Bega Valley

Native Species

Indicator description

Results for this indicator are also available for   ACT Bega Valley Bombala Boorowa Cooma-Monaro Cootamundra Eurobodalla Goulburn Mulwaree Gundagai Harden Palerang Queanbeyan Snowy River Tumbarumba Tumut Upper Lachlan Yass Valley Young

What the results tell us for Bega Valley

The full extent of native animal and plant species diversity in Bega Valley Shire is not known. Over 2000 plant species (native and introduced) and almost 790 animal species have been recorded there, but these records are not comprehensive. Increases in reported species diversity compared with the last reporting period reflect factors such as improved use of data sources and additional survey work since June 2000.

Thirty-five plant species and 70 vertebrate and one invertebrate animal species that occur in the shire are listed as Vulnerable or Endangered in NSW and/or nationally. The number of species in the shire listed as nationally threatened increased by four since the end of the last reporting period, while the number of species listed as threatened in NSW increased by eight. Three animal species had their conservation status upgraded during the current reporting period from Vulnerable to Endangered. An additional 25 threatened plant and animal species are predicted to occur in the shire.

Native plants and animals in the shire are subject to national, state and local laws relating to biodiversity protection. Formal recovery plans were in place for nine of the 106 listed threatened species, at least five of the plans completed during the current reporting period. During the same period, plans were being prepared for another 18 species and had been exhibited for a further two species. Thirty-two animal species were covered by national action plans. Although various recovery actions had been initiated for many of the threatened species, the extent to which activities were carried out in the shire and had been effective in conserving these species was not known.

Key activities council carried out during the reporting period to help protect biodiversity in the shire included adopting a State of the Vegetation Report, continuing its Vegetation Recovery Project, preparing a guide to the management of roadside vegetation, and preparing a Management Plan for Remnant Grassy Vegetation on public land. It also commenced development of flora and fauna assessment guidelines, vegetation management guidelines and a revised Tree Protection Order, and conducted in-house training in basic identification and management of endangered ecological communities and other vegetation types of conservation significance. Council also prepared a Coastal Wildlife Corridor Strategy and continued its involvement in the Shorebird Recovery Program.

What native species occur in the shire?

No comprehensive lists of plant or animal species were available for Bega Valley Shire. As past extensive clearing has resulted in significant loss of natural habitat for native plants and animals, species occurring in vegetation remnants within or near the shire provide some indication of the area's former native species diversity. Important areas containing remnant vegetation include national parks, nature reserves, travelling stock reserves, road reserves and cemeteries.

Plants (flora)

List of plant species in Bega valley Shire

More than 2000 plant species, most of them native and including many lichens and other lower plants, have been recorded in the shire.

The increase is more than double the number reported in State of the Environment 2000, and is likely to reflect the use of more data sources (see Differences between reporting periods) and the inclusion of lichens and other lower plants for the current report, and additional survey work since June 2000. No information was available on the abundance of native plant species during the reporting period.

Thirty-five plant species recorded in the shire are listed as endangered or vulnerable in NSW and/or nationally (see Table 1); two species were listed during the current reporting report. Scientific experts predict that an additional 17 vulnerable or endangered species may also occur in the shire (see Table 2), although there were no confirmed records of them at the end of the reporting period.

