Fitzgerald biosphere recovery plan

5.1 Risk of the Threatening Processes in the Fitzgerald Biosphere

The risk of each of the threatening processes on the threatened species and ecological communities and the landscape units of the Fitzgerald Biosphere was determined to allow the recovery actions and management practices of this Plan to be focused where they are most needed.

Method of Determining Risk for Threatened Species and Ecological Communities

Analysis and ranking of the risk of threatening processes on the threatened species and ecological communities was undertaken using the Open Standards of the Practice of Conservation guidelines and the adaptive management software Miradi (CMP 2009). This involved assessing the risk of each of the threatening processes for each of the threatened species/communities over the next 10 years based on three criteria:

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  Scope (proportion of population expected to be affected),
  
• 
  Severity (the degree to which the population is expected to be affected), and
  
• 
  Irreversibility (degree to which the effects can be reversed).
  

Further details of this ranking process using Miradi is included in Appendix 6. The analysis and ranking of threats was based on best available knowledge and current understanding of impacts from individual threatening processes upon the threatened species and ecological communities.

The risk ratings for each of the threatened fauna, flora and ecological community to each of the threats in the Fitzgerald Biosphere are shown in Table 9 and Table. These ratings relate to the magnitude of the threat to the species/communities and its reversibility over the 10 year timeframe of this Plan.

Threatened Fauna

The risk ratings show that inappropriate fire regimes and predation by feral cats and foxes are the most significant threats to threatened fauna in the Biosphere, followed by loss of habitat, fragmentation and degradation, stochastic events and climate change (Table 9).
Phytophthora cinnamomi is ranked as a low threat for most of the threatened fauna species, except the Dibbler for which it is a medium threat as it occurs in habitat dominated by susceptible flora species. P. cinnamomi is not considered a threat to the Red-tailed Phascogale or Numbat. However, P. cinnamomi is considered a very significant threat in the Biosphere due to its significant impact to biodiversity overall and because it cannot be eradicated.
Overall these risk ratings show that all the threatened fauna species were ranked as high to very high risk in the Fitzgerald Biosphere, except the Chuditch and the Numbat which have a medium rating. The Western Ground Parrot is the most at risk due to its small population size.
Table 9: Risk ratings for each of the threatened fauna species to each of the most significant threats in the Fitzgerald Biosphere over then next 10 years, as determined using Miradi (CMP 2009). These ratings are based on three criteria: Scope, Severity and Irreversibility (Appendix 6). Blank = not considered a significant threat to that species.

Threats Species	Invasive fauna	Inappropriate fire regimes	Phytophthora cinnamomi	Cats & foxes	Weeds	Salinisation/ altered hydrology	Climate change	Loss & fragmentation of habitat	Stochastic (chance) events	Summary Risk Rating
Carnaby's B-Cockatoo	High	Medium	Low		Low	Low	Low	High	Medium	High
Chuditch	Low	Medium	Low	High		Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium
Red Tailed Phascogale	Low	High		High	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Low	High
Dibbler		High	Medium	High		Low	Medium	Low	Low	High
Heath Mouse	Low	High	Low	High		Low	Medium	Low	Low	High
Malleefowl	Medium	Medium	Low	High	Low	Medium	High	High	Low	High
Numbat	Low	Medium		High		Low	Medium	Low	Medium	Medium
Western Bristlebird		High	Low	High	Low		High	Low	High	High
W. Ground Parrot	Low	Very High	Low	Very High	Low		High	Medium	High	Very High
Summary Risk Rating	Medium	Very High	Low	Very High	Low	Low	High	High	High

Threatened Flora and Ecological Communities

The risk ratings show that inappropriate fire and climate change are the most significant threats to threatened flora and the ecological community in the Biosphere (Table 10). Climate change is a significant threat for many of the flora species due to small population sizes, and that they rely on specific habitats (e.g. the tops of the hills of the Barren Range) that are likely to be highly impacted by any changes in temperature or rainfall.
Phytophthora cinnamomi is ranked as a low to high threat and is not a threat for nine of the threatened flora species. These rankings were made with the assumption that P. cinnamomi will not become widespread in the Biosphere in the next 10 years, but because it cannot be eradicated from where it does spread, it is considered a very significant threat in the Biosphere.
The risk of the threatening processes in the Fitzgerald Biosphere are unknown for Conostylis lepidospermiodes and Lepidium aschersonii, as these species have not been seen in the Fitzgerald Biosphere in recent years (Appendix 2).
Table10: Risk ratings for each of the threatened flora species and the ecological community to each of the most significant threatening processes in the Fitzgerald Biosphere over then next 10 years, as determined using Miradi (CMP 2009). These ratings are based on three criteria: Scope, Severity and Irreversibility (Appendix 6). Blank = not considered a significant threat.

