest Biodiversity Management Plan Biodiversity Management © Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW 2010. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW has compiled this document in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. The State of NSW and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water do not accept responsibility for inaccurate or incomplete information. Readers should seek professional advice when applying this information to their specific circumstances. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW 59-61 Goulburn Street (PO Box A290) Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (information & publications requests) TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Fax: (02) 9995 5999 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW is pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non-commercial use, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. Requests for information or comments regarding this document are best directed to: Manager Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation North East Branch Environment Protection and Regulation Group Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW Locked Bag 914 Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Phone: 02 6651 5946 Queensland Disclaimer: The Australian Government, in partnership with the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management, facilitates the publication of recovery plans to detail the actions needed for the conservation of threatened native wildlife. The attainment of objectives and the provision of funds may be subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, and may also be constrained by the need to address other conservation priorities. Approved recovery actions may be subject to modification due to changes in knowledge and changes in conservation status. Cover Photographs: Shane Ruming, Hank Bower This plan should be cited as follows: Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW 2010, Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan - NSW & Queensland, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW, Sydney. ISBN 978 1 74232 447 0 DECCW 2009/664 March 2010 Printed on recycled paper Foreword The Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan is a regional recovery plan for threatened species and communities of the Border Ranges North and South (Queensland and New South Wales) Biodiversity Hotspot. The Plan considers the conservation requirements of rainforest and closely related species and communities in the Border Ranges region of New South Wales and Queensland, which is centred on the McPherson Ranges. It also addresses other species of conservation significance so as to manage the area’s biodiversity in a holistic and cost-effective manner. It constitutes the formal national recovery plan for those rainforest species which are endemic to the Hotspot region. Although it was primarily developed by the New South Wales Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, with Australian Government funding assistance, the Plan represents a milestone in the cooperative management of our biodiversity assets. Because of the cross-border nature of the region, its successful development has also relied on input and endorsement by the Queensland Government and the relevant regional natural resource management body in each state. Local and Indigenous communities were also extensively consulted. The Plan identifies the actions to be taken to ensure the long-term viability of the threatened species and other bodiversity assets of the rainforest and related vegetation of the Border Ranges region. Actions include working with landowners to restore and protect identified priority areas, including vegetation corridors for the movement and dispersal of species. There is also an emphasis on landowners and agencies working together to help manage the impacts of weeds and feral pests, as well as fire management. The involvement of the local community, including the Indigenous community, is seen as integral to the successful implementation of the Plan. It is intended that this Plan be implemented over a ten-year period. The Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan is presented in two parts. The first consists of this document containing the background information relevant to the recovery of the priority species and ecological communities, and the outcomes and actions required to achieve their long-term recovery. The second part is presented electronically on a compact disk (CD) which can be found on the inside back cover of this document. This second part provides background information, including a number of appendices and figures that accompany the main Plan. CAROLYN CAMERON Approvals and Wildlife Division, DEWHA Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan i Acknowledgements The preparation of this Plan has been a collaborative approach with significant input from a large number of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland agencies and individuals. The four primary agencies responsible for the preparation of the Plan are the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW), NSW Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA), Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) and South East Queensland Catchments Ltd (SEQC). Funding was provided by the Natural Heritage Trust through the Northern Rivers CMA as part of the Border Ranges Integrated Biodiversity Planning and Implementation Program. The Plan has benefited from substantial references to the Byron Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2004 (Byron Shire Council 2004 – thanks to Byron Shire Council), the Northern Rivers Pest Animal Management Strategy 2008–2013 (Northern Rivers CMA 2008), draft Northern Rivers Invasive Plants Action Strategy 2008–2013 (Northern Rivers CMA & North Coast Weeds 2008), North Coast Weeds Border Ranges Weeds Prioritisation process (Iain Jamieson), draft Northern Rivers Weeds and Pests Prioritisation Strategy (DEC 2005), Northern Rivers Region Pest Management Strategy 2008–2011 (DECC 2007a) and the draft South-east Queensland Rainforest Recovery Plan (WWF- Australia 2005). Thanks to the Pest Management Unit of the Parks and Wildlife Group within DECCW for allowing access to the threats on biodiversity dataset. Thanks also to Robert Kooyman and Maurizio Rossetto for reports generated on flora traits analysis and Robert Kooyman, Maurizio Rossetto and Iain Jamieson for weeds trait analysis. Border Ranges Integrated Biodiversity Project Steering Committee: Lynn Baker (DECCW), Peter Boyd (Northern Rivers CMA), Ralf Buckley (Griffith University), Andrew Chalklen (Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts – DEWHA), Liz Gould (SEQC), Jim Morrison (community representative), John Nagle (Northern Rivers CMA), Julie Woodroffe (former Northern Rivers CMA Board Member). Planning Team: Mark Asquith (Northern Rivers CMA), Lynn Baker (DECCW), Amanda Bryant (DECCW), Claire Carlton (former Australian Government Facilitator, NSW), Andrew Chalklen (DEWHA), Chris Evenson (DERM), Liz Gould (SEQC), Ian Gynther (DERM), Harry Hines (DERM), John Hunter (DECCW), Iain Jamieson (Far North Coast Weeds, NSW), Annie Keys (Australian Government Facilitator, Queensland), Roger Kitching (Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area Technical and Scientific Committee, Griffith University), Robert Kooyman (Macquarie University), John Locke (DERM), Geoff Lundie-Jenkins (DERM), Claude McDermott (DECCW), Bill McDonald (DERM), Katrina McKay (DECCW), Jim Morrison (community representative), John Nagle (Northern Rivers CMA), Mark Pittavino (DECCW), Rebecca Richardson (WWF-Australia), Marcus Riches (NSW Department of Primary Industries), Maurizio Rossetto (DECCW), Shane Ruming (DECCW), Andrew Steed (DECCW), Lance Tarvey (DECCW), Megan Tattersall (Australian Government Facilitator, NSW), Cuong Tran (Southeast Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium), John Turbill (DECCW), Lisa Wellman (DECCW). Thank you to the following people and organisations for their contributions to this Plan: Wesley Aird (Eastern Yugambeh Ltd), John Allen (DECCW), Donella Andersen (Nature Edit), Mick Andren (DECCW), Scott Antcliff (DERM), Carolyn Baker (Eastern Yugambeh Ltd), Jan Barham (Byron Shire Council), Ron Billyard (DECCW), Andy Boleyn (DECCW), Julie Bourne (DECCW), Hank Bower (Byron Shire Council), Peter Boyd (Northern Rivers CMA), Dianne Brown (DECCW), Casino Boolangle Local Aboriginal Land Council, Sarah Castle (SEQC), Trevor Close (Githabul Nation), Lara Connell (DERM), Jason Coughran (Southern Cross University), Aaron Coutts-Smith (DECCW), Susan Crocetti (DECCW), Paul Downey (DECCW), Michael Drielsma (DECCW), Kim Duncan (DECCW), Vanessa Ekins (Lismore City Council), Simon Ferrier (formerly DECCW), Emmanuel Fewquandie (DECCW), Kerri Francis (formerly Northern Rivers CMA), Ian Gaskell (Ballina Shire Council), Jan Gilroy (Southeast Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium), Steve Hodgson (DECCW), Stephanie Horton (DECCW), Paul Houlder (DECCW), David Jinks, Josh Keating (formerly DECCW), Stephen King (DECCW), James Law (DECCW), Sonia Limeburner ii Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan (DECCW), Samantha Lloyd (SEQC), Vicki Logan (DECCW), Stephen