Cover Photos Front cover- Background, Gahnia trifida Sedgeland/Wet Shrubland and Melaleuca rhaphiophylla Woodland/Low Forest Complex, Millbrook Nature Reserve Insets Hakea spp Shrubland/Woodland Complex, Angove Water Reserve. Karri Forest, Limeburners Creek Melaleuca striata/Banksia spp Coastal Heath, Gull Rock National Park Back cover Insets Limestone Heath, Wind Farm Eucalyptus goniantha Mallee, Bettys Beach/Two Peoples Bay Evandra aristata Sedgeland, Bornholm. ALBANY REGIONAL VEGETATION SURVEY Extent, Type and Status E.M. Sandiford & S. Barrett 2010 A project funded by Western Australian Planning Commission (EnviroPlanning “Integrating NRM into Land Use Planning” and State NRM Program), South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc. and City of Albany for the Department of Environment and Conservation. USE OF THIS REPORT Information used in this report may be copied or reproduced for study, research or educational purposes, subject to inclusion of acknowledgement of the source. DISCLAIMER In undertaking this work, the authors have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information used. Any conclusion drawn or recommendations made in the report and maps are done in good faith and the authors and participating bodies take no responsibility for how this information is used subsequently by others and accept no liability whatsoever for a third party’s use of or reliance upon this specific report and maps. CITATION Sandiford, E.M. and Barrett, S. (2010). Albany Regional Vegetation Survey, Extent Type and Status, A project funded by the Western Australian Planning Commission (EnviroPlanning “Integrating NRM into Land Use Planning” and State NRM Program), South Coast Natural Resource Management Inc. and City of Albany for the Department of Environment and Conservation. Unpublished report. Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia. ALBANY REGIONAL VEGETATION SURVEY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................i SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................ii 1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 1.1 Background.................................................................................................................1 1.2 Context Area...............................................................................................................2 1.2.1 Location..............................................................................................................2 1.2.2 Land use history .................................................................................................2 1.2.3 Geology, landforms and soils .............................................................................5 1.2.4 Climate ...............................................................................................................5 1.2.5 Biogeography and Vegetation ............................................................................5 1.2.6 Wetlands .............................................................................................................6 2 METHODS.........................................................................................................................9 2.1 Existing data...............................................................................................................9 2.2 Quadrats......................................................................................................................9 2.3 Relevé field survey.....................................................................................................9 2.3.1 Pre survey...........................................................................................................9 2.3.2 Survey and relevé data collection.....................................................................10 2.4 Plant identifications ..................................................................................................10 2.5 Data storage..............................................................................................................10 2.6 Data analysis.............................................................................................................11 2.7 Mapping....................................................................................................................11 2.7.1 Vegetation mapping..........................................................................................11 2.7.2 Condition mapping...........................................................................................12 2.8 Conservation status...................................................................................................12 3 RESULTS.........................................................................................................................13 3.1 existing data review..................................................................................................13 3.2 Field Survey..............................................................................................................13 3.2.1 Quadrats............................................................................................................13 3.2.2 Relevés .............................................................................................................13 3.3 Flora..........................................................................................................................13 3.3.1 Conservation species........................................................................................13 3.3.2 Declared Rare plants.........................................................................................15 3.3.3 Priority species.................................................................................................15 3.3.4 Unusual species................................................................................................15 3.3.5 Range extensions..............................................................................................15 3.4 Vegetation units and data analysis............................................................................16 3.4.1 Vegetation units................................................................................................16 3.4.2 Data analysis.....................................................................................................16 3.4.3 Species diversity...............................................................................................19 3.4.4 Comparison with other surveys ........................................................................19 3.5 Mapping....................................................................................................................20 3.5.1 Remnant vegetation mapping ...........................................................................20 3.5.2 Vegetation unit mapping ..................................................................................20 3.5.3 Condition status mapping .................................................................................22 3.6 Rare and geographically restricted units and conservations status...........................27 4 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................. 30 4.1 Vegetation units and patterning ............................................................................... 30 4.2 Conservation and reservation status of vegetation units.......................................... 30 4.2.1 Pre-clearing extent of vegetation units............................................................. 31 4.2.2 Occurrence of threatened and priority flora in vegetation units ...................... 32 4.3 Threats to vegetation units ....................................................................................... 32 4.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 34 4.5 Recommendations for future work .......................................................................... 36 REFERENCES......................................................................................................................... 37 APPENDIX 1: Life form definitions that differ from NVIS standards. ................................. 42 APPENDIX 2: Relevé Recording Sheet .................................................................................. 43 APPENDIX 3: Taxa rationalisations for data analysis ............................................................ 44 APPENDIX 4: Vegetation Condition Scale (Thackway and Lesslie 2006) ........................... 45 APPENDIX 5: Species list....................................................................................................... 46 APPENDIX 6: Conservation Codes For Western Australia.................................................... 56 APPENDIX 7: Conservation species....................................................................................... 57 APPENDIX 8: Taxon range extensions................................................................................... 58 APPENDIX 9: Vegetation Descriptions.................................................................................. 59 APPENDIX 10: NVIS Information Hierarchy – vegetation