Table 1. Threatened plants known to occur in Bega Valley Shire

Common name	Scientific name	Conservation status#			Recovery Plan or Action Plan (Date if known)
		National†	NSW‡	Change*
	Astrotricha crassifolia	V	V	No	None
Austral Toadflax	Thesium australe	V	V	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Australian Salt-grass	Distichlis distichophylla	–	E	Endangered species listing under NSW TSC Act 15/09/00	None
Bega Wattle	Acacia georgensis	V	V	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Bog Grevillea	Grevillea acanthifolia subsp. paludosa	E	E	No	None
Box Range Zieria	Zieria buxijugum	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan (2004); NSW Recovery Plan (2002)
Chef's Cap Correa	Correa baeuerlenii	V	V	No	None
Coast Groundsel	Senecio spathulatus	–	E	No	None
Cotoneaster Pomaderris	Pomaderris cotoneaster	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
David's Westingia	Westringia davidii	V	V	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Deane's Boronia	Boronia deanei	V	V	No	None
Hidden Violet	Viola cleistogamoides	–	E	No	NSW Recovery Plan
Imlay Mallee	Eucalyptus imlayensis	E	E	No	None
Lacy Pomaderris	Pomaderris elachophylla	–	E	No	None
Large-leafed Monotaxis	Monotaxis macrophylla	–	E	No	None
Leafless Tongue Orchid	Cryptostylis hunteriana	V	V	No	None
Matted Bush-pea	Pultenaea pedunculata	–	V	No	None
Mauve Burr-daisy	Calotis glandulosa	V	V	No	None
Narrabarba Wattle	Acacia constablei	V	V	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Narrow-leafed Wilsonia	Wilsonia backhousei	–	V	No	None
Oval-leafed Pseudanthus	Pseudanthus ovalifolius	–	E	No	None
Parris' Pomaderris	Pomaderris parrisiae	V	V	No	None
Parris' Zieria	Zieria parrisiae	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan (2004); NSW Recovery Plan (2002)
A leek-orchid	Prasophyllum affine	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Ralston's Leionema	Leionema ralstonii	V	V	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Rhyolite Midge Orchid	Genoplesium rhyoliticum	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Round-leafed Wilsonia	Wilsonia rotundifolia	–	E	Listed as endangered in NSW, 15/09/00	None
Shapely Zieria	Zieria formosa	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan (2004); NSW Recovery Plan (2002)
Small-leaved Gum	Eucalyptus parvula	V	V	No	None
Square Raspwort	Haloragis exalata subsp. exalata	V	V	No	None
Tall Knotweed	Persicaria elatior	V	V	No	None
Tangled Bedstraw	Galium australe	–	E	No	None
Trailing Monotoca	Monotoca rotundifolia	–	E	No	None
Warty Zieria	Zieria tuberculata	V	V	No	None
Yellow Loosestrife	Lysimachia vulgaris var. davurica	–	E	No	None

# Status (threat category): E = Endangered; V = Vulnerable
† National status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; ‡ NSW status under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995; * Change in status since the end of the last reporting period (see also Threatened species—national status).
Source: ANH 2005; DEC 2005b; DEH 2005; NSW Government 2005

Table 2. Threatened plant species predicted to occur in Bega Valley Shire

Common name	Scientific name
Araluen Gum	Eucalyptus kartzoffiana
Araluen Zieria	Zieria adenophora
Budawangs Wallaby Grass	Plinthanthesis rodwayi
Dense Cord-rush	Baloskion longipes
East Lynne Midge Orchid	Genoplesium vernale
Genoa River Correa	Correa lawrenceana var. genoensis
Grey Deua Pomaderris	Pomaderris gilmourii var. cana
Kydra Westringia	Westringia kydrensis
Majors Creek Leek Orchid	Prasophyllum sp. Majors Creek
Michelago Parrot-pea	Dillwynia glaucula
Monga Tea Tree	Leptospermum thompsonii
Pale Golden Moths	Diuris ochroma
Parris' Bush-pea	Pultenaea parrisiae subsp. parrisiae
Rough Eyebright	Euphrasia scabra
Small Snake Orchid	Diuris pedunculata
Swamp Everlasting	Xerochrysum palustre
Tessellated Spider Orchid	Caladenia tessellata

Source: DEC 2005b

Animals (fauna)

List of native animals species in Bega Valley Shire

About 590 vertebrate animal species and almost 200 invertebrates species have been recorded in the shire (see Table 3). They include marine mammals and fish which may enter estuaries, embayments or have been cast up on beaches, and marine and aquatic invertebrates. The total number of vertebrate species is 125 more than reported in the previous State of the Environment report, and is largely due to the substantially greater number of fish species included in the current report. These changes most likely reflect differences in data sources between reporting periods and possible survey work since June 2000. No specific information was available on the abundance of animal species during the reporting period.

Table 3. Number of vertebrate animal species known to occur in Bega Valley Shire

Animal group (Order)	Number of species State of the Environment 2004	Number of species State of the Environment 2000
Mammals	73	71
Amphibians	27	27
Birds	300	298
Reptiles	44	48
Fish	145	20
Total	589	464

Source: Birds Australia 2005; CSIRO 2005; NSW Government 2005; OCE 2000

Seventy-one animal species recorded in Bega Valley Shire are listed as endangered or vulnerable (see Table 4). They include 25 mammals, 40 birds, four amphibians, one fish and one invertebrate. Eleven species were listed during the reporting period, one as Vulnerable both nationally and in NSW, one nationally Endangered, another two nationally Vulnerable, one Endangered in NSW and another six Vulnerable in NSW. Three species had their status upgraded during the reporting period— the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) and Stuttering Barrred Frog (Mixophyes balbus) each went from Vulnerable to Endangered in NSW, while the Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) went from nationally Vulnerable to nationally Endangered.

