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The vegetation of Gibraltar Range National Park and adjoining parts of eastern Washpool National Park, 65 km east of Glen Innes (29° 31’S 152° 18’E) on the eastern escarpment of New South Wales is described. In total 124, 20m x 50m full vascular plant floristic sites were recorded and information from an additional 53 sites was collated. Thirteen vegetation assemblages are defined based on flexible UPGMA analysis of cover-abundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. Many of the vegetation communities are typical of what is found along the north eastern escarpment of NSW. Three communities are considered to be rare and two vulnerable. A total of 878 vascular plant taxa from 138 families were recorded, of which only 21 (2%) were of introduced origin and 81 (9%) were found to be of conservation significance. Pattern diversity, species density, species accumulation and average geographic range size, along with general measures of richness and diversity, were analysed for all communities. Each of the communities described varied considerably in the diversity attributes measured. Communities with a high number of shrubs had greater constancy between sites compared to those that contained a high number of closed forest species. The community from rock outcrops had the largest average geographical range size.
The floristic composition and extent of Carex-dominated fens in the New South Wales New England Tablelands Bioregion and Barrington Tops area (lat 28° 41’ S–31° 55’ S; long 151° 23’ E–152° 05’ E) together with outliers from the central west (Coonabarabran) are described from 81 full floristic survey sites. These fens contained 234 vascular plant taxa of which 27% were exotic. The fens were dominated by herbaceous vegetation (96% of taxa). Cluster analysis of cover-abundance scores of vascular plant taxa from 81 plots placed within 71 separate Carex fens revealed three alliances: 1) Carex appressa, 2) Scirpus polystachyus – Carex tereticaulis and 3) Carex gaudichaudiana and seven communities: (1) Carex appressa – Stellaria angustifolia Fen (2) Carex appressa Fen (3) Scirpus polystachyus – Carex appressa Fen (4) Carex tereticaulis Fen (5) Carex gaudichaudiana – Isachne globosa Fen (6) Carex sp. Bendemeer – Carex gaudichaudiana Fen (7) Carex gaudichaudiana – Glyceria australis Fen The distribution of alliances showed a pattern of east-west separation. The most easterly alliance shares many features with the Carex gaudichaudiana Alliance of the Monaro Region of southern NSW while the other alliances have no counterparts within the current literature. We estimate that up to 5 000 ha of fen vegetation survive in the New England Bioregion of which 90% is on grazed land and only 0.2% is within conservation reserves. Seven outstanding examples of fens remain; most are examples of Community 5, with one representing Community 6 and none representing the other five communities. Many of these are not secured, and none of those within reserves are in their ‘natural’ state. We therefore strongly encourage measures to allow closure of drains, the opening of dams, and the rehabilitation of important fens such as Bishops, Racecourse and New Country Swamps.
Does an increase in the cover/abundance of Callitris glaucophylla or Callitris endlicheri affect the number of species recorded in plots (species density) or do other factors such as altitude or logging, fire or grazing history have greater explanatory power? This was tested using survey data from 1351 plots from northern New South Wales. Altitude was found to have the greatest explanatory power in predicting the number of species per plot. Increasing cover/abundance of Callitris glaucophylla was found to be positively correlated with increasing species density. Fire was found to have a minor negative effect on species density in Callitris glaucophylla stands and grazing a small positive correlation in Callitris endlicheri stands.
The floristic composition and vegetation partitioning of the ephemeral wetlands of the Pilliga Outwash within the Pilliga National Park and Pilliga State Conservation Area (30˚30’S, 149˚22’E) on the North Western Plains of New South Wales are described. SPOT5 imagery was used to map 340 wetlands across the Pilliga Outwash. A total of 240 plots within 31 wetlands explored composition and species richness in relation to water depth and wetland size. The predominant community described is the species-rich herbfield of shallow basin wetlands, along with the structurally distinct but the less common sedgeland/herbfield of the deeper ‘tank’ wetlands and a single wetland with a floristically depauperate Diplachne fusca wet grassland. A total of 131 taxa were recorded including three species listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995): Eriocaulon australasicum, Lepidium monoplocoides and Myriophyllum implicatum. New records for an additional six taxa were recorded for the North Western Plains. 11% of taxa were exotic in origin.
