Palerang
Ecological Communities
What the results tell us for Palerang
Sixty-two vegetation communities have been recorded within Palerang Council Area, 24 of which are considered of conservation significance. The council area also contains occurrences of four ecological communities listed as endangered nationally or in NSW, one of which was gazetted during the current reporting period. One wetland of national importance is also located within the council area.
A disturbed roadside remnant of Candlebark
woodland with a grassy understorey
It was not possible to assess accurately changes to the extent and condition of native vegetation in the council area during the current reporting period. However, minor areas of vegetation in the north and south-east of the area were affected fire.
Seven vegetation communities considered to be poorly represented within the broader region's reserve system in the previous reporting period met reservation targets within the current period. Additions to the reserve system within Palerang Council Area contributed towards meeting these targets. Five of the 20 conservation reserves within the council area have plans of management, two of which were adopted during the current reporting period. Three properties in the council area have a Voluntary Conservation Agreement in place, and another 24 properties are designated as wildlife refuges. A range of activities carried out during the reporting period enhanced the conservation of some ecological communities in the council area.
Vegetation communities in the council area
Sixty-two vegetation communities (or ecosystems) have been recorded within Palerang Council Area (see Table 1). These communities were classified as part of the Southern Comprehensive Regional Assessment (CRA) program in south-eastern NSW over 1999 which provided the best coverage and most consistent description of vegetation in the council area at the time of writing this State of the Environment report (see About the data).
Fourteen of the forest vegetation communities that occur within the council area were considered vulnerable in 1999 (see Table 1), i.e. they were approaching 70% clearance of their pre-1750 extent. In the context of the CRA region, an additional 10 communities were still considered poorly represented within the region's reserve system in 2004.
| Forest vegetation communities | CRA Number | Area (ha)# | Vulnerable* | Poorly Reserved* | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2000 | 1997 | ||||
| Araluen Acacia Herb/Grass Dry Forest | S51 | 4,780 | + | + | ||
| Central Coastal Hinterland and Lowland Warm Temperate Rainforest | S166 | 110 | ||||
| Coastal Escarpment and Hinterland Dry Shrub/Fern Forest | S19 | 1,270 | ||||
| Coastal Escarpment Cool Temperate Rainforest | S164 | 260 | ||||
| Coastal Escarpment Moist Shrub/Fern Forest | S137 | 1,190 | ||||
| Coastal Lowlands Cycad Dry Shrub Dry Forest | S9 | 1 | + | + | + | |
| Coastal Shrub/Grass Forest | S171 | 1 | + | + | + | + |
| Deua Ecotonal Shrub Forest | S34 | 4 | ||||
| Deua Ryolite Dry Shrub Forest | S40 | 4 | ||||
| Eastern Tableland and Escarpment Shrub/Fern Dry Forest | S59 | 11,870 | ||||
| Eastern Tableland Dry Shrub/Grass Forest | S73 | 18,620 | + | + | + | + |
| Eastern Tableland Fern/Herb/Grass Moist Forest | S55 | 21,170 | + | + | ||
| Eastern Tablelands Acacia/Herb/Grass Forest | S89 | 9,420 | + | + | ||
| Eastern Tablelands Dry Heath | S134 | 3,060 | ||||
| Eastern Tablelands Dry Shrub Forest | S112 | 6,900 | + | + | + | |
| Eastern Tablelands Shrub/Grass Moist Forest | S66 | 3,030 | + | + | + | + |
| Ecotonal Granite Dry Rainforest | S168 | 130 | + | + | ||
| Kowmung Dry Shrub Forest | S17 | 80 | ||||