Table 4. Threatened animals known to occur in Bega Valley Shire

Common name	Scientific name	Conservation status#			Recovery Plan or Action Plan (Date if known)
		National†	NSW‡	Change*
Mammals
Australian Fur-Seal	Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus	–	V	Listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 24/05/02	None
Brush-tailed Phascogale	Phascogale tapoatafa	–	V	No	Action Plan (1996)2
Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby	Petrogale penicillata	V	E	Change from Vulnerable and Endangered population in NSW to Endangered in NSW, 04/07/03	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04); Action Plan (1996)2
Dugong	Dugong dugon	–	E	Listed as Endangered in NSW, 24/05/02	None
Eastern Bentwing-bat	Miniopterus schreibersii oceanensis	–	V	No	None
Eastern False Pipistrelle	Falsistrellus tasmaniensis	–	V	No	None
Eastern Freetail-bat	Mormopterus norfolkensis	–	V	No	None
Eastern Pygmy-possum	Cercartetus nanus	–	V	Listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 08/06/01	None
Golden-tipped Bat	Kerivoula papuensis	–	V	No	Action Plan (1999)3
Greater Broad-nosed Bat	Scoteanax rueppellii	–	V	No	Action Plan (1999)3
Grey-headed Flying-fox	Pteropus poliocephalus	V	V	Listed as nationally Vulnerable, 06/12/01; listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 04/05/01	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Humpback Whale	Megaptera novaeangliae	V	V	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Koala	Phascolarctos cinereus	–	V	No	Recovery Plan exhibited (21/03/03)
Large-footed Myotis	Myotis adversus	–	V	No	Action Plan (1999)3
Long-footed Potoroo	Potorous longipes	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan (2000); NSW Recovery Plan (Feb 2000)
Long-nosed Potoroo	Potorous tridactylus	V	V	Listed as nationally Vulnerable, 16/07/01	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
New Zealand Fur-seal	Arctocephalus forsteri	–	V	Listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 24/05/02	None
Smoky Mouse	Pseudomys fumeus	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Southern Brown Bandicoot (eastern)	Isoodon obesulus obesulus	E	E	Listed as nationally Endangered, 04/04/01	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Southern Right Whale	Eubalaena australis	E	V	No	None
Sperm Whale	Physeter macrocephalus	–	V	No	None
Spotted-tailed Quoll	Dasyurus maculatus	E	V	Changed from nationally Vulnerable to nationally Endangered, 14/05/04	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04); Action Plan (1996)2
Squirrel Glider	Petaurus norfolcensis	–	V	No	Action Plan (1996)2
White-footed Dunnart	Sminthopsis leucopus	–	V	No	Action Plan (1996)2
Yellow-bellied Glider	Petaurus australis	–	V	No	Recovery Plan (gazetted 07/03/03); Action Plan (1996)2
Birds
Australasian Bittern	Botaurus poiciloptilus	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Barking Owl	Ninox connivens	–	V	No	Recovery Plan exhibited (10/03/03); Action Plan (2000)1
Black Bittern	Ixobrychus flavicollis	–	V	No	None
Black-browed Albatross	Thalassarche melanophris	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa	–	V	No	None
Black-winged Petrel	Pterodroma nigripennis	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Blue-billed Duck	Oxyura australis	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Brown Treecreeper (eastern subspecies)	Climacteris picumnus victoriae	–	V	Listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 26/10/01	Action Plan (2000)1
Bush Stone-curlew	Burhinus grallarius	–	E	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Comb-crested Jacana	Irediparra gallinacea	–	V	No	None
Diamond Firetail	Stagonopleura guttata	–	V	Listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 26/10/01	Action Plan (2000)1
Eastern Bristlebird	Dasyornis brachypterus	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Eastern Ground Parrot	Pezoporus wallicus wallicus	–	V	No	None
Flesh-footed Shearwater	Puffinus carneipes	–	V	No	None
Glossy Black-cockatoo	Calyptorhynchus lathami	–	V	No	None
Hooded Plover	Thinornis rubricollis	–	E	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Hooded Robin (south-eastern form)	Melanodryas cucullata cucullata	–	V	Listed as Vulnerable in NSW, 26/10/01	Action Plan (2000)1
Grey Falcon	Falco hypoleucos	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Lesser Sand Plover	Charadrius mongolus	–	V	No	None
Little Tern	Sterna albifrons	–	E	No	NSW Recovery Plan
Masked Owl	Tyto novaehollandiae	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Olive Whistler	Pachycephala olivacea	–	V	No	None
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	–	V	No	None
Painted Snipe	Rostratula benghalensis	V	E	Listed as nationally Vulnerable, 15/08/03	Action Plan (2000)1
Pied Oystercatcher	Haematopus longirostris	–	V	No	None
Pink Robin	Petroica rodinogaster	–	V	No	None
Powerful Owl	Ninox strenua	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Providence Petrel	Pterodroma solandri	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Regent Honeyeater	Xanthomyza phrygia	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan 1999–2003 (1999); Action Plan (2000)1
Sanderling	Calidris alba	–	V	No	None
Shy Albatross	Thalassarche cauta	V	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Sooty Owl	Tyto tenebricosa	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Sooty Oystercatcher	Haematopus fuliginosus	–	V	No	None
Speckled Warbler	Pyrrholaemus sagittatus	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Square-tailed Kite	Lophoictinia isura	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Striated Fieldwren	Calamanthus fuliginosus	–	V	No	None
Superb Fruit-dove	Ptilinopus superbus	–	V	No	None
Swift Parrot	Lathamus discolor	E	E	No	National Recovery Plan 2001–2005 (2001); Action Plan (2000)1
Turquoise Parrot	Neophema pulchella	–	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Wandering Albatross	Diomedea exulans	V	V	No	Action Plan (2000)1
Amphibians
Giant Burrowing Frog	Heleioporus australiacus	V	V	No	None
Green and Golden Bell Frog	Litoria aurea	V	E	No	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Littlejohn's Tree Frog	Litoria littlejohni	V	V	No	None
Stuttering Barrred Frog	Mixophyes balbus	V	E	Changed from Vulnerable to Endangered in NSW, 13/12/02	National Recovery Plan in preparation (as at 28/02/04)
Fish
Black Cod	Epinephelus daemelii	–	V4	No	None
Invertebrates
Giant Dragonfly	Petalura gigantea	–	E	No	None

