Foreword The Northern Rivers Regional Biodiversity Management Plan (the Plan) constitutes the national regional recovery plan under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for threatened species and ecological communities principally distributed in the Northern Rivers Region of NSW. The Plan is part of an Australian Government-funded pilot to trial the integration of regional recovery and threat abatement planning. It provides a regional approach to the delivery of recovery actions necessary to ensure the long-term viability of threatened species and ecological communities in the Region. The Northern Rivers Region is an area relatively rich in biodiversity data. This has allowed for innovative and sophisticated analysis techniques to be used in this Plan for biodiversity assessment and identification of priority areas for conservation works. These outputs will help guide investment by the Australian Government, New South Wales Government and local authorities in the Region. Collaboration and partnerships will be essential for the implementation of the Plan. The Plan considers all threats affecting biodiversity in the Region, including those associated with the potential impacts of climate change. The Plan also incorporates Indigenous cultural values and considerations into biodiversity management in the Region. It is in this context that the Plan, in association with the approved Border Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity Management Plan (DECCW 2010), sets out an overall strategy for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in the Northern Rivers Region. Northern Rivers Regional Biodiversity Management Plan i Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................. vii Summary .................................................................................................................................. viii 1 Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Biodiversity ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope of the Plan ...............................................................................................................1 1.3 Vision.................................................................................................................................. 3 1.4 Objectives........................................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Legislative context .............................................................................................................. 5 1.5.1 Recovery planning............................................................................................. 5 1.5.2 Conservation advices & priorities action statements ......................................... 5 1.6 Additional conservation legislation...................................................................................... 6 1.7 Interaction with other documents........................................................................................ 6 2 Community Involvement............................................................................................ 8 2.1 Community engagement..................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Indigenous community engagement................................................................................... 9 2.3 Community implementation .............................................................................................. 10 3 Regional Overview ................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Landscapes ......................................................................................................................11 3.2 Physical features .............................................................................................................. 11 3.2.1 Topography ..................................................................................................... 13 3.2.2 Geology........................................................................................................... 13 3.2.3 Climate............................................................................................................ 14 3.2.4 Land tenure and landuse................................................................................. 18 3.3 Biological features ............................................................................................................ 21 3.3.1 Overview ......................................................................................................... 21 3.3.2 Ecosystems of the Region............................................................................... 22 Vegetation communities.................................................................................. 22 Rivers and coastal lakes ................................................................................. 26 Estuarine ecosystems ..................................................................................... 28 Groundwater-dependent ecosystems.............................................................. 29 Fauna habitats ................................................................................................ 29 3.3.3 Threatened species, populations & ecological communities ........................... 30 Threatened ecological communities................................................................ 31 Endangered populations ................................................................................. 33 Threatened species......................................................................................... 33 3.4 The people of the Region ................................................................................................. 35 3.4.1 Indigenous communities.................................................................................. 35 3.4.2 European settlements ..................................................................................... 36 3.4.3 Community involvement .................................................................................. 38 4 Threats....................................................................................................................... 42 4.1 Identifying threats .............................................................................................................42 4.2 Ranking threats ................................................................................................................ 45 4.2.1 Threat categories ............................................................................................ 45 4.2.2 Threat activities ............................................................................................... 45 5 Areas of Importance to Biodiversity....................................................................... 48 5.1 Priority areas .................................................................................................................... 48 5.1.1 Biodiversity Forecasting Tool Conserve & Repair ........................................... 48 Terrestrial biodiversity ..................................................................................... 49 ii Northern Rivers Regional Biodiversity Management Plan 5.1.2 Key habitats for forest fauna ........................................................................... 55 5.1.3 Centres of endemism ...................................................................................... 55 5.1.4 Climate change corridors ................................................................................ 55 5.1.5 Locations for specific actions .......................................................................... 57 5.2 Other areas....................................................................................................................... 61 5.2.1 National Reserve System................................................................................ 61 5.2.2 Fauna corridors ............................................................................................... 64 5.2.3 Great Eastern Ranges Initiative ...................................................................... 64 5.2.4 Estuarine and freshwater wetlands ................................................................. 67 5.2.5 River reaches and subcatchments .................................................................. 71 5.2.6 Forest fruit and nectar vegetation.................................................................... 71 5.2.7 Moist montane forest fauna refugia................................................................. 74 5.2.8 Non-forest fauna habitats................................................................................ 76 5.2.9 Dingo areas..................................................................................................... 76 5.3 Limitations of the Plan ...................................................................................................... 79 6 Recovery Actions ....................................................................................................