| Montane Wet Heath/Bog | S123126 | 870 | ||||
| Morton Plateau Mallee Swamp Low Forest | S176 | 3,910 | ||||
| North East Tableland Dry Shrub Forest | S15 | 8,480 | + | + | + | |
| North East Tablelands Dry Shrub/Grass Forest | S113 | 25,830 | + | + | + | |
| North East Tablelands Shrub/Herb/Grass Dry Forest | S68 | 6,150 | + | + | + | |
| Northern Coastal Hinterland Heath Shrub Dry Forest | S139 | 850 | + | + | + | |
| Northern Foothills Moist Shrub Forest | S21 | 3 | + | + | + | |
| Northern Hinterland Shrub Dry Forest | S3 | 40 | ||||
| Northern Plateau and Escarpment Heath Shrub Dry Forest | S138 | 5,380 | ||||
| Northern Slopes Dry Grass Woodland | S160 | 710 | + | + | + | + |
| Northern Tablelands Acacia Herb/Grass Dry Forest | S90 | 280 | + | + | + | + |
| Rainshadow Dry Shrub/Tussock Grass Forest | S13 | 230 | ||||
| Riparian Acacia Shrub/Grass/Herb Forest | S53 | 260 | + | + | ||
| Shoalhaven Gorge Dry Shrub Forest | S16 | 1,130 | ||||
| Shoalhaven Gorge Forest | S174 | 30 | ||||
| South Coast and Byadbo Acacia Scrubs | S35 | 20 | ||||
| South East Tablelands Dry Shrub/Tussock Grass Forest | S115 | 20 | + | + | + | |
| South Eastern Tablelands Dry Shrub/Grass/Herb Forest | S74 | 16,910 | + | + | + | + |
| Southern Coastal Foothills Dry Shrub Forest | S1 | 6,720 | ||||
| Southern Coastal Hinterland Dry Gully Rainforest | S170 | 3 | + | + | ||
| Southern Coastal Hinterland Moist Shrub/Vine/Grass Forest | S18 | 670 | ||||
| Southern East Tableland Edge Shrub/Grass Dry Forest | S64 | 20 | + | + | ||
| Southern Escarpment Edge Moist Heath Forest | S65 | 30 | ||||
| Southern Escarpment Edge Moist Shrub Forest | S61 | 580 | ||||
| Southern Escarpment Edge Moist Shrub/Fern Forest | S62 | 3,100 | ||||
| Southern Escarpment Herb/Grass Dry Forest | S50 | 8,000 | ||||
| Southern Escarpment Shrub/Fern/Herb Moist Forest | S57 | 15,010 | ||||
| Southern Hinterland Shrub/Herb/Grass Riparian Forest | S49 | 5 | ||||
| Tableland Acacia Moist Herb Forest | S95 | 1,540 | ||||
| Tableland Acacia/Herb/Grass Forest | S104 | 1,430 | ||||
| Tableland Alluvial Valley Floor Wetlands | S191 | 90 | + | + | + | + |
| Tableland and Escarpment Moist Herb/Fern Grass Forest | S56 | 16,760 | + | + | ||
| Tableland and Escarpment Wet Layered Shrub Forest | S58 | 2,110 | ||||
| Tableland Dry Grassy Woodland | S154 | 30 | + | + | + | + |
| Tableland Dry Herb/Grass Woodland | S146 | 5 | + | + | + | + |
| Tableland Herb/Grassland | S152 | 1 | + | + | + | + |
| Tableland Tussock Grassland /Sedgeland/ Woodland | S148 | 880 | + | + | + | + |
| Tablelands Acacia/Grass/Herb Dry Forest | S92 | 290 | + | + | + | + |
| Tablelands and Slopes Dry Herb/Grass Woodland | S161 | 530 | + | + | + | + |
| Tablelands and Slopes Herb/Grassland/ Woodland | S153 | 350 | + | + | + | + |
| Tablelands Dry Shrub/Grass Forest | S110 | 20 | + | + | ||
| Tablelands Dry Shrub/Tussock Grass Forest | S114 | 6,060 | + | + | + | |
| Tablelands Shrub/Tussock Grass Forest | S75 | 2,960 | ||||
| Widespread Tablelands Dry Shrub/Tussock Grass Forest | S109 | 15,620 | + | + | + | |
CRA prefix S = forest ecosystems classified under the Southern CRA; # Extent in council area in 1999, the date of the Southern CRA ; * For definitions of Vulnerable and Poorly Reserved, see About the data; ource: NSW Department of Environment and Conservation
Endangered ecological communities
Palerang Council Area contains four ecological communities listed as endangered within NSW or nationally (see Table 2). Of the three communities endangered in NSW, a final determination for one and preliminary determinations for two were made during the current reporting period. The one nationally endangered ecological community was listed prior to the current reporting period.
