Conservation Management Zones of Australia

Western Australia Temperate Sandplain Woodlands

Prepared by the Department of the Environment


Acknowledgements

This project and associated products are the result of a collaboration between the Biodiversity Conservation Division and the Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN). Invaluable input, advice and support were provided by staff and leading researchers from across the Department of the Environment (DotE), Department of Agriculture (DoA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the academic community. We would particularly like to thank staff within the Wildlife, Heritage and Marine Division, Parks Australia and the Environment Assessment and Compliance Division of DotE, Nyree Stenekes andRobert Kancans (ABARES), Sue McIntyre (CSIRO), Richard Hobbs (University of Western Australia), Michael Hutchinson (ANU); David Lindenmayer and Emma Burns (ANU); and Gilly Llewellyn, Martin Taylor andotherstaff from the World Wildlife Fund for their generosity and advice.

Special thanks to CSIRO staff Kristen Williams and Simon Ferrier whose modelling of biodiversity patterns enabled identification of the Conservation Management Zones of Australia.

© Commonwealth of Australia, 2015.

The Conservation Management Zones of Australia profile is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by thirdparties, and any images depicting people.

For licence conditions see here.

Contents

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country

Introduction

Zone at a glance

Population characteristics

Employment, volunteering and incomes

Agriculture, Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice

Land tenure, land use, Native Title and Local Government Areas

Zone vegetation characteristics

Nationally Important Wetlands

World and National Heritage

Major National Reserve System properties

EPBC Act (1999) threatened species

EPBC Act (1999) migratory species

Threatened endemic species

Invasive species

Vegetation profiles and management recommendations

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Country

The Australian Government acknowledges Australia’s Traditional Owners and pays respect to Elders past and present of our nation’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We honour the deep spiritual, cultural and customary connections of Traditional Owners to the Australian landscape, including Australia’s waterways, land and sea country.

Introduction

The 23 Conservation Management Zones of Australia are geographic areas, classified according to their ecological and threat characteristics. The zones are also aligned with the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia.

The Conservation Management Zones provide a way of understanding Australia’s natural environment that will assist in long-term conservation planning and help the Australian Government to better design, deliver and report on Natural Resource Management (NRM) investments, including ensuring alignment of national NRM priorities with local action.

The Conservation Management Zones also provide a filter through which to make national environmental and socio-economic data more accessible and comprehensible, and a framework for gathering on-ground knowledge and expertise about the environment. This will improve information flow to the Australian Government about regional NRM requirements, best practice management, emerging NRM issues and knowledge gaps.

The Conservation Management Zones do not represent any change to existing administrative boundaries or governance structures, but aim to support the NRM and wider community to cooperatively manage environmental assets across boundaries, where they share common threats, ecological characteristics and stakeholders.

Each Conservation Management Zone profile contains a standard suite of nationally available ecological and socio-economicinformation. We hope that this information will enable Australians of all ages and backgrounds to engage with, understand and appreciate Australian landscapes, and support all Australians to manage our natural resources more effectively.

The profile information provides an indicative, high-level stock-take of the environmental and socio-economic landscape and it is not intended to be comprehensive. It should also be noted that, at present, the profiles contain only limited information on aquatic ecosystems, coastal assets and Indigenous land management practices. In future, consultation and comprehensive literature reviews will enable us to provide more complete information.

Zone at a glance

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Major cities and towns / Population
Cape Burney / 453
Drummond Cove / 1391
Geraldton / 31360
Green Head / 256
Kalbarri / 1281
Leeman / 356
Northampton / 864
Port Denison – Dongara / 2768
Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions
Northern Agricultural Catchments Council / WA
Top five agricultural commodities / Value (millions)
Cereals for grain / $197
Legumes for grain / $39
Oilseeds / $24
Wool / $21
Lamb / $18
Total value of agricultural commodities (including other commodities not listed here) / $331
Climate characteristics*
Mean annual temperature / 19.1 Celsius
Mean Maximum of the Hottest Month / 34.0 Celsius
Mean Minimum of the Coldest Month / 7.2 Celsius
Mean Annual Rainfall / 414.8 mm
Dominant rainfall season / Winter

* The figures are interpolated 75-year means (1921 to 1995) representingthe period prior to the onset of rapid climatic warming. Cited in: Williams KJ, Belbin L, Austin MP, Stein J, Ferrier S (2012) Whichenvironmental variables should I usein mybiodiversity model? International Journal of GeographicInformation Sciences 26(11), 2009–2047. (DataderivedfromAustralian Climate surfaces version 2.1 fortheANUCLIM-BIOCLIM package).

