Acacia chrysotricha EN Taxonomic Authority: Tindale Global Assessment Regional Assessment Region: Global Endemic to region Synonyms Common Names NEWRY GOLDEN WATTL English BELLINGER RIVER WATT English Upper Level Taxonomy Kingdom: PLANTAE Phylum: TRACHEOPHYTA Class: MAGNOLIOPSIDA Order: FABALES Family: LEGUMINOSAE Lower Level Taxonomy Rank: Infra- rank name: Plant Hybrid Subpopulation: Authority: This species hybridises with A. fimbriata. General Information Distribution Acacia chrysotricha is endemic to Australia only known from the Brierfield-Newry State Forest region in New South Wales (Orchard and Wilson 2001). Range Size Elevation Biogeographic Realm Area of Occupancy: 25 Upper limit: 260 Afrotropical Extent of Occurrence: 10 Lower limit: 150 Antarctic Map Status: Depth Australasian Upper limit: Neotropical Lower limit: Oceanian Depth Zones Palearctic Shallow photic Bathyl Hadal Indomalayan Photic Abyssal Nearctic Population It was originally known from 6 locations around the Bellingen area. In 2000 it was reported to only from only 2 locations south of Bellingen. One of the sites in wet sclerophyll forest within the Jaaningga Nature Reserve (previously Newry State Forest and Newry Golden Wattle Forest Preserve) and the second site is within a Eucalyptus plantation within Gladstone State Forest. Only some 1200 plants were known in 2000 in the Jaaningga Nature Reserve whilst in the Gladstone State Forest the population only had some 30 plants (NSW Scientific Committee 2000). According to the Atlas of Living Australia this species also occurs in the Nambucca region in Bollanolla Nature Reserve, further south, but this locality could not be verified for this assessment and the same record maps in a different place according to the Australian Virtual Herbarium (http://biocache.ala.org.au/occurrences/202311437). Total Population Size Minimum Population Size: Maximum Population Size: Habitat and Ecology An erect tree up to 15 m high that grows in tall open forest and rainforest as an undestorey, in steep narrow gullies, in quartzite soils. Newry Golden Wattle is relatively short-lived. The seeds which remain in the soil require heat from fire to induce germination (Department of Environment and Conservation 2005). System Movement pattern Crop Wild Relative Terrestrial Freshwater Nomadic Congregatory/Dispersive Is the species a wild relative of a crop? Marine Migratory Altitudinally migrant Growth From Definition Tree - large Large tree, also termed a Phanerophyte (>1m) Threats The species is threatened by weed encroachment, of which Lantana camara is the most problematic and can threaten recruitment of A. chrysotricha; inappropriate fire regimes and logging activities. Too-frequent fire may lead to a decline in the population, as gradual exhaustion of the soil-borne seed bank will result, with no replacement of adult plants over time (Department of Environment and Conservation 2005). Past Present Future 1 Habitat Loss/Degradation (human induced) 1.3 Extraction 1.3.3 Wood 1.5 Invasive alien species (directly impacting habitat) 1.7 Fires 8 Changes in native species dynamics 8.1 Competitors 9 Intrinsic factors 9.2 Poor recruitment/reproduction/regeneration 9.9 Restricted range Conservation Measures This species is known to occur within the Jaaningga Nature Reserve and the Gladstone State Forest. The conservation of A. chrysotricha is one of the main reasons for the Jaaningga Nature Reserve and protection of known populations are a priority of management (Department of Environment and Conservation 2005). The park was created in 1999 and covers and area of 975 hectares, a draft management plan is now in place (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service 2007). Some hand removal of Lantana and bush regeneration work occurred in and around Newry golden wattle sites; wild dogs have been seen on a number of occasions on Range Road adjacent to Jaaningga Nature Reserve, and some baiting for dogs was carried out in the western and southern parts of the Reserve in 2006; a separate fire management strategy for Jaaningga Nature Reserve has been prepared and implementation of such strategy is set as a high priority; monitoring of the populations of Newry golden wattle, including habitat condition and trends in population demographics are set as a medium priority and targeted surveys for predicted threatened species is high priority; encourage research the ecology of Newry golden wattle especially its fire ecology and population dynamics is set as a high priority. The species is listed as Endangered in New South Wales (Department of Environment and Conservation 2005) and it is listed as 2R in Briggs and Leigh (1995), a rare taxon with a geographic range less than 100 km2. However, it is not listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The seeds for this species have been collected as part of the Millennium Seed Bank project. Seeds are located at: Wakehurst Place, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (UK) and Mount Annan Botanic Garden, New South Wales (Australia). In Place Needed 1 Policy-based actions 1.1 Management plans 1.1.1 Development 1.1.2 Implementation 1.2 Legislation 1.2.1 Development 1.2.1.3 Sub-national level 3 Research actions 3.2 Population numbers and range 3.3 Biology and Ecology 3.4 Habitat status 3.5 Threats 3.9 Trends/Monitoring 4 Habitat and site-based actions 4.4 Protected areas 4.4.3 Management 5 Species-based actions 5.4 Recovery management 5.7 Ex situ conservation actions 5.7.2 Genome resource bank Countries of Occurrence PRESENCE ORIGIN Year Breeding Non- Passage Possibly ExtinctPresence Native Introduced Re- Vagrant Origin Round Season breeding migrant extinct uncertain Introduced uncertain only season only Australia New South Wales General Habitats Score Description Major Importance 1 Forest 1UnsetSuitable 1.5 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry1Unset Suitable Species Utilisation Species is not utilised at all Purpose / Type of Use Subsistence National International 13. Pets/display animals, horticulture Acacia chrysotricha is a very ornamental tree for parks and large gardens. Trend in the level of wild offtake/harvest in relation to total wild population numbers over the last five years: Trend in the amount of offtake/harvest produced through domestication/cultivation over the last five years: CITES status: Not listed IUCN Red Listing Red List Assessment:(using 2001 IUCN system) Endangered (EN) Red List Criteria: B1ab(iii,v) Date Last Seen (only for EX, EW or Possibly EX species): Is the species Possibly Extinct? Possibly Extinct Candidate? Rationale for the Red List Assessment A. chrysotricha is an tree endemic to New South Wales in Australia only know from 2 locations. Its native range has been reduced due to deforestation and infrastructure development. It is currently known mainly from within Jaaningga Nature Reserve (1200 individuals) and two other smaller populations one in the Gladstone State Forest (30 individuals). The Extent of Ocurrence is estimated as 10 km2 and the Area of occupancy based on available collection and a 2x2 cell size if estimated at 25 km2. The main threats to the species include inappropriate fire regimes, weed invasion and logging activities. A draft management plan has been developed and several high priority management actions are being implemented to conserve the populatinos of A. chrysotricha. However, it remains to be seen if these actions will have a positive effect on population numbers and the recovery of this species in longer term. It is therefore still listed as Endangered. Reason(s) for Change in Red List Category from the Previous Assessment: Genuine Change Nongenuine Change No Change Genuine (recent) New information Taxonomy Same category Genuine (since first assessment) Knowledge of Criteria Criteria Revisio and criteria Incorrect data used Other Same category but previously change in criteria Current Population Trend: Unknown Date of Assessment: 13/05/2011 Name(s) of the Assessor(s): Malcolm, P. Evaluator(s): Notes: % population decline in the past: Time period over which the past decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): % population decline in the future: Time period over which the future decline has been measured for applying Criterion A or C1 (in years or generations): Number of Locations: 2 Severely Fragmented: Number of Mature Individuals: Bibliography NSW Scientific Committee, 2000, Acacia chrysotricha (a tree) - Endangered species determination - final, DEC (NSW), , , Sydney A.E. Orchard and A.J.G. Wilson, 2001, Mimosaceae, Acacia part 1, Flora of Australia Volume 11A, , ABRS, Canberra Briggs, J.D. and Leigh, J.H., 1995, Rare or threatened Australian plants, M. Veroni, , Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Canberra Commonwealth of Australia, 1999, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)10 June 2010, , , Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW), 2005, Newry Golden Wattle - species profile, New South Wales Threatened Species Website12-05-2011, , , Kodela, P.G. and Haden, G.J., 2002, Acacia, Flora of New South Wales. Revised Edition, G.J. Harden, , University of New South Wales Press Ltd., Sydney NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2007, Babadaga group of reserves. Draft plan of management, Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW), , , Tindale, M.D., 1966, New taxa of Acacia from eastern Australia. No. 1, Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium1, 19-23, , .