# Status (threat category): E = Endangered; V = Vulnerable
† National status under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; ‡ NSW status under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995; * Change in status since the end of the last reporting period (see also Threatened species—national status).
References: 1 = Garnett & Crowley 2000; 2 = Maxwell et al. 1996; 3 = Duncan et al. 1999; 4 = DPI 2005; Other sources: Birds Australia 2005; CSIRO 2005; DEC 2005b; DEH 2005; Graham 2005; NSW Government 2005

Scientific experts predict that an additional eight vulnerable or endangered animal species may occur in the shire (see Table 5), although there were no confirmed records of them at the end of the reporting period.

Table 5. Threatened animals predicted to occur in Bega Valley Shire

Common name	Scientific name
Broad-headed Snake	Hoplocephalus bungaroides
Large-eared Pied Bat	Chalinolobus dwyeri
Orange-bellied Parrot	Neophema chrysogaster
Purple-crowned Lorikeet	Glossopsitta porphyrocephala
Rosenberg's Goanna	Varanus rosenbergi
Southern Bell Frog	Litoria raniformis
Striped Legless Lizard	Delma impar
Yellow-bellied Sheathtail-bat	Saccolaimus flaviventris

Source: DEC 2005b

In the broader South East Corner bioregion within which Bega Valley Shire is located, some bird species that are not listed as threatened are reported to have decreased in abundance over the last 20 years, although others are reported to have increased (Barrett et al. 2003). A selection of these species that occur in the shire is listed in Table 6.