For future climate projections please refer to:

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Native Title area

Although there have been no Native Title Determinations finalised within this Conservation Management Zone, it continues to represent important Indigenous heritage values and places that are of deep significance to Indigenous persons and their practices, observations, customs, beliefs and history.

Source:Based on data from the National Native Title Register; Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD); National Vegetation Information System (NVIS); Species’ Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT).

Population characteristics

Population

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Languages spoken at home
English / 89.59%
Other languages / 4.70%
Not stated / 5.68%

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Education

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Employment, volunteering and incomes

Employment

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Volunteering

Income

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Agriculture, Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice

Australian farmers manage over 60% of the Australian continent and shoulder much of the burden of responsibility for maintaining and protecting Australia’s natural resource wealth. The information contained in this profile aims to assist the wider community, non-governmental organisations and government agencies to support Australia’s key environmental custodians.

Agricultural commodity values

Source:Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data

Natural Resource Management practices and sources of NRM advice

* Data obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2012 Land Management Practices Survey (LaMPS) 2012. LaMPS collected land practices informationfrom approximately 50,000 farm businesses across Australia. The data has been aligned to Conservation Management Zones from ABS Statistical Area 2 units and Australian Agricultural Environment units. The % figures presented here are indicative only. For more information on LaMPS please refer to:

** The sample for the Drivers of Practice Change 2012 survey consisted of a random subsample of 1228 broadacre farm managers from the Australian Agricultural and Grazing Industries Survey (AAGIS) frame. The data has been aligned to Conservation Management Zones from ABS Statistical Area 2 units. Forthis reason, the figures presented here are indicative only.

^ This chart indicates the sources of advice utilised for native vegetation management from respondents who identified they sought advice.

For more information please refer to

Land tenure, land use, Native Title and Local Government Areas

Source:Land tenure data based on Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN) categorisation of Public Sector Mapping Authority (PSMA) State Tenure 2012; Land use mapping based on Australian Collaborative Land Use and Management Program (ACLUMP) 2012. For more information on Australian land use and management information and classification please refer to:

Indigenous Land Councils
South-West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council:

Although there have been no Native Title Determinations finalised within this Conservation Management Zone, itcontinues to represent important Indigenous heritage values and places that are of deep significance to Indigenous persons and their practices, observations, customs, beliefs and history.

Local Government Areas
City Of Greater Geraldton / WA
Shire Of Carnamah / WA
Shire Of Chapman Valley / WA
Shire Of Coorow / WA
Shire Of Dalwallinu / WA
Shire Of Dandaragan / WA
Shire Of Irwin / WA
Shire Of Mingenew / WA
Shire Of Moora / WA
Shire Of Northampton / WA
Shire Of Shark Bay / WA
Shire Of Three Springs / WA

Zone vegetation characteristics

The National Vegetation Information System (NVIS) framework is a nationally consistent vegetation classification system based on vegetation data collected by states and territories. It provides information on the extent and distribution of vegetation types across the Australian landscape.

Two products are used to provide the Zone Vegetation Characteristics graph. A modelled pre-European vegetation distribution (pre-1750), and extant (current extent) vegetation, which is based on contemporary vegetation mapping. The information presented here relates to Major Vegetation Subgroups (MVSs). There are 85 MVS types across Australia, describing the structure and floristic composition of dominant and secondary vegetation stratums (e.g.canopy and mid-storey species). Major Vegetation Subgroups only reflect the dominant vegetation type occurringin an area from a mix of vegetation types. Less-dominant vegetation groups which may also be present aretherefore not represented.

It is important to note that the vegetation information is indicative only, as state and territory mapping in Australia is of variable resolution and scale. However, this data is the best available nationally consistent information on vegetation, and the dataset continues to evolve and increase in accuracy.

