WORLD HERITAGE AND ASSOCIATIVE NATURAL VALUES OF THE CENTRAL EASTERN RAINFOREST RESERVES OF AUSTRALIA R. John Hunter NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Originally published June 2003 Revised December 2004 i By channels of coolness the echoes are calling And down the dim gorge I hear the creek falling It lives in the mountains where mosses and sedges Touch with their beauty the bank and the ledges Through breaks in the cedar and sycamore bowers Struggles the light that is sweet to the flowers; And softer than slumber and sweeter than singing, The notes of the bell-birds are running and ringing. ‘Bellbirds’ by Henry Kendall ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report reviews the World Heritage values of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia (CERRA) World Heritage Area. The assessment of World Heritage values is based on the criteria for World Heritage listing. CERRA was inscribed on the World Heritage list as a site with outstanding universal significance in terms of its natural heritage. The property satisfied three of the four possible criteria for the listing of a natural property. The criteria for World Heritage listing have changed since the listing of CERRA, but this has little effect on this review because the changes generally amount to a re-arrangement of themes within the criteria for which the property is listed. This review identifies attributes, which demonstrate the values under each criterion. Threats to these attributes are identified and the condition of integrity is assessed. World Heritage values Criterion (i): ‘be outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features.’ Values related to this criterion and key attributes supporting these values are as follows. • CERRA World Heritage rainforests are an outstanding example of ecosystems and taxa from which modern biota are derived. These rainforests are exceptionally rich in primitive and relict species, many of which are similar to fossils from Gondwana. Ecosystems demonstrating this value include subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate rainforest types. Species, which support this value, include: - Ferns from families having origins in Pangea, including tree ferns. - All conifers and cycads, pre-Angiosperm groups with their ancestry in Gondwana. Hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii), a member of the most ancient section of Araucaria, is of particular importance. - Early angiosperm lineages in Austrobaileyales and Magnoliids, which contribute to CERRA being a secondary centre of endemism for early angiosperm lineages that complements the Wet Tropics. Specific genera and families include Trimenia, Atherospermataceae, Monimiacea, Lauraceae, Annonaceae, Eupomatiaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Piperaceae, Peperomiaceae and Winteraceae. - Other Gondwanic families, demonstrating the early radiation of the flowering plants. Some of the important families include Proteaceae, Nothofagaceae, Casuarinaceae, Berberidopsidaceae, Myrtaceae, Eucryphiacea, Cunoniaceae, Escalloniaceae and Pittosporaceae. - A primitive group of the Corvidae, one of the two major groups of the world’s true songbirds. The oldest members of this group include lyrebirds, bowerbirds, tree-creepers and the Rufous Scrub-bird. - Other birds dating from Gondwana including the Pale-yellow Robin, thornbills, scrubwrens and gerygones. - All frogs in families Myobatrachidae and Hylidae, families having Gondwanan origins. - Reptiles with a long history in Australia including chelid turtles, Leaf-tailed Gecko and the Angle-headed Dragon. - A range of invertebrates with origins in Gondwana. Examples are fresh-water crayfish, land snails, velvet worms, a number of beetle families including flightless carabid beetles, the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly and glow-worms. • CERRA World Heritage Area includes an outstanding range of ecosystems and taxa which demonstrate the origins and rise to dominance of cold adapted and dry adapted flora. Cool temperate rainforest, dry rainforest and wet sclerophyll ecosystems demonstrate this value. Members of the families Myrtaceae and Proteaceae are of particular importance; these families are today widespread in Australian ecosystems in cold and dry locations. CERRA meets the conditions of integrity necessary for this criterion. However, the addition of other areas beyond the property would improve the integrity of the property by including a more complete iii expression of the attributes. Threats to the values and the related attributes include inappropriate fire regimes, exotic plants, animals and diseases, disruption or change in gene flow as a result of rainforest fragmentation, die-back of vegetation, and localised damage from increased human visitation. Criterion (ii): be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. Values related to this criterion and attributes supporting these values are as follows. • CERRA WHA includes outstanding geological features associated with the erosion of shield volcanoes. Two shield volcanoes – the Tweed Shield Volcano and the Ebor Volcano contribute to this value. The Tweed Shield Volcano Caldera is possibly the best preserved erosion caldera in the world, notable for its size and age, and for the presence of a prominent central mountain mass and all three stages in the erosion of shield volcanoes – the planeze, residual and skeletal stages. The remnants of the Ebor Volcano represent the best example in eastern Australia of a radial drainage pattern related to a specific centre of eruption. • CERRA WHA includes significant centres of endemism where ongoing evolution of flora and fauna species is taking place. Ecosystems that are of particularly important as centres of endemism include cool temperate rainforest, subtropical rainforest, warm temperate rainforest, dry rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, montane heathlands and rocky outcrops. The Border Ranges area is particularly important as a centre of endemism. Species groups demonstrating high levels of endemism include: - Many Magnoliid genera, particularly Winteraceae, Atherospermataceae, Monimiaceae and Lauraceae. - Genera in other Gondwanic families, including Proteacea, Cunoniaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Escalloniaceae, Davidsoniaceae, Pittosporaceae, Myrtaceae, Elaeocarpaceae and Sterculiaceae. - All fauna of low motility that occur in more than one isolated pocket of CERRA. - Frogs such as Philoria and the Litoria pearsoniana / phyllochroa complex that occur in scattered habitats along the Great Escarpment. - Invertebrates such as snails, earthworms, fresh-water crayfish, velvet worms and carabid beetles show particularly high incidences of generic and species endemism CERRA continues to meet the condition of integrity required for this criterion. Addition of rainforest remnants on the eastern side of the Tweed Shield and of Bellinger NP would increase the representation of the significant geological features associated with the Tweed Shield Volcano and the Ebor Volcano respectively. These geological features are massive and threats are generally absent. The ecosystems associated with the second value are affected by similat threats to those related to Criterion (i). Criterion (iv): ‘ contain the most important and significant habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.’ The value related to this criterion and the attributes supporting this value are as follows. • CERRA WHA includes the principal habitats of a large number of threatened species of plants and animals. These species are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science and conservation, including relict and primitive taxa. Threatened species are most common in subtropical rainforest, warm temperate rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest, montane heathlands and rocky outcrops. There is a concentration of such species in the Border Ranges. iv Over 200 rare or threatened species of plants occur in the CERRA property. Some 76 narrowly endemic rare or threatened plant species occur in the Border Ranges. Rare or threatened plant species are particularly common in groups such as Cryptocarya, Endiandra, Tasmannia, Proteacea, Myrtaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Some other groups of plants of interest to scientists are well represented also. Orchids are an example, with over 140 species in CERRA. Some 90 rare or threatened vertebrate fauna occur in CERRA. These include the Marbled Frogmouth, the Eastern Bristlebird, Philoria spp., the Pouched Frog, barred frogs, the Parma Wallaby, the Yellow-bellied Glider, the Hastings River Mouse and the Golden-tipped Bat. While little attention has been given to the conservation of invertebrates and the recognition of rare or threatened invertebrates, several of the small number that have been recognised occur in CERRA. These include the Richmond birdwing butterfly and Nurus brevis, a flightless carabid beetle. A possible additional ecosystem value present in parts of CERRA is stygnofauna, fauna inhabiting groundwater environments. The property continues to meet the requirements of integrity for this criterion but would benefit from additions to minimise edge effects. Threats are those identified for