Pilbara Conservation Strategy Pilbara Conservation Strategy The Pilbara is as vast as it is ancient. The region, covering more than 17,800,000 hectares, is known for its spinifex-covered plains, rugged ranges, plunging gorges, tumbled iron-rich boulders and abundant wildlife. It is a living landscape cared for by the traditional direction for conservation actions that may be custodians for millennia. Aboriginal people retain strong funded from a variety of sources, including State links to and responsibility for Country, and they have a and Commonwealth governments, natural resource key role in protecting the Pilbara’s cultural and natural management groups, non-government organisations, heritage. The region supports a rich and diverse variety of community groups and industry, including through Vision plants and animals, is a centre of endemism, and despite offsets to counterbalance the residual impacts of its dry climate, has important rivers and wetlands. resource and infrastructure projects. This strategy The diverse natural environments and exceptional aims to deliver improved conservation outcomes biodiversity of the Pilbara are enhanced and The Pilbara Conservation Strategy outlines a through on-ground actions across a variety of tenures conserved, through enduring partnerships, for their landscape-scale approach to biodiversity conservation in collaboration with partners throughout the Pilbara intrinsic value and for the social, cultural, spiritual and across the Pilbara region. It provides strategic region. economic wellbeing of the community. Main Spinifex, Millstream Chichester National Park. Inset top left Ring-tailed dragon. Photos – Judy Dunlop. Inset top Sturt’s desert pea. Photo – Val English Inset above Emu. Photo – Judy Dunlop 2 3 Key outcomes This strategy provides a framework and direction for to address the threats posed by feral animals and Ethel Gorge aquifer; and other important ecosystems persistence of threatened and other important species landscape-scale conservation initiatives to protect and weeds, which extend across property boundaries. A like Fortescue Marsh. Improved monitoring of and communities, how they respond to threatening enhance the biodiversity of the Pilbara while realising coordinated and cross-tenure approach to managing threatened and other important species and processes and the strategies employed to address its economic potential. feral animals and weeds, and the use of fire as a communities, complemented by targeted research them. An improved understanding of the threats management tool, will improve conservation of to improve the management of threats, will be to biodiversity in the Pilbara will help determine The top four outcomes that will be delivered are: native species and communities, as well as primary delivered across the landscape. The information appropriate management regimes to maintain and 1. Landscape-scale conservation through production, soil health, water quality, drought gained from monitoring and research will be used to improve biodiversity in the region and counterbalance improved management of key threats tolerance and improved resilience to climate change. adapt management strategies, to ensure relevancy impacts. The Fortescue Marsh, a nationally significant wetland and effectiveness of management decisions. Intensive The exceptional terrestrial biodiversity of the Pilbara that supports endemic flora, threatened fauna and a management of threats and monitoring of threatened 4. Conservation through partnerships will be protected and improved through collaborative rich diversity of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates species in the central Hamersley Range, including Achieving long-term biodiversity conservation action on a landscape scale to manage fire and and nomadic and migratory waterbirds, is one creation of a wildlife sanctuary in Karijini National outcomes across the vast Pilbara landscape is only example of an important ecosystem that will benefit Park, will provide additional safeguards for threatened possible through partnerships. This strategy’s approach from improved cross-tenure management of fire, feral species, and assist the recovery of declining wild to conservation at a landscape-scale will create animals and weeds. populations. significant opportunities for partnerships between the State Government and the mining industry, 2. Improved condition of threatened and 3. Evidence-based conservation management traditional owners, natural resource management other important species and communities Understanding the ecological requirements and groups, pastoralists, local government and research The Pilbara supports threatened species and pressures on biodiversity values is critical to developing institutions to work together to deliver conservation communities listed under State and Commonwealth appropriate and effective management actions. The outcomes throughout the region. The landscape- legislation. These include threatened species, such as rapid expansion of exploration and development scale management of key threats along with work to the bilby (Macrotis lagotis), northern quoll (Dasyurus in the Pilbara has supported increased ecological improve the condition of species and communities hallucatus), Pilbara olive python (Liasis olivaceus research, however, targeted research to better address will create opportunities for traditional owners in barroni) and mountain thryptomene (Thryptomene knowledge gaps is required to guide the management managing their lands. Developing and fostering wittweri); ecological communities such as the and recovery of species and communities. Such relationships will facilitate the implementation of Themeda grasslands on cracking clays on Hamersley knowledge gaps include determining the key conservation actions across different tenures and Station, and the stygofauna community in the ecological factors influencing the distribution and deliver long-term biodiversity benefits. Main Millstream Chichester National Park. Photo – Judy Dunlop. Inset left Dragonfly. Photo – Val English 4 5 Scope This strategy outlines a high-level approach to process (Heydenrych et al, 2016), and threatened biodiversity conservation across the vast Pilbara species research priority workshops. landscape. It identifies outcomes and implementation priorities, recognising that long-term conservation will State Government agencies, traditional owners, non- be most effective at a landscape-scale, achieved by government organisations, mining companies, local working across tenure boundaries. governments, research institutions, pastoralists and individuals are all involved in conservation of the Pilbara. This strategy will be implemented across the Pilbara This strategy recognises and complements existing bioregion (as identified in the Interim Biogeographic important conservation programs and strategies already Regionalisation of Australia, or IBRA), comprised being implemented in the Pilbara and serves to sustain of the local government areas of Karratha and, in the conservation gains achieved by them. This includes part, Ashburton, East Pilbara, Meekatharra and management of conservation reserves and former Port Hedland. Generally, actions will only be funded pastoral leases, and initiatives such as ecologically within the Pilbara bioregion, although there may sustainable rangeland management planning through be instances where a significant biodiversity benefit the Fortescue Catchment project undertaken by Pilbara to the Pilbara bioregion is derived from actions in Corridors, feral herbivore management by the Pilbara adjoining bioregions (for example, feral animal and Recognised Biosecurity Groups, weed management weed control). coordinated by the Pilbara Mesquite Management Committee, and a number of projects focused on Protecting the values of the Pilbara will require a threatened species or high value biodiversity assets coordinated, long-term approach. This strategy implemented through existing offset agreements identifies the key conservation opportunities and by development proponents in collaboration with challenges facing the region, and builds on the the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and recommendations of experts and stakeholders, Attractions (DBCA). including those provided in the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) advice on the cumulative This strategy identifies long-term strategic priorities, environmental impacts of development in the integrating multiple funding sources to deliver Pilbara (EPA, 2014), CSIRO’s 2014 cost-benefit conservation outcomes that protect and enhance analysis of conservation strategies for threatened the biodiversity of the Pilbara. It will be reviewed at species (Carwardine et al, 2014), Pilbara Corridors’ the discretion of the Western Australian Minister for 2016 bioregional conservation action planning Environment no later than 2030. Main Pilbara termite mound. Inset above left Rothschilds rock wallaby. Photos – Judy Dunlop Inset above right White-plumed honeyeater. Photo – Adrienne Markey Background Roy Hill rail line. Photo – Judy Dunlop 6 7 Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund In July 2016, the Western Australian Government 2014). Offsets contributed to the Fund will be used to The Fund will be non-statutory, Government- approved the establishment of the Pilbara Strategic implement conservation projects that counterbalance administered, and held in a special purpose account, Conservation Initiative, now known as the Pilbara the significant residual impacts of those developments