Analysing this information at Conservation Management Zone, rather than national level provides greater discrimination for decision makers, as clearance levels of vegetation types are not uniform across Australia. Forexample, eucalypt woodlands with a tussock grass understory is a vegetation type found across Australia. IntheBrigalow Woodlands Conservation Management Zone, eucalypt open woodlands with a tussock grass understory originally covered approximately 36% of the zone, but today it only covers only 14.5 % of the zone (58.7%of this vegetation community has been cleared in the Brigalow). In the Northern Australia Tropical Savannah zone, thisvegetation type originally occupied 19.6% of the zone. Today, it occupies approximately 19.4% of the zone (only2.3% of this vegetation type has been cleared). It should be noted that this data only provides an indication ofchange in extent, and not vegetation condition.

For more information on the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS) please refer to:

Nationally Important Wetlands

Nationally Important Wetlands / Jurisdiction / Hectares / Criteria
Hutt Lagoon System / WA / 2,463.92 / 1, 6
Lake Logue/Indoon System / WA / 659.21 / 1, 3, 5
Murchison River (Lower Reaches) / WA / 266.78 / 1, 6

Nationally important wetlands are defined according to the following criteria:

  1. It is a good example of a wetland type occurring within a biogeographic region in Australia.
  2. It is a wetland which plays an important ecological or hydrological role in the natural functioning of a major wetland system/complex.
  3. It is a wetland which is important as the habitat for animal taxa at a vulnerable stage in their life cycles, or provides a refuge when adverse conditions such as drought prevail.
  4. The wetland supports 1% or more of the national populations of any native plant or animal taxa.
  5. The wetland supports native plant or animal taxa or communities which are considered endangered or vulnerable at the national level.
  6. The wetland is of outstanding historical or cultural significance.

Please note, the above are a subset of all the Nationally Important Wetlands found within the Zone. For more information on Nationally Important Wetlands please see:

World and National Heritage

Heritage values / World or National / Heritage type / Jurisdiction / Hectares / % of zone
Shark Bay, Western Australia / World and National / Natural / WA / 49,245 / 1.57
Batavia Shipwreck Site and Survivor Camps Area 1629 – Houtman Abrolhos / National / Historic / WA / 657 / 0.02

Please refer to the Australian Heritage Database for detailed information on listing criteria for these heritage values:

For more information on Australia’s world and national heritage please refer to:

Major National Reserve System properties

Major National Reserve System properties
Name / Property type / IUCN category / Jurisdiction / Hectares / % of zone
Kalbarri / National Park / II / WA / 183,200 / 5.83
Beekeepers / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 61,947 / 1.97
Wandana / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 52,719 / 1.68
Watheroo / National Park / II / WA / 28,908 / 0.92
Lesueur / National Park / II / WA / 23,544 / 0.75
Zuytdorp / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 20,953 / 0.67
Pinjarrega / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 18,207 / 0.58
Badgingarra / National Park / II / WA / 13,105 / 0.42
Coomallo / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 8,771 / 0.28
Alexander Morrison / National Park / II / WA / 8,498 / 0.27
Burma Road / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 6,888 / 0.22
South Eneabba / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 6,746 / 0.21
Yardanogo / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 6,592 / 0.21
Lake Logue / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 5,048 / 0.16
Unnamed WA39744 / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 4,399 / 0.14
Wotto / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 3,671 / 0.12
Capamauro / Nature Reserve / IA / WA / 3,516 / 0.11
The IUCN categories are as follows:
Ia Strict Nature Reserve / IUCN protected area management categories classify protected areas according to their management objectives. The categories are recognised by international bodies such as the United Nations and are utilised by many national governments, including the Australian Government, as the global standard for definingand recording protected areas.
Ib Wilderness Area
II National Park
III Natural Monument or Feature
IV Habitat/Species Management Area
V Protected Landscape/ Seascape
VI Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

Please refer to the IUCN website for further explanation:

For more information on Australia’s National Reserve System please refer to:

Source:Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database 2012.

