MARCH 2010
Western Australian Planning CommissionAlbert Facey House
469 Wellington StreetPerth, Western Australia
Prepared by the Depar tment of Planning and suppor ted by
Ecoscape (Australia) P ty Ltd
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
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Disclaimer
This document has been published by the Western Australian Planning Commission. Any representation, statement, opinion or advice expressed or implied in this publication is made in good faith and on the basis that the government, its employees and agents are not liable for any dam-age or loss whatsoever which may occur as a result of action taken or not taken, as the case may be, in respect of any representation, state-ment, opinion or advice referred to herein. Professional advice should be obtained before applying the information contained in this document to particular circumstances.
© State of Western Australia
Published by theWestern Australian Planning CommissionAlbert Facey House469 Wellington StreetPerth Western Australia 6000
Published March 2010
ISBN 0 7309 9955 6
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Summary x
1 Introduction 11.1 Projectbackground 1
1.2 Projectphases 1
1.3 Projectarea 2
1.4 Technicalreportandmapping 2
1.5 Beardvegetationassociations 3
1.6 Conservationsignificancedeterminedbypreviousstudies 4
2 Methods 52.1 Projectoutline 5
2.2 Analysisofexistingdatasets 5
2.3 Fieldverificationandsiteselection 5
2.3.1 Considerationofalternativeapproachestositeselection 6
2.4 Floristicquadratsurvey 6
2.4.1 Informationrecordedforeachquadrat 6
2.4.2 NVISdataentry 7
2.4.3 Specificquadratsiteselection 7
2.4.4 Quadratorientationandmarking 7
2.4.5 Speciesvouchercollection 7
2.5 Statisticalanalysis 8
2.6 Vegetationmapping 8
2.6.1 Desktopvegetationextentmapping 8
2.6.2 Interpretationofplantcommunities 8
2.6.3 Fieldverification 9
2.7 Botanicalsurveylimitations 9
2.7.1 Plantidentification 9
2.7.2 Plantcommunitymapping 10
3 Results 113.1 Analysisofexistingdata 11
3.2 Beardvegetationassociations 11
3.2.1 RepresentationofBeardvegetationassociations 11
3.3 Floristicquadrats 13
3.3.1 Plantspecies 14
3.3.2 Vegetationcondition 15
3.4 Plantcommunities 15
3.4.1 FloristicgroupsfromPATN©analysis 15
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3.4.2 GRFVSplantcommunities 16
3.4.3 Changestovegetationextentmapping 16
3.4.4 Plantcommunitymapping 18
4.0 Discussion 204.1 NativevegetationintheGRFVSarea 20
4.1.1 Legislativeandpolicyframeworkfornativevegetationprotection 20
4.1.2 Conservationsignificanceofnativevegetationinthe GRFVSarea 20
4.2 BeardvegetationassociationsintheGRFVSarea 21
4.2.1 RepresentationofBeardvegetationassociations 22
4.3 IdentifyinganddescribingGRFVSplantcommunities 24
4.3.1 DeterminingGRFVSplantcommunities 24
4.3.2 RelevanceofGRFVSplantcommunities 24
4.3.3 GRFVSplantcommunitymapping 24
4.3.4 Difficultieswithrecognisingplantcommunities 24
4.3.5 Historicalplantcommunities 27
4.4 GRFVSplantcommunities 27
4.4.1 Plantcommunity1Estuarine:Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia 27
4.4.2 Plantcommunity2Riparian:Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa / Melaleuca rhaphiophylla 28
4.4.3 Plantcommunity3Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius 28
4.4.4 Plantcommunity4Swale:Ficinia nodosa 29
4.4.5 Plantcommunity5Swale:Frankenia pauciflora 29
4.4.6 Plantcommunity6Coastal:Thryptomene baeckeacea 30
4.4.7 Plantcommunity7Coastal:Melaleuca cardiophylla 30
4.4.8 Plantcommunity8Coastal:Acacia rostellifera lowshrubland 31
4.4.9 Plantcommunity9Coastal:Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptusspp. 31
4.4.10 Plantcommunity10NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland 32
4.4.11 Plantcommunity11LimestoneRidge:Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptusspp. 32
4.4.12 Plantcommunity12LimestoneRidge: Melaleuca cardiophylla 33
4.4.13 Plantcommunity13Sandplain:Banksiaprionotes/ Acaciarostellifera 34
4.4.14 Plantcommunity14ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleucaspp. 35
4.4.15 Plantcommunity15Thicket:Melaleucaspp./mixedspp. 35
4.4.16 Plantcommunity16Woodland:Acacia acuminata / Acacia tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii 36
4.4.17 Plantcommunity17Woodland:Eucalyptus loxophleba 36
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4.5 Floraspecies 37
4.5.1 Threatenedspecies 37
4.5.2 Rangeextensionsandextremities 37
4.5.3 Weeds 37
5.0 Conclusions 385.1 SummaryofGRFVSfindings 38
5.2 ConservationsignificanceofBeardvegetationassociations 38
5.3 ConservationsignificanceofGRFVSplantcommunities 39
5.4 Plantspeciesconservation 40
5.5 FutureimplementationofGRFVS 40
References 41
Appendices 45Appendixone: GISmappingmethodology 47
Appendixtwo: Fieldmethodology 49
Appendixthree: Statisticalanalysisandinterpretation 54
Appendixfour: Datasetanalysisresults 59
Appendixfive: Maps 73
Appendixsix: Floristicquadratdetails 97
Appendixseven: VascularplantspeciesinventoryandDEC conservationcodes 178
Appendixeight: GRFVSplantcommunities 191
Tables, Figures, Plates & Maps
TablesTable1: TheNVISinformationhierarchy(NationalHeritageTrust2003) 3
Table2: RepresentationofBeardvegetationassociations 12
Table3: QuadratlocationsinrelationtoBeardvegetationassociations 13
Table4: Keighery(1994)bushlandconditionratingofquadrats 15
Table5: Braun-Blanquet(1983)weedcoverabundanceoffloristicquadrats 15
Table6: Interpretationusedtodividefloristicgroupsintoplantcommunities. 17
Table7: Changesto2006nativevegetationextentmapping 18
Table8: ExtentofGRFVSplantcommunities. 19
Table9: Anticipatedpotentialmappingissues. 25
TableA2.1:NVISinformationhierarchy(NationalHeritageTrust2003). 50
TableA2.2:NVISheightclasses(NationalHeritageTrust2003). 51
TableA2.3:Keigherybushlandconditionratingscale 51
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TableA2.4:Braun-Blanquetcoverabundancescale,usedforweedcover 53
TableA4.1:Soillandscapemapunit(subsystemlevel)oftheGRFVSarea. 59
TableA7.1: Vascularplantspeciesrecordedfromfloristicquadrats 178
TableA7.2:DECconservationcodesanddefinitions 190
FiguresFigure1:GeraldtonRegionalFloraandVegetationSurvey(GRFVS)area 2
Figure2:Initialfloristicgrouphierarchy,indicatingfinalGRFVSplantcommunitynumbers. 16
Figure3:AreasdominatedbyMelaleucalanceolatathataretoosmalltobemappedasaplantcommunity. 26
FigureA3: DendogramfromPATN©Kulczynskianalysis 56
PlatesPlateA2.1: Pristineconditionvegetation,GRV0864(WokatherraGap) 52
PlateA2.2:Excellentconditionvegetation(AlbertStreet,Waggrakine) 52
PlateA2.3:Verygoodconditionvegetation(SutcliffeRoad,Waggrakine) 52
PlateA2.4:Goodconditionvegetation(CooperRoad,Waggrakine) 52
PlateA2.5:Degradedconditionvegetation(DavidRoad,Waggrakine) 52
PlateA2.6:Completelydegradedvegetation(SutcliffeRoad,Waggrakine) 52
PlateA8.1.1:ChapmanRiverGRV0859 193
PlateA8.1.2:RuddsGullyGRV0860 193
PlateA8.1.3:GreenoughRivermouth 193
PlateA8.1.4:OakajeeNatureReserve 193
PlateA8.2.1:RumJungleGRV0808 195
PlateA8.2.2:ChapmanRiver,MoonyoonookaGRV0871 195
PlateA8.3:GlenfieldBeachGRV0804 197
PlateA8.4.1:OakajeeGRV0814 199
PlateA8.4.2:nearBullerRiver 199
PlateA8.5:BullerGRV0858 201
PlateA8.6:CapeBurneyGRV0849 203
PlateA8.7.1:GreenoughRiverGRV0847 205
PlateA8.7.2:GreenoughRiver 205
PlateA8.8.1:GlenfieldBeachGRV0801 207
PlateA8.8.2:CapeBurneyGRV0846 207
PlateA8.8.3:Oakajee 207
PlateA8.8.4:TarcoolaBeach 207
PlateA8.8.5:PointMoore 208
PlateA8.9:SouthgateGRV0828 210
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PlateA8.10.1:OakajeeGRV0819 213
PlateA8.10.2:GreenoughRiverGRV0848 213
PlateA8.10.3:GreenoughGRV0852 213
PlateA8.10.4:BullerGRV0854 213
PlateA8.10.6:GlenfieldBeach 213
PlateA8.10.5:RuddsGullyGRV0873 213
PlateA8.11.1:WandinaGRV0827 215
PlateA8.11.2:RuddsGullyGRV0861 215
PlateA8.11.3:RuddsGully 215
PlateA8.11.4:Wandina 215
PlateA8.11.5:Buller 215
PlateA8.12.1:OakajeeGRV0813 217
PlateA8.12.2:OakajeeGRV0821 217
PlateA8.12.4:JandanolParkGRV0867 218
PlateA8.12.3:JandanolParkGRV0866 218
PlateA8.12.5:JandanolParkGRV0868 218
PlateA8.13.1:OakajeeGRV0822 221
PlateA8.13.2:WaggrakineGRV0834 221
PlateA8.13.3:WaggrakineGRV0837 221
PlateA8.13.4:NarnguluGRV0862 221
PlateA8.13.5:GlenfieldGRV0865 221
PlateA8.13.6:Karloo 221
PlateA8.14.1:ChapmanRiverReserveGRV0877 223
PlateA8.14.2:ChapmanRiverReserveGRV0878 223
PlateA8.14.3:ChapmanRiverReserveGRV0881 223
PlateA8.14.4:ChapmanRiverReserve 223
PlateA8.15.1:OakajeeGRV0840 225
PlateA8.15.1:WhitePeakGRV0810 225
PlateA8.15.3:WhitePeakGRV0853 226
PlateA8.15.4:WhitePeakGRV0855 226
PlateA8.15.6:BullerRiver 226
PlateA8.15.5:WaggrakineGRV0863 226
PlateA8.16.1:OakajeeGRV0811 229
PlateA8.16.2:OakajeeGRV0823 229
PlateA8.16.3:HowatharraGRV0844 229
PlateA8.16.4:Oakajee 229
PlateA8.17.1:OakajeeGRV0842 231
PlateA8.17.2:Oakajee 231
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MapsMap1: Soilsystemsandsubsystems 73
Map2: Re-interpretedBeardvegetationassociations 75
Map3: OriginalWAextentofGRFVSBeardvegetationassociations 77
Map4: FloristicquadratlocationsandBeardvegetationassociations 79
Map5: FloristicquadratvegetationconditionandBeardvegetationassociations 81
Map6: FloristicquadratweedcoverandBeardvegetationassociations 83
Map7: FloristicquadratplantcommunitiesandBeardvegetationassociations 85
Map8: Vegetationextentchanges 87
Map9a: GRFVSplantcommunities 89
Map9b: GRFVSplantcommunities(north) 91
Map9c: GRFVSplantcommunities(south) 93
Map9d: GRFVSplantcommunities(east) 95
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AcknowledgmentsTheWAPCwishestoacknowledgethefollowingorganisationsandindividualsfortheirinvolvementintheGeraldtonRegionalFloraandVegetationSurvey(GRFVS):
EnviroPlanning,LandCorpandtheCityofGeraldton-Greenoughfortheirfinancialcontributionsin2007/08and2008/09.
Ecoscape(especiallyLynAtkins,projectecologist)forundertakingdesktopandfieldassessments,mappingandpreparingearlierversionsofthetechnicalreport.
MembersoftheGRFVSprojectsteeringcommittee,including:
• DepartmentofPlanning:DanielleO’Neill,SeniorProjectOfficer–EnviroPlanning;JeromHurley,TeamLeader–StatutoryPlanning,CentralRegions;RyanTaylor,ProjectManager–EnviroPlanning;AndrewMoore,TeamLeader-StrategicPlanning,CentralRegions
• DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation:AnthonyDesmond,RegionalLeader–NatureConservation,MidwestRegion;CatherinePage,OperationsOfficer,GeraldtonDistrict;KellyGillen,RegionalManager,MidwestRegion;AlannaChant,ConservationOfficer,GeraldtonDistrict;KellyFreeman,SeniorEnvironmentalOfficer–TerrestrialEcosystems,StrategicPolicy;KathrynSchell,EnvironmentalOfficer–PlanningandInfrastructure,EnvironmentalImpactAssessment;GerardO’Brien,EnvironmentalOfficer–PlanningandInfrastructure,EnvironmentalImpactAssessment;BridgetHyder,SeniorEnvironmentalOfficer–TerrestrialEcosystems,StrategicPolicy
• CityofGeraldton-Greenough:SimonLancaster,SeniorStrategicPlanner;MurrayConnell,ManagerTownPlanningServices
• ShireofChapmanValley:KirrileeWarr,PlanningOfficer;IanD’Arcy,ManagerPlanningandDevelopment
• LandCorp:JohnQuilty,QuiltyEnvironmental
• DepartmentofAgricultureandFood:JohnBruce,CRISResearchOfficer
Landholderswhogenerouslygavepermissiontoaccesstheirproperties,includingDarrelForth,FrankandKayVinton,BarryHumfrey,andmanyothers.
MembersoftheGeraldtonRegionalHerbarium,includingJennaBrookerforherassistancewithlocatingvariousvegetationtypes.
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SummaryTheGeraldtonRegionalFloraandVegetationSurvey(GRFVS)aimstoprovidearegionalcontextforlanduseplanningandtheenvironmentalimpactassessmentofproposalsaffectingnativevegetationintheGeraldtonregion.ThisreportprovidesinformationonvegetationtypesintheGRFVSarea,mappedanddescribedattheregionalscaleasBeardvegetationassociations,andatthelocalscaleasGRFVSplantcommunities.EachGRFVSplantcommunityisdiscussedintermsofextent,rarity,representation,diversity,presenceofwetland/streamline/estuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation,vegetationcondition,andrelationshiptoBeardvegetationassociations,inordertoassistindeterminingconservationsignificance.MapsanddatasetsproducedthroughtheGRFVSareavailablefromtheDepartmentofPlanning.
TheGRFVSareais40,737hectaresandcontainsthepartsoftheCityofGeraldton-GreenoughandtheShireofChapmanValleythatareexperiencingthemostdevelopmentpressureintheGeraldtonregion.TheGRFVScoversanareabetweenCoronationBeachRoad(northofGeraldton),DevlinPoolRoad(southofGreenoughRiver),andeasttothefoothillsoftheMoresbyRange.TheGRFVSinvolveddesktopanalysisofexistinginformationonvegetationandsoils,fieldsurveyof81floristicquadrats,statisticalanalysisofquadratdatathatidentifiedfloristicgroups,andfurtherinterpretationoffloristicgroupsthatdeterminedrecognisableplantcommunities.
TheGRFVSdeterminedthat15%ofthepre-EuropeanextentofnativevegetationremainsintheGRFVSarea,in625discreteremnants.Analysisofremainingvegetationextenthasindicatedthat,ofthenineBeardvegetationassociationsoccurringintheGRFVSarea,threeBeardvegetationassociations(371,387and675)havelessthan10%remainingintheGRFVSarea,andtwohaveapproximately10%remaininginWesternAustralia(35and371),whichisthelevelatwhichavegetationassociationisregardedas‘endangered’.TheGRFVSdoesnotaimtoreplaceBeardvegetationassociationmapping,butprovidesmoredetailonnativevegetationoccurringintheGeraldtonregion.
ThemostsignificantoutputfromtheGRFVShasbeentheidentificationof17‘GRFVSplantcommunities’,whicharemappedanddescribedatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociations.ThemostrestrictedoftheGRFVSplantcommunitiesare4(Swale:Ficinia nodosa)and5(Swale:Frankenia pauciflora),eachofwhichhaveonlyonemappedoccurrenceintheGRFVSarea.OtherrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunitiesinclude6(Coastal:Thryptomene baeckeacea),7(Coastal:Melaleuca cardiophylla),9(Coastal:Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptus spp.)and11(Limestoneridge:Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptus spp.).FloraandvegetationsurveysshouldbeundertakenoverawidergeographicareainordertodeterminetheregionalsignificanceoftheGRFVSplantcommunities.
TheGRFVSrecordedatotalof376species,includingtwodeclaredrareflora,eightpriority-listedspecies,andthreespeciesattheextentoforbeyondtheirusualrange.Basedonthequadratssurveyed,theGRFVSplantcommunitiesthatexhibitthegreatestspeciesdiversityinclude15(Thicket:Melaleuca spp. / mixed spp.),16(Woodland:Acacia acuminata / A. tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii),14(ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleuca spp.)and13(Sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera).
Lessthan2%oftheremainingnativevegetationintheGRFVSarea,containingonlytwoGRFVSplantcommunities(15and16),isprotectedinDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC)reserves.Furthermore,themajorityofvegetationintheGRFVSareaisthreatenedbydevelopment,weedinvasion,grazing,fire,orrecreationaluse.Hence,itislikelythatmuchofthevegetationingoodorbetterconditionintheGRFVSareawillbeconsideredimportantforconservation.
InformationcollectedthroughtheGRFVSandpresentedinthisreportwillassistlanduseplanningbytheDepartmentofPlanning(DoP)andlocalgovernments,environmentalimpactassessmentsbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAuthority(EPA),andconservationplanningbyDEC.Thereport,associatedmapsanddataprovideusefulinformationforlandownersanddevelopers,butdonotprecludetherequirementforsite-basedecologicalassessmentsofareaslikelytobeimpactedbydevelopment.Importantly,theGRFVSwillinformconservationandregionalplanningintheGeraldtonregion,includingthepreparationofalocalbiodiversitystrategythatwillidentifyprioritynaturalareasforconsiderationinfuturelanduseplanning.
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1 Int roduct ion
1.1 Project background
In1998theEnvironmentalProtectionAuthority(EPA)releasedBulletin891,asubmissiontotheWesternAustralianPlanningCommission(WAPC)onthedraftGeraldtonRegionPlan.TheGeraldtonRegionPlanisaframeworkforstrategicregionallanduseplanning,andincorporatestheGreaterGeraldtonstructureplanwhichidentifiesfutureareasforresidential,industrial,transport,recreationandconservation.Initsadvice,theEPAhighlightedtheneedfortheidentification,retentionandconservationofremnantvegetationintheGeraldtonregion,includingtheretentionandextensionofconservationareasinregionalparksandopenspace.TheEPAalsosupportedtheproposalintheGeraldtonRegionPlantocompileaninventoryof,andtoconserve,regionallysignificantremnantvegetationinprivateandgovernmentownership.
TheGeraldtonRegionalFloraandVegetationSurvey(GRFVS)wasinitiatedin2007bytheDepartmentforPlanningandInfrastructure(nowDepartmentofPlanning,DoP),DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC),DepartmentofAgricultureandFoodWesternAustralia(DAFWA),CityofGeraldton-GreenoughandShireofChapmanValley.TheaimoftheGRFVSistoprovidearegionalcontextforlanduseplanningandenvironmentalimpactassessmentofproposalsaffectingnativevegetationintheGeraldtonregion.ThefirstphasewastoidentifyanddescribenativevegetationassociationsinGeraldtonandsurroundingareas,withafocusonmappingtheextentofthosevegetationassociationswheresignificantlandusechangeordevelopmentisproposed.
1.2 Project phases
ItwasproposedthattheGRFVSbeundertakeninthreephases:
Phaseone(initialvegetationmapping):
• regionalvegetationassociationmapping,interpretedfromregionalfloristicplotscoveringtypical,rareandothersignificantplantcommunities,andstatisticalanalysisoffloristicdata;
• extrapolationofexistingmapping,includingnativevegetationextent,soilandlandform,andBeardvegetationassociationmappingtoestimatetheoriginalextentofvegetationassociationswithinthearea;
• calculationoftheproportionofeachvegetationassociationremainingwithintheregion;and
• thisreport,whichdefinesrepresentationandsignificanceofthefloraandvegetationassociationsintheregion.
Phasetwo(conservationandregionalplanning):
• identifypriorityreservation/conservationareasincludingdeterminingthreatstoconditionofvegetationandmaintenanceofecologicallinkages;
• usevegetation,soilandlandforminformationtointerpretfaunahabitatandidentifypriorityareasforfaunaconservation;
• identifypriorityareasrequiringrestoration/revegetation;and
• usethisinformationtoinformstrategicregionallanduseplanning.
Phasethree(furtherregionalfloraandvegetationsurveys):
• extendthemethodologytootherareasoutsidetheinitialprojectarea.
GRFVSphaseonehasbeencompletedfortheareagenerallycoveredbytheGreaterGeraldtonstructureplan.Phasestwoandthreearesubjecttofurtherfunding.
