Bioregional Assessment Study Part I Native Vegetation of the Illawarra Escarpment and Coastal Plain NSW NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE A project arising from the Commission of Inquiry into the long term planning and management of the Illawarra Escarpment, Wollongong Local Government Area 43 Bridge Street Hurstville 2220 (02) 9585 6444 www.npws.nsw.gov.au NSW NATIONAL Central Conservation Programs and Planning Division PARKS AND NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service WILDLIFE August 2002 SERVICE Native Vegetation of the Illawarra Escarpment and Coastal Plain Wollongong Local Government Area Bioregional Assessment (Part I) 2002 Published by: needs. Map data is not guaranteed to be NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service free from error or omission. NPWS and its 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 employees disclaim liability for any act done PO Box A290, Sydney South, NSW 1232 on the information in the map and any Report pollution and environmental consequences of such acts or omissions. incidents This report should be referenced as follows: Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or [email protected] NPWS (2002) Wollongong LGA Bioregional See also Assessment (Part I): Native Vegetation of www.environment.nsw.gov.au/pollution the Illawarra Escarpment and Coastal Plain. Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Report for the Commission of Inquiry into Phone: 131 555 (environment information Planning and Development on the Illawarra and publications requests) Escarpment. NSW National Parks and Phone: 1300 361 967 (national parks, Wildlife Service, Sydney. climate change and energy efficiency information and publications requests) Fax: (02) 9995 5999 Acknowledgements TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Email: [email protected] A large number of landowners allowed the Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au project to access and survey their properties. These people are sincerely thanked for their cooperation. ISBN 073136791X The following people are thanked for their NPWS Publishing No. 2002/0107 comments and review of the draft report: 2002 Ken Turner (DLWC), Chris Chafer (SCA), Teena Pennington (Planning NSW), Andrew © Copyright National Parks and Wildlife de Montemas, Paul Formosa, Jason Brown, Service on behalf of State of NSW. Anders Bofeldt, David Peterson (Wollongong Photographs are copyright National Parks City Council), Mark Robinson and David and Wildlife Service or the individual Thomas. photographer. With the exception of photographs, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and State of NSW are 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. Specific permission is required for the reproduction of photographs. National Parks and Wildlife Service has compiled Wollongong LGA Bioregional Assessment (Part I): Native Vegetation of the Illawarra Escarpment and Coastal Plain in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) does not accept responsibility for any inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by third parties. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. NPWS shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 BIOREGIONAL ASSESSMENT STUDY............................................................................. 1 1.3 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION AND MAPPING OBJECTIVES ............................................ 1 1.4 STUDY AREA .............................................................................................................. 2 1.5 REGIONAL CONTEXT................................................................................................... 2 1.6 PROJECT TEAM........................................................................................................... 2 2 METHODS..................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 REVIEW OF EXISTING DATA......................................................................................... 6 2.2 SURVEY STRATIFICATION AND SITE SELECTION............................................................ 6 2.3 FIELD METHODS ......................................................................................................... 7 2.4 SITE NOMENCLATURE ................................................................................................. 7 2.5 DATABASE ENTRY ...................................................................................................... 8 2.6 AERIAL PHOTO INTERPRETATION................................................................................. 8 2.6.1 Patterns in Vegetation Cover.................................................................... 9 2.6.2 Patterns in Canopy Species ..................................................................... 9 2.6.3 Understorey Patterns.............................................................................. 10 2.6.4 Disturbance Patterns .............................................................................. 10 2.6.5 Interpretation Reliability .......................................................................... 10 2.7 DIGITAL DATA CAPTURE ........................................................................................... 12 2.8 TAXONOMIC REVIEW................................................................................................. 14 2.9 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION ................................................................................... 14 2.10 VEGETATION COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS .................................................................. 15 2.11 REGIONAL VEGETATION DATA COMPARISON.............................................................. 15 2.12 MAPPING VEGETATION COMMUNITIES........................................................................ 16 2.13 CONSERVATION STATUS ........................................................................................... 16 2.13.1 Reservation and Land Use Zoning Status.............................................. 16 2.13.2 Disturbance Assessment........................................................................ 17 3 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... 20 3.1 FIELD SURVEY.......................................................................................................... 20 3.2 AERIAL PHOTO INTERPRETATION............................................................................... 20 3.2.1 Spatial Accuracy ..................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 Vegetation Cover .................................................................................... 20 3.2.3 Interpretation Reliability .......................................................................... 22 3.3 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION ................................................................................... 22 3.4 MAPPING EXTANT VEGETATION COMMUNITIES........................................................... 22 3.5 REGIONAL VEGETATION COMMUNITY COMPARISON.................................................... 24 3.5.1 The Central Coast and Hunter Ranges .................................................. 24 The Native Vegetation of the Illawarra Escarpment and Coastal Plain i 3.5.2 Western Sydney and the Cumberland Plain ...........................................25 3.5.3 Royal National Park.................................................................................32 3.5.4 South Coast Region ................................................................................32 3.6 CONSERVATION STATUS............................................................................................33 3.6.1 Reservation and Land Use Zoning Status ..............................................33 3.6.2 Disturbance Assessment.........................................................................39 4 DISCUSSION ...............................................................................................................................43 4.1 PATTERNS IN VEGETATION COMMUNITIES ..................................................................43 4.1.1 Coastline Zone ........................................................................................43 4.1.2 Coastal Plain ...........................................................................................43 4.1.3 Escarpment Foothills...............................................................................45 4.1.4 Escarpment slopes..................................................................................45 4.1.5 Escarpment Cliffs ....................................................................................46 4.1.6 Plateau ....................................................................................................46 4.2 REGIONAL STATUS OF VEGETATION