EPBC Act (1999) threatened species

Threatened mammals
Common name / Scientific name / Status / % of total
distribution* / % of zone**
Woylie / Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi / Endangered / 24.93 / 5.89
Chuditch, Western Quoll / Dasyurus geoffroii / Vulnerable / 1.11 / 5.83
Australian Sea-lion / Neophoca cinerea / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Blue Whale / Balaenoptera musculus / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Humpback Whale / Megaptera novaeangliae / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Southern Right Whale / Eubalaena australis / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Threatened birds
Common name / Scientific name / Status / % of total
distribution* / % of zone**
Painted Button-quail (Houtman Abrolhos) / Turnix varius scintillans / Vulnerable / 99.86 / 0.04
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo,
Short-billed Black-Cockatoo / Calyptorhynchus latirostris / Endangered / 9.19 / 64.51
Malleefowl / Leipoa ocellata / Vulnerable / 1.07 / 36.33
Australasian Bittern / Botaurus poiciloptilus / Endangered / 0.49 / 5.83
Australian Fairy Tern / Sternula nereis nereis / Vulnerable / 0.26 / 0.48
Slender-billed Thornbill (western) / Acanthiza iredalei iredalei / Vulnerable / 0.11 / 1.99
Australian Lesser Noddy / Anous tenuirostris melanops / Vulnerable / 0.02 / 0.05
Tristan Albatross / Diomedea exulans exulans / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Amsterdam Albatross / Diomedea exulans
amsterdamensis / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Southern Giant-Petrel / Macronectes giganteus / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Australian Painted Snipe / Rostratula australis / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Northern Royal Albatross / Diomedea epomophora sanfordi / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross / Thalassarche carteri / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Soft-plumaged Petrel / Pterodroma mollis / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Northern Giant-Petrel / Macronectes halli / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Wandering Albatross / Diomedea exulans (sensu lato) / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Campbell Albatross / Thalassarche melanophris impavida / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Southern Royal Albatross / Diomedea epomophora epomophora / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Black-browed Albatross / Thalassarche melanophris / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Shy Albatross, Tasmanian Shy Albatross / Thalassarche cauta cauta / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
White-capped Albatross / Thalassarche cauta steadi / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a

* % of total distribution describes the proportion of the total national distribution of the threatened species thatisfound within the zone.

** % of zone describes the proportion of the zone that the threatened species is likely or known to occur in.

The % of zone indicates how rare, or difficult the species may be to find within the zone.