Table 6. Native birds reported to be declining or increasing in the South East Corner bioregion and known to occur in Bega Valley Shire*

Common name	Scientific name	Declining	Increasing
Australian White Ibis	Threskiornis molucca	+
Black-fronted Dotterel	Elseyornis melanops	+
Brown Falcon	Falco berigora	+
Brown-headed Honeyeater	Melithreptus brevirostris	+
Crested Shrike-tit	Falcunculus frontatus	+
Dusky Woodswallow	Artamus cyanopterus	+
Emu	Dromaius novaehollandiae	+
Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra	+
Grey Butcherbird	Cracticus torquatus		+
Grey Teal	Anas gracilis	+
Hoary-headed Grebe	Poliocephalus poliocephalus	+
Jacky Winter	Microeca fascinans	+
Masked Lapwing	Vanellus miles	+
Nankeen Kestrel	Falco cenchroides	+
Noisy Friarbird	Philemon corniculatus		+
Noisy Miner	Manorina melanocephala		+
Red-browed Finch	Neochmia temporalis	+
Red Wattlebird	Anthochaera carunculata		+
Restless Flycatcher	Myiagra inquieta	+
Rufous Fantail	Rhipidura rufifrons	+
Varied Sittella	Daphoenositta chrysoptera	+
Wedge-tailed Eagle	Aquila audax	+
Whistling Kite	Haliastur sphenurus	+
White-eared Honeyeater	Lichenostomus leucotis	+
White-faced Heron	Egretta novaehollandiae	+
White-necked Heron	Ardea pacifica	+
White-throated Needletail	Hirundapus caudacutus	+

* For a complete list of declining and increasing species in the bioregion, see Barrett et al. 2003 pages 757–788; Source: Barrett et al 2003; Birds Australia 2005;CSIRO 2005; NSW Government 2005.

Threats and impacts on native species

Habitat disturbance and fragmentation are major threats to the distribution and abundance of native plant and animal species within the shire; with changes in landcover and landuse significant factors. There is little documented information however on the specific impacts of habitat disturbance, fragmentation or other threatening factors on species.

Although native plants and animals in the shire would have been subject to prolonged drought conditions during the current reporting period, actual drought impacts on species are generally not known or poorly understood. Such a natural event may however affect the abundance of species by causing localised deaths (plants and animals) and migration out of the area (animals).

Threatening processes affecting plants

Several key processes listed as threatening in Schedule 3 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are relevant to plant species in Bega Valley Shire. They include:

• alteration to the natural flow regimes of rivers and streams and their floodplains and wetlands
• clearing of native vegetation
• infection of native plants by Phytophthora cinnamomi
• invasion of native plant communities by Chrysanthemoides monilifera
• competition and grazing by the feral European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• competition and habitat degradation by Feral Goats (Capra hircus)
• invasion of native plant communities by exotic perennial grasses.

The main known threats to two of the listed plant species in Bega Valley Shire are outlined in Table 7. For information on known threats for other listed plants in the shire, and species predicted to occur there, see http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.

Table 7. Selection of known threats to two listed Endangered or Vulnerable plants in Bega Valley Shire

Species	Threats
Cotonaster Pomaderris	fires at too short an interval could cause local extinction if plants take a long time following germination to produce seed and most adults are killed by fire populations located in areas of high public use may be damaged along walking tracks
Mauve Burr-daisy	loss and degradation of habitat and/or populations from road works (particularly widening or re-routing), by clearing of habitat for residential and agricultural developments, intensification of grazing regimes and by invasion of weeds

Source: DEC 2005b

Threatening processes affecting animals

Several key processes listed as threatening in Schedule 3 of the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 are relevant to animal species in Bega Valley Shire. They include:

• alteration to the natural flow regimes of rivers and streams and their floodplains and wetlands
• bushrock removal
• clearing of native vegetation
• competition and grazing by the feral European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• competition and habitat degradation by Feral Goats (Capra hircus)
• competition from feral honeybees (Apis mellifera)
• infection of frogs by amphibian chytrid causing the disease chytridiomycosis
• predation by Plague Minnow or Mosquito Fish (Gambusia holbrooki)
• predation by the European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
• predation, habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by Feral Pigs (Sus scrofa)
• predation by the Feral Cat (Felis catus)
• removal of dead wood and dead trees.

Some key threats identified for native fish within the Murray-Darling Basin (MDBMC 2003) may also be relevant to fish species within the shire. These threats are low regulation, habitat degradation, lowered water quality, barriers, alien species, exploitation, diseases, and translocation and stocking.

Specific threats identified for many of the endangered/vulnerable animals occurring in the shire are shown in Table 8. The threats include a range of factors that affect species habitat, food sources or population viability. Habitat clearance and fragmentation threaten many of the species. For information on known threats for individual threatened animal species in the area, and for other threatened species predicted to occur there, see http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.

