Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion - Determination to make a minor amendment to Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Determination to make a minor amendment to Part 3 of Schedule 1 (Endangered ecological communities) of the Act by inserting the Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion (as described in the determination of the Scientific Committee under Division 5 Part 2) and as a consequence to omit reference to the Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion (as described in the final determination to list the ecological community) which was published on pages 11945 to 11946 and 11960 to 11963 in the NSW Government Gazette No. 152 dated 24 November 2000. Minor amendments to the Schedules are provided for by Division 5 of Part 2 of the Act.

The Scientific Committee is of the opinion that the amendment is necessary or desirable to correct minor errors or omissions in the Determination in relation to the Thackway and Cresswell (1995) reference.

NSW Scientific Committee - final determination

The Scientific Committee has found that:

1. Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests is the name given to a forest community described by Keith, D. & Bedward, M. (1999).

2. The community is a rainforest with a dense canopy to 10 m tall with occasional emergent eucalypts. The upperstorey is dominated by Ficus rubiginosa with occasional  Pittosporum undulatum and  Brachychiton populneus and scattered emergent eucalypts . The sparse understorey shrub layer includes  Alectryon subcinereus, Notelaea venosa and  Hymenanthera dentata, Dendrocnide excelsa and  Deeringia amaranthoides may be locally common in the northern part of the range. The ground cover is patchy with scattered patches of  Plectranthus graveolens and  Sigesbeckia orientalis, with the fern  Pellaea falcata var.  falcata and  grass  Oplismenus imbecillis among rocks . Ficus rubiginosa is at the southern limit of its geographical distribution within the community.

3. The plant species assemblage for the community includes:

4. The total species list of the community may be larger than that given above with many species present in only one or two sites or in very small quantity. In any particular site not all of the assemblage listed may be present. At any one time, seeds of some species may only be present in the soil seed bank with no above-ground individuals present. The species composition of the site will be influenced by the size of the site and by its recent disturbance history. The number of species and the above-ground composition of species will change with time since fire, and may also change in response to changes in fire frequency.

5. Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests is found between Cobargo and Bega, south of Candelo and in the upper Towamba Valley, all in the Bega Valley Local Government Area within the South East Corner Bioregion, on steep upper granite slopes or heads of north facing gullies. A small stand may also occur in the Araluen Valley (Austin & Sheaffe, 1976). Bioregions are defined in Thackway and Cresswell (1995).

6. Most Dry Rainforest is restricted to small patches of less than 10 ha. Some stands occur in Coolangubra National Park but much of the Dry Rainforest is on private land. The total area of the community is believed to be less than 100 ha.

7. Threats to the community include the impacts of grazing of the understorey by cattle, sheep and rabbits, potential further clearing and inappropriate fire regimes which may adversely affect rainforest species.

8. Given the fragmented nature of Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests in the South East Corner Bioregion and 6 and 7 above the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that this Community is likely to become extinct in nature in New South Wales unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival or evolutionary development cease to operate.

Dr Richard Major
Chairperson
Scientific Committee

Proposed Gazettal date: 14/10/11
Exhibition period: 14/10/11 - 9/12/11

Note this ecological community was originally listed in 2000 as indicated in the determination

Reference:

Austin, M.P. & Sheaffe, J. (1976). Vegetation survey data of the south coast study area, NSW Tech. Memo. 76/15. CSIRO Div. Land Use Res., CSIRO, Canberra.

Keith, D. and Bedward, M. (1999) Native Vegetation of the South East Forests Region, Eden, NSW. Cunninghamia 6(1) 1-218.

Thackway R, Cresswell ID (1995) An interim biogeographic regionalisation for Australia: a framework for setting priorities in the National Reserves System Cooperative Program. (Version 4.0. Australian Nature Conservation Agency: Canberra.)