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1.3 Project area
TheGRFVSareaislocatedapproximately424kmnorthofPerthontheIndianOceancoast,intheMid-WestregionofWesternAustralia(figure1).TheGRFVSareais40,737hectaresandcontainsthepartsoftheCityofGeraldton-GreenoughandtheShireofChapmanValleythatareexperiencingthemostdevelopmentpressureintheGeraldtonregion.TheGRFVScoversanareabetweenCoronationBeachRoad(northofGeraldton),DevlinPoolRoad(southofGreenoughRiver),andeasttothefoothillsoftheMoresbyRange.
1.4 Technical repor t and mapping
Thereportdiscussesthemethodsandresultsofanalysisofexistingdatasets,fieldsurveysiteselection,floristicquadratsurveys,statisticalanalysisandvegetationmapping.Theresultsarediscussedintermsofvegetationextent,vegetationconditionandconservationsignificanceofthevegetation,bothinrelationtoBeardvegetationassociations(Beard1976a;DAFWA2005)andGRFVSplantcommunitiesidentifiedthroughthisproject.Plantcommunitiesandspeciesofconservationsignificancearealsodiscussed.
ThetargetaudienceforthetechnicalreportincludesorganisationsandindividualsinvolvedinlanduseplanningandtheenvironmentalimpactassessmentofproposalsaffectingnativevegetationintheGeraldtonregion.ThereportprovidesabasisfordescribingvegetationthatoccursintheGRFVSarea,andshouldbereferredtoduringfloraandvegetationsurveysforspecificsites,whichwillgenerallybeundertakenatafinerscalethanthisproject.
Figure 1: Geraldton Regional Flora and Vegetation Survey (GRFVS) area
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Level Description NVIS structure/f loristic components required
1 Class Dominantgrowthformfortheecologicallydominantstratum
2 StructuralFormation Dominantgrowthform,coverandheightfortheecologicallydominantstratum
3 BroadFloristicFormation
Dominantgrowthform,cover,heightandbroadfloristiccodeusuallydominantlandcovergenusfortheuppermostordominantstratum
4 Sub-Formation Dominantgrowthform,cover,heightandbroadfloristiccodeusuallydominantgenusandfamilyforthethreetraditionalstrata(upper,midandground)
5 Association Dominantgrowthform,height,coverandspecies(3species)forthethreetraditionalstrata(upper,midandground)
6 Sub-Association Dominantgrowthform,height,coverandspecies(5species)foralllayers/strata
Table 1: The NVIS information hierarchy (National Heritage Trust 2003)
1.5 Beard vegetation associations
AsystematicsurveyofnativevegetationinWesternAustraliawasundertakenduringthe1970s,whichdescribedvegetationsystemsinWesternAustraliaatascaleof1:250,000inthesouth-westofWesternAustraliaandatascaleof1:1,000,000inthelessdevelopedareasofthestate.ThevegetationsurveyofWesternAustraliamapsandexplanatorymemoirs(1974-1981)arecreditedtoJ.S.Beard(orBeardwithvariousco-authors).
Beard’svegetationmapsattemptedtodepictthevegetationasitmighthavebeenatthetimeofsettlement,iepre-Europeanvegetationtypeandextent(Beestonetal.2001).TheBeardvegetationassociationdataset(alsoreferredtoasthepre-Europeannativevegetationextentdataset)hassincebeendevelopedindigitalformbyShepherdetal.(2002).Thisdatasethasbeencriticaltosettingandmeetingtargetsforbiodiversityconservation(CommonwealthofAustralia2001)asitistheonlyWesternAustralian-widedatasetthatcanbeusedtocalculateclearingagainsthistoricalextentofnativevegetation.
TheEPAadvisesthatnativevegetationshouldbeassessedatinternational,national,regionalandlocallevels.TheBeardvegetationassociationdatasetisusedoutsideoftheareacoveredbyEPAGuidanceStatement10asadeterminationofregionalsignificanceofvegetationtosupportstudiesundertakenatalocalscale.
BeardvegetationassociationshavebeendescribedtoaminimumstandardofLevel3‘BroadFloristicFormation’fortheNationalVegetationInventorySystem(NVIS).TheGRFVShasdescribedplantcommunitiestoNVISLevel5‘Association’,whichisinmoredetailandatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociations(refertotable1).
TheGRFVSplantcommunitiesareconsideredtorepresentvegetationtypesmappedanddescribedatthesub-regionaltolocalscale,betweenthelevelofBeardvegetationassociations(statewidetoregionalscale)andsite-specificecologicalassessments(usuallyundertakentosupportdevelopmentproposals).OtherexamplesofvegetationmappingundertakenatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsinclude:
• thevegetationcomplexesoftheSwanCoastalPlainandDarlingRange(Heddleetal.1980),whicharebasedonlandformandsoilunitsandprovidethepre-Europeanextentofvegetationtypes;
• theFloristic Survey of the Southern Swan Coastal Plain(Gibsonetal.1994),whichinvolvedfloristicquadratsurveyandanalysistoidentifyfloristiccommunitytypes.Thesetypeshavenotbeenmapped,butthefloristicquadratshavebeenusedtodefinethreatenedecologicalcommunitiesandsomepriorityecologicalcommunitiesontheSwanCoastalPlain;and
• theAlbanyregionalfloraandvegetationsurvey,whichiscurrentlyunderwayinastudyareaofapproximately100,000hainthevicinityofAlbany,withapproximately37%remnantvegetation.PlantcommunitiesarebeingassessedanddescribedtoNVISLevel5standard,toprovidearegionalcontextfordecision-making,inasimilarprocesstotheGRFVS.
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1.6 Conservation significance determined by previous studies
Native Vegetation Management Plan Nor thern Agricultural Region
TheNativeVegetationManagementPlan(DEC2008)identifiesstrategicprioritiesfortheprotectionoftheregion’snativevegetationandknowledgegapsthatshouldbefilledtomaximisetheefficiencyofstrategicvegetationmanagementintheNorthernAgriculturalRegion.
TheNativeVegetationManagementPlanprioritisesvegetationintheNorthernAgriculturalRegion,usingBeardvegetationassociations,intofourclasses:
• laststandsites;
• rareandrestricted(orrareandendangered)vegetationassociations;
• representativesamplesoftheregion’svegetation;and
• allremainingvegetationintheregion.
Laststandsitesarethemostspatiallyrestrictedvegetationassociationsintheregionandareatriskofregionalextinction,andrareandrestrictedvegetationassociationsaredescribedassomeofmostthreatenedecosystemsintheregion.
TheNativeVegetationManagementPlanrecommendsfurtherscrutinyofconservationprioritiesbasedonBeardvegetationassociation.AlthoughBeard’smappingisimportantfordeterminingthesignificanceofvegetationataregionalscale,conservationsignificanceshouldalsobesupportedbyevidenceatalocalscale.TheGRFVSaimstomapanddescribeplantcommunitiesatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociations.
Australian National Resources Atlas
TheAustralianNationalResourcesAtlasstatesnumerousvegetationassociationsand‘atrisk’ecosystemsneedtobereserved,listingseveraloftheBeardvegetationassociations(35,359,371,431,675)andMoresbyRangescommunitieswithrareplantsas‘naturalvalues’intheareacoveredbytheGRFVS.AlthoughtheMoresbyRangeitselfisnotincludedintheGRFVSarea,vegetationoftheMoresbyRangefoothillssupportssimilarspecies.
Biodiversity Audit
Thenationalbiodiversityauditconductedin2002providesusefulinformationontheGeraldtonSandplains2(GS2–GeraldtonHillssub-region)(refertoDesmondandChant2002).TheGeraldtonSandplains2reportidentifiesallBeardvegetationassociations(exceptfor129)occurringintheGRFVSareaashighprioritiesforreservation.TheGeraldtonSandplains2reportalsohighlightstheneedforvegetationandregionalecosystemmappingandfloristic
data,whichwouldassisttheidentificationofbiodiversityvaluesandmanagementresponses.TheGRFVSaimstoaddressthesedatagapsfortheportionoftheGeraldtonregionexperiencingmostdevelopmentpressure.
Threatened and Priority Ecological Communities
TherearenoDEC-listedorCommonwealth-listed(Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)threatenedecologicalcommunitiesintheGRFVSarea.However,thepriorityone(P1)priorityecologicalcommunity‘PlantassemblagesoftheMoresbyRangesystem’isconsideredtobesynonymouswithBeardvegetationassociation675,whichoccurswithintheGRFVSarea.
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2 Methods
2.1 Project outline
Themethodologyfortheprojectinvolvedthreecomponents.
ComponentoneoftheprojectincludedadesktopstudyandliteraturereviewtoidentifyandmaptheextentofBeardvegetationassociationsinterpretedtoexistintheGRFVSarea,particularlyinareasproposedforfuturedevelopment.ProposedlocationsforfloristicquadratswereidentifiedfromBeardvegetationassociationmappingandwithinputfromtheprojectsteeringcommittee.
Componenttwoinvolvedfieldsurveystogroundtruththevegetationinterpretedfromthedesktopstudyandcollectquadrat-basedfloristicdatasuitableforstatisticalanalysisandinterpretation.ThefieldsurveyscommencedinJuly2008,andthemainfloristicsurveyswereundertakeninAugustandOctober2008.
Componentthreewasthestatisticalanalysisandinterpretationoffloristicquadratdata,productionofmapsandreportwriting.GroundtruthingandmappingthevegetationoftheGRFVSareausingplantcommunitiesidentifiedfromthestatisticalanalysiswasundertakeninJune2009.
2.2 Analysis of existing datasets
Existingdatasetswereassessedandinterpreted,andavailableliteraturewasreviewedpriortofieldassessment.
Thefollowingmapdatasetswereused:
• Beardvegetationassociations(DAFWA2005);
• soillandscapemapunits(subsystemlevel)(DAFWA2007a,2007b);
• vegetationextent(DAFWA2006);and
• topography(Landgate2001).
MappingwasundertakenusingArcGISv9software.TheBeardvegetationassociationboundarieswerere-interpretedtoproduceanupdatedmapfortheprojectareatoreflectthefinerscalesoil-landscapemappingundertakenbyDAFWA(2006).Furtherdetailonmappingmethodologyisprovidedinappendix1.DEC’s‘comprehensiveandadequatereserveanalysis’data(‘CAR’data,2007)wasusedforrepresentationofBeardvegetationassociationsinWesternAustralia.
RelevantliteraturewasreviewedtoprovideinformationonhistoricandcurrentvegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andtoidentifyareasofparticularinterestforsurveys.Theprojectsteeringcommitteemembersidentifiedliteraturetoassistwiththisstageoftheproject.Relevantliteratureisincludedinthereferencessectionofthisreport.
2.3 Field verification and site selection
Priortothemainfloristicquadratsurvey,asurveywasundertakentoverifyBeardvegetationassociationboundariesidentifiedfromanalysisofexistingdatasets,identifyplantcommunitiesnotidentifiedatthescaleofBeardvegetationassociationmapping,andassistwithlocatingfloristicquadrats.
Theverificationsurveywasconducted8-10July2008.Duringthesurvey,asmuchoftheGRFVSareawasvisitedaspossible,andtheobservedvegetationwascomparedtothemappedBeardvegetationassociationdescriptionstodeterminethedescriptionvalidity.AreasoutsideoftheGRFVSwerealsovisitedtodeterminewhetherthevegetationoutsidetheprojectareawasrepresentedwithinit.Duetotimeandaccessconstraints,fewareasnorthoftheprojectareaweresurveyed,howeverareasasfarsouthasWalkawaywerevisited.
Manyoftheproposedsiteswereinpoorcondition(grazed)ornotaccessible,soalternativesiteswereidentified.QuadratswerealsoaddedinareaswherethevegetationdidnotmatchBeardvegetationassociationdescriptions.
Theapproximatelocationsoffieldsurveysiteswereselectedonthebasisthattheyencompassedtheexpectedvegetationtypesidentifiedfromdatasetanalysisandthefieldverificationsurvey.Thesiteswere:
• scatteredspatiallyfromnorthtosouthandeasttowest,tocoverthegeographicalrangeoftheprojectarea;
• representativeofvariationsinthecatenarysequencefromcoasttouplands;
• inproportiontothepercentageoftheexpectedBeardvegetationassociationsextents,tosampletherangewithinthem;
• locatedinareasthatdidnotappeartobecoveredatthescaleoftheBeardvegetationassociationmapping,includingriparianandforeduneareas;
• representativeandinthebestobservedconditionforthevegetationtypeselected;and
• accessibleforsurvey.
Seventyproposedquadratlocationswereidentifiedandselectedonthebasisoftheresultsofthedatasetanalysisandverificationsurvey.Anadditional15siteswereselectedinareaswherethereisexpectedtobedevelopmentpressure.OnequadratwaslocatedintheWokatherraGapatthefootoftheMoresbyRanges,outsidetheGRFVSarea.ThisareawasassessedtoprovidecomparativeinformationonthevegetationoftheMoresbyRangesinrelationtopotentiallysimilarvegetationtothewest.Theapproximatepositioningofallquadratlocationswasapprovedbytheprojectsteeringcommitteepriortoconductingthefieldsurvey.
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Allsiteswereinareasmappedas‘nativevegetation’inthesuppliedvegetationextent(DAFWA2006)dataset,exceptimmediatelysouthoftheGreenoughRiverwhichwasnotincludedbutwasobviouslynativevegetation.Urbanparks(exceptChapmanRiverReserve)werenotsampledduetothehighdegreeofdisturbanceandtheprospectofpermanentquadratmarkersbeingremovedbymembersofthepublic.Onlysitesonpubliclandsorwherelandholdershadgivenpermissionforaccessweresurveyed.
2.3.1 Consideration of alternative approaches to site selection
ThelocationsofthefloristicquadratswereselectedtorepresentthegeographicrangeoftheGRFVSarea.Otherpossibleapproachestofloristicquadratlocationsincludetransectorgrid-basedsurveysandselectionofsitesbasedonsoilsubsystems.
Surveysbasedontransectsorgrids,locatingquadratsinalineararrangementfromthecoasttoinland(westtoeast)and,foragrid-basedsurvey,northtosouthwouldhaveprovideddetailedinformationonthelandscapeoftheGRFVSarea.Thissurveymethodwasnotusedbecauseoftheneedtoselectsitesthatareinthebestconditionandrepresentativeofthevegetationofthearea.Havingfloristicquadratsiteslocatedinparticularareaspurelybecauseoftheirgeographiclocationwithinapredeterminedpatternwouldhaveresultedinmanyquadratsbeingrecordedfrompoorconditionvegetation,thusprovidinglessusefulinformation,includingalowernumberofnativeplantspeciesrecordedfromthearea.Thisapproachwouldhaveprovidedadditionalinformationifalargernumberofquadratscouldbesurveyed,howeverlogisticalconstraintslimitedthenumberofquadratsthatcouldberecorded.
AnalysisofexistingdatasetsandtheverificationsurveyidentifiedsoilsubsystemsasbeinganimportantfactorintheoccurrenceofsomevegetationtypesintheGRFVSarea,particularlyriparianvegetationandMelaleuca cardiophylla-dominatedshrublandsonexposedlimestone.However,fieldobservationsanddiscussionswiththeprojectsteeringcommitteeindicatedthat,formostofthevegetationtypesknowntooccurintheGRFVSarea,soilsystem,catenarypositionandlandusehistoryweremorelikelytodeterminethecurrentvegetationthansoilsubsystems.
Thedatasetanalysisdeterminedthattherewere52soilsubsystemswithintheGRFVSarea.However,notallhadvegetatedareas.Logisticalconstraintsassociatedwithidentifyingvegetationfromeachofthesesubsystems,thenverifyingtheirconditiontoconfirmtherequirementofsurveyingvegetationinthebestpossiblecondition,precludedthisapproach.However,theselectionofquadratlocationsbasedonacombinationoffactorshasincluded23ofthesoilsubsystems,andmostofthevegetationvariationwiththeGRFVSarea.SoilsubsystemsintheGreenoughAlluvial(221Ga_)and
Greenough(225Ge_)systemswerenotwellrepresentedbyfloristicquadrats,mostlikelyasaresultofthelackofnativevegetationontheGreenoughAlluvialplains.SoilsubsystemsintheMoresby(225Mo_)systemwerealsounder-representedbyfloristicquadratsduetoinaccessibilityorlackofnativevegetation.
2.4 Floristic quadrat survey
Thefloristicquadratfieldsurveywasconductedduring11-22August2008and1-3October2008.ThefieldsurveywasundertakenaccordingtotheEPA’srequirementsasoutlinedinGuidanceStatementNo.51–Terrestrial Flora and Vegetation Surveys for Environmental Impact Assessments in Western Australia,aswellasusingNVISLevel5‘association’mapping.Level5mappingdescribesandmapsvegetation,recordingdominantgrowthform,height,coverandspeciesforthreetraditionalstrata:upper,midandground.
2.4.1 Information recorded for each quadrat
Thefloristicquadratsurveyusedpermanentlymarked10mx10mfloristicquadratstorecordNVISdescriptiondata(detailedinappendix2),andidentifyandrecordallvascularplantspecieswithinthequadrat,withcovervalue,heightandlifeformforthedominantspecies.
AdditionalinformationincludingGPSlocation,aspect,slope,topographicposition,soiltypeandcolour,exposedrockdetails,littercoveranddepth,extentofbareground,disturbancetypeandextentandrelevantnoteswererecorded.Weedinvasion,whichisaprimarycauseofvegetationdegradation,wasrecordedasapercentcoverineachofthefloristicquadratsandgroupedintoBraun-Blanquet(1983)CoverAbundanceClasses.TheGPSlocationwasrecordedusingahand-heldGarminGPS72,withpositionalaccuracyofapproximately5m(exceptwheredetailedontheindividualquadratrecordingsheet).
AKeighery(1994)bushlandconditionscore(detailedinappendix2)wasrecordedforeachquadrat.AdetailedvegetationconditionsurveyfortheGlenfieldandWaggrakinelocalstructureplanareaswasundertakenduringthesurveytoprovideinformationtoassisttheCityofGeraldton-Greenough.Resultsspecifictothissurveyarenotpresentedinthisreport;however,thesurveyhaspermitteddiscussioninrelationtothevegetationofthisarea.
Adigitalphotographofeachquadratwastakenfromapproximately5mfromthenorth-westcornerofthequadrat(exceptwherevegetationobscuredthecornermarker,wherethephotographwastakencloser),lookingdiagonallyacrossthequadratinasouth-easterlydirection.
Allvascularplantspeciesoccuringinquadratsduringthefieldsurvey,withtheexceptionofweeds,werecollectedforvoucheringwiththeWesternAustralianHerbarium,withaduplicatespecimencollectedfortheGeraldtonRegionalHerbarium.
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2.4.2 NVIS data entry
TheNVISisastandardisednationallyconsistentmethodofrecordingvegetationthatincludescommondescriptionsofvegetationusingstandardisedformats.ThispermitsdirectcomparisonofvegetationbetweendifferentregionsinAustralia.
AtthisstagethereisnoformalWesternAustraliadatabaseformanagingandstoringNVISdata.However,thedatacustodianistheDepartmentofAgricultureandFoodWesternAustralia(DAFWA)GeographicInformationServiceswhichshouldbecontactedforallenquiries.
NVISdataiscollectedusingstandardisedmethodologydetailedinappendix2andtheNVISAustralianVegetationAttributeManualVersion6.0.Thereisnostandardisedformforrecordingtheinformationandnostandardisedformatfordataentry.DataisenteredusingaMicrosoftExcelspreadsheetwithappropriatefieldnames,andthedatacustodianentersthedataontotheexistingOracledatabaseatDAFWA.
StandardisedvegetationdescriptionswereproducedfromtheNVISdatabase,usingformatsdetailedintheattributemanual,egM+^Stylobasium spathulatum,Acacia rostellifera\^shrub\3\i;G^Tetragonia implexicoma,Acanthocarpus preissii,Rhagodia preissii subsp.obovata\^shrub,forb,chenopodshrub\2\i.Thelongdescriptionofthisquadratwouldbe:dominantmid-stratumopenshrubland1-2mhigh,characterisedbyStylobasium spathulatumshrub,withAcacia rostelliferashrub,overgroundstratum0.5-1mhigh,characterisedbyTetragonia implexicomashrub,withAcanthocarpus preissiiforbandRhagodia preissiisubsp.obovata chenopodshrub.Thedominantstructuralformationwouldbe‘openshrubland’,with‘openforbland’and‘openchenopodshrubland’applyingtothenondominantstratum(strata,ifmorethanoneotherispresent).
Standardisedstructuralformationterminologyisusedtointegrategrowthform,heightandcoverwithineachstratum,egtheterm‘shrubland’isspecifictoshrubs,cycads,grasstreesandtree-fernswithstratumcovervalueof30-70%,whereasifthecovervaluewas10-30%thecorrectterminologyis‘openshrubland’.