Table 8. Selection of known threats to some listed Endangered and Vulnerable animals in Bega Valley Shire

Threatened Species	Known Threats
Mammals
Eastern False Pipistrelle	disturbance to winter roosting and breeding sites loss of trees for foraging and hollow-bearing trees for roosting application of pesticides in or adjacent to foraging areas
Eastern Pygmy-possum	predation from cats, dogs and foxes clearance and fragmentation of habitat changed fire regimes affecting food plants declining shrub diversity from overgrazing by stock and rabbits loss of nest sites due to removal of firewood
Yellow-bellied Glider	loss and fragmentation of habitat loss of hollow-bearing trees loss of feed trees
Birds*
Barking Owl (southern form); Brown Treecreeper (eastern subspecies); Glossy Black-cockatoo; Hooded Robin (southern form); Masked Owl; Olive Whistler; Powerful Owl; Speckled Warbler	native vegetation clearance, habitat loss & fragmentation fox and cat predation loss of ground cover due to overgrazing by stock and rabbits tree loss through altered water tables loss in availability of nest trees reduction in suitably-sized prey poisoning, disturbance and predation by foxes on fledglings competition with Starlings for nest sites road mortality reduction of river flows
Amphibians
Green and Golden Bell Frog	alteration and destruction of wetlands alteration of drainage patterns and stormwater runoff Frog Chytrid Fungus pathogen predation by feral animals such as foxes, and by exotic fish such as Plague Minnow herbicides and other weed-control measures road mortality where populations are already small due to other threats

* Each threat listed does not necessarily apply to every species; Source: DEC 2005b

What is being done to conserve native species?

Laws and policy

National and state laws provide a framework for the protection of native plant and animal species within the shire. Two state laws were enacted during the reporting period: the Native Vegetation Act 2003 and the Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003. These two laws and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 provide a landscape scale framework for biodiversity management. The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, other state laws including the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 provide the framework for the recognition and protection of threatened plant and animal species, and usually require the species to be taken into account during proposed developments. More information on these laws is provided in Government laws and policies.

Bega Valley Shire is located within the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA) area. The CMA is required to work in partnership with Local Government as well as other stakeholders. The South East Catchment Blueprint (South East Catchment Management Board 2002), which was completed during the reporting period, includes a range of management actions to restore, maintain or conserve biodiversity values.

Local government regulations, legislation or planning documents such as local environment plans may also provide some protection for native species, or limit or prohibit certain activities that may lead to the further decline of protected species.

Threatened species recovery planning

Of the 106 threatened species known to occur in Bega Valley Shire, only nine species (four plants and five animals) have formal recovery plans in place (see tables 1 and 4) at least five of which were completed during the current reporting period. During the same period plans were being prepared for another eight plant species and 10 animal species, and had been exhibited for an additional two animal species. Thirty-two animal species were covered by three national action plans, at least two of which were completed prior to the current reporting period.

An array of actions has been detailed by various conservation management agencies for many of the threatened species occurring in Bega Valley Shire. Although recovery actions had been initiated during the reporting period by researchers and the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation for some of threatened species with no recovery plans, these actions did not necessarily occur within the shire. The extent to which these recovery actions are proving effective in conserving targeted threatened species is not clear.

The South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program is a specific long-term recovery program for threatened shorebirds. It is an ongoing collaborative effort of Shorebird Recovery coordinators, volunteers, council rangers, Rural Lands Protection Board rangers and Department of Environment and Conservation staff that is proving beneficial to the future conservation of these threatened species.

Other activities

Bega Valley Shire Council carried out a range of planning and other activities during the reporting period that assisted the conservation of native species in the shire.

To facilitate regional vegetation management planning, Council adopted a State of the Vegetation Report (Miles 2000). This comprehensive document outlines the vegetation types and threatened flora occurring in the shire, their conservation status and real or potential threats to them. The report lists the protection mechanisms in place to conserve species or communities, and provides recommendations for the council, the catchment management committee in place at the time and for the regional native vegetation committee.