Another ecological community with remnant areas in the council area—Yellow Box/Red Gum Grassy Woodland—was nominated for listing as nationally endangered (Rehwinkel 2005) but had not been assessed by June 2004.
| Name of ecological community | Status | Date of determination* or listing# | Recovery plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregions | Endangered in NSW* | Final: 17 December 2004 | No |
| Natural temperate grasslands of the Southern Tablelands of NSW and the ACT | Endangered nationally# | Final: Prior to 16 July 2000 | In preparation |
| River-flat eucalypt forest on coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions | Endangered in NSW* | Final: 17 December 2004 | No |
| White Box Yellow Box Blakely's Red Gum woodland | Endangered in NSW* | Final: 15 March 2002 | No |
* Determinations (preliminary and final) under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 made by the NSW Scientific Committee; # Listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 by the Commonwealth Minister for Environment and Heritage; Source: DEC 2004a–c; DEH 2005a.
Other significant communities or habitats
Lake George is the only nationally significant wetland listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (DEH 2005b) that occurs within or intersects the council area. It is not reserved and the surrounding landuse is grazing and bushland.
No Ramsar sites (that is, internationally important wetlands) have been declared within the council area.
A flora survey of south-east Yarrowlumla (now part of Palerang and Queanbeyan City council areas) in 1997 identified a number of remnant vegetation areas as being of particular conservation significance (Barrer 1997). They included bushlands of the Mt Foxlow-Harrisons Peak, bushlands of Captains Flat, private reserve north of 'Bililingra' and some portions of land in Butmaroo.
Vegetation extent and condition
Pressures on vegetation extent
Clearing was the main pressure on the extent of native vegetation in Palerang Council Area during the current reporting period; it can also result in fragmentation of vegetation remnants. Increased fragmentation and clearing are the most significant vegetation threats in eastern Australia (Sattler and Creighton 2002), and both have been identified as particular threats to the four endangered ecological communities with occurrences in the council area (DEC 2005).
Mapped vegetation change relating to extent of vegetation in the council area in the current and previous reporting periods is summarised in Table 3. During 2000–04, three hectares of land were affected by regrowth forest, however no mapped vegetation communities occurred within this area. During 1997–2000, two forest communities were impacted by regrowth and 15 by vegetation loss or clearing, two of which were rated vulnerable and 12 poorly reserved at the beginning of this period.
| Vegetation change | Forest communities 2000–2004 | Forest communities 1997–2000 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area (ha) | Total No | Vulnerable* | Poorly Reserved at 1 July 2000* | Area (ha) | Total No | Vulnerable* | Poorly Reserved at 1 July 1997* | ||
| Regrowth forest | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Vegetation loss or clearing** | 1,070 | 15 | 2 | 10 | |||||
* For definitions of Vulnerable and Poorly Reserved communities, see About the data; ** No distinction made between vegetation loss (e.g. through harvesting) and vegetation clearance; Source: Agrecon (see About the data).
Three clearing applications were approved within the council area during the current reporting period under the NSW Native Vegetation Act 2003. These applications included selective logging of private native forest, removal of vegetation for powerline installation and aerial spraying of Poa tussock for pasture improvement. The total area of vegetation cleared was approximately 34 hectares.