2.4.3 Specific quadrat site selection
Thepositionofthequadratswererandomlylocatedtobegenerallyrepresentativeofthevegetationtypeselectedforsamplingduringthedatasetanalysisandverificationsurvey,butrepresentingthe‘best’(ieleastdisturbed)conditionvegetationavailableinthelocation.Theactualpositionofthequadratwasnotchosentodeliberatelyincludeorexcludeanyparticularspecies,butdidendeavourtoavoidbareorweedyareasasthesewerenotconsideredtobeinthe‘best’conditionareas.Despiteeffortstoselectthe‘best’conditionvegetation,somequadrats,particularlyinriparianareas,wereindegraded
conditionvegetation,accordingtotheKeighery(1994)bushlandconditionratingscale,asthiswasthe‘best’conditionavailableinthetargetvegetationtype.
2.4.4 Quadrat orientation and marking
Thequadratswereall100m2inarea,withallbuttwobeing10mx10mindimension.The10mx10mquadratswere:
• orientednorth/southandeast/west;
• permanentlymarkedonthenorth-westcornerwithafencedropperangledsotheopensidewastowardsthequadrat;and
• labelledwitharoundaluminiumtagstamped‘GRV08xx’,where‘GRV‘isanabbreviationfor‘GeraldtonRegionalVegetation’,‘08’referstotheyear(2008)andthefinaltwodigitsrefertothequadratnumber(01-81).
Twoofthequadratswerelinear(transects),20mx5mindimensionduetothelinearnatureoftheriparianvegetationinwhichtheywerelocated.Inbothcasesthetransectdirection(ofthe20mdimension)isdetailedonthequadratdescription,includingthecompassbearingofthetransect(recordedbywalkingthetransectlengthwithahand-heldGPS),andthemarkingstake(fencedropper)waspositionedwiththeopensidefacingtowardsthelongestdimension,inthecentreoftheshortestdimension.Onetransectwasalongtheriverbank,andtheotheracrosssteepbanksandanarrowstream.
2.4.5 Species voucher collection
Withfewexceptions,avoucherspecimenwascollected,pressedanddriedforeverynativevascularplantspeciesrecordedwithinthefloristicquadrats,andsubmittedtotheWAHerbariumwithcollectiondata.BysubmittingvoucherspecimenstotheWAHerbarium,accurateidentificationusingcurrenttaxonomyisensuredandanytaxonomicchangesareupdated.Wherepossible,aduplicatespecimenwascollectedforlodgingwiththeregionalherbarium.Sterilespecimensandsomecommonspeciesalreadywellrepresentedinthecollectionwereexcluded.
Wheretherewerefewindividualplantswithinaquadrat,voucherspecimenswerecollectedimmediatelyadjacenttothequadrat.Inafewcaseswheretherewerefewindividualswithinornearthequadrat,anditwasunlikelythattheycouldbeidentified(mostlynon-floweringorchids),theplantwasnotcollectedbutwasidentifiedtoatleastgenuslevelwherepossible.Inonecircumstanceasinglefloweringspecimenofanorchidspecieswaslocatedwithinthequadrat,butwasnotfoundoutsideit.Aphotographoftheflowerwastakentoassistwithidentificationoftheplant.
Plantsrecordedbutnotconfidentlyidentifiedbythesurveybotanistwereidentifiedusingreferencetaxonomictexts,andcomparisonwithdescriptions,distributionand
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photographsinFloraBase(WAHerbariumandDEC2009).Wheretherewasanyuncertainty,thespecimenwastakentotheHerbariumReferenceCollectionforcomparisonwithknownspecies,andonoccasion,specialisttaxonomistswereconsulted.Somespecimenscouldnotbeidentifiedastheyhadnoreproductivematerial.Wherepossiblethesewereidentifiedbycomparisonwithknownspecies;however,insomecasestheiridentitycouldnotbeconfirmed.Despitetheinabilitytonamesomeplantstospecieslevel,theyhavebeendeterminedtobediscretespeciesandhavebeennamedas‘sp.A’orequivalentinthisreport.
2.5 Statistical analysis
PATN©software(BelbinandCollins2006)wasusedtoundertakestatisticalanalysisandgeneratefloristicgroupsusingthedatacollectedfromthefloristicquadrats.PATN©analysishasbeenusedforseverallocalfloristicanalysesincludingGibsonet al(1994)fortheSwanCoastalPlain,Markey(1997)forthenorthernDarlingScarp,andinitiallybyCraiget al.(2008)fortheRavensthorpeRanges.ThesestudiesprovidedmethodologicalguidancefortheGRFVSproject.
PATN©isamultivariateanalysistoolthatgeneratesestimatesofassociation(resemblance,affinity,distance)betweensetsofobjectsdescribedbyasuiteofvariables(attributes),andclassifiestheobjectsintogroupsandcondensestheinformationanddisplaysthepatternsinthedatagraphically.
PATN©offersachoiceofdatatransformationspriortomultivariateanalysis.Inthiscase,becausetheanalysisusedpresence/absencedata,theKulczynskisimilaritycoefficientwastheappropriateassociationtouseasithasproventobeagoodestimationofassociationforecologicalapplications(BelbinandCollins2006).ThiswasfollowedbyFlexibleUPMGA(un-weightedpairgroupusingarithmeticaveraging)fusiontoproduceclustersofrelatedobjects(species);thesearethefloristicgroups,whicharedisplayedasadendogram.
Interpolationofthesepurelyfloristicgroupsintorecognisableunitson-groundwas,insomecases,notobviousorappearedtobeartificial.Therefore,furtherinterpretationwasundertakentorefinethefloristicgroupsintovegetationassociationsthatdescribethevegetationoftheGRFVSarea.
Detailsofstatisticalanalysis,includingPATN©,andothermeasuresusedtointerpretthevegetationpatternsoftheprojectarea,areincludedinappendix3.
2.6 Vegetation mapping
PlantcommunitieswithintheGRFVSareaweremapped,basedonthegroupingsfromthestatisticalanalysisofthefloristicdataandinterpretationoftheresults.Thismappingexercise,whichincludedgroundtruthing,wasconductedinJune2009.
2.6.1 Desktop vegetation extent mapping
Priortothevegetationmappingandgroundtruthingfieldsurvey,expectedboundariesofplantcommunitiesweredelineatedusingaerialphotographyandotheravailableinformation,detailedbelow,anddigitisedusingArcGISsoftware.Thedigitisinglargelyusedexistingvegetationextentmappingtodetermineremnantboundaries.
Someadditionalareaswereincludedwheresignificantareasofremnantvegetationhadnotbeenincludedinthevegetationextentmapping(egsouthoftheGreenoughRiver).Otherareaswereexcludedwheretheywerenotnativevegetationorhadbeenclearedsincethemapping.ClearedareaswerelargelyidentifiedthroughGoogleStreetView(GoogleInc2009),althoughboundariesofthesewereapproximateonly.
2.6.2 Interpretation of plant communities
Interpretationofaerialphotographyincludedinterpolationofvegetationboundarychangesbasedonchangesincolour,textureanddensityofvegetation,aswellasusingfield-basedexperiencetodelineateprobableplantcommunities.GoogleStreetView(GoogleInc2009)wasusedtoassistwithinterpretationinurbanareas.Areasthatcouldnotbesatisfactorilyidentifiedusingthistechniqueweregroundtruthed.
Existingmappingwasalsousedtoassistindeterminingvegetationboundarychanges,andincluded:
• partoftheareasouthoftheGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002);
• Southgate/CapeBurney(ATAEnvironmental2008);
• ChapmanRiverReserve(McCotterandEcoscape1993);
• GlenfieldBeach(CardnoBSD2006);
• Oakajee(MaunsellAustralia2008);
• Karloo(Ecoscape2007);and
• Buller(GHD2008).
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Soilsubsystemboundarieswereusedtoprovideanindicationofplantcommunityboundariesassomeplantcommunitieswereobservedtorespondtosoilchangesduringthefloristicsurvey.Theseincluded:
• theTamalaSouth5shallowsandPhase(221Ta_5Ts),whichwasthemostcommonsoilforthelimestoneridgeplantcommunities(11and12);
• theboundarybetweentheTamala(221Ta)andNorthampton(225No)soilgroups,whichwastheboundaryfortheSandplainplantcommunities(13and14)andtheThicket/Woodlandplantcommunities(15,16and17);and
• ripariansoilsplantcommunities(1and2).
TopographicmappingwasusedintheChapmanRiverReservetodeterminethelocationofriverbanks,whichformedtheboundarybetweenplantcommunity2(Riparian:Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa / Melaleuca rhaphiophylla)andplantcommunity14(ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleucaspp.).IntheOakajeecoastalarea,topographicmappingwasalsousedtoassistindelineatingboundariesbetweenthelimestoneridgeplantcommunities(11and12)andplantcommunity10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).
Plantcommunitiesidentifiedfromthefloristicquadratsdatawerealsoextrapolatedintoadjacentareas.
2.6.3 Field verif ication
Followingaerialphotographyinterpretationandpreparationoffieldmapsforthestudyarea,accessibleremnantsweregroundtruthedtodelineateplantcommunityboundariesduring16-19June2009.
Theplantcommunityverificationsurveydidnotincludeestablishmentandrecordingoffurtherfloristicquadrats,oraccessingprivatepropertyfordetailedassessment.Themappedvegetationboundarieswereassessedforaccuracyandcorrectedonfieldmapswherenecessary.Additionalplantspecies(whereobserved)wererecordedforinclusionintheplantcommunitydescriptions,plantcommunityrecognitionwasassessedandasearchforhistoricalplantcommunitieswasundertaken.
WherevegetationdidnotmatchanyGRFVSplantcommunitydefinition,acommunitydescriptionwasrecordedandaphotographtaken.Thedecisiontoeitherincludetheplantcommunityvariantwithinexistingplantcommunitiesorcreateanewcommunitywasmadethroughfurtherinterpretationofthedataanddiscussionwiththeprojectsteeringcommitteeattheconclusionofthefieldsurvey.
Followingthegroundtruthingsurvey,plantcommunityboundariesandattributesweredigitallycorrectedusingArcGISsoftware,andareasofplantcommunitieswerecalculated.
2.7 Botanical survey limitations
Asummarytableofbotanicalsurveylimitationsisincludedinappendix2.
TheGRFVSprojectecologistLynAtkinshasover20yearsofbotanicalsurveyandplantidentificationexperienceinWesternAustralia.Thereforeitisconsideredtherearenoconstraintsinrelationtothesurveyor’scompetence.
InaccordancewithEPAGuidanceStatement51,thefieldsurveywasundertakeninspring2008,whichiswithintheoptimalperiodtorecognisefloraspeciesinthesouth-westbotanicalprovince.Thirty-seven(approximately10%)ofthe375collectedvoucherspeciescouldnotbeidentifiedtospecieslevel;inmanycasesthiswasduetolackofdiagnosticfloweringmaterialatthetimeofsurvey.Poaceaeandotherherbaceousspeciesformedthemajorityofspecimensthatcouldnotbeidentifiedtospecieslevel,astheyhavealaterflowingperiod.Itisunlikelythatanyoftheunidentifiedspeciesweredeclaredrareflora.Itisconsideredthatthefloristicquadratsurveywasconductedatanoptimaltimetorecogniseasmanyspeciesaspossiblefromasinglesurveyandthereforetherearenegligiblelimitationsinrelationtotheabilitytorecognisespecies.
Thefloristicquadratsurveywasconductedover1510-hourdaysbytwosurveyors.Eachquadratwassurveyedforbetween40minutesand2hours,dependingonvegetationdensityandnumberofspecies.Itisconsideredthatthetimespentassessingeachquadratwasadequatetoidentifythepresenceofapproximately95-100%ofspeciespresent,andthereforetherearenegligiblelimitationsintermsofthetimespentsurveyingeachquadrat.
Intermsofthefloristicquadrats’representationofthevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,itisconsideredthatthesurveyadequatelyrecordedmostofthevariationwithintheareaatthescaleofasub-regionalsurvey.Thereforetherearenegligiblelimitationsinrelationtotherepresentationofthesurveythatarediscussedinsection2.3,anditisnotconsideredthatfurtherworkisrequired.
The2008winter-springrainfallforGeraldtonAirportwasapproximately64%ofthelong-termaveragefortheseason(May-Septemberaveragerainfall359.7mm,2008rainfall231.9mm(BOM2008)).Despitethelowerthanaveragerainfall,therewerenodiscernibleeffectsontheseasonalhealthandfloweringofanyspeciesobservedinthestudyarea.Therefore,therearenegligiblelimitationsinrelationtothepresenceofephemeralspeciesortheabilitytorecognisethem.
2.7.1 Plant identif ication
Exceptfortheoccasionalnon-floweringspecimensthatcouldnotbedeterminedtospeciesorgenuslevel,andwheretherewasmorethanonepossiblespeciesinthearea(egRhagodiasp.seedling,whichcouldhavebeeneitherofthetwospeciescommoninthearea),allvoucherspecimenswereidentifiedtospecieslevel.Thereforesome
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ofthese‘discrete’speciesareactuallynotdiscrete,butcouldnotbedeterminedtobeaspecificspeciesandcouldnotbecombinedaccuratelywithidentifiedspecies.
2.7.2 Plant community mapping
Theaccuracyofplantcommunityboundariesvariedaccordingtotheplantcommunity.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,theaccuracyofcommunitieswithdistinctboundaries(egriparianandestuarinecommunities)wasestimatedtobeapproximately20m.However,wherevegetationcommunitiesgradedfromonetoanother(egthecatenarysequenceofplantcommunities3Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius,8Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrublandand10NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland),theactualplantcommunityboundarymaybeupto50mfromthemappedboundary.Ingeneral,accuracyofthemappedplantcommunityboundariesisbetween20mto50m.
Plantcommunitiescoveringlessthan100m2werenotmappedunlesstheyoccupiedanareamappedasanentirepolygoninthevegetationextentmapping,forwhichaplantcommunitywasattributed.
AlthoughasmuchaspossibleoftheGRFVSareawasgroundtruthed,privatelyownedareasnotvisiblefromroads(generallyoccurringinthesouth-easternandnorth-easternportionsoftheGRFVSarea),areaswithnoroadaccess(egalongthecoastbetweenCoronationBeachandtheOakajeeRiver),andburntareasinChapmanRiverReservewerenotgroundtruthedandweremappedandattributedusingavailableinformation.Therefore,theconfidenceofattributingplantcommunitiesintheseareasislowerthaningroundtruthedareas,butisstillveryhigh(estimatedas90%confidence).
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3 Resul ts
3.1 Analysis of existing data
ThereviewofexistingdataindicatedthatwithintheGRFVSareathereare:
• nineBeardvegetationassociations(table1);
• sevenDAFWAsoilsystemsand52subsystems(tablea4.1inappendix4,displayedonmap1inappendix5);and
• thecurrent(2006)vegetationextentis6,112hafromwithin625discreteremnants,whichisapproximately15%oftheoriginalpre-Europeanvegetationextent.
3.2 Beard vegetation associations
TheGRFVSareacontainsBeardvegetationassociations35,129,359,371,387,413,431,440and675.TheBeardvegetationassociationboundariesfortheGRFVSareawerere-interpretedusingsoilsystemandsubsystemdata,asdetailedinappendix1.Therecommendedboundariesareshownonmap2inappendix5.There-interpretedBeardvegetationassociationboundariesareusedthroughoutthisreport.
3.2.1 Representation of Beard vegetation associations
RepresentationofBeardvegetationassociationsisshownintable2,asaproportionofthepre-EuropeanextentandtheareainDECestate,bothintheGRFVSareaandforthewholeofWesternAustralia(DEC2007).Dataprovidedinthetableisbasedonvegetationextentmapping(DAFWA2006)andthenewlyre-interpretedBeardvegetationassociationboundaries.Itdoesnotincludechangestovegetationextentmappingdescribedinsection3.3.3.
Colouredcellsintable2indicateBeardvegetationassociationswithapproximatelylessthan10%oftheoriginal(pre-European)extentremaining(red)andlessthan30%remaining(orange).The10%and30%ecologicalthresholdsaredefinedinnationalandstatepoliciesonnativevegetationprotectionandbiodiversityconservation(EnvironmentAustralia2001;EPA2000,2008).
Thegreencolouredcellsintable2highlightBeardvegetationassociationsthathadmorethan30%oftheirtotal(WA)originalextentoccurringintheGRFVSarea,andthosethathavemorethan30%oftheirtotal(WA)remainingextentoccurringintheGRFVSarea.Map3inappendix5showsthetotal(WA)extentofBeardvegetationassociationsoriginallyoccurringintheGRFVSarea.
Mappingerrors,largelyasaresultofdifferencesinscale,aregenerallyrecognisedasanissueassociatedwithBeardvegetationassociationmapping,soareasandpercentagesshouldberegardedasapproximateratherthandefinitivevalues.Hence,Beardvegetation
associationswithslightlymorethan10%oftheoriginalextentremaininginWA(35and371)havebeencolouredredintable2.MappingisfurthercomplicatedbytheuseofreinterpretedBeardvegetationassociationareas(withintheGRFVSarea)inthisreportandexistingmapping.Forexample,Beardvegetationassociation359isreinterpretedashaving1.41hainsecuretenureintheGRFVSareaandonly1.25hainsecuretenureinallofWesternAustralia.Minordiscrepanciesofthissortdonotimpactontheoverallconservationsignificanceattributedtovegetationassociations.
Original and current extent of Beard vegetation associations
Beard vegetation association 35(Shrublands;jamscrubwithscatteredYorkgum)originallyoccupied7.16%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and18.8%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately10.56%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 129(Bareareas;driftsand)originallyoccupied2.49%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and40%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately63.57%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 359(Shrublands;AcaciaandBanksia scrub)originallyoccupied43.71%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and17.3%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately18.8%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 371(Lowforest;Acacia rostellifera)originallyoccupied29%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and2.9%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately10.1%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 387(Shrublands;Melaleuca cardiophyllathicket)originallyoccupied0.29%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and1.4%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately89.6%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 413(Shrublands;Acacia neurophyllathicket)originallyoccupied4.17%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and18.6%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately46.62%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 431(Shrublands;Acacia rostelliferaopenscrub)originallyoccupied1.71%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and52.7%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately73.76%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
MARCH 201012
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
Bea
rd v
eget
atio
n as
soci
atio
n
GR
FVS
are
aC
ompa
riso
n of
GR
FVS
area
and
WA
In W
A
Ori
gina
l ex
tent
(ha)
Cur
rent
ex
tent
(ha)
%
R
emai
ning
1
Cur
rent
ex
tent
in
DEC
est
ate
(ha)
Ori
gina
l pr
opor
tion
of
GR
FVS
ar
ea (
%)2
Cur
rent
pr
opor
tion
of
GR
FVS
ve
geta
tion
(%
)3
Ori
gina
l pr
opor
tion
of
WA
exte
nt i
n G
RF
VS (
%)4
Cur
rent
pr
opor
tion
of
WA
exte
nt i
n G
RF
VS (
%)5
Ori
gina
l ex
tent
(ha)
Cur
rent
ex
tent
(ha)
%
R
emai
ning
1
Cur
rent
ex
tent
in
DEC
est
ate
(ha)
35S
hrub
land
s;ja
ms
crub
w
iths
catt
ered
Yor
kgu
m29
1554
918
.83
45.8
27.
168.
981.
582.
8218
4502
1948
610
.56
655.
85
129
Bar
ear
eas;
drif
tsan
d10
1540
640
.00
02.
496.
641.
070.
6795
286
6057
063
.57
2837
2.2
359
Shr
ubla
nds;
Aca
cia
and
Ban
ksia
scr
ub17
805
3077
17.2
81.
4143
.71
50.3
540
.02
36.7
844
493
8366
18.8
01.
25
371
Low
fore
st;A
caci
a ro
stel
lifer
a11
812
348
2.95
029
.00
5.69
30.4
310
.50
3881
633
1510
.10
199.
65
387
Shr
ubla
nds;
Mel
aleu
ca
card
iop
hylla
thic
ket
117
1.6
1.37
00.
290.
030.
790.
0114
898
1334
889
.60
393.
71
413
Shr
ubla
nds;
Aca
cia
neur
ophy
llath
icke
t16
9831
618
.61
04.
175.
1748
.88
19.5
134
7416
2046
.62
24.3
5
431
Shr
ubla
nds;
Aca
cia
rost
ellif
era
open
scr
ub69
636
752
.73
01.
716.
0011
.51
8.23
6047
4460
73.7
646
.75
440
Shr
ubla
nds;
Aca
cia
ligul
ata
open
scr
ub15
3180
752
.71
03.
7613
.20
36.3
734
.77
4209
2321
55.1
520
2.28
675
Shr
ubla
nds;
Mel
aleu
ca
and
Hak
eam
ixed
thic
ket
3148
240
7.62
79.4
27.
733.
936.
072.
1851
850
1099
221
.20
328.
05
Tota
l are
a40
737
6111
.615
.00
126.
6515
.00
4435
7512
4478
28.0
630
224.