Council's Vegetation Recovery Program was part of the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority's Voluntary Biological Diversity Conservation Program, and made a major contribution to it. Council's program targeted endangered ecological communities and vegetation of conservation significance, as identified in the State of the Vegetation Report, that occurred on freehold land. It provided landholders with advice on the long-term management of their conservation area, and fencing and planting materials used for ecosystem restoration. Council and the landholder entered into a contract as part of a long-term partnership in achieving conservation outcomes for each project site. Funding surety continues to be the greatest problem to ensuring this program's continued success.

Council had a roadside vegetation management guide prepared for the shire (Miles and Roche 2004). Primarily aimed at council staff to assist them to effectively manage roadside vegetation, the guide provides information on the types and location of significant roadside vegetation, management methods, and noxious and other weeds found on sites.

Council also prepared a Management Plan for Remnant Grassy Vegetation on public land, commenced development of flora and fauna assessment guidelines and a revised Tree Protection Order, and conducted in-house training in basic identification and management of endangered ecological communities and other vegetation types of conservation significance. Council also prepared a Coastal Wildlife Corridor Strategy and continued its involvement in the Shorebird Recovery Program.

The Bega River Estuary Data Review (DIPNR 2004b) carried out during the reporting period defines the main issues relevant to the estuary, including those affecting native species. It is envisaged that this report will lead to further studies of the estuary being undertaken. A range of nationally funded activities undertaken during the reporting period in the Southern Rivers catchment (DIPNR 2004a) may also have enhanced the conservation of plant and animal species in Bega Valley Shire.

The shire supports 26 Landcare Groups, some of which may also be Coastcare Groups. The Landcare NSW website has information on the range of activities occurring in the shire and the Southern Rivers catchments.

About the data

Data for species lists were obtained from the sources listed below.

• BioNet (NSW Government 2005)—this database includes records from the Australian Museum, Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The DEC data includes data from the former NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Atlas of NSW Wildlife database (DEC 2005a) and the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens Herbarium Collection database (Royal Botanic Gardens 2005). The DPI data includes data from the former NSW State Forests and the former NSW Fisheries.
• Atlas of NSW Wildlife (DEC 2005a)—species records are submitted to the Atlas as incidental sightings or systematic surveys, or imported from existing databases. Location details are validated on data entry, based on the grid references supplied. An accuracy index of location is applied and all records are automatically assigned a reliability category, based on the observers' experience. Unusual sightings that fail validations are queried and further validation may occur.
• Australian National Wildlife Collection Database (CSIRO 2005).
• Australia's Virtual Herbarium database—contains flora records from the Australian National Herbarium and other major herbaria in Australia (ANH 2005).
• NSW State Forests data—flora and fauna records held by NSW State Forests South Coast, Eden and Riverina Regions.
• Atlas of Australian Birds database (Birds Australia 2005)—records of threatened and migratory birds only. Detail about the database, accuracy of its records and other relevant information is outlined in Barrett et al.. (2003).

Selection of species records

Species records were selected from between July 1955 to June 2004. This date range was used to eliminate species which had not been recorded in the last 50 years, and to eliminate historic records with poor locational or taxonomic detail.

Where possible, an attempt was made to exclude exotic species from all species lists. However, due to extensive data and time constraints, some exotic plant species may be included in the list of native plant species and hence also included in the plant species total for the shire.

Some species, especially plants, may appear more than once in the species lists of native plants and animals where slight variations in spelling or formatting of scientific names have occurred between or within the datasets used to compile these lists.

The total number of plant and animal species referred to in this report equals the total number of taxa listed in the lists of native plant and animal species (i.e. the total 'species' count includes varieties, subspecies, forms and hybrids).

Differences between reporting periods

Where possible, any exotic species included in the lists from the 2000 State of the Environment Report, and species which were duplicated in the those lists, were eliminated and not counted in the total number of species for this report. Species records for 2000 and 2004 which did not include a full scientific name (i.e. genus and species) were also eliminated from both lists. These three factors mean there will be discrepancies between species counts for 2000 mentioned in this report and species counts reported in the 2000 State of the Environment Report.

Species counts in the State of the Environment 2000 report may include historic records, assuming the 2000 data were sourced from the Atlas of NSW Wildlife (see OCE 2000). Historic records (more than 50 years old) were excluded from the current report.

The number of data sources for this report appears to be greater than that used for the 2000 State of the Environment Report. The species counts for this report only include records from current sources and do not include an amalgamation with species determined from 2000 State of the Environment Report sources unless the source was one of the following:

• a data source other than the Atlas of NSW Wildlife
• where a taxon has not been recorded from current sources (e.g. some fish or invertebrate records for some local government areas).