Threatened reptiles
Common Name / Scientific name / Status / % of total
distribution* / % of zone**
Western Spiny-tailed Skink, BaudinIslandSpiny-tailed Skink / Egernia stokesii badia / Endangered / 15 / 29.29
Loggerhead Turtle / Caretta caretta / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Leatherback Turtle, Leathery Turtle, Luth / Dermochelys coriacea / Endangered / n/a / n/a
Green Turtle / Chelonia mydas / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Flatback Turtle / Natator depressus / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Other threatened fauna
Common name / Scientific name / Status / % of total
distribution* / % of zone**
Shield-backed Trapdoor Spider, BlackRugose Trapdoor Spider / Idiosoma nigrum / Vulnerable / 1.93 / 4.45
Grey Nurse Shark (west coast population) / Carcharias taurus (westcoast population) / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Whale Shark / Rhincodon typus / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Great White Shark / Carcharodon carcharias / Vulnerable / n/a / n/a
Southern Bluefin Tuna / Thunnus maccoyii / Conservation
Dependent / n/a / n/a
Threatened flora
Common Name / Scientific name / Status / % of total
distribution* / % of zone**
Irwin Conostylis / Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres / Endangered / 100 / 6.87
Splendid Wattle, Dandaragan Wattle / Acacia splendens / Endangered / 100 / 0.09
Sandplain Duck Orchid / Paracaleana dixonii Hopper
& A.P.Br. nom. inval. / Endangered / 100 / 1.63
Hidden Beard-heath / Leucopogon obtectus / Endangered / 100 / 3.96
Beautiful Daviesia / Daviesia speciosa / Endangered / 100 / 0.81
Elegant Spider-orchid / Caladenia elegans / Endangered / 100 / 0.75
Northampton Midget Greenhood / Pterostylis sinuata / Endangered / 100 / 0.74
Laterite Mallee / Eucalyptus lateritica / Vulnerable / 100 / 1.67
Johnson’s Mallee / Eucalyptus johnsoniana / Vulnerable / 100 / 2.13
Cork Mallee, Mount Lesueur Mallee / Eucalyptus suberea / Vulnerable / 100 / 1.34
Morseby Range Drummondita / Drummondita ericoides / Endangered / 99.94 / 1.78
Small-petalled Beyeria,
Short-petalled Beyeria / Beyeria lepidopetala / Endangered / 99.78 / 6.77
Small Dragon Orchid, Common Dragon Orchid / Caladenia barbarella / Endangered / 99.76 / 2.89
Kneeling Hammer-orchid / Drakaea concolor / Vulnerable / 99.62 / 5.58
Small-flowered Conostylis / Conostylis micrantha / Endangered / 99.52 / 1.94
Eneabba Mallee / Eucalyptus impensa / Endangered / 99.52 / 5.27
Scale-leaf Poison / Gastrolobium appressum / Vulnerable / 99.46 / 0.44
Mallee Box / Eucalyptus cuprea / Endangered / 99.33 / 7.76
Spiral-leaved Patersonia / Patersonia spirifolia / Endangered / 99.27 / 0.36
Kalbarri Leschenaultia / Lechenaultia chlorantha / Vulnerable / 99 / 0.36
Scaly Butt Mallee, Scaly-butt Mallee / Eucalyptus leprophloia / Endangered / 98.74 / 5.68
Spreading Grevillea / Grevillea humifusa / Endangered / 98.72 / 0.26
Mt Lesueur Grevillea / Grevillea batrachioides / Endangered / 98.62 / 0.61
Thick-margined Leucopogon / Leucopogon marginatus / Endangered / 97.85 / 8.00
None / Grevillea althoferorum / Endangered / 97.29 / 0.44
Foote’s Grevillea, Cataby Grevillea, BlackMagic Grevillea / Grevillea calliantha / Endangered / 96.96 / 0.06
Long-leaved Myrtle / Hypocalymma longifolium / Vulnerable / 95.68 / 5.27
Yandanooka Mallee / Eucalyptus crispata / Vulnerable / 95.37 / 0.50
Pungent Jacksonia / Jacksonia pungens / Endangered / 93.92 / 2.50
Quartz-loving Synaphea / Synaphea quartzitica / Endangered / 92.62 / 0.88
Lesueur Hakea / Hakea megalosperma / Vulnerable / 90.94 / 3.20
Northern Dwarf Spider-orchid / Caladenia bryceana
subsp. cracens / Vulnerable / 90.64 / 1.50
Spiral Bush / Spirogardnera rubescens / Endangered / 87.18 / 2.07
Chapman’s Bell / Darwinia chapmaniana / Endangered / 85.99 / 0.55
Hoffman’s Spider-orchid / Caladenia hoffmanii / Endangered / 77.81 / 22.58
Spiral-fruited Wattle / Acacia cochlocarpa subsp. cochlocarpa / Endangered / 70.27 / 1.63
Forest’s Wattle / Acacia forrestiana / Vulnerable / 67.64 / 0.62
Midlands Gum, Jingymia Gum / Eucalyptus pruiniramis / Endangered / 66.99 / 0.35
Rose Mallee, Rose Gum / Eucalyptus rhodantha
var. rhodantha / Vulnerable / 65.06 / 1.24
White Featherflower / Verticordia albida / Endangered / 64.61 / 0.29
Griffin’s Waxflower / Chamelaucium sp. Cataby
(G.J.Keighery 11009)
WA Herbarium / Vulnerable / 64.26 / 0.01
Chapman’s Hensmania / Hensmania chapmanii / Vulnerable / 62.97 / 0.38
Cadda Road Mallee, Cadda Mallee / Eucalyptus balanites / Endangered / 62.78 / 1.25
Christine’s Grevillea / Grevillea christineae / Endangered / 61.59 / 0.26
Red Snakebush / Hemiandra gardneri / Endangered / 61.5 / 10.81
Diels’ Daviesia / Daviesia dielsii / Endangered / 51.21 / 0.30
Star Sun-orchid / Thelymitra stellata / Endangered / 51.11 / 9.10

* % of total distribution describes the proportion of the total national distribution of the threatened species thatisfound within the zone.