Pressures on vegetation condition
Factors such as drought and weed invasion (including the spread of St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and the noxious pasture grasses Serrated Tussock (Nassella trichotoma) and African Lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula)) asserted broadscale pressure on the condition of native vegetation in Palerang Council Area during the current reporting period.
Over the current period, fire was a minor pressure on native vegetation condition in the area. About 5,190 hectares of land were affected by fire (predominantly hazard reduction burns) in the period 2000–04 (see Table 4). Hazard reduction burns affected 10 forest communities. A series of small wildfires occurred in Deua National Park in the south-east of the council area and surrounding lands in the 2001–02 fire season and one small wildfire in the north of the council area within Morton National Park during the 2003–03 fire season. The severity of these wildfires is unknown but they affected 25 forest vegetation communities. In the preceding reporting period, less than 480 hectares were burnt, mostly as wildfires. For further information on the impact of fires in the council area.
| Severity | 2000–2004 | 1997–2000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area (ha) | No. communities | Area (ha) | No. communities | ||
| Fire very low severity | 4,200 | 10 | 30 | 3 | |
| Fire severity unknown | 990 | 25 | 450 | 7 | |
Source: see About the data
General threats to the condition of the four endangered ecological communities with occurrences in the council area include (DEC 2005):
- land degradation and fragmentation of remnants
- grazing and trampling by stock
- weed invasion
- erosion and sedimentation
- soil disturbance caused by feral animals
- harvesting of firewood and collection of on-ground woody debris
- high frequency or high intensity fires
- climate change.
Changes to water tables and surface flows caused by drainage works or altered flows in catchments are also considered threats to the endangered montane peatlands and swamps (DEC 2005).
Conservation and management
Law and policy
Some national and state laws require recovery plans or action plans to be prepared for endangered ecological communities, and for the presence of such communities to be taken into account during decision-making on developments applications. These laws also aim to minimise the effects of threatening processes on endangered ecological communities or prevent communities from becoming endangered. Laws such as the Native Vegetation Act 2003 (enacted during the current reporting period and replaced the Native Vegetation Conservation Act 1997), also aim to minimise the effects of threatening processes and to protect, conserve and improve the condition of existing native vegetation, particularly at a local and regional level (see government laws and policies).
Palerang Council Area is located within the Murrumbidgee and Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA) areas established under the NSW Catchment Management Authorities Act 2003. Each CMA is required to work in partnership with Local Government as well as other stakeholders, and must develop and administer a regional vegetation management plan. These plans and the catchment blueprints prepared by the catchment management boards which preceded the CMAs, also support the conservation of native ecosystems. The Murrumbidgee Catchment Blueprint (Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Board 2003) and South East Catchment Blueprint (South East Catchment Management Board 2002), both completed during the current reporting period, include a range of management actions to restore, maintain or conserve biodiversity values in each catchment area. The Murrumbidgee and Southern Rivers CMAs had yet to develop their regional vegetation plans as at June 2004.
The document A Planning Framework for Natural Ecosystems of the ACT and NSW Southern Tablelands (Fallding 2002), launched in March 2003, covers parts of Palerang Council Area. The framework enables planning for conservation and sustainable urban and rural development in the region, and is designed for use by various land managers and planners. Among other things, it identifies areas of varying conservation value, describes broad vegetation types, links data on vegetation types with threatened species habitat, provides threatened species mapping and outlines issues that need to be addressed.
Local government legislation, regulations and planning documents such as local environment plans (LEPs) may also provide some protection for ecological communities, or limit or prohibit certain activities that may lead to the further decline of endangered ecological communities.
Conservation reserves
List of conservation areas in Palerang Council Area
Twenty-one national parks, nature reserves and state conservation areas either fall within or intersect Palerang Council Area, covering approximately 75,950 hectares or 15% of its area.