Threatened species—national status

Plant and animal species listed under the Commonwealth Government's Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 were automatically transferred to the new Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and were formally listed under the EPBC Act on 16 July 2000. Although this listing date falls within the current reporting period, the status of such species was considered to remain unchanged from the previous reporting period.

Threatened species predicted to occur in the shire

Data were provided from DEC, Threatened Species Unit, Southern Directorate as an extract from its Property Vegetation Planning Database. The information contained in this database is available on the internet (DEC 2005b), however the website is still being developed. The underlying data is being refined, additional utilities will be added and a number of known bugs resolved before the site is officially launched.

Recovery planning data

DEC provided the results of a search of the NSW Recovery Planning Database (DEC 2004). The results showed recovery actions undertaken for all threatened species within NSW for the current reporting period. The search was carried out on 15 December 2004.

References

ANH—see Australian National Herbarium

Australian National Herbarium (2005) Australia's Virtual Herbarium database, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, CSIRO and Australian National Botanic Gardens, Department of Environment and Conservation, Canberra.

Barrett, G, Silcocks, A, Barry, S, Cunningham, R and Poulter, R (2003) The New Atlas of Australian Birds, Royal Australasian Ornithologist's Union, Melbourne.

Birds Australia (2005) Atlas of Australian Birds database, Birds Australia, Melbourne.

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (2005) Australian National Wildlife Collection Database, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra.

CSIRO—see Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

DEC—see Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)

DEH—see Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth)

Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2004) Recovery Planning Database, Threatened Species Unit, Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville.

Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2005a) Atlas of NSW Wildlife Database, Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville.

Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2005b) Threatened Species, Populations and Ecological Communities of NSW Catchments, viewed 12 April 2005, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.

Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth) (2005) Species Profile and Threats Database, viewed December 2005, http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl.

Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources (NSW) (2004a) 2003/04 Combined NSW Catchment Management Authorities Annual Report, Volume 1: CMA Activities and Achievements, Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources, Sydney.

Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (NSW) (2004b) Bega River Estuary Data Review, Final Report January 2004, DIPNR, South Coast, Wollongong, viewed 16 April 2005, http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/Environment/Environment_Reports/Bega%20River.htm.

Department of Primary Industries (2005) Fisheries Scientific Committee Final Recommendations, viewed April 2005, http://www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/threatened_species/fsc/recomend.

DIPNR—see Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (NSW)

DPI—see Department of Primary Industries

Duncan, A, Baker, GB and Montgomery, N (eds) (1999) The Action Plan for Australian Bats, Environment Australia, Canberra.

Garnett, ST and Crowley, GM (2000) The Action Plan for Australian Birds, Environment Australia, Canberra.

Graham, C (2005) Charles Sturt University, personal communication.

Maxwell, S, Burbidge, AA and Morris, K (eds) (1996) The 1996 Action Plan for Australian Marsupials and Monotremes, Environment Australia, Canberra.

MDBMC—see Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council

Miles, J (2000) State of the Vegetation Report for the Bega Valley Shire, report prepared for the Bega Valley Shire Council and the Far South Coast Catchment Management Committee, Bega Valley Shire Council, Bega, viewed 16 April 2005, http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/Environment/vegetation/vegetation.htm.

Miles, J and Roche, G (2004) Guide to the management of roadside sites with significant native vegetation, Bega Valley Shire Council, Bega, viewed 16 April 2005, http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/Environment/Environment_Reports/roadside/BVSC%20A5%20Guide%20-%20WEB.pdf.

Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council (2003) Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin 2003–2013, Murray Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.

NSW Government (2005) BioNet System, NSW Government, viewed 11 April 2005, http://www.bionet.nsw.gov.au/BioNet.cfm?is_ie5up.

OCE—see Office of the Commissioner for the Environment

Office of the Commissioner for the Environment (2000) Australian Capital Region State of the Environment Report 2000, Office of the Commissioner for the Environment, Canberra.

Royal Botanic Gardens (2005) Herbarium Collection Database, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.

South East Catchment Management Board (2002) South East Catchment Blueprint – An Integrated Catchment Management Plan for the South East Catchment 2002, NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation, Sydney, online at http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/cmb/blueprints/pdf/south_east_blueprint.pdf.