Vegetation of Little Bora Nature Conservation Trust Agreement, North Western Slopes, New South Wales
(2014)
The vegetation of the Little Bora Nature Conservation Trust Agreement property (560 ha in area), 8 km south east of Bingara (lat 29° 55’S long 150° 37’) in the Gwydir Shire and within the Nandewar Bioregion is described. Eight vegetation communities are defined based on flexible UPGMA analysis of cover-abundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. These communities are mapped based on ground truthing, ADS40 imagery interpretation, topography and substrate. Communities described are: 1) Melaleuca bracteata – Eucalyptus melanophloia – Eucalyptus camaldulensis Woodland, 2) Callitris glaucophylla – Eucalyptus melanophloia – Eucalyptus albens Woodland, 3) Callitris glaucophylla – Eucalyptus melanophloia – Brachychiton populneus Woodland, 4) Eucalyptus albens Woodland, 5) Eucalyptus caleyi – Eucalyptus albens – Callitris glaucophylla Woodland, 6) Callitris glaucophylla – Eucalyptus melanophloia – Eucalyptus albens Woodland, 7) Austrostipa verticillata – Austrostipa scabra Derived Grassland, 8) Eucalyptus melliodora – Eucalyptus dealbata Woodland. A total of 232 vascular plant taxa were found of which 14% were considered exotic in origin. 66 ha of listed threatened communities were mapped along with populations of a currently listed Extinct plant (TSC Act) Dodonaea stenophylla.
To assist with planning and conservation strategies, mapping of wetlands above 700 m elevation across the Namoi Catchment (east of Tamworth) was undertaken. The number of hectares of each type within this high-elevation region, the area currently in conservation reserves and the status of these remnants was assessed. 1 001 wetlands were mapped and allocated to three wetland types (fens, bogs and lagoons) and six disturbance groups (based on agricultural clearing and presence of dams). Total wetlands cover was 4 490 ha, of which fens were the most common, followed by bogs and a single lagoon. The smallest wetland was 0.12 ha in size, the largest 113 ha and the average 5 ha. Only 10% of all wetlands were considered to be in near natural state with only 5.5% of all wetland area protected within conservation reserves.
A brief assessment is made of the adequacy of the formal conservation reserve network within the Inverell and Yallaroi Shires, around Inverell and Warialda, northern New South Wales. The current reserve network consists of two National Parks (Kings Plains & Kwiambal) and three Nature Reserves (Arakoola, Planchonella & Severn River), sampling 2% of the area of the two shires. 62% of the known vascular plant taxa (746 native, 144 exotic) have been recorded within the five reserves, including 27 of the 48 taxa listed as rare or threatened within the shires. Of 30 vegetation communities found within the five reserves, only 13 were considered adequate in terms of extent or condition. Of 18 communities found on basalt, limestone or alluvial soils, only 12% of their area was considered to be good quality stands. 26 communities were only represented in one reserve. Nine Endangered Ecological Communities are listed for the two shires, only four of which are within the formal reserves. The capture and status of assemblages and flora within the five reserves in the Inverell and Yallaroi Shires is inadequate and many of the species and communities contained warrant additional conservation within the formal conservation network.
The vegetation of Arakoola Nature Reserve (3189 ha), 29°17’S, 150°48’E, 100 km north-west of Inverell, in north western New South Wales is described. Seven vegetation communities are defined based on flexible UPGMA analysis of cover-abundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. These communities are mapped based on ground-truthing, air photo interpretation and geological substrate. They are: Community 1: Eucalyptus albens (White Box) – Eucalyptus melanophloia (Silver-leaved Ironbark) Basalt Woodland, Community 2: Angophora leiocarpa (Smooth-barked Apple) – Corymbia dolichocarpa (Long-fruited Bloodwood) Sandstone Woodland, Community 3: Angophora leiocarpa (Smoothbarked Apple) – Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (Red Stringybark) Woodland, Community 4: Chloris truncata (Windmill Grass) Grassland, Community 5: Herbfield/Sedgeland, Community 6: Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Red Gum) – Eucalyptus melliodora (Yellow Box) Riparian Woodland, Community 7: Angophora floribunda (Rough-barked Apple) – Callistemon viminalis (Weeping Bottlebrush) Riparian Woodland.
There are 23 taxa considered significant within Arakoola Nature Reserve including the twining herb Desmodium campylocaulon and the shrub Pomaderris queenslandica (listed as Endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act), and the grasses Dichantheum setosum and Bothriochloa biloba, and the perennial herbs Goodenia macbarroni and Thesium australe (all listed as Vulnerable under the TSC Act). A comprehensive species list of about 450 plant species is given for the Nature Reserve.
Across western New South Wales agricultural practices have led to significant changes in the distribution and abundance of many native plant species. These changes have occurred due to past clearing practices and the introduction of grazing and pest animals. It is likely that such changes have affected the distribution of plant species used by Aboriginal peoples, and that formerly rich plant resource areas may also have changed. Here an attempt is made to map contemporary high aboriginal plant resource areas in the Yantabulla area (lat 29° 55’S, long 150° 37’E) of far western New South Wales, using kriging interpolation. High aboriginal plant usage resource areas were not found to be correlated with any particular vegetation assemblage, although Lignum Shrublands comparatively had the lowest scores. Site species richness was correlated strongly with sites of high abundance of aboriginal resource use. It is hoped that by identifying contemporary high resource locations, new understandings of the landscape can be developed by traditional owners and conservation land managers.