Sixteen new conservation reserves totalling approximately 38,360 hectares were gazetted in the council area during the current reporting period, compared with no new reserves in the previous period (see Table 5). Additions totalling about 7,460 hectares were made to three reserves in the current period compared with no additions to reserves in the previous period. Many of these additions to the reserve network during the current period were outcomes of the Southern Regional Forest Agreement (discussed further in Landuse).
Seven forest communities which were considered poorly represented within the regional reserve system in 2000 met regional reservation targets by June 2004 due to additions to the reserve system. The conservation reserves listed in Table 5 would have contributed to meeting these targets. Another seven forest communities which were included in the additions to the regional reserve system within the current reporting period were classed as vulnerable.
| Conservation reserve^ | Gazettal Type# | Area (ha) | No. of significant communities+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable | Poorly reserved | |||
| 2000–2004 | ||||
| Araluen NR | New | 660 | 1(1) | |
| Bees Nest NR | New | 590 | 1 | 4 |
| Berlang SCA | New | 2,320 | 2 | 5(3) |
| Burra Creek NR | New | 280 | 1 | 3 |
| Deua NP | Additions | 6,730 | 2 | 10(5) |
| Frogs Hole SCA | New | 80 | 1(1) | |
| Gourock NP | New | 4,090 | 2 | 6(4) |
| Majors Creek SCA | New | 640 | 3(3) | |
| Monga NP | New | 7,490 | 2 | 6(4) |
| Morton NP | Additions | 730 | 1 | 4 |
| Nadgigomar NR | New | 1,730 | 2 | 5 |
| Scott NR | New | 150 | 1 | |
| Tallaganda NP | New | 8,000 | 4 | 9(3) |
| Tallaganda SCA | New | 5,230 | 3 | 8(3) |
| Tinderry NR | Additions | 0.04 | 1 | 2(1) |
| Turallo NR | New | 25 | ||
| Yanununbeyan NP | New | 3,490 | 2 | 5(1) |
| Yanununbeyan NR | New | 40 | 1 | 2 |
| Yanununbeyan SCA | New | 3,540 | 3 | 6(1) |
| 1997–2000 | ||||
| No additions or new areas | ||||
^ NP = National Park; NR = Nature Reserve; SCA = State Conservation Area; # New = new conservation reserves gazetted in the reporting period; Additions = additions to existing conservation reserves within the reporting period; + For definitions of Vulnerable and Poorly Reserved communities, see About the data; * Numbers in brackets are those poorly reserved forest ecosystems whose reservation targets within the CRA region were met during the timeframe shown; Source: NSW Department of Environment and Conservation
At the time of reporting, at least five of the 20 conservation reserves within the council area had formal plans of management in place—Budawang and Morton national parks (plans adopted October 2001) and Yanununbeyan National Park, Nature Reserve and State Conservation Area (plan adopted May 2005). None of the reserves have fire management plans prepared.
Other conservation management
Council has a draft Roadside Management Strategy which covers the management of roadside vegetation within Palerang Council Area. Council also uses the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Remnant Roadside Vegetation Survey, completed by Greening Australia in 1998, to assist it in managing roadside vegetation (Bromley 2005).
Three privately owned properties in the council area have Voluntary Conservation Agreements (VCAs) in place, while another 24 are designated wildlife refuges. The VCAs cover a total of 304 hectares and the wildlife refuges 21,404 hectares. No information was available on the vegetation communities occurring within these VCAs and wildlife refuges, or whether plans of management or schemes of operation had been developed or implemented for them.
Twenty-six Landcare groups operated within Palerang Council Area. For information on the range of activities occurring there and in the Murrumbidgee and Southern Rivers catchments, see the Landcare NSW website.