Threats Species/ Communities	Invasive fauna	Inappropriate fire regimes	Phytophthora cinnamomi	Weeds	Salinisation/ altered hydrology	Climate change	Loss & fragmentation of habitat	Stochastic (chance) events	Summary Risk Rating
Acacia rhamphophylla		High	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	High	High
Adenanthos dobagii		Low	High			Medium		Low	Medium
Adenanthos ellipticus		Low	Medium			High		Low	Medium
Anigozanthos bicolor subsp. minor	Medium	Medium	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Low	Medium
Beyeria cockertonii		Low	Low		Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium	Medium
Boronia clavata	Low	Low		Medium	Low	Medium	Medium	Low	Medium
Conostylis lepidospermiodes	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known
Caladenia bryceana subsp. bryceana	Low	Medium		Medium		Medium	Medium	High	Medium
Coopernookia georgei		Low	Low			High		Medium	Medium
Daviesia megacalyx		Low	Medium			Medium	Low	Medium	Medium
Daviesia obovata		Low	Medium			High		Medium	Medium
Eremophila denticulata subsp. denticulata	Low	Low		Low		Medium	Low	Low	Low
Eremophila subteretifolia		Low			Medium	Medium		Low	Medium
Eucalyptus burdettiana		Low	Low			High		Low	Medium
Eucalyptus coronata		Low	Low			High		Low	Medium
Eucalyptus nutans		High				High		Low	High
Eucalyptus purpurata		High			High	Medium	High	Low	High
Grevillea infundibularis		Low	Medium			Medium		Low	Medium
Hibbertia abyssa		Low	Medium	Low	Medium	Medium	High	Low	Medium
Kunzea similis subsp. similis		Very High	High			High		High	Very High
Kunzea similis subsp. mediterranea		Low	High		High	Medium	High	Low	High
Lepidium aschersonii	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known	Not known
Marianthus mollis		Low	Low			Low	Low	Low	Low
Myoporum cordifolium		Low				Low		Low	Low
Ricinocarpos trichophorus		Low				Low		Low	Low
Stylidium galioides		Low	Low			High		Medium	Medium
Thelymitra psammophila	Low	Low		Medium	Low	Medium	Low	Low	Medium
Verticordia crebra		Low	Low			Medium		Medium	Medium
Verticordia helichrysantha		Medium	Medium			High		Medium	Medium
Verticordia pityrhops		Very High	High			High		High	Very High
Eucalyptus acies mallee heath		High	High			Medium		High	High
Summary Risk Rating	Low	Very High	High	Medium	High	Very High	High	High

Landscape Units

Susceptibility of the Landscape Units of the Fitzgerald Biosphere to significant threats are summarised in Table11. Risk of the threats were not ranked using Miradi due to the complexity of the Landscape Units. Each Landscape Unit responds differently to threatening processes due to different physical characteristics and these differences need to be understood when considering threat abatement.

Table11: The most significant threatening processes and susceptibility to these threats of each of the Landscape Units of the Fitzgerald Biosphere.

Landscape Units	Threats specific to Landscape Unit (including current level of threat within landscape units plus potential threats based on specific susceptibility of the unit to threat)
Albany Fraser Coastal	Stable system - sensitive to frequent disturbance Climate change (species at edge of range, restricted, endemic) Phytophthora (highly susceptible flora and vegetation communities)
Depositional Dynamics	Highly dynamic system - adapted to frequent ground disturbance Weed infestation Salinisation Erosion Siltation of waterways
Depositional Eocene	Relatively dynamic system - resilient to disturbance to some degree Weed infestation Frequent fire (in particular the mallet and moort communities)
Esperance Sandplain	Relatively stable system - sensitive to frequent disturbance Phytophthora (highly susceptible Banksia communities) Climate change (species at edge of range) Fragmentation of habitat Salinisation (saline and freshwater lake systems) Development and recreation impacts Insecure tenure
Greenstone	Patchily stable system - sensitive to frequent disturbance Inappropriate fire (many fire sensitive vegetation communities) Phytophthora (susceptible proteaceous heath). Mining activity (clearing, changed hydrology) Climate change- high levels of endemism due to unique geology, species at ends of range and relictual species (e.g. invertebrates). Invasive fauna (feral bees, rabbits) Recreation impacts Insecure tenure
Marine Plain	Relatively stable system - sensitive to frequent disturbance Inappropriate fire (mallet and moort vegetation communities) Phytophthora (highly susceptible species and communities) Invasive fauna (rabbits in deep sands, feral bees in breakaways) Climate change- endemic communities, spongelite breakaways (i.e. isolated communities) Weed invasion in deep sands
Quartzite Range	Relatively stable system - sensitive to frequent disturbance Inappropriate fire (relictual species that require long unburnt habitat) Phytophthora (highly susceptible communities: mountain thicket, heath and mallee-heath) Climate change (refugial habitats and relictual species)
Yilgarn Block East	Stable system - sensitive to frequent disturbance Susceptible to disturbance (slow regeneration, fragile biological soil crusts, nutrient poor) Salinisation (susceptible habitats (salt lakes, low-lying woodlands) Phytophthora (susceptible species and habitats) Fragmentation of habitat Highly erodible Inappropriate fire (woodland communities)

Kataloq: system -> files -> resources -> 5f1360ed-4670-49d7-8660-ea3e8636a888 -> files
resources -> Littoral Rainforest and Coastal Vine Thickets of Eastern Australia Ecological Community Draft National Recovery Plan
resources -> Conservation Management Zones of Australia Eastern Australia Tropical Forests and Woodlands
resources -> It is intended that this Plan be implemented over a ten-year period
resources -> Magenta Lilly Pilly Syzygium paniculatum
resources -> Appendix 4 the responses of native australian plant species to phytophthora cinnamomi
resources -> National Recovery Plan Magenta Lilly Pilly Syzygium paniculatum
resources -> 1 Introduction 1 1 Background 1
resources -> Syzygium eucalyptoides
resources -> Shy featherflower (Verticordia fimbrilepis subsp fimbrilepis) interim recovery plan
files -> Fitzgerald biosphere recovery plan