1
Tabl
e 2:
Rep
rese
ntat
ion
of B
eard
veg
etat
ion
asso
ciat
ions
1 % R
emai
nin
g (c
urre
nte
xten
t/o
rigin
ale
xten
t):th
ep
rop
ortio
nof
the
orig
inal
ext
ento
fthi
sas
soci
atio
nre
mai
ning
.2 O
rig
inal
pro
po
rtio
n o
f G
RF
VS
are
a (%
)(or
igin
ale
xten
t/to
tala
rea)
:the
pro
por
tion
ofth
eG
RFV
Sa
rea
that
was
orig
inal
lyo
ccup
ied
byth
isa
ssoc
iatio
n.3 C
urr
ent
pro
po
rtio
n o
f G
RF
VS
veg
etat
ion
(%)(
curr
ente
xten
t/to
talc
urre
nte
xten
t):th
ep
rop
ortio
nof
the
tota
lrem
aini
ngv
eget
atio
nin
the
GR
FVS
are
aoc
cup
ied
byth
isa
ssoc
iatio
n.4 O
rig
inal
pro
po
rtio
n o
f W
A e
xten
t in
GR
FV
S (%
)(or
igin
alG
RFV
Se
xten
t/o
rigin
alW
Ae
xten
t):th
ep
rop
ortio
nof
WA’
sex
tent
oft
his
asso
ciat
ion
orig
inal
lyo
ccur
ring
with
inth
eG
RFV
Sa
rea.
5 Cu
rren
t p
rop
ort
ion
of
WA
ext
ent
in G
RF
VS
(%)(
curr
entG
RFV
Se
xten
t/c
urre
ntW
Ae
xten
t):th
ep
rop
ortio
nof
WA’
sex
tent
oft
his
asso
ciat
ion
curr
ently
occ
urrin
gw
ithin
the
GR
FVS
are
a.
MARCH 2010
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
13
Beard vegetation association 440(Shrublands;Acacia ligulatascrub)originallyoccupied3.76%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and52.7%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately55.15%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
Beard vegetation association 675(Shrublands;MelaleucaandHakeamixedthicket)originallyoccupied7.7%ofthepre-EuropeanextentoftheGRFVSarea,and7.6%ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainsintheGRFVSarea.WithinWAapproximately21.2%oftheoriginalextentofthisvegetationassociationremains.
RepresentationofBeardvegetationassociations,bothwithintheGRFVSareaandWA,isdiscussedinsection4.2.
3.3 Floristic quadrats
ThefieldsurveysconductedduringAugustandOctober2008assessed81ofthe85proposedquadratsites.Mostfloristicquadratswerelocatedclosetotheproposedlocations.Logisticalconstraintspreventedthreesitesfrombeingsurveyed.
Actualquadratlocationsinrelationtoproposedquadratlocationsaredisplayedonmap3inappendix5.Thedatacollectedfromthequadratsisprovidedinappendix6.
Table3indicatesthenumberofquadratssampledineachBeardvegetationassociation.ThenumberofquadratsineachBeardvegetationassociationisapproximatelyinproportiontothepercentoftheGRFVSareaoccupiedbyeachassociation(eg6%ofthefloristicquadratswerelocatedinareasmappedasBeardvegetationassociation371,whichformerlyoccupiedapproximately5.69%oftheGRFVSarea).TherewerenoquadratssampledfromtheoneremnantmappedasBeardvegetationassociation387asthesitewasnoteasilyaccessible.Twoquadratswereinareasnotincludedinthe‘vegetationextent’mapping(ietheareasweremappedasnothavingnativevegetation),althoughnativevegetationwasclearlypresent.
ThefollowingvegetationcommunitiesidentifiedduringthesurveydifferedfromthebroadscaleBeardvegetationassociationdescriptions:
• riparianareas,dominatedbyEucalyptus camaldulensis, Casuarina obesaorMelaleuca rhaphiophylla;
Beard vegetation association
Number of quadrats
Propor tion of quadrats (%)
Current propor tion of GRFVS vegetation (%)
35Shrublands;jamscrubwithscatteredYorkgum 5 6 8.98
129Bareareas;driftsand 3 4 6.64
359Shrublands;Acacia and Banksiascrub 44 54 50.35
371Lowforest;Acacia rostellifera 5 6 5.69
387Shrublands;Melaleuca cardiophyllathicket 0 0 0.03
413Shrublands;Acacia neurophyllathicket 5 6 5.17
431Shrublands;Acacia rostelliferaopenscrub 4 5 6
440Shrublands;Acacia ligulataopenscrub 9 11 13.2
675Shrublands;Melaleuca and Hakeamixedthicket 4 5 3.93
Notincludedinvegetationextentmapping 2 2 0
Totals 81 100 100
Table 3: Quadrat locations in relation to Beard vegetation associations
MARCH 201014
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
• estuarineareasdominatedbysamphire;
• foreduneareasdominatedbyAtriplex isatidea, Tetragonia decumbensandSpinifex longifolius;
• Frankenia paucifloradominatedswale;
• Ficinia nodosasedgedominatedswale;and
• Melaleuca cardiophyllaandDiplolaena grandifloradominatedshrublandsonexposedlimestone(notwithinareasmappedasBeardvegetationassociation387).
Thesedifferingvegetationtypesarediscussedinrelationtostatisticalanalysisinappendix3.
3.3.1 Plant species
Therewere469voucherspecimenscollectedduringthesurvey.Theseweredeterminedtorepresent372discretespecies(299nativeand73non-native),fromapproximately81families.Somespecimenscouldonlybedeterminedtogenus(10species)orfamily(19species)level,withsevenspecimensnotidentifiabletoanylevel.Thespecieslistforeachquadratisincludedwiththequadratdescriptionsinappendix6,andthecompletespeciesinventoryisprovidedinappendix7.
ThemostcommonlyrepresentedfamilieswerePoaceae(41species,including22introducedspecies,althoughsomespeciescouldnotbeidentifiedtogenus/specieslevelastheyhadnoreproductivematerial),Asteraceae(36species,including11introducedspecies),Myrtaceae(28species),Papilionaceae(16species,including8introducedspecies),Proteaceae(15species)andCyperaceae(14species).
ThemostfrequentlyrecordednativespecieswasAcacia rostellifera,occurringin43ofthe81sampledquadrats.OthercommonnativespeciesincludedAustrostipa elegantissima(in37quadrats),Dioscorea hastifolia(28quadrats),Acanthocarpus preissii(26quadrats),Thysanotus manglesianus(23quadrats),Desmocladus asper(20quadrats)andZygophyllum fruticulosum(20quadrats).
Introducedspecies(weeds)werealsowellrepresentedinthequadrats,with73speciesrecorded.CommonspeciesincludedbeardedoatAvena barbata(in42quadrats),wildturnipBrassica tournefortii (37quadrats),flatweedHypochaeris glabra(36quadrats)andannualveldtgrassEhrharta longiflora(33quadrats).Africanboxthorn(Lycium ferocissimum)wasrecordedfrom13quadrats,butisfarmorecommonthanisindicatedbyitsoccurrenceinfloristicquadrats.
Tenfloraspeciesofconservationsignificancewererecordedfromthequadrats,includingtwodeclaredrareflora(R),oneprioritytwo(P2),fiveprioritythree(P3)andonepriorityfour(P4)species:
• Anthocercis intricata(P3),recordedfromtwoquadrats
• Caladenia hoffmanii(R),recordedfromonequadrat
• Diuris recurva(P4),recordedfromthreequadrats
• Eucalyptus blaxellii(R),fromonequadrat
• Grevillea triloba(P3),recordedfromthreequadrats
• Hibbertia glomerosavar.bistrata(P3),fromonequadrat
• Leucopogonsp.MoresbyRange(P3),fromonequadrat
• Thryptomenesp.MoresbyRange(P3)fromtwoquadrats
• Thryptomene stenophylla(P2),fromonequadrat.
DECconservationcodesandtheirdefinitionsareintableA7.2inappendix7.Ingeneral,prioritylistedspeciesarepoorlyknownfromfewpopulations.
Anadditionalthreespecieswererecordedattheextentoforbeyondtheirusualrange(rangeextension):
• Hibbertia glomerosavar.bistrata(rangeextension),whichhaspreviouslybeenrecordedfrombetweenMorawaandMullewa.
• Linum marginale(rangeextremity),whichhaspreviouslybeenrecordedfromHowatharrabuttheusualrangeisconsiderablysouthoftheprojectarea.
• Drosera porrecta(rangeextension).ThecollectedspecimenhadnoreproductivepartsandwasidentifiedbycomparingvegetativestructurewithallotherDroseraspeciesintheWAHerbariumreferencecollection.TheonlysimilarspecieswasDrosera porrecta,whichisknownfromasfarnorthasEneabba.
MARCH 2010
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
15
Condition Degraded Good Very Good Excellent Pristine
Numberofquadrats 7 19 35 19 1
Table 4: Keighery (1994) bushland condition rating of quadrats
3.3.2 Vegetation condition
Vegetationcondition,assessedusingtheKeighery(1994)bushlandconditionratingmethodologydetailedinappendix2,wasrecordedforeachfloristicquadrat.Theresultsareshownonmap4inappendix5,andtable4.Representativephotographsofeachvegetationconditionratingareincludedinappendix2.
Nosurveyedfloristicquadratswereconsideredtobeincompletely degradedconditionasthisratingwouldindicateminimalnativevegetation.
Despitelocatingfloristicquadratsintheleastdisturbedconditionvegetationavailableforthevegetationtypebeingassessed,thereweremorequadratsrecordedfromdegraded or good conditionvegetationthanfromexcellent orpristineconditioncategories.
ThedegradedconditionquadratswereatBuller(intheswale)orassociatedwithriparianareas,includingthediscontinuousRumJungledrainageline.TheonlypristineconditionquadratwasintheWokatherraGapoutsidetheGRFVSarea,wheretherewasnoevidenceofdisturbance.TheWokatherraGapquadratwassurveyedtodeterminesimilaritywithvegetationtothewestoftheMoresbyRange,withintheGRFVSarea.
Weedcoverisshownonmap5inappendix5,andtable5.Mostquadratsweremoderatelyweedy(5-25%cover);however,11hadmorethan50%weedcover.Thesequadratswerelargelyassociatedwithriparianareas,butalsoincludedagrazedsitenearMoonyoonookaandaquadratlocatedintheswaleatBuller.
WeedinessR:
(rare)1:00 <5%
2 5-25%
3 25-50%
4 50-75%
5 >75%
Numberofquadrats 12 13 33 12 6 5
Table 5: Braun-Blanquet (1983) weed cover abundance of floristic quadrats
3.4 Plant communities
3.4.1 Floristic groups from PATN © analysis
PATN©statisticalanalysisofcollectedfloristicdataproducedadendogramshowinggroupsoffloristicsimilarity,displayedinappendix3.Theseinitialfloristicgroups,asidentifiedinthedendogram,aredisplayedhierarchicallyinfigure2.
Thenamesdisplayedonthehierarchyaredescriptiveonly,toindicatearelationshipbetweenthequadratsthatgroupedtogether.Thecolourcodingindicatesdifferentlevelswithinthedendogramandhierarchy:
• whiteindicatesadescriptivenameonly;
• orangeindicatesasupergroup,beingthemostsimilarfloristicgroups(andalsoincludetwofloristicgroups:estuarineandforedune);
• blueindicatesbroadfloristicgroupsthataredividedfurtherinthedendogram,howeverthesegroups,basedpurelyonfloristicsimilarity,requirefurtherinterpretationtotranslateintorecognisableon-groundvegetationcommunities(discussedinappendix3);
• greenindicatesafloristicgroupasidentifiedfromthefloristicanalysis;and
• thenumberbeforethenameofthefloristicgroupreferstothefinalisedplantcommunitygroupnumber.
MARCH 201016
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
Figure 2: Initial floristic group hierarchy, indicating final GRFVS plant community numbers
Greenough,Ficinia &GRV0805
Thickets
Coastal
Sandplain
NearCoastal
Limestoneridge
Limestoneand Peat
NearCoastal &Riparian
NearCoastal &
Inland
GRVS
3. Foredune
2. Riparian Near Coastal
1. Estuarine Sandplain &Thickets
5. Swale:Frankenia
MoresbyRange
13. Banksiaprionotes/Acacia
rostellifera
12. Melaleucacardiophylla
11. Melaleucacardiophylla/
Eucalyptus spp.
14. ChapmanRiver Reserve
4. Swale:(Ficinianodosa)
6, 7.Greenough
plus
8, 9, 10. Acaciarostellifera
15, 16, 17. Thicket
(2 �oristic groups)
(2 �oristic groups)
3.4.2 GRFVS plant communities
UsingthePATN©analysistodeterminebroadfloristicgroups,theninterpretingthesegroupsusingsoildata,dominantspeciesandvegetationstructuretoidentifyusableandrecognisablegroupings,thefollowingplantcommunitieshavebeenidentified.Eachofthesevegetationcommunities,denotedastheGRFVSplantcommunities,aredescribedindetailinappendix8,andthefloristicquadrats,mappedastheGRFVSplantcommunities,aredisplayedonmap7.EachGRFVSplantcommunity,asdetailedinappendix8,liststheNVISstructuralformationnameornamesrecordedduringthesurvey(egOpen Woodland or Woodlandforplantcommunity16)forthevariousstratawithinthecommunity.
Table6outlinesthemethodologyusedtodividethefloristicgroupsintotheGRFVSplantcommunities.TheMoresbyRangeshrublandswereidentifiedfromtheWokatherraGapquadrat.AsthisplantcommunityisnotwithintheGRFVSarea,andisbasedononlyonequadratofalargeanddiversearea,itwouldbeinappropriatetoassignacommunitydescription.Forfurtherinformation,seethequadratdataforGRV0864inappendix6.
3.4.3 Changes to vegetation extent mapping
Areaswherethevegetationextentmappinghaschangedisillustratedonmap8inappendix5.Someofthevariationinvegetationextentmappingisduetothescaleoftheoriginalmappingandrecentclearing.
Someareasofnativevegetationwerenotincludedinthevegetationextentmapping,andhavebeenaddedfortheplantcommunitymapping.Theseinclude:
• samphire(estuarineareas,plantcommunity1),whicharefrequentlynotincludedinvegetationextentmapping;
• southoftheGreenoughRivermouth;
• isolatedvegetatedareaswithindunefields;and
• someforeduneareas(plantcommunity3)weredetectedontheaerialimagery,althoughthefullextentofthisplantcommunityisstilllikelytobeunderestimated.Mostforeduneareasarenarroworandsparselyvegetated.
MARCH 2010
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
17
Floristic supergroup
Floristic groups (and interpretation into plant communities)
Plant community
Estuarine Estuarine 1 Estuarine: Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia (Co/Te/Sa)
Foredune Foredune 3 Foredune: Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius (Ati/Spl)
Riparian Riparian2 Riparian: Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa /
Melaleuca rhaphiophylla (Ec/Co/Mr) RumJungleisincludedinthisplantcommunity
NearCoastal
Swale: Ficinia nodosa 4 Swale: Ficinia nodosa (Fin)
Swale: Frankenia pauciflora 5 Swale: Frankenia pauciflora (Frp)
Greenough plus floristicgroup:twoofthequadratshavebeenincludedinoneoftheAcacia rostellifera groups,theothersareseparatedusingdominantspeciesandstructure
6 Coastal: Thryptomene baeckeacea (Thb) GRV0849
7 Coastal: Melaleuca cardiophylla (cMc) GRV0847
Acacia rostellifera groupshavelargelybeenseparatedusingvegetationstructure
8 Coastal: Acacia rostellifera low shrubland (cAr) IncludesGRV0805andGRV0850whichwereincludedintheGreenoughplusgroupbasedonfloristicanalysis.
9 Coastal Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptus spp. (Ar/Espp)
10 Near Coastal: Acacia rostellifera shrubland (ncAr)
Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla /Eucalyptus spp
11 Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptus spp. (Mc/Espp) IncludesGRV0861thatwasincludedinthelimestoneridgeMelaleucacardiophyllagroupbasedonfloristicanalysis.
Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla 12 Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla (rMc)
SandplainandThickets
Sandplain groupshavebeenseparatedintotwogroupslargelybasedonfloristics,withsomeinterpretationusingsoilandgeography
13 Sandplain: Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera (Bp/Ar)IncludesGRV0976fromChapmanRiverReserve
14 Chapman River Reserve: Acacia rostellifera / Melaleuca spp. (Ar/Mspp) Theremainingfloristicquadratsonshallowsoil.
Thicketshavebeendividedintogroupsbasedondominantspecies,structureandsoils(althoughthefloristicgroupsarelargelythesame)
15 Thicket: Melaleuca spp. / mixed spp. (Mspp/mx) OccursonsandstonesoilsofthefoothillsandlowerslopesoftheMoresbyRange.
16 Woodland: Acacia acuminata / A. tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii (Aa/At/H) WoodlandsandshrublandsontheloamysoilsoftheNorthamptonsoilsystem.
17 Woodland: Eucalyptus loxophleba (El) YorkgumwoodlandsoftheNorthamptonsystem.
Moresby Range shrublands OutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Table 6: Interpretation used to divide floristic groups into plant communities
MARCH 201018
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
Intotal,approximately6041.21haisincludedinthevegetationextentmappedforplantcommunities,whichisapproximately70.39halessthanthe2006nativevegetationextentmappingsuppliedforthisproject.Intotal,approximately102.19haor1.65%havebeenincludedasadditionalnativevegetation,and135.85haor2.2%havebeenexcluded,havingbeenclearedordeterminedtonotbenativevegetation(table7).
3.4.4 Plant community mapping
MapsoftheGRFVSplantcommunitiesareincludedinappendix5.Table8displaystheextent(inhectares)andpercentofnativevegetationintheGRFVSareaoccupiedbyeachGRFVSplantcommunity.
Thetwoswaleplantcommunities(4and5)aretheleastextensiveplantcommunitiesintheGRFVSarea,withonlyoneoccurrenceofeachcommunityrecordedduringthesurveys,occupyingrespectively0.01%and0.08%ofthenativevegetationextent.Plantcommunity10NearCoastal:Acaciarostelliferaisthemostfrequentlyencounteredcommunity,occupying36.63%ofthenativevegetationextentintheGRFVSarea.
Theimplicationsoftheplantcommunitymappingarediscussedinsection4.4.
Vegetation extent Hectares Per cent
GRFVSadditional 102.19 1.65%
GRFVSexcluded 135.83 2.20%
2006extent 5938.97 96.15%
Table 7: Changes to 2006 native vegetation extent mapping
MARCH 2010
Flora and Vegetation SurveyGERALDTON REGIONAL
19
GRFVS plant
communityDescription Area (ha)
Propor tion of GRFVS
area mapped as native
vegetation (%)
1 1Estuarine:Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia 33.22 0.54
2 2Riparian:Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa / Melaleuca rhaphiophylla 388.36 6.30
3 3Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius 96.52 1.57
4 4Swale:Ficinia nodosa 0.58 0.01
5 5Swale:Frankenia pauciflora 4.78 0.08
6 6Coastal:Thryptomene baeckeacea 11.08 0.18
7 7Coastal:Melaleuca cardiophylla 62.71 1.02
8 8Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrubland 546.26 8.86
9 9Coastal:Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptus spp. 12.47 0.20
10 10NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland 2258.87 36.63
11 11Limestoneridge:Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptusspp. 19.95 0.32
12 12Limestoneridge:Melaleuca cardiophylla 865.80 14.04
13 13Sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera 754.39 12.23
14 14ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleucaspp. 47.50 0.77
15 15Thicket:Melaleucaspp./mixedspp. 469.57 7.61
16 16Woodland:Acacia acuminata / A. tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii 452.11 7.33
17 17Woodland:Eucalyptus loxophleba 17.06 0.28
Non native vegetation
Area not occupied by native vegetation (e.g. planted vegetation) 125.57 2.04
Total native vegetation Area occupied by native vegetation 6041.21 97.96
Table 8: Extent of GRFVS plant communities
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4 Discussion
4.1 Native vegetation in the GRFVS area
WithintheGRFVSarea,15%ofthepre-Europeanextentofnativevegetationremains.Muchoftheremainingvegetationisdisturbed,fragmented,andsubjecttoongoingthreatsandtheimpactsassociatedwithclimatechange.Only2%oftheremainingnativevegetationoftheGRFVSareaiswithinIUCNI-IVreserves.IUCNI-IVreservesareconsideredtobetrueconservationreserves(forfurtherdescriptionofthesecategoriesseeDudley(2008)).AllIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSareaareDEC-managedlandsvestedwiththeConservationCommissionofWesternAustralia.
TheGRFVSprojecthasidentifiedanddescribedplantcommunitiesoccurringintheGeraldtonregion,focusingonareaswheresignificantlandusechangeordevelopmentisproposedoranticipated.InformationcollectedthroughtheGRFVSprojectwillassiststrategicregionalplanningfornativevegetationprotection,aswellasassessmentofproposalslikelytoimpactonnativevegetation.
4.1.1 Legislative and policy framework for native vegetation protection
WA environmental legislation
NativevegetationprotectioninWesternAustraliaislegislatedbytheEnvironmental Protection Act 1986(GovernmentofWesternAustralia)andtheWildlife Conservation Act 1950 (GovernmentofWesternAustralia).Specifically,theEnvironmental Protection Act 1986providesalegalbasistoassessproposalsthatarelikelytohaveanimpactontheenvironmentandtoassessnativevegetationclearing.TheWildlife Conservation Act 1950providesprotectiontospeciesthatarethreatenedorlikelytobecomeextinctwithoutintervention.
National Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation
Anumberofstrategieshavealsobeendevelopedtoaddressbiodiversityconservation,bothnationallyandwithinthestate.TheNational Strategy for the Conservation of Australia’s Biological Diversity(CommonwealthofAustralia1996)isparticularlyrelevanttonativevegetationprotectionasitsetstargetsfortheretentionandprotectionofbiodiversityatecosystem,speciesandgeneticlevels.ThestrategytargetshavebeenadoptedinWesternAustraliaandareusedintheassessmentofenvironmentalimpacts(EPA2000,2008).