Community groups, council or other organisations undertook various projects during the reporting period that enhanced the protection of ecological communities in the council area; a selection of these projects are shown in Table 7. Other nationally funded activities undertaken during the reporting period in the Murrumbidgee and Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority areas (DIPNR 2004) may also have enhanced the conservation of ecological communities in the council area.
| Project area | Purpose | Source of grant** |
|---|---|---|
| Braidwood granites | Revegetation and fencing | Natural Heritage Trust, 2000–01, Natural Heritage Trust Envirofund, 2002–03 |
| Bungendore, Hoskinstown, Rossi | Revegetation | Natural Heritage Trust, 2000–01 |
| Merricumbene | Track and firebreak rehabilitation following bushfire | Natural Heritage Trust Envirofund, 2002–03 |
| Molonglo high plain | Revegetation | Natural Heritage Trust, 2000–01 |
| Molonglo Lagoon and surrounding area | Remnant linkage and fencing | Natural Heritage Trust Envirofund, 2002–04 |
| Reedy Creek Catchment | Rehabilitation and re-establishment of native vegetation | Natural Heritage Trust, 2000–02 |
| Snowball Landcare | Restore biodiversity on degraded landscapes | Natural Heritage Trust, 2000–02 |
| Stony, Snowball and Big Ben | Salinity remediation | Natural Heritage Trust, 2001–02 |
| Stony, Snowball and Big Ben | Catchment revegetation | Natural Heritage Trust, 2000–01 |
| Upper Queanbeyan and Bredbo Rivers | Native vegetation establishment trial | Natural Heritage Trust Envirofund, 2002–03 |
*For more information about these projects see the NHT website http://www.nht.gov.au/projects/index.html and the Environmental Trust website http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/grants/restoration.htm; ** Council, community groups or other organisations may have contributed additional funding.
About the data
Forest vegetation communities referred to in this report were derived from the Southern Comprehensive Regional Assessment (CRA) forest ecosystem mapping undertaken in 1999. All calculations are based on the extant and pre-1750 forest ecosystem layers. The extant forest ecosystem layers reflect the extent of these vegetation communities at the time of mapping.
Under the CRA mapping, a Vulnerable vegetation community was defined as one whose areal extent at the time of mapping was approaching 70% loss of its pre-European extent. A vegetation community was defined as Poorly Reserved when less than 15% of its pre-European extent was located in formal conservation reserves across the CRA region. Further information on the 70% clearing threshold and the 15% reservation threshold is provided in JANIS (1997).
The CRA mapping was used for this report because two CRAs (Eden (mapping carried out in 1998) and Southern) provided the most current data which covered the entire extent of the majority of local government areas in the Australian Capital Region. However the mapping data have the following limitations:
- some mapped CRA ecosystem types may be inconsistent with vegetation on the ground because the CRA vegetation types were modelled and limited ground truthing was undertaken in some areas
- the vegetation classifications were focussed primarily of forest vegetation types and may poorly reflect non-forest communities
- the vegetation classifications used to describe forest ecosystems were not a widely used system
- the vegetation classification systems used in the Eden and Southern CRAs differ and there may be some duplication of forest types at the borders of these two study areas.
No data were available regarding extant vegetation at 30 June 2004, and hence it was not possible to determine changes in the extent of forest communities within the council area during the current reporting period.
Vegetation change was mapped by Agrecon in 2005 for the 1997–2000 and 2000–2004 reporting periods using Landsat analysis. This mapping is at a coarse scale and may not have identified small changes in vegetation extent.
Fire severity mapping, prescribed burn and wildfire polygon data were provided by DEC South Branch. This data shows only those fires which occurred on or passed over DEC-managed conservation reserves. No data were available from Forests NSW regarding control burns undertaken by this department, nor wildfire data for fires which occurred on their estate. The Rural Fire Service provided polygon data for Section 44 fires; these are generally fires which cross more than one land tenure and are usually major wildfires. Fire severity categories used in this report were derived from the fire severity mapping undertaken by DEC for the January 2003 fires. Prescribed burns were attributed a very low fire severity and other wildfires were attributed with severity unknown. These severity classes were chosen as prescribed burns are generally thought to be undertaken so as to minimise the long-term impact on native vegetation, whereas wildfires may be of vary severities. Where areas were subject to control burns, and then burnt again by a subsequent wildfire during a reporting period, these areas are shown as fire severity unknown.
