Communities for Communities Newsletter Issue 19 · Communities for Communities Newsletter Issue 19 (June 2015) Ecological Communities Section ... – What the listing aims to achieve

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Communities for Communities Newsletter Issue 19 (June 2015)

Ecological Communities Section brief updateIn addition to the matters covered in detail inside this issue, you may be interested to know:

• New fact sheets have been released for two listed communities:

– Kangaroo Island Narrow-leaved Mallee (Eucalyptus cneorifolia) Woodland

– Western Sydney Dry Rainforest and Moist Woodland on Shale.

In this issue:• Ecological Communities Section

brief update