EPA Posit ion Statement 2
TheEPAdevelopspositionandguidancestatementstoadviseproponentsonitsviewinregardstoenvironmentalmattersinWesternAustralia.Duetothehighclearingintheagriculturalareas,theEPApublishedPosition
Statement2Environmental Protection of Native Vegetation in Western AustraliatoclarifyitsviewofclearingintheWheatbelt(includingtheGeraldtonregion),andalsostateitspositiononclearinginareasoutsidethefocusarea.PositionStatement2statesthat“…the EPA is of the view that it is unreasonable to expect to be able to continue to clear native vegetation from land within the agricultural area other than relatively small areas and where alternative mechanisms for protection biodiversity are addressed.”Therefore,accordingtoEPAPositionStatement2,clearingintheGRFVSareawouldonlybesupportedbytheEPAwherealternativemechanismsaddressbiodiversityprotection.
Importantly,EPAPositionStatement2adoptstwocriteriafromtheNational Objectives and Targets for Biodiversity Conservation 2001-2005(EnvironmentAustralia2001)whicharetakenintoconsiderationintheassessmentofclearingproposals:
(i) 30%oftheoriginalextentofeachvegetationtypeisregardedasthethresholdlevelbelowwhichspecieslossappearstoaccelerateexponentiallyatanecosystemlevel;
(ii) 10%oftheoriginalextentofeachvegetationtypeisregardedasthelevelrepresenting‘endangered’.
EPA Bulletin 891: Geraldton Region Plan
ThestatedobjectiveoftheEPAfornativevegetationistomaintaintheabundance,speciesdiversity,geographicdistributionandproductivityofvegetationtypesandcommunities.InassessingtheGeraldtonRegionPlanundersection16oftheEnvironmental Protection Act 1986(EPABulletin891,1998)theEPAsupportedthedevelopmentofaremnantvegetationinventoryintheGeraldtonregionandtheconservationofregionallysignificantvegetationinbothprivateandgovernmentownership.
4.1.2 Conservation significance of native vegetation in the GRFVS area
EPAGuidanceStatement33Environmental Guidance for Planning and Development(2008)liststhetypesofnaturalareasthattheEPAconsidersareofhighconservationsignificanceandrequireahighlevelofprotectioninWA,including:
• stateandregionalconservationareas;
• areaswhereclearingwouldbeatvariancewiththenativevegetationclearingprinciplesinschedule5oftheEnvironmental Protection Act 1986;
• threatenedecologicalcommunities;
• significantfloraandfauna;
• wetlandsand buffers;
• riversandforeshores;
• importantlandscapesandlandforms;
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• naturalareasofheritagesignificance;and
• othernaturalareas,suchasecologicallinkages.
EPAGuidanceStatement33alsooutlinescriteriadevelopedbygovernmentagenciesandacceptedbytheEPAfortheidentificationofregionallysignificantnaturalareasforacomprehensive,adequateandrepresentative(CAR)systemofconservationareasinSouthwestAustralia,includingtheGeraldtonsandplain.ThesecriteriawereusedinselectingnaturalareasforaregionalsystemofconservationareasinthePerthmetropolitanandGreaterBunburyregionschemeareas.ItisreasonabletoexpectthatthefollowingcriteriashouldbetakenintoconsiderationwhendeterminingtheconservationsignificanceofGRFVSplantcommunities:
• representationofecologicalcommunities;
• diversity;
• rarity;
• maintainingecologicalprocessesornaturalsystems;
• scientificorevolutionaryimportance;and
• protectionofwetland,streamlineandestuarinefringingvegetationandcoastalvegetation.
ThisreportprovidesinformationontherepresentationofvegetationtypesintheGRFVSarea,mappedattheregionalscalebyBeard(1976a)andatthelocalscalethroughtheGRFVSproject.Thereportalsoprovidesinformationondiversity,rarity,andvegetationcondition,toassistindeterminingtheconservationsignificanceofnativevegetationintheGRFVSarea.AcomprehensiveanalysisoftheconservationsignificanceofplantcommunitiesintheGeraldtonregionisexpectedtooccurthroughphase2‘Conservationandregionalplanning’oftheGRFVSproject.
InrelationtotheGRFVSplantcommunitiesdocumentedinthisreport,someareuncommonorrestrictedinarea,atleastwithintheGRFVSarea.Itisdifficulttodiscusshowwidespreadorcommon,intermsofareaorproportion,theseplantcommunitiesareoutsidetheGRFVSareaasthedescriptiononlyapplieswithintheGRFVSarea.
UnlessthereisadirectcorrelationbetweenBeardvegetationassociationsandGRFVSplantcommunities,theplantcommunitiescannotbediscussedintermsofremainingvegetationextentasthereisnohistoricinformationavailable.However,thecurrentplantcommunityextent(withintheGRFVSarea)doesindicatethecurrentextentoftheplantcommunity(iein2009),andprovidesinformationforfuturereference.
Vegetation condit ion
WithintheGRFVSarea,vegetationconditionvariesgreatly.Althoughnofloristicquadratswererecordedinareaswherethevegetationconditionisregardedascompletely degraded(havingvirtuallynonativevegetationremaining,seeappendix2fordefinitions),vegetationexistsinallthe
Keighery(1994)ratingscores,althoughtheonlyquadratrecordedinpristine conditionvegetationwasoutsidetheGRFVSarea(GRV0864,intheWokatherraGap).
Manyoftheareaswithhighweedcoverareassociatedwithriparianareas,whereweedcoverisusuallyaresultofacombinationoffertilesoilfavouringweedcolonisation,frequentorhistoricgrazing(asriparianareasprovidethebestgrazingland),andfrequentdisturbancefromfloodsandstocktrampling.
Recentregionaldroughtconditionsappeartohaveresultedinshrubandtreedeathsandlossofvigourinsomeareas,mainlyassociatedwithplantcommunity13sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera.However,thecausecouldnotbedefinitivelydeterminedandsomequadratsmayhavehadtheircondition‘downgraded’asaresultofdroughtratherthandisturbance.
Ingeneral,mostvegetationwouldbeconsideredtobeingoodtovery goodcondition,asinmostareasthereisweedinvasionfrompreviousandcurrentlanduses.Conservationpriorityshouldbegiventovegetationinbettercondition,althoughthereareotherfactorsthatinfluencehowsignificantanareaofnativevegetationis,andhowimportantitistopreserveitwithinthelandscape(egremnantsize,landscapelinkages,andrarityofspecies,ecosystemsandvegetationtypes).
4.2 Beard vegetation associations in the GRFVS area
TheBeardvegetationassociationboundariessuppliedatthecommencementoftheGRFVSprojecthavebeenmodifiedduringthisassessmenttomoreaccuratelyreflectthesmallerscalesoilmapping,asdetailedinappendix1.ItisrecommendedthattheseamendedboundariesbeadoptedforassessmentswithintheGRFVSarea.
DescriptionsofBeardvegetationassociationsoccurringintheGRFVSareaareprovidedinappendix4.InterpretationofBeardvegetationassociationswithintheGRFVSareashouldtakethefollowingintoconsideration:
• Beard vegetation association 35(Shrublands;jamscrubwithscatteredYorkgum)isusuallyreadilyrecognisableasavegetationtypewithintheGRFVSarea.
• Beard vegetation association 129(Bareareas;driftsand)containsmostlybareareas;however,thereisvegetationlocatedbetweenandontheedgesofthesandyareas.WithintheGRFVSarea,thevegetationisgenerallythesameasfoundinthesurroundingBeardvegetationassociations440(Shrublands;Acacia ligulataopenscrub)and431(Shrublands;Acacia rostellifera openscrub).
• Beard vegetation association 359(Shrublands;AcaciaandBanksiascrub)isreadilyrecognisableasAcacia rostelliferaandBanksiaprionotesdominated
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shrublands,andthegeneraldescriptionisapplicableformostareasintheGRFVSarea,althoughthereareextensiveareaswhereBanksia prionotesnolongeroccurs.
• Beard vegetation association 371(Lowforest;Acacia rostellifera)isnotreadilyrecognisableasauniquevegetationtype,andisdifficulttodifferentiatefromotherAcaciadominatedBeardvegetationassociationsintheGRFVSarea.
• Beard vegetation association 387(Shrublands;Melaleuca cardiophyllathicket)isreadilyrecognisablefromitsdescription,andoccupiesextensiveareasofexposedlimestoneonridgesandescarpments.However,fieldsurveyshaveindicatedthatvegetationmatchingthedescriptionofthisassociationismorewidespreadthanBeardvegetationassociationmappingindicates.Melaleuca cardiophylla-dominatedvegetationisdescribedfromwithinthecatenarysequenceofotherAcacia-dominatedshrublands(Beard1976a),anditisreasonabletoassumethatthescaleofBeardvegetationassociationmappingisresponsibleforthisperceivedextentanomaly.
• Beard vegetation association 413(Shrublands;Acacia neurophyllathicket)isrecognisablefromitsgeographiclocation,occurringintheBullercatchment.However,asaspeciesAcacia neurophyllawasonlyoccasionallyobservedduringthefieldsurvey,andthereforethiscommunityisnotreadilyrecognisablebyitsspeciesdescriptor.
• Beard vegetation association 440(Shrublands;Acacia ligulataopenscrub)ismappedasoccurringincoastalareasnorthofTarcoolaBeach,althoughAcacia ligulatawasnotidentifiedwithintheGRFVSarea.Beard(1976a)statesthat‘atsomestagenorthofGeraldtonA. rostelliferaisreplacedinthishabitatbythecloselysimilarspeciesA. ligulata’.Thereforeitisconcludedthatthisvegetationassociationisanamalgamofthesetwospecies,withA. rostelliferaoccurringintheGRFVSarea.ThisvegetationassociationisnoteasilydistinguishedfromotherAcacia rostelliferadominatedBeardvegetationassociations.
• Beard vegetation association 675(Shrublands;MelaleucaandHakeamixedthicket)occursadjacenttotheMoresbyRange,ontheeasternedgeoftheGRFVSarea.Thedescriptionofmixedthicketisambiguous,howeveritisrecognisablefromitsgeographiclocationadjacenttotheMoresbyRange.
4.2.1 Representation of Beard vegetation associations
TherepresentationofeachoftheBeardvegetationassociationsoccurringintheGRFVSareaisdiscussedbelow,intermsofextentandconservationsignificanceinrelationtothe10%and30%thresholdsappliedatthestateandGRFVSarealevels.Table2showspre-EuropeanandcurrentextentsofBeardvegetationassociationsintheGRFVSarea.
TheBeardvegetationassociationsarediscussedintermsofthepre-EuropeanextentremainingandprotectedwithinWAandwithintheGRFVSarea.ItisimportanttoconsidertherepresentationofvegetationtypesintermsoftheirtotalextentinWA,aswellastheirlocalextentwithintheGRFVSarea.Considerationof‘localbiodiversity’representationassistsintheconservationofgenetic,speciesandecosystemdiversity.
ForthepurposesofdeterminingconservationprioritiesintheGRFVSarea,Beardvegetationassociationsmaybecategorisedaccordingtothefollowing:
• Regionally significant – endangered:Beardvegetationassociationsthathavelessthan10%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.
• Regionally significant – vulnerable:Beardvegetationassociationsthathavemorethan10%butlessthan30%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.
• Locally significant:Beardvegetationassociationsthathavemorethan30%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.Beardvegetationassociationsthathadmorethan30%ofthetotal(WA)extentoriginallyoccurringwithintheGRFVSareamaybeprioritisedoverothervegetationassociations.
Regionally significant – endangered
Beard vegetation association 35(Shrublands;jamscrubwithscatteredYorkgum)andBeard vegetation association 371(Lowforest;Acacia rostellifera)areconsideredtohavelessthan10%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.AccordingtocriteriaestablishedbytheCommonwealthgovernmentandadoptedinstatepolicy,thesevegetationtypesareregardedas‘endangered’ecosystems.Furthermore,thesevegetationtypesareinadequatelyreservedwithinWA,with0.355%oftheoriginalextentofBeardvegetationassociation35and0.015%oftheoriginalextentofBeardvegetationassociation371withinIUCNI-IVreserves.
WithintheGRFVSarea,Beardvegetationassociation371alsohaslessthan10%(348ha,equivalentto2.95%)ofitspre-Europeanextentremaining,andnoneiswithinIUCNI-IVreserves.Beardvegetationassociation35hasmorethan10%butlessthan30%(549ha,equivalentto18.83%)ofitspre-EuropeanextentremainingintheGRFVSarea,and45.82haiswithinIUCNI-IVreserves(OakajeeNatureReserve).
Beardvegetationassociation371originallyoccupiedalmostone-third(29%)oftheGRFVSarea,andwasthereforeoneofthemainvegetationtypesoccurringinthearea.Originally,almostone-third(30.43%)ofWA’stotalextentofBeardvegetationassociation371waslocatedwithintheGRFVSarea,whichhighlightsthesignificanceoftheareaforrepresentationofthisvegetationtype.TheGRFVSareanowcontains10.5%ofthetotalremainingWAextentofBeardvegetationassociation371.
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TheGRFVSareaislesssignificantforitsrepresentationofBeardvegetationassociation35.Thisvegetationtypeoriginallyoccupied7.16%oftheGRFVSarea;however,only1.58%ofWA’stotalextentofthisvegetationtypeoriginallyoccurredintheGRFVSarea.TheGRFVSareanowcontains2.82%ofWA’stotalremainingextentofthisvegetationtype.
Regionally significant – vulnerable
Beard vegetation association 359(Shrublands;AcaciaandBanksiascrub)andBeard vegetation association 675(Shrublands;MelaleucaandHakeamixedthicket)havemorethan10%butlessthan30%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentsremaininginWA.AccordingtothecriteriaestablishedbytheCommonwealthgovernmentandadoptedinstatepolicy,thesevegetationtypeshavebeenclearedbelowthethresholdatwhichspecieslossappearstoaccelerateexponentiallyattheecosystemlevel.Furthermore,thesevegetationtypesareinadequatelyreservedinWA,withonly0.003%ofthecurrentextentofBeardvegetationassociation359and0.006%ofthecurrentextentofBeardvegetationassociation675withinIUCNI-IVreserves.
WithintheGRFVSarea,Beardvegetationassociation675haslessthan10%(240ha,equivalentto7.62%)ofitspre-Europeanextentremaining,with79.42hainIUCNI-IVreserves(OakajeeandWokatherraNatureReserves).Beardvegetationassociation359hasmorethan10%butlessthan30%(3077ha,equivalentto17.28%)ofthepre-EuropeanextentremainingintheGRFVSarea,with1.41hawithinIUCNI-IVreserves(WokatherraNatureReserve).
Beardvegetationassociation359originallyoccupiedalmosthalf(43.71%)oftheGRFVSarea,andwasthereforethemainvegetationtypeoccurringinthearea.Originally,overone-third(40.02%)ofWA’stotalextentofBeardvegetationassociation359waslocatedwithintheGRFVSarea,whichhighlightsthesignificanceoftheareaforrepresentationofthisvegetationtype.TheGRFVSareanowcontains36.78%ofthetotalremainingWAextentofBeardvegetationassociation359,whichalsohighlightstheimportanceoftheareaforconservationofthisvegetationtype.
TheGRFVSareaisnotsosignificantforrepresentationofBeardvegetationassociation675.Thisvegetationtypeoriginallyoccupied7.73%oftheGRFVSarea,howeveronly6.07%ofWA’stotalextentofthisvegetationtypeoriginallyoccurredintheGRFVSarea.TheGRFVSareanowcontains2.18%ofWA’stotalremainingextentofthisvegetationtype.Beardvegetationassociation675isalsoconsideredtobesynonymouswiththeP1priorityecologicalcommunity‘PlantassemblagesoftheMoresbyRange’(DEC2009b).
Locally significant
Beard vegetation associations 129(Bareareas;driftsand),387(Shrublands;Melaleuca cardiophyllathicket),413 (Shrublands;Acacia neurophyllathicket),431(Shrublands;Acacia rostelliferaopenscrub),and440
(Shrublands;Acacia ligulataopenscrub)havemorethan30%ofthepre-EuropeanextentofnativevegetationremaininginWA.Mostofthesevegetationtypesareinadequatelyreserved,asBeardvegetationassociation387has2.643%,413has0.701%,431has0.773%,440has4.806%,and129has0.049%ofthecurrentextentofnativevegetationwithinIUCNI-IVreserves.
Intermsofnationalandstatepolicycriteriaforrepresentation,thesevegetationtypesarenotconsideredtobehighconservationprioritiesforWA.However,theextenttowhichtheyhavebeenclearedalsoneedstobeconsideredatthelocallevel.WithintheGRFVSarea,Beardvegetationassociation387haslessthan10%(1.6ha,equivalentto1.37%)ofthepre-Europeanextentremaining,withnonewithinIUCNI-IVreserves.Beardvegetationassociation413hasmorethan10%butlessthan30%(316ha,equivalentto18.61%)ofthepre-Europeanextentremaining,andnonewithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.
Beardvegetationassociations129,431and440havemorethan30%ofthepre-Europeanextentremaining,bothinWAandtheGRFVSarea;however,noneiswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.Intermsofnationalandstatepolicycriteria,thesevegetationtypes,mappedattheBeardvegetationassociationscale,arenotconsideredtobehighconservationpriorities.However,theGRFVSplantcommunitiesmappedatafinerscaleintheseBeardassociationsmaybeconsideredtohavehighconservationsignificance.TheGRFVSplantcommunities,includingtheirrelationship(spatialandfloristic)toBeardvegetationassociations,arediscussedinsection4.3.
Originally,theGRFVSareawasoccupiedby2.49%ofBeardvegetationassociations129,0.29%of387,4.17%of413,1.71%of431,and3.76%of440.AlthoughnoneofthesevegetationtypeswereoriginallywidespreadintheGRFVSarea,theareaisconsideredsignificantintermsofthestate’srepresentationofBeardvegetationassociations413and440.Originally,almosthalf(48.88%)ofWA’stotalextentofBeardvegetationassociation413waslocatedintheGRFVSarea,andnow19.51%ofthetotalremainingWAextentofthisvegetationtypeiscontainedintheGRFVSarea.Similarly,overone-third(36.37%)ofWA’stotalextentofBeardvegetationassociation440waslocatedintheGRFVSarea,andnow34.77%ofthetotalremainingWAextentofthisvegetationtypeiscontainedintheGRFVSarea.
TheGRFVSareaisnotconsideredtobesignificantintermsofthestate’srepresentationofBeardvegetationassociations129,387and431.Originally,1.07%ofWA’stotalextentofBeardvegetationassociation129,0.79%of387,and11.51%of431occurredintheGRFVSarea.TheGRFVSareanowcontains0.67%ofWA’stotalremainingextentofBeardvegetationassociation129,0.01%of387,and8.23%of431.
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4.3 Identifying and describing GRFVS plant communities
TheGRFVSdoesnotaimtoreplacetheBeardvegetationassociationmapping,butprovidesmoredetailaboutthevegetationoftheGRFVSareatopermitreasonableplanningdecisionstobemade.Tothisend,anewsetofsupplementalplantcommunities(theGRFVSplantcommunities)havebeendevelopedusingcollectedfloristicquadratdata,statisticalanalysisandinterpretation.Thesehavebeendescribedearlierinthisreport,andwillbediscussedinfurtherdetailinsection4.4.
4.3.1 Determining GRFVS plant communities
DeterminingGRFVSplantcommunitieswasamulti-stageprocess,thatbeganwithdesktopinterpretationofexistingmapping(Beardvegetationassociationsandsoilmapping),andcontinuedwithfieldverificationofthevalidityofthevegetationtypesandthemappingboundaries.
Desktop and field survey
Itwasapparentthatthescale,and,attimesthemappedboundariesoftheBeardvegetationassociationdata,wasinsufficienttodescribethevegetationoftheGRFVSarea.Thiswasparticularlythecaseinrelationtoimportantbutsmallscalevegetationtypesincludingriparianandforeduneareas,limestonecommunities,andvariationinvegetationstructure.
ThenextstageindeterminingGRFVSplantcommunitieswastoundertakeafloristicsurvey,recordingallspecieswithin10mx10mfloristicquadrats,vegetationcommunitydescriptionsandenvironmentalattributesofthequadratlocations.
Statist ical analysis and interpretation
Althoughsomeplantspeciescouldnotbedeterminedtospecieslevel,mostlybecauseoftheabsenceofdiagnosticreproductivematerial,PATN©statisticalanalysiswasundertakentogroupthefloristicquadratsintofloristicgroups.Broadly,theresultinghierarchyrepresentedtheplantcommunitiesoftheGRFVSarea;however,somefloristicgroupsrequiredinterpretation,andrearrangement,torepresenttheobservedon-groundplantcommunities.Havingrecognisableon-groundplantcommunitiesisvitalbecausetheobjectivesfortheprojectincludedproductionofmappableplantcommunitiesthatadequatelydescribethevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,toenablesoundenvironmentalplanningincludingrecognisingsignificantplantcommunities.
FollowingdiscussionwiththeGRFVSprojectsteeringcommittee,the15floristicgroupsidentifiedusingthestatisticalanalysishavebeeninterpretedandmodifiedtoform17GRFVSplantcommunities,detailedinvarioussectionsofthisreportanddescribedinappendix8.AnadditionalgroupfromtheMoresbyRange(Wokatherra
Gap)wasseparatedbystatisticalanalysis.Asdiscussedinsection2.3thisquadratwasnotwithintheGRFVSarea,thereforeithasnotbeenexaminedfurtherinthisreport.
4.3.2 Relevance of GRFVS plant communities
TheGRFVSplantcommunitiesareonlyapplicabletotheGRFVSprojectarea.TheGRFVSplantcommunitiesmayalsoberelevanttoareasoutsidetheGRFVSarea;however,carewouldberequiredwithcommunityinterpretationandextrapolation,particularlyinrelationtorarityandcommonalityofvariouscommunities.
AdoptionoftheGRFVSplantcommunitiesbytheDEC,EPA,otherstateauthoritiesandlocalgovernmentswillnotreplacetherequirementfordetailedsite-specificfloraandvegetationsurveys,includingthoserequiredforenvironmentalimpactassessments,clearingpermitsorrezoningapplications.
4.3.3 GRFVS plant community mapping
Allplantcommunitieswererecognisableason-groundvegetationunits;however,someoftheserequireinterpretationandtherearesomepotentialmappingissues,detailedinsection2.7.2,andshownintable9.
4.3.4 Dif f iculties with recognising plant communities
Themajorityoftheplantcommunitiesdeterminedfromthisprojectwereallrecognisableinthefield,andcouldbeimmediatelyidentifiedwithoutconfusion.Theexceptionswhichrequiredinterpretationwere:
• AnareaofMelaleuca huegelii / Acacia rostelliferashrublandnearGlendinningRoad,TarcoolaBeach(mappedbyATAEnvironmental2008),whichwasdeterminedinthefieldtobemostsimilartoplantcommunity8CoastalAcacia rostelliferalowshrubland,basedonthepresenceofunderstoreyspecies.Afloristicquadratwasnotestablishedinthisarea;however,thissitewasvisitedduringthecommunitymappingsurveyandnineperennialandsixidentifiableannual(weed)specieswererecorded.PATN©analysis,usingspeciesidentifiedfromanapproximate10mx10marea,indicatedthatthiscommunitywasfloristicallymostsimilartoplantcommunity8.Theplantcommunitydescriptionhasbeenbroadenedtoincludethisvariant.
• AreasoflowheathatKarlooandUtakarradominatedbyMelaleucaspp.recordedbyEcoscape(2007).Theseinitiallyappearedtobeanewcommunitybutoncloserexaminationweredeterminedtobepartofplantcommunity13(Sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera)asthespeciespresentconstitutedtheunderstoreyspeciesofthisplantcommunity.Itislikelythattheshallowsoilofthisarea,whichincludedlimestoneoutcropping,limitedthepresenceofthe
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GRFVS plant community Discrete or merging: boundary accuracy Other potential mapping issues
1 Estuarine: Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia (Co/Te/Sa)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m
Oftenoccupiesareasnotincludedin‘vegetationextent’mapping;potentialforsalineareasthatarenotestuarinetobethisplantcommunity
2 Riparian: Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa / Melaleuca rhaphiophylla (Ec/Co/Mr)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m
FringeorpocketsofAcacia rostelliferavegetationcommonbutusuallytoonarrowtobemappedseparately
3 Foredune: Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius (Ati/Spl)
Mergeswithplantcommunity8:boundaryaccuracy20-50m
Oftenoccupiesareasnotincludedwithin‘vegetationextent’mapping
4 Swale: Ficinia nodosa (Fin) Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m
MostoccurrencesofFicinia nodosahavelessthan2%groundcoverandcannotbemappedasacommunity
5 Swale: Frankenia pauciflora (Frp)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m
6 Coastal: Thryptomene baeckeacea (Thb)
Mergeswithplantcommunity8:boundaryaccuracy20-50m
7 Coastal: Melaleuca cardiophylla (cMc)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m Mosaiccommunity(usuallywithcommunity10).
8 Coastal: Acacia rostellifera low shrubland (cAr)
Mergeswithplantcommunities3and10;boundaryaccuracy20-50m
Broadboundarywithplantcommunity10;uncommonvariantdominatedbyMelaleuca huegelii
9 Coastal: Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptus spp. (Ar/Espp)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m
Dominantmallee(E. oraria)hassamefoliagecolourasA. rostellifera,andmaybedifficulttodifferentiatefromadistance;afewisolatedmalleesmayoccurinadjacentareas
10 Near Coastal: Acacia rostellifera shrubland (ncAr)
Mergeswithplantcommunity8:boundaryaccuracy20-50m
Broadboundarywithplantcommunity8;variantcommunityco-dominatedbyAlyxia buxifoliaandPittosporum ligustrifoliumnearGreenoughRiver;plantcommunity10isoftenaresultofdisturbancebutsomeelementsofpreviouscommunityremainingmaymakeinterpretationdifficult
11 Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptus spp. (Mc/Espp)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc.20m
Althoughthesecommunitiesarestructurallydistinct,thescaleofplantcommunity11maymakethesecommunitiesdifficulttomapasseparateunits;isolatedmalleeswithinplantcommunity12shouldnotbeinterpretedasplantcommunity11
12 Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla (rMc)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc20m
13 Sandplain: Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera (Bp/Ar)
Mergeswithplantcommunity14inChapmanRiverReserve:boundaryaccuracyc20m
UncommoncommunityvariantsincludelowheathandAllocasuarina huegelianawoodland;degradationofthiscommunityleadstoitbecomingplantcommunity10
14 Chapman River Reserve: Acacia rostellifera / Melaleuca spp. (Ar/Mspp)
Mergeswithplantcommunity13;boundaryaccuracyc20m
Unabletoaccuratelymapextentduetorecentfirepriortosurvey
15 Thicket: Melaleuca spp / mixed spp. (Mspp/mx)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc20m
Degradedexamplesofthiscommunitybecomeplantcommunity16,butmaybedifficulttointerpretbetweenthesecommunities
16 Woodland: Acacia acuminata / A. tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii (Aa/At/Hp)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc20m
LessdegradedexamplesincludeAcacia acuminatabutmoredegradedexamplesarealmostentirelyAcacia tetragonophyllaormorecommonlyHakea preissii
17 Woodland: Eucalyptus loxophleba (El)
Discrete;boundaryaccuracyc20m
Table 9: Anticipated potential mapping issues
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overstoreyspeciesandrestrictedthedevelopmentofallspeciestoformalowheathcommunityratherthanatallershrubland.
• SmallareasdominatedbyMelaleuca lanceolata.AnecdotalandhistoricalrecordsindicateaM. lanceolatadominatedcommunityoccurredwithintheGRFVSarea,neartheroadtotheGreenoughRivermouth(O’Connor2001),andnearthemouthoftheChapmanRiver(JennaBrooker,pers.comm.).Fourareaswereidentifiedwherethiscommunityhadpreviouslyexisted;however,onlysmallareasdissectedbyroadsremained(twowerealongBrandHighwaybetweenDevlinPoolRoadandGreenoughRiverRoad,andatPointMooreandCathedralAvenue,illustratedinfigure3).Nonewereofsufficientsizetomapasseparatecommunitiesandhavebeenincludedintheadjacentplantcommunitydescriptionsinappendix8.AfewindividualM. lanceolatawerealsolocatedintheChapmanRiverReserveadjacenttotheSpaldingParkplayingfields;however,theirscatterednatureindicatedthatthesewereunlikelytohaveformedacommunityinthepast.
• Areasofdisturbance,wheresomeelementsofthepreviouscommunityremainedbuthadlargelybeenreplacedbyAcacia rostellifera.Thiswasmostapparentonyellowsandplainsoils,whereoccasional
Banksia prionotesorothertypicalsandplainspeciesoccurredsparselywithinotherwisedegradedareas.Inthiscase,whereherbaceousspeciesnolongeroccurredorweresparselydistributedwithinthecommunity(exceptAcanthocarpus preissii,Austrostipa elegantissima, Pimelea microcephala, Rhagodia spp.andStylobasium spathulatum),thecommunitywasassessedasbeingplantcommunity10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).Thedescriptionofthiscommunityincludesreferencetoitsoftendisturbednature.
• AreasclosetotheGreenoughRiverdominatedbyAcacia rostellifera, Alyxia buxifolia and Pittosporum ligustrifoliumhavebeenassessedasbeingassociatedwithplantcommunity10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).
• ChapmanRiverReservewherearecentfireontheeasternsideoftheparkmadethedeterminationoftheplantcommunity14(ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleucaspp.)boundarydifficulttointerpret.Itispossiblethatthiscommunityoccupiesalargerareathanismapped.
• WithinOakajeeNatureReserve,adjacenttothesouthernedge,isapatchofsamphire.Analysisofthisareadeterminedittobeavariantofplantcommunity
Figure 3: Areas dominated by Melaleuca lanceolata that are too small to be mapped as a plant community
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1(Estuarine:Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia).ThisareawithinOakajeeNatureReservedoesnotmatchthe‘estuarine’descriptionofplantcommunity1;however,itformsaverysmallproportionofthiscommunity.Asthemajorityoftheoccurrencesforthisplantcommunityarewellsuitedtothedescriptivenameof‘estuarine’,thedecisionwasmadenottochangethecommunityname.Hadsimilarareasoccurredmorefrequentlywithinthisplantcommunity,itwouldhavenecessitatedanamechangeto‘saltmarsh’.
4.3.5 Historical plant communities
Plantcommunitiesthatwereknownfromhistoricalrecords,thatweresearchedforandnotfound,were:
• Verticordia chrysantharecordedfromChapmanRiverReserve(McCotterandEcoscape1993).Althoughthisplantcommunitywasnotfoundandispresumedtonolongerexistinthepark,itisassumedtohavebeenaformervariantwithinplantcommunity13(Sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera)andisnotedinthedescriptioninappendix8.Astheareaofitsformerlyreportedoccurrencehadbeenrecentlyburnt,itisalsopossiblethatitmayhavebeenavariantwithinplantcommunity14(ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleucaspp.);however,thiscouldnotbedetermined.
• Themeda triandragrasslandswerepreviouslyrecordedfromtheGreenoughAlluvialFlats(O’Connor2001),ofwhichasmallareaisincludedintheGRFVSarea.Itispossiblethatthiscommunitymaystillexistintheareabutmaynothavebeenmappedasnativevegetation.IfitdoesoccurwithintheGRFVSarea,itwouldbeadiscreteplantcommunityandwouldrequireacommunitydescriptiontobedeveloped.
• Yorkgum(Eucalyptus loxophleba)woodlandwithAcacia rostelliferaandThemeda triandraunderstorey,formerlyknownfromtheGreenoughAlluvialFlats.O’Connor(2001)suggestedthatthiscommunityhasprobablybeencompletelycleared.Althoughthedescriptionofthiscommunitydoesnotcompletelymatchthatofacritically endangeredthreatenedecologicalcommunityfromtheGreenoughRiverFlats(42:Acacia rostelliferalowforestwithscatteredEucalyptus camaldulensisonGreenoughAlluvialFlats),thereisadegreeofsimilaritytothedescriptionofthe‘backflats’thatindicatethattheYorkGumwoodlandisincluded.ThiscommunityhasbeennominatedforachangeinconservationstatustoPresumed Totally Destroyed(CatherinePage,DECpers. comm.)asallpreviouslyknownoccurrencesarecompletelydegraded.ThischangeinstatusiscurrentlyawaitingendorsementfromtheWesternAustralianMinisterfortheEnvironment.
Despiteattemptstosurveythecompleterangeofvegetation,thereisthepotentialthatotherdiscreteplantcommunitiesmayalsooccurwithintheGRFVSarea.
4.4 GRFVS plant communities
ThissectiondiscusseseachGRFVSplantcommunityintermsofitsoccurrenceintheGRFVSarea,spatialandfloristicrelationshiptoBeardvegetationassociations,conservationsignificance(rarity,representation,diversity,andpresenceofwetland,streamline/estuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation),andvegetationconditionandthreats.
4.4.1 Plant community 1 Estuarine: Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity1isdominatedbyCasuarinaobesaandsamphire,andoccursinestuarineareasonwetsalinealluvialsoilatrivermouthsandalongsalineriveredgesclosetothecoast.Plantcommunity1ismostextensiveatthemouthofChapmanRiverandRuddsGullynearDevlinPool.ItalsooccursalongtheedgeofGreenoughRiverneartherivermouth,andinsmallareasnearthemouthsofotherrivers.Plantcommunity1isconsideredtobeequivalenttovegetationunit6‘riverfringe’definedthroughtheSWALEprojectfortheareasouthofGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
Plantcommunity1islocatedinpartsofBeardvegetationassociations371and431withintheGRFVSarea.Floristically,plantcommunity1doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularBeardvegetationassociation,duetotheplantcommunitybeingrestrictedtoestuarineareaswhicharepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity1occupies33.22haor0.54%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunities.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity1occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity1wasidentifiedfromtwoquadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0859and60),whereuptoeightnativespecieswererecorded.Avariantofplantcommunity1occursonOakajeeNatureReserve,andwouldbedescribedas‘saltmarsh’ratherthanestuarine.AnarrowareaofMelaleucalanceolataoccursupslopeofplantcommunity1alongBrandHighway,RuddsGully.
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Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity1containsestuarinefringingvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity1isnotthreatenedbyclearing,grazingorweedinvasion.However,itmaybethreatenedbyhydrologicalchange,includingchangesinsalinity,watertableriseandchangesinriverflows.
4.4.2 Plant community 2 Riparian: Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa / Melaleuca rhaphiophylla
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity2isdominatedbyEucalyptus camaldulensissubsp.obtusa, Casuarina obesaandMelaleuca rhaphiophylla,andoccursinriparianareasalongdrainagelinesuntilmergingwithanestuarineplantcommunity(plantcommunity1).Plantcommunity2occursalongallriversandstreamsintheGRFVSarea,andincludestheareainformallyknownas‘RumJungle’.Eucalyptus camaldulensis andCasuarina obesa occuralongthelengthoftherivers,whereasMelaleuca rhaphiophyllaonlyoccursinthefresherandwetterreachesoftherivers.Acacia rostelliferaoftenoccursatthetopofriverbanks,orinraisedareaswithinthedrainagelinesassociatedwiththisplantcommunity.Salineareasofplantcommunity2aresimilartoplantcommunity1.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity2traversesBeardvegetationassociations35,359,371,413and675.Floristically,plantcommunity2doesnotcorrespondtoanyBeardvegetationassociationwithintheGRFVSarea,duetotheplantcommunitybeingrestrictedtoriparianareaswhicharepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity2occupies388.36haor6.3%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity2occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea,butitoccursinChapmanRiverReserve.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity2wasidentifiedfrom10quadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0806,07,08,09,15,24,45,71,72and80),wherearangeof3-11nativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity2containsstreamlinefringingvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
WithintheGRFVSarea,thisplantcommunityislargelyindegradedorgoodcondition,usuallyasaresultofweedinvasionandgrazing.Itisanticipatedthattheconditionwouldbesimilarthroughmuchofthepotentialrangeoftheplantcommunityasmuchoftheareaiswithintheagriculturalzone.ThemainthreatstothisplantcommunitywithintheGRFVSareaaregrazing,weedinvasion,stocktrampling,fire,clearingandincreasingsalinity,anditislikelythatthesethreatsarecommonthroughoutthepotentialareainwhichthisplantcommunitymayoccur.Althoughmostrepresentativesofthisplantcommunityaredegraded(weedyandoftengrazed),theplantcommunityisimportanttomaintainecologicalfunctionandlinkagesinthelandscape.
4.4.3 Plant community 3 Foredune: Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity3isdominatedbyAtriplex isatideaandSpinifex longifolius,andoccursonforedunesalongthecoast.Atriplex isatideaisonlyfoundonforedunes,whereasotherspeciesinthisplantcommunityalsooccurinthelowcoastalshrubland(plantcommunity8)behindtheprimarydunes.Plantcommunity3isconsideredtobeequivalenttovegetationunit1‘foredune’definedthroughtheSWALEprojectfortheareasouthofGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity3islocatedwithinpartsofBeardvegetationassociations129,371,431and440(iethecoastalvegetationtypes).Floristically,plantcommunity3doesnotspecificallycorrespondtoanyoftheseBeardvegetationassociations,butisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionsusedbyBeard(1976a).Theplantcommunityisrestrictedtoforeduneareas,whicharepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity3occupies96.52haor1.57%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea;however,itislikelytobemorewidespreadasitoccupiesareasnotincludedinnativevegetationextentmapping.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity3occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
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Diversity
Plantcommunity3wasidentifiedfromtwoquadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0804and26),whereuptofivenativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity3containscoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity3iswidespreadalongthecoast.However,mostoccurrencesarethreatenedbyurbandevelopment,stormerosion,andtheimpactsofrecreationalvehicleusealongbeaches.
4.4.4 Plant community 4 Swale: Ficinia nodosa
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity4isdominatedbyFicinia nodosa,andoccursinasmallpocketinthedeflationbasinswalebehindanadvancingdunefield.TheonlyoccurrenceofthisplantcommunityissouthoftheOakajeeRivermouth,althoughasaspeciesFicinia nodosaissparselyscatteredthroughouttheshallowsandareasbehindadvancingdunesbetweenDrummondsCoveandtheOakajeeRiver.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity4islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociation129.Floristically,plantcommunity4doesnotspecificallycorrespondtothisBeardvegetationassociation,butisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionusedbyBeard(1976a).TheplantcommunityhasalocalisedoccurrencepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity4occupies0.58haor0.01%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisthemostrestrictedofalltheGRFVSplantcommunities.Whileitispossiblethatthisisasuccessionalstage,andnotalong-livedcommunity,itisrareasacommunity(althoughnotrareasaspecies)intheGRFVSarea.Despiteintensivesearchesduringthefieldsurveys,onlyoneexampleofthisplantcommunitywaslocated.IthasbeenobservedasaplantcommunityelsewhereinWesternAustraliabythesurveyor,mostnotablynearPortGregory,buthasnotbeencommonlyobservedinanyareanorcoveringanygreatextent.Furthersurveyswouldberequiredtodetermineitsregionalandstatewidesignificance.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity4occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity4wasidentifiedfromonequadrat(GRV0814)wherefournativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity4containscoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
IntheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity4isprimarilythreatenedbydegradationfromrecreationalvehicleuseandpotentiallybyclearingfortheOakajeePortandRaildevelopment.ElsewhereinWesternAustraliathemainthreatsarelikelytobehydrologicalchangeasthecommunityisoftenassociatedwithdampareas,includingdeeperduneswales.
4.4.5 Plant community 5 Swale: Frankenia pauciflora
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity5isdominatedbyFrankenia paucifloraandoccursinasinglepeat-soilswaleinthecoastaldunesoftheBullerlocality.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity5islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociation359.Floristically,plantcommunity5doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularBeardvegetationassociationwithintheGRFVSarea,duetotheplantcommunityhavingalocalisedoccurrencepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity5occupies4.78haor0.08%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisthesecondmostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunity.ElsewhereinWesternAustraliathiscommunityisassociatedwithareasclosetosaltlakesorneartheshore.TheGRFVSoccurrenceappearstobeuniqueinitsassociationwithapeat-soilduneswaleratherthansaltlakeorcoastalareas;however,furthersurveyswouldberequiredtodetermineitsregionalandstatewidesignificance.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity5occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity5wasidentifiedfromtwoquadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0818and58),whereuptosevennativespecieswererecorded.
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Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity5containscoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
WithintheGRFVSarea,thelandoccupiedbythisplantcommunityisprivatelyowned,withmultipleowners,andisthreatenedbygrazingandtrampling(bydomesticandferalanimals),rubbishdumping,vehicleuse,andperhapsbywateruseandincreasingsalinity.FuturethreatsincludelanddevelopmentintheBullerLocality.OutsidetheGRFVSarea,thisplantcommunityislikelytobesimilarlythreatened,withhydrologicalchange(increasingwatertableandhighersalinity)beingthemostseriousthreat.
4.4.6 Plant community 6 Coastal: Thryptomene baeckeacea
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity6isdominatedbyThryptomene baeckeacea andoccursinaportionofthecoastaldunessouthofGreenoughRiver.Floristically,plantcommunity6issimilartoplantcommunities7and8,whichoccurnearby.Plantcommunity6isconsideredtobeequivalenttovegetationunit4‘Thryptomene baeckeaceaclosedheath’definedthroughtheSWALEprojectfortheareasouthofGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity6islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociation431.Floristically,plantcommunity6doesnotspecificallycorrespondtothisBeardvegetationassociation,butitisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionusedbyBeard(1976a).TheplantcommunityhasalocalisedoccurrencepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity6occupies11.08haor0.18%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisthethirdmostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunity.ThereisonlyonerepresentativeofthisplantcommunityintheGRFVSarea,whichindicateslocalconservationsignificance.Furthersurveyisrequiredtodetermineitsregionalandstatewidesignificance.
WhilstthisplantcommunityisnotdirectlycomparabletoanyBeardvegetationassociations,Beard(1976a)describedandphotographedsimilarareasinEdelLandthatappeartocorrespondwithBeardvegetationassociation1100(Hummockgrassland;dwarfshrubsteppe;mixedericoidshrubsandspinifex).SuchareashavebeenobservedonPeronPeninsulabytheassessor.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity6occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity6wasidentifiedfromonequadrat(GRV0849)where13nativespecieswererecorded.Theplantcommunitywasobservedtoreachgreaterheightinprotectedswalesthanonexposeddunes.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity6maybethreatenedbyfuturedevelopment(clearing),andbyrecreationalvehicleuseintheGRFVSarea.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity6containscoastalvegetation.
4.4.7 Plant community 7 Coastal: Melaleuca cardiophylla
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity7isdominatedbyMelaleuca cardiophylla,andoccurssouthoftheGreenoughRiveronshallowcoastalsandswithlittleornoexposedlimestone,usuallyinamosaicassociatedwithplantcommunities8and10.Floristically,plantcommunity7issimilartoplantcommunities6and8.Plantcommunity7isconsideredtobeequivalenttovegetationunit8‘closedscrubMelaleuca cardiophylla’definedthroughtheSWALEprojectfortheareasouthofGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity7islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociation431.Floristically,plantcommunity7doesnotspecificallycorrespondtothisBeardvegetationassociation,butitisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionusedbyBeard(1976a).TheplantcommunityhasalocalisedoccurrencepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity7occupies62.71haor1.02%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity7occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
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Diversity
Plantcommunity7wasrecordedfromonequadratintheGRFVSarea(GRV0847)where15nativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity7doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity7maybethreatenedbyfuturedevelopment(clearing),andiscurrentlythreatenedbyweedinvasion,grazingbyferalanimals,fireandrecreationalvehicleuse.
4.4.8 Plant community 8 Coastal: Acacia rostellifera low shrubland
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity8isdominatedbyAcacia rostelliferaandoccursalongtheentirecoastlineoftheGRFVSarea.Theplantcommunityoccursclosetothecoast,frombehindtheforedunestovariousdistancesinlandbutgenerallyonprimarydunes.Floristically,thisplantcommunityissimilartoothercoastalandnearcoastalGRFVSplantcommunities,andcanbedifferentiatedbythegenerallylowstature(<2mhigh)ofthedominantspecies(Acacia rostellifera)andthefrequentoccurrenceofMyoporum insulare, Olearia axillaris, Carpobrotus virescens, Scaevola crassifoliaandSpinifex longifolius,whicharegenerallynotfoundfurtherinland.Inareaswithoutthepresenceofthesecharacteristicspecies,thevegetationismorelikelytobeplantcommunity10.Plantcommunity8isconsideredtobeequivalenttovegetationunit2‘closedheathtoscrubonseawardslopes’definedthroughtheSWALEprojectfortheareasouthofGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity8islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociations129,371,431and440(iethecoastalvegetationtypes).Floristically,plantcommunity8doesnotcorrespondtoanyoftheseBeardvegetationassociationsinparticular,butisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionsusedbyBeard(1976a).
Rarity
Plantcommunity8occupies546.26haor8.86%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity8occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.ItiswidespreadoutsidetheGRFVSarea,andisnotdissimilartothevegetationfoundontheequivalentlandformatleastasfarsouthasPerth,butisnotdirectlycomparablewith
anyoneorsmallgroupofBeardvegetationassociations.ThereforethereisnoinformationavailableinrelationtopreviousorcurrentextentofAcacia rostelliferalowshrubland.
Diversity
Plantcommunity8wasrecordedfromsixquadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0801,03,05,16,46and50),wherearangeof5-14nativespecieswererecorded.Avariantofthiscommunity,dominatedbyMelaleuca huegelii,occursnearthesouthernendofTarcoolaBeach.AnothervariantwithinthisplantcommunityincludessmallareasofMelaleuca lanceolata.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity8containscoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity8isthreatenedbyfuturedevelopment(clearingforhousing)asitoccursclosetothecoast.Otherthreatsincludeweedinvasion,grazing,fireandrecreationalvehicleuse,withhigherpotentialforthreateningprocesstooccurinareasclosertohumanhabitation.
4.4.9 Plant community 9 Coastal: Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptus spp.
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity9isdominatedbyAcacia rostelliferaandEucalyptus orariaandE. obtusiflora,andoccursoncoastalsand.Floristically,plantcommunity9issimilartootherAcacia rostelliferacommunities,butisdifferentiatedonstructure,beingdominatedbymalleeeucalypts.Plantcommunity9wasobservedbetweenTarcoolaBeachandGreenoughRiver,whereitisrestrictedtotwosmallareas.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity9islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociations371and431.Floristically,plantcommunity9doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularBeardvegetationassociationwithintheGRFVSarea,duetotheplantcommunityhavinglocalisedoccurrencespresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity9occupies12.47haor0.2%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisthefourthmostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunity.Despiteextensivesurvey,thisplantcommunityhasonlybeenfoundinonepartoftheGRFVSarea,betweenTarcoolaBeachandGreenoughRiver.Thetwomalleespeciesinthisplantcommunity(Eucalyptus obtusifloraandE. oraria)aresparselydistributedthroughthevegetationsurroundingthemostsouthernoccurrence,butwerenotobserved
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elsewhereinthecoastalarea.Therearenootherreportedobservationsofvegetationmatchingthisdescriptionfromnearbycoastalareas.Theplantcommunityisunlikelytobeabundantintheregion,andmaybeunique.However,amorewidespreadsurveywouldberequiredtoconfirmthis.
Eucalyptus oraria,whichisoneofthemalleespeciesassociatedwithplantcommunity9,isadefinitivespeciesinBeardvegetationassociation1107(Openlowwoodland;Eucalyptus oraria)intheSharkBayarea.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity9occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.AsthisplantcommunitydoesnotcorrespondwithanyBeardvegetationassociations,thereisnoinformationinrelationtothisplantcommunity’sdistributionoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity9wasrecordedfromonequadratintheGRFVSarea(GRV0828)where11nativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity9doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Thecurrentthreatsareclearing,fire,weedinvasion,rubbishdumpingandrecreationalvehicleuse.
4.4.10 Plant community 10 Near Coastal: Acacia rostellifera shrubland
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity10isusuallydominatedbyAcacia rostellifera.Acacia xanthina, Alyxia buxifolia or Chamelaucium uncinatummaybedominantorco-dominantspeciesinthisplantcommunity.Plantcommunity10occursontallersecondarydunes,andonexposedlimestoneandsandplainsoilstotheeastasaresultofdisturbancetootherplantcommunities.Onthesandplainsoils,theplantcommunitymayhaveformerlyincludedBanksia prionotesbuthassincebeenreducedtoasimplercommunitydominatedbyAcacia rostellifera.Plantcommunity10mergeswithplantcommunity8closertothecoast,andplantcommunity13onthesandplaintotheeast.
Plantcommunity10isconsideredtobeequivalenttovegetationunit3‘closedAcacia rostelliferascrub’definedthroughtheSWALEprojectfortheareasouthofGreenoughRiver(Tauss2002).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity10islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociations129,359,371,413,431and440.Floristically,plantcommunity10doesnotcorrespondtoanyoftheseBeardvegetationassociationsinparticular,butitisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionsusedbyBeard(1976a).
Rarity
Plantcommunity10occupies2258.86haor36.63%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisthemostwidespreadoftheGRFVSplantcommunities.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofofplantcommunity10occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity10wasrecordedfrom14quadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0802,12,17,19,30,31,32,48,51,52,54,57,73and74),wherearangeof2-18nativespecieswererecorded.Oneofthequadratsites,closetoGreenoughRiver,hadsurfacesoilconsistingofasignificantproportionofsnailshells.Acacia rostelliferaisacolonisingspecies,whichexplainswhyitdominatesindisturbedareas.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity10doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
GRV0857wasconsideredtobeaparticularlygoodexampleofplantcommunity10butcouldnotberatedhigherthanverygoodconditionduetothepresenceoftheveryaggressiveweedLycium ferocissimumthroughoutthevegetation.Plantcommunity10isthreatenedbydevelopment(clearing),grazing,fire,weedinvasionandrecreationalvehicleuse.
4.4.11 Plant community 11 Limestone ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptus spp.
Description and extent
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity11isdominatedbyMelaleuca cardiophyllaandEucalyptusspecies,andoccursonlimestoneridgesandslopesbetweenMountTarcoolaandRuddsGully,andonthelimestonescarpbetweentheOakajeeandBullerrivers.Floristically,plantcommunity
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11issimilartoplantcommunity12,butisstructurallydifferentduetothepresenceofmalleesincludingE. obtusifloraandE. oraria,whichinplacesformdensestands,andE. zopherophloia.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity11islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociations359and387.Floristically,plantcommunity11isrelatedtoBeardvegetationassociation387.TheplantcommunityalsohasalocalisedoccurrenceinBeardvegetationassociation359,whichispresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity11occupies19.95haor0.32%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunities.Plantcommunity11isalsoknowntooccursouthoftheGRFVSarea,whereitmaybemorecommon.Onoccasion,themalleesinthiscommunityalsooccurasscatteredindividualswithinplantcommunity12.AlthoughthemostcommonmalleespeciesfoundinthisplantcommunityareEucalyptus obtusifloraandE. oraria,thePriority4speciesE. zopherophloiawasalsorecorded.AnadditionalsurveymayalsoberequiredtodeterminethelocaldistributionofEucalyptus zopherophloiaandpreserveareasofitsoccurrence.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofofplantcommunity11occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity11wasrecordedfromtwoquadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0827and61),whereupto15nativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity11doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity11isthreatenedbyclearing,weedinvasionandgrazing.Thebestrepresentativeofplantcommunity11isnorthoftheBullerRiveronthelimestonescarp,whichmaybethreatenedwithclearingassociatedwiththeOakajeeindustrialdevelopment.
4.4.12 Plant community 12 Limestone Ridge: Melaleuca cardiophylla
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity12isdominatedbyMelaleuca cardiophylla,andoccursfromtheBullerLocalitynorthwards,highonthefirstandsecondridgesfromthecoastwherethereisexposedlimestonecapping,andonthelimestoneridgesofMountTarcoolaandsouth-eastthroughRuddsGullyandJandanolPark.ThisplantcommunitywouldhavebeenthemostcommonplantcommunityonexposedTamalalimestoneridges,butsomeareashavebeenreducedtoasimplercommunitydominatedbyAcacia rostellifera.Plantcommunity12canbedifferentiatedfromplantcommunity7duetothecharacteristiclimestonecapping,anditscharacteristicspeciesincludingDiplolaena grandifloraandGrevillea argyrophylla.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity12islocatedwithinareasmappedas,andisfloristicallyrelatedto,Beardvegetationassociation387.Theplantcommunityoftenoccupiesnarrowbandsonlimestoneridgetops,whicharepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.
Rarity
Plantcommunity12occupies865.8haor14.04%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemorewidespreadGRFVSplantcommunities.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity12occursinIUCNI-IVreserveswithintheGRFVSarea.InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity12wasrecordedfromninequadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0813,20,21,29,43,56,66,67and68),wherearangeof11-23nativespecieswererecorded.FloristicquadratGRV0867,nearthesouthernedgeoftheGRFVSarea,hadlower-heightvegetationthanotherrepresentativesofplantcommunity12(Limestoneridge:Melaleuca cardiophylla),generallylessthan1.2mhigh,andwasdominatedbyMelaleuca campanae(canopycoverof50%ofthearea),withMelaleuca cardiophyllaoccasionallyemergentto2mhigh,butwithonly2%canopycover.Sedgesandherbsalsocontributedtogroundcoverinthisquadrat(30-70%canopycover),whichwasuncommonforthisvegetationtype.
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Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity12doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Manyareasofthisplantcommunityaregrazed,andinmostcasesthishasledtoalowcoverofshrubspeciesandahighweedcover.Thegreatestthreattothisplantcommunityisclearingforurbandevelopment,especiallyasitoccursonthelimestonescarpwithuninterruptedviewstowardsthecoastinareasclosetocurrentdevelopment,andintheOakajeeinareasassociatedwiththeportandraildevelopment.Otherthreatstothisplantcommunityaregrazing,weedinvasionandfire.
4.4.13 Plant community 13 Sandplain: Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity13isdominatedbyBanksia prionotesandAcacia rostellifera,andoccursonsandplainsoilsinlandfromthecoast.CharacteristicspeciesareGrevillea candelabroides, Melaleuca depressa, Hibbertiaspp.,Conostylisspp.andsedgesandrushes.Floristically,thisplantcommunityismostsimilartoplantcommunity14,whichoccursonthemorerockysoilsclosetoChapmanRiver.MostofChapmanRiverReserveisoccupiedbyplantcommunity13,althoughfrequentfireappearstohavereducedthenumbersofB. prionotesandtherearelargeportionsoftheareawherethischaracteristicspeciesdoesnotoccur.Othercharacteristicspeciesindicatethepresenceofplantcommunity13inChapmanRiverReserve.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
Plantcommunity13isanalogouswith,butnotcompletelyinclusiveof,Beardvegetationassociation359.WithintheGRFVSarea,Beardvegetationassociation359occupies3077ha,howevertheGRFVSprojectonlyrecorded754.39haofthisareaashavingBanksia prionotes-dominatedvegetation(orsimilarplantcommunity,asdescribedinappendix8).Thereforeonlyapproximately24.52%ofBeardvegetationassociation359correspondswithplantcommunity13withintheGRFVSarea.
Rarity
Plantcommunity13occupies754.39haor12.23%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemorewidespreadGRFVSplantcommunities.ItisconsideredthatBeardvegetationassociation359anditsconstituentGRFVSplantcommunity13haveconservationsignificance.
Representation
Only1.25haofBeardvegetationassociation359iswithinIUCNI-IVreserves(DEC2007),andnoneofthisareaismappedasplantcommunity13.BanksiaprionotesoccursasadominantorcommonspeciesonmanyareasoftheGeraldtonSandplain;howeverfurthersurveysincludingfloristicanalysiswouldberequiredtodetermineifthereisanydegreeofsimilaritybetweentheseareasandGRFVSplantcommunity13,andtherebyprovideadditionalregionalinformationonextentandreservationstatusofthisplantcommunity.
Diversity
Plantcommunity13wasrecordedfrom13quadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0822,33,34,35,36,37,38,62,65,69,70,75and76),wherearangeof4-30nativespecieswererecorded.Indegradedareas,plantcommunity13isreplacedbythelessspecies-richplantcommunity10,althoughtheremaybeafewofthecharacteristicsandplainspeciesremaining.Avariantofplantcommunity13isalowheath,whichoccursonshallowsoilwithinthesandplain.AnotheruncommonvariantoftheplantcommunityisdominatedbyAllocasuarina huegeliana.
FloristicquadratGRV0875inKarlooisnottheusualvegetationforthisarea,whichisgenerallyAcacia rostellifera shrubland.TherearepatchesofBanksia prionotes / Acacia rostelliferavegetationscatteredthroughthearea.VegetationsouthoftherailwaycorridorpreviouslymappedbyEcoscape(2007)asmixedheathinexcellentcondition,hasbeenincludedinplantcommunity13.Nofloristicquadratswererecordedforthisarea;howeverthevegetationisdescribedasalowheathvariantinthecommunitydescriptioninappendix8.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity13doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Thelargestthreattothisplantcommunityisclearingfordevelopment,asitoccursintheGlenfieldandWaggrakinestructureplanareasandthebufferareanorthoftheOakajeeportandraildevelopment.Othersignificantthreatsincludegrazing,weedinvasion,potentialforsoil-bornediseases(egPhytophthoraandotherspecies)andfire.Banksia prionotesappearstobeindeclineintheGRFVSarea.Itissuspectedthatthisisduetoprolongeddroughtanditbeingnearthenorthern(rainfall)limitofitsdistribution.Hence,reducedrainfallduetoclimatechangemaybeathreattothisplantcommunity.
ThevegetationoftheGlenfieldandWaggrakineareaislargelyGRFVSplantcommunity13,withtheexcellentconditionportionsbeingthebestconditionandbestrepresentationofthisvegetationidentifiedduringtheGRFVSsurvey.Thevegetationappearedtobehealthier,lessdisturbedandmorediverse(havingmoreplant
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species)thansimilarvegetationintheChapmanRiverReserve,wherefireandhumandisturbance,includingrubbishdumping,haveprobablycontributedtothedeclineinvegetationcondition.
4.4.14 Plant community 14 Chapman River Reserve: Acacia rostellifera / Melaleuca spp.
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity14isdominatedbyAcacia rostelliferaandMelaleucaspecies,andoccursontheslightlyrocky(limestone)orshallowsoilsclosetotheriverinChapmanRiverReserve.Itismostsimilartoplantcommunity13,butincludeselementsofplantcommunity12(onthewesternsideofChapmanRiver)andplantcommunity15(ontheeasternsideoftheriver).
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity14islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociation359.Floristically,plantcommunity14doesnotspecificallycorrespondtothisBeardvegetationassociation,butitisincludedinthebroaderdescriptionusedbyBeard(1976a).TheplantcommunityhasalocalisedoccurrencepresentatafinerscalethanBeardvegetationassociationsweremapped.Itslocalisedoccurrenceisprobablyduetounderlyinggeologyandtoitspositiondownstreamfromthicketcommunities.
Rarity
Plantcommunity14occupies47.5haor0.77%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,althoughtheextentmaybeupto30halargerduetoarecentfirethatmadeboundaryinterpretationdifficult.Plantcommunity14isoneofthemostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunities,asitonlyoccursintheChapmanRiverReserve.Duetoitsextremelylocaloccurrence,thisplantcommunitymustbeconsideredtohavehighconservationsignificanceasauniquecommunity.
Representation
Noneofthemappedextentofplantcommunity14occurswithinIUCNI-IVreservesintheGRFVSarea;howevertheentireplantcommunityoccursinChapmanRiverReserve.
Diversity
Plantcommunity14wasrecordedfrom4quadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0877,78,79and81),wherearangeof19-31nativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity14doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Thethreatstoplantcommunity14arefire,weeds,humandisturbanceanddrought.
4.4.15 Plant community 15 Thicket: Melaleuca spp. / mixed spp.
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity15isoftendominatedbyoneofanumberofMelaleucaspecies,includingM. megacephala, M. concreta, M. coronicarpaandM. fulgens subsp. steedmanii,butisusuallyamixedthicketconsistingofmanyspecies.ItoccursonthefootslopesandisolatedmesastothewestoftheMoresbyRange,andincludesthesteepslopesoftheOakajeeandBullerriverstotheeastoftheNorthWestCoastalHighway.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity15islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociations35,413and675.Floristically,plantcommunity15largelycorrespondswithBeardvegetationassociations413and675.Significantnumbersofdeclaredrarefloraandpriority-listedspecieswererecordedinthisplantcommunityduringthefloristicsurvey.Plantcommunity15mayalsoincludethe‘naturalvalue’ecosystem‘MoresbyRangescommunitieswithrareplants’(AustralianNaturalResourcesAtlas2009)andtheP1priorityecologicalcommunity‘PlantassemblagesoftheMoresbyRangesystem’(DEC2009a).
Rarity
Plantcommunity15occupies469.57haor7.61%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemorewidespreadGRFVSplantcommunities.ThelowmalleeEucalyptus blaxellii,adeclaredrarefloraspecies,isanoccasionalcomponentofthiscommunity.
Representation
OakajeeandWokatherranaturereservescontainareasmappedasplantcommunity15(approximately103.00haand1.84ha,respectively).InformationisnotavailabletodeterminethedistributionofthisplantcommunityoutsidetheGRFVSarea.
Diversity
Plantcommunity15wasrecordedfromeightquadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0810,25,39,40,41,53,55and63),wherearangeof21-48nativespecieswererecorded.QuadratGRV0825,locatednearNorthWestCoastalHighwayinOakajee,exhibitedthegreatestspeciesrichness(48nativespecies)ofallquadratsrecordedthroughtheGRFVS.
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Wheregrazinghasoccurred,themorepalatablespecieshavebeenremovedandAcacia tetragonophylla,Hakea preissiiandotherhardleavedorpricklyspeciesremain,andthevegetationislessdense.Plantcommunity16ischaracterisedbyareaswhereonlytheunpalatablespeciesremain.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity15doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Plantcommunity15isoftengrazedbutisunlikelytobeaffectedbyfurtherclearingasitoccursonrockyslopesthatarenotsuitableforcultivation,andlittleiswithinareasassociatedwithurbanorindustrialdevelopment(exceptintheWokatherraGap,whichiswithinthemaininfrastructurecorridorfortheOakajeeportandraildevelopment).Themainthreatsarelikelytobegrazing,weedinvasionandfire.
ThereareseveralrepresentativesinexcellentconditionwithintheGRFVSarea,includingtheareasassociatedwithfloristicquadratsGRV0810,25,39,40and(especially)55,andtheseareashavehighconservationsignificance.Therearealsoareasassociatedwithcreeklinesthatarefenced.Thesemayhaveconservationsignificanceduetotheirlikelyexcellentconditionandtheirvalueaslandscapelinkages.
4.4.16 Plant community 16 Woodland: Acacia acuminata / Acacia tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity16isdominatedbyAcacia acuminata, A. tetragonophylla and Hakea preissii,andoccursonloamysoilsoftheNorthamptonsoilsystem,intheBullerandOakajeecatchments.Thethreelistedcharacteristicspeciesmaynotallbepresent,withthetwolesspalatablespecies(Acacia tetragonophyllaandHakea preissii)dominatingingrazedareas.Plantcommunity16isdominatedbytreeandtallshrubspecies,climbers,grassesandherbs,withfewlowormid-shrubs.Floristically,itismostsimilartoplantcommunities15and17,butisdifferentiatedbyvegetationstructureanddominantspecies.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity16islocatedwithinBeardvegetationassociations35,413and675.Floristically,plantcommunity16correlateslargelywithBeardvegetationassociation35.ItincludesareasofotherBeardvegetationassociationsthathavelargelybeendegradedduetograzing,leavingAcacia tetragonophyllaandHakea preissiiasthedominantspecies.
Rarity
Plantcommunity16occupies452.11haor7.33%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemorewidespreadGRFVSplantcommunities.SimilarplantcommunitiesarecommonthroughoutWesternAustralia,althoughAcacia tetragonophyllaisnotpresentinthewetterandcoolerareas(WAHerbariumandDEC2009).However,becausethesespeciesusuallygrowonloamysoilthatishighlyregardedforagriculture,thisplantcommunityanditsequivalentselsewherearegenerallydegradedbygrazingandweedinvasion,aswasobservedintheGRFVSarea.
Representation
OakajeeNatureReservecontainsapproximately14.35haofplantcommunity16.Only655.85haofthemostequivalentBeardvegetationassociation(35)arewithinDECestateinWesternAustralia.
Diversity
Plantcommunity16wasrecordedfromthreequadratsintheGRFVSarea(GRV0811,23and44),wherearangeof22-34nativespecieswererecorded.OccassionallyEucalyptus loxophlebatreesoccurwithinthisplantcommunity.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity16doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
Mostoftheextentofthisplantcommunityhasbeengrazed,andthereforeareasingoodorbetterconditionareofconservationsignificance;howeververylittlewasobservedintheGRFVSarea.TheareaassociatedwithGRV0844isanexception,which,althoughgrazed,wasinvery goodcondition.Themainthreatsaregrazing,weedinvasion,fireandclearing.
4.4.17 Plant community 17 Woodland: Eucalyptus loxophleba
Description and occurrence
Plantcommunity17isdominatedbyEucalyptus loxophleba andoccurslargelyintheOakajeecatchment.Itisseparatedfromplantcommunity16bydominantspeciesandlifeform,butoccursonthesamesoilsystem.Occasionallyitoccursonsoil-filledpocketsonrockyslopesthatareotherwiseplantcommunity15.
Relationship to Beard vegetation associations
WithintheGRFVSarea,plantcommunity17islocatedwithinandisfloristicallyrelatedtoBeardvegetationassociation35.
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Rarity
Plantcommunity17occupies17.06haor0.28%ofthenativevegetationoftheGRFVSarea,andisoneofthemostrestrictedGRFVSplantcommunities.
Representation
Althoughplantcommunity17isrestrictedintheGRFVSarea,frompreviousstudiesofthisvegetationtype,itappearstobeverycommonoutsideit.Furthersurveyisrequiredtodetermineitsregionalsignificance.
Diversity
Plantcommunity17wasrecordedfromonequadratintheGRFVSarea(GRV0842),where21nativespecieswererecorded.
Wetland, streamline/estuarine fringing or coastal vegetation
Plantcommunity17doesnotcontaintypicalwetland,streamlineorestuarinefringingorcoastalvegetation.
Vegetation condit ion and threats
AlthoughthisplantcommunityismostsimilartoBeardvegetationassociation35,itoccupiesonlyasmallproportionofitsextentintheGRFVSarea.Theplantcommunity,oronessimilartoit,arecommonthroughoutmuchofthesouthwestofWesternAustralia,althoughthey,too,arelargelydegradedbygrazingandweedinvasion.ThebestrepresentativeofthisplantcommunitywasintheOakajeeNatureReserve(approximately4.38ha),butallotherobservationsofitwereweedyanddegraded.Therefore,anyoccurrenceofthisplantcommunitythatisingoodorbetterconditionisofconservationsignificance.
4.5 Flora species
4.5.1 Threatened species
Tenfloraspeciesofconservationsignificance,includingtworarespecies,wererecordedfromthequadratssampledwithintheGRFVSarea(listedinsection3.3.1).RareflorareportformswillbesubmittedtoDECwithadditionaldetailswhenthevoucherspecimensaresubmittedtotheWesternAustralianHerbarium.
Significantly,tworare,oneP3andoneP4floraspecieswererecordedfromonefloristicquadrat,determinedtobeGRFVSplantcommunity15.TheP3speciesThryptomenesp.MoresbyRangewasadominantspeciesinthisquadrat,covering10%ofthearea.Thesiteappearstohavebeenlightly,butnotintentionally,grazedbylivestock.
4.5.2 Range extensions and extremities
Threerecordedspecies,listedinsection3.3.1,arerangeextensionsorontheedge(extremity)oftheirknownrange,includingoneP3species.Completerecordsofoccurrencesofthreatenedfloraspecieshavenotbeenexaminedastheyarenoteasilyaccessible,buttheP3species(Hibbertia glomerosavar.bistrata)isknownfrombetweenMullewaandMorawa,approximately100kmeastofGeraldton,thereforethisrangeextensionmaybesignificant.
4.5.3 Weeds
Atotalof73weedspecieswererecordedduringthefloristicquadratsurvey,sevenofwhichareratedashighriskbytheEnvironmentalWeedStrategyforWesternAustralia(CALM1999),butnoneofwhicharelistedasdeclaredplantsrequiringcontrol(DAFWA2009).Weedsthatarehighriskarethosethathavetheabilitytoinvadebushlandthatisingoodtoexcellentcondition,haveawidecurrentorpotentialdistribution,andhavetheabilitytochangethestructure,compositionandfunctionofecosystems,oftenformingmonocultures(CALM1999).
ThesevenhighriskweedsareBrassica tournefortii (wildturnip),Bromus diandrus(bromegrass),Cenchrus ciliaris(buffelgrass),Ehrharta calycina(perennialveldtgrass),Euphorbia terracina(Geraldtoncarnationweed),Lupinus cosentinii(Sandplainlupin)andLycium ferocissimum(Africanboxthorn).Whileitisimpracticaltoconsiderbroad-scaleweedcontrolofanyofthesespecies,theyshouldbeconsideredprioritiesforlocalisedcontrol.
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5.1 Summary of GRFVS findings
Thedesktopassessmentdeterminedthat,withintheGRFVSarea(40,737ha),therearenineBeardvegetationassociations,sevensoilsystemsand52soilsubsystems.Approximately6,112haofnativevegetationremainswithin625discreteremnants,equivalenttoapproximately15%oftheoriginalextentofnativevegetationintheGRFVSarea.
Thefieldassessmentdeterminedthatapproximately6,041.21haofnativevegetationcurrentlyexistsintheGRFVSarea.Someareaspreviouslymappedasnativevegetationhavebeenclearedordonotcontainnativevegetation(egplantedvegetation),sotheseareashavebeenremovedfromthenativevegetationextentdatasetfortheGRFVSarea.Otherareasofnativevegetationhadbeenoverlookedinpreviousmapping,sotheseareashavebeenaddedtothenativevegetationextentdatasetfortheGRFVSarea.
BeardvegetationassociationmappinghastraditionallybeenusedasbaselineinformationfordeterminingconservationprioritiesthroughoutWesternAustralia,asitprovidesbroad-scalevegetationdescriptionsandmapping,aswellashistoricalcontextforvegetationextents.However,Beardvegetationmappingdoesnotprovideadequateinformationatalocalscale.TheGRFVSplantcommunitieshavebeendevelopedinresponsetothisneed.
5.2 Conservation significance of Beard vegetation associations
TheGRFVSplantcommunitiesdevelopedthroughthisprojectprovidemoredetailedandaccuratedescriptionsofthevegetationtypeswithintheGRFVSareathanBeardvegetationassociationsmappedatabroadscale.SomeGRFVSplantcommunitiescloselycorrespondwithBeardvegetationassociations.However,thedescriptionsoftheBeardvegetationassociationsandscaleofmappingdoesnotadequatelydescribesomeofthevegetationtypes,representtherangeofvegetationtypeswithinthearea,orprovideaccuratedelineationofvegetationboundaries.Hence,conservationsignificanceshouldbeconsideredbothintermsofBeardvegetationassociationsandGRFVSplantcommunities.
Regionally significant – endangered
Beardvegetationassociation35(Shrublands;jamscrubwithscatteredYorkgum)andBeardvegetationassociation371(Lowforest;Acacia rostellifera)havelessthan10%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.
Beard vegetation association 35correspondswelltoGRFVSplant community 16(Woodland:Acacia acuminata / Acacia tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii)andplant community 17(Woodland:Eucalyptus loxophleba).
Beard vegetation association 371doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularcommunity,insteadthedescriptionofthecommunitycanbeappliedoveralargerareathatincludesGRFVSplant community 8(Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrubland)andplant community 10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).Beardvegetationassociation371thereforerequiresinterpretationusingGRFVSplantcommunitymappingtodetermineconservationsignificance.
Regionally significant – vulnerable
Beardvegetationassociation359(Shrublands;Acacia and Banksiascrub)andBeardvegetationassociation675(Shrublands;Melaleuca and Hakeamixedthicket)havemorethan10%butlessthan30%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.
Beard vegetation association 359correspondswelltoGRFVSplant community 13(Sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera)andplant community 14(ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera / Melaleucaspp.).Plantcommunity13occupiesapproximately25%ofthespatialextentofBeardvegetationassociation359withintheGRFVSarea.Plantcommunity14appearstobealocalisedoccurrenceduetotheunderlyingsoilsinChapmanRiverReserve.
Beard vegetation association 675correspondswelltoGRFVSplant community 15(Thicket:Melaleucaspp./mixedspp.)andisequivalenttotheP1priorityecologicalcommunity‘PlantassemblagesoftheMoresbyrangesystem’.
Locally significant
Beardvegetationassociation129(Bareareas;driftsand),Beardvegetationassociation387(Shrublands;Melaleuca cardiophyllathicket),Beardvegetationassociation413(Shrublands;Acacia neurophyllaandA.speciesthicket),Beardvegetationassociation431(Shrublands;Acacia rostelliferaopenscrub)andBeardvegetationassociation440(Shrublands;Acacia ligulataopenscrub)havemorethan30%oftheirpre-EuropeanextentremaininginWA.
Beard vegetation association 129doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularcommunity;insteadthedescriptionofthecommunitycanbeappliedoveralargerareathatincludesGRFVSplant community 3(Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius),plant community 8 (Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrubland)andplant community 10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).Beardvegetationassociation129thereforerequiresinterpretationusingGRFVSplantcommunitymappingtodetermineconservationsignificance.
Beard vegetation association 387isidentifiedasarare and endangeredvegetationassociationintheNativeVegetationManagementPlanNorthernAgriculturalRegion.Beardvegetationassociation387isconsideredtobetheequivalentofGRFVSplant community 11(Limestoneridge:Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptusspp.)andplant community 12(Limestoneridge:
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Melaleuca cardiophylla).Plantcommunity12occupies14.04%oftheGRFVSarea,andisthesecondmostwidespreadplantcommunity.Therefore,Beardvegetationassociation387maynotberegardedasanendangeredcommunitywithintheGRFVSarea,althoughthereisnoneinsecuretenure.However,plantcommunity11,whichhasonly19.95haintheGRFVSarea,shouldbeconsideredtohavelocalconservationsignificance.
Beard vegetation association 413correspondswelltoGRFVSplantcommunity15(Thicket:Melaleucaspp./mixedspp.).Beardvegetationassociation413isidentifiedasa last standvegetationassociationintheNativeVegetationManagementPlanNorthernAgriculturalRegion.Furthersurveyandscrutinyisrequiredpriortothedefinitionoflast standbeingadoptedforthisBeardvegetationassociationintheGRFVSarea.
Beard vegetation association 431doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularcommunity,insteadthedescriptionofthecommunitycanbeappliedoveralargerareathatincludesGRFVSplant community 3(Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius),plant community 6(Coastal:Thryptomene baeckeacea),plant community 7(Coastal:Melaleuca cardiophylla),plant community 8(Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrubland)andplant community 10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).Beardvegetationassociation431thereforerequiresinterpretationusingGRFVSplantcommunitymappingtodetermineconservationsignificance.
Beard vegetation association 440doesnotcorrespondtoanyparticularcommunity,insteadthedescriptionofthecommunitycanbeappliedoveralargerareathatincludesGRFVSplant community 3(Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius),plant community 8(Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrubland)andplant community 10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland).Beardvegetationassociation440thereforerequiresinterpretationusingGRFVSplantcommunitymappingtodetermineconservationsignificance.
5.3 Conservation significance of GRFVS plant communities
SeveraloftheGRFVSplantcommunitiesidentifiedfromthisprojectaregeographicallyrestricted,andarethereforenaturallyrareoruncommon.Theproposedphasetwoofthisprojectwillinvolvetheidentificationofpriorityconservationareas.PlantcommunitiesthatarerestrictedinextentintheGeraldtonregionarecurrentlyconsideredtoberegionallysignificant.Furtherinvestigationoutsidethesurveyareamayestablishalternatelevelsofsignificanceforplantcommunities.
TheGRFVSplantcommunitiesarediscussedinorderofconservationsignificance,basedoncurrentextent:
• Plant community 5(Swale:Frankenia pauciflora)appearstobetherarestandmostthreatenedplantcommunityintheGRFVSarea,beinggeographically
restricted,threatenedbygrazingandpotentialfuturedevelopmentandperhapssalinisation.Alsogivenitssizeanddisturbednature,itmaynotbeasustainablecommunity.ItisrecommendedthatfurthersurveysoutsidetheGRFVSareabeundertakentodeterminetheregionaldistributionandsignificanceofthiscommunity.
• Plant community 4(Swale:Ficinia nodosa)islikewiseveryrestrictedwithintheGRFVSareawithonlyasingle0.58haoccurrence,andfurthersurveyoutsideoftheGRFVSareawouldberequiredtodetermineitsregionaldistributionandconservationsignificance.
OtherplantcommunitiesthatarerestrictedindistributionthatshouldbeinvestigatedoutsidetheGRFVSareatodeterminetheirconservationsignificanceare:
• Plant community 6(Coastal:Thryptomene baeckeacea),whichisrestrictedtoan11.08haareasouthoftheGreenoughRiverwithintheGRFVSarea.Surveyofawiderareashouldbeundertakentodetermineregionalsignificanceanddistribution.
• Plant community 7(Coastal:Melaleuca cardiophylla),occupying62.71ha,isalsorestrictedinitsdistributionwithintheGRFVSarea,andwouldrequiresurveyofawiderareatodetermineregionalsignificance.
• Plant community 9(Coastal:Acacia rostellifera / Eucalyptusspp.)occursinsmallpocketsbetweenTarcoolaBeachandtheGreenoughRiver,occupying12.47ha.Thisplantcommunityshouldbeconsideredtohaveconservationsignificanceasitisdistinctiveandrestrictedtothisarea.
• Plant community 11(Limestoneridge:Melaleuca cardiophylla / Eucalyptusspp.)occupies19.95haintheGRFVSarea.TheareassouthofMountTarcoolaaremoredegradedthanthosetothenorthontheOakajeescarp.AsaconsequencetheareastothenorthoftheOakajeeRivershouldbeconsideredtohaveconservationsignificance.
• Plant community 15(Thicket:Melaleucaspp./mixedspp.)occupies469.57ha.Itincludestheareawhichmatchesthedescriptionofthe‘naturalvalue’ecosystem‘MoresbyRanges’(AustralianNaturalResourcesAtlas2009)andtheP1priorityecologicalcommunity‘PlantassemblagesoftheMoresbyRangesystem’(DEC2009a).Consequently,thisareaisconsideredtohaveconservationsignificance.
Thefollowingplantcommunitiesarealsoconsideredtohaveconservationsignificancebecause,althoughtheyhaveagreaternaturalextent,theyarelargelydegradedorthreatened:
• Plant community 1(Estuarine:Casuarina obesa / Tecticornia / Sarcocornia),whichisgeographicallyrestricted.
• Plant community 2(Riparian:Eucalyptus camaldulensis / Casuarina obesa / Melaleuca rhaphiophylla),whichisrestrictedtoriverchannels
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andriverbanks(includingtheformerriverchannelatRumJungle).Thisplantcommunityisgenerallydegraded,withthebestconditionobservedbeinggood.
• Plant community 3(Foredune:Atriplex isatidea / Spinifex longifolius)isgeographicallyrestrictedtotheprimarydune,andisthreatenedinareasassociatedwithcloseproximitytoareasofurbanisation,butiswidespreadindistributionandhasanimportantroleindunestabilisation.
• Plant community 12(LimestoneRidge:Melaleuca cardiophylla)occupies865.8ha;howevermostareasaregrazedanddegraded.TheareasnorthandsouthoftheOakajeeRiver,associatedwithsampledquadratsGRV0813,GRV0820andGRV0821,areclassifiedasbeinginverygoodandexcellentcondition,andwereinthebestconditionobservedforthiscommunity.
• Plant community 13(Sandplain:Banksia prionotes / Acacia rostellifera)occupies754.39ha,howevermuchofthisareaisdegraded.ThebetterrepresentativesofthisplantcommunityoccurintheGlenfieldandWaggrakineareas.AlowheathvariantofthisplantcommunityoccursinKarlooandUtakarra.
• Plant community 14(ChapmanRiverReserve:Acacia rostellifera /Melaleucaspp.),whichisrestrictedtoshallowsoilsclosetotheChapmanRiverintheChapmanRiverReserve.Itisnotcurrentlyconsideredtobeunderthreatfromdevelopmentastheentireareaiscontainedwithinanexistingreserve.
• Plant community 16(Woodland:Acacia acuminata / A. tetragonophylla / Hakea preissii)isrestrictedtotheNorthamptonsoilsystemwithintheGRFVSarea,whereitisgenerallythreatenedbyagriculturalactivitiesandassociatedwithhighlevelsofweedinfestation.Itislikelytobewidelydistributedoutsidethisarea,howeverrepresentativesinverygoodconditionorbetter,bothwithinandoutsidetheGRFVSarea,areuncommon.
• Plant community 17(Woodland:Eucalyptus loxophleba)isrestrictedwithintheGRFVSarea,and,wherenotrepresentedwithintheconservationestate,isgenerallygrazedanddegraded.OutsidetheGRFVSareaitismorewidespread.Therefore,areasofthisplantcommunityinpoorconditionwithintheGRFVSareaarenotconsideredtobeofhighconservationsignificance.
GRFVSplant community 8(Coastal:Acacia rostelliferalowshrubland)andplant community 10(NearCoastal:Acacia rostelliferashrubland)aremorewidespreadintheGRFVSarea;howeverbetterconditionrepresentativeshavelocalconservationsignificance.
5.4 Plant species conservation
Fromthe81floristicquadratssampled,376specieswereidentified.Tenfloraspeciesofconservationsignificance,includingtwodeclaredrareflorataxa,wereidentifiedfrom10quadrats.Threespecieswererecordedattheextremerangeoftheirknownextentorwererangeextensions.
FiveoftheeightquadratsassessedasbeingGRFVSplantcommunity15(Thicket:Melaleucaspp./mixedspp.)hadfloraspeciesofconservationsignificance.Significantly,onequadratcontainedtwodeclaredrarefloraandtwopriorityspecies,andanothercontainedtwopriorityspecies.Onlyoneofthequadratswithfloraofconservationsignificanceiswithintheconservationestate.Asthereareanumberofthreatenedfloraspeciesassociatedwiththisplantcommunity,itisrecommendedthatisolatedhilltopstothewestoftheMoresbyRangearesurveyedforthreatenedfloraandfencedtoexcludefromgrazing.
5.5 Future implementation of GRFVS
AlldatacollectedthroughtheGRFVS,includingfloristicquadratdata,GISshapefilesandvoucherspecimens,willbemadeavailableforusebyothersin thefuture.Thiswillallowstategovernmentagencies,localgovernments,landownersanddeveloperstomakeinformeddecisionsinrelationtosettingconservationprioritiesfornativevegetationintheGRFVSarea.
TheEPAsupportedtheproposalintheGeraldtonRegionPlantocompileaninventoryof,andtoconserve,regionallysignificantremnantvegetationacrosstheGeraldtonregion,whichencompassesthelocalgovernmentsofNorthampton,ChapmanValley,Geraldton-Greenough,MullewaandIrwin.PhaseoneoftheGRFVShasbeencompletedfor theareagenerallycoveredbytheGreaterGeraldtonStructurePlan(ieportionsoftheCityofGeraldton-GreenoughandtheShireofChapmanValley).
Furtherconsiderationshouldbegiventoimplementationofphasetwo(conservationandregionalplanning)andphasethree(furtherregionalfloraandvegetationsurveys)oftheGRFVS.Thisincludesthepreparationofaconservationplantoassistregionalstrategicplanning,andextensionoftheGRFVSprojecttootherpartsoftheGeraldtonregionexperiencingdevelopmentpressure.
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