NSW National Parks estate data was provided by the DEC, South Branch. DEC also provided information on the number of voluntary conservation agreements (VCAs) and wildlife refuges. It was not possible to determine vegetation communities within these areas due to privacy concerns regarding location.
Threats to endangered ecological communities were provided by DEC, Threatened Species Unit, South Branch as an extract from its Property Vegetation Planning Database. The information contained in this database is available on the internet (DEC 2005), 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.
For further information regarding changes in landuse that could impact on condition and extent of ecological communities, see Landuse.
References
Barrer, P (1997) The Flora of South-East Yarrowlumla – A Preliminary Assessment, report to the Save the Bush Grants Scheme and the Stoney Creek Landcare Group.
Bromley, K (2005) Environmental Coordinator, Palerang Council, personal communication.
DEC—see Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)
DEH—see Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth)
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2004a) NSW Scientific Committee—Final Determination, Montane peatlands and swamps of the New England Tableland, NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin, South East Corner, South Eastern Highlands and Australian Alps bioregions—endangered ecological community listing, NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, viewed 24 June 2005, http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/montane_peatlands_endangered.
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2004b) NSW Scientific Committee—Final Determination, River-flat eucalypt forest on coastal floodplains of the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions—endangered ecological community listing, NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, viewed 24 June 2005, http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/river-flat_eucalypt_forest_endangered.
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2004c) NSW Scientific Committee—Final Determination, White Box Yellow Box Blakely's Red Gum woodland—endangered ecological community listing, NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, viewed 24 June 2005, http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/Box-gum+woodland+endangered+ecological+community+listing.
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW) (2005) Threatened Species, Populations and Ecological Communities of NSW Catchments, viewed 23 June 2005, http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/index.aspx.
Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth) (2005a) Species Profile and Threats Database, viewed 5 August 2005, http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl.
Department of Environment and Heritage (Commonwealth) (2005b) Australian Wetlands Database, Department of Environment and Heritage, viewed 4 July 2005, http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/wetlands/search.pl?smode=BOTH.
Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (NSW) (2004) 2003/04 Combined NSW Catchment Management Authorities Annual Report, Volume 1: CMA Activities and Achievements, Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources, Sydney.
DIPNR—see Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (NSW)
Fallding, M (2002) A planning framework for natural ecosystems of the ACT and NSW Southern Tablelands, Natural Heritage Trust, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Land and Environment Planning, on-line at http://incp.environment.act.gov.au/planningframework/index.aspx.
JANIS—see Joint ANZECC/MCFFA National Forest Policy Statement Implementation Sub-committee
Joint ANZECC/MCFFA National Forest Policy Statement Implementation Sub-committee (1997) Nationally Agreed Criteria for the Establishment of a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative Reserve System for Forests in Australia, Joint ANZECC/MCFFA National Forest Policy Statement Implementation Sub-committee, Commonwealth of Australia.
Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Board (2003) Murrumbidgee Catchment Blueprint, NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation, Sydney, viewed 4 August 2005 http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/cmb/blueprints/pdf/murrumbidgee_blueprint.pdf.
Rehwinkel, R (2005) Threatened Species Officer, Department of Environment and Conservation, Queanbeyan, personal communication.
Sattler P and Creighton C (eds) (2002) Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2002, National Land and Water Resources Audit on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia, Chapter 4: Threatened Ecosystems and Species, viewed 4 August 2005, http://audit.deh.gov.au/ANRA/vegetation/docs/biodiversity/bio_assess_threat.cfm.
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, viewed 4 August 2005, http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/cmb/blueprints/pdf/south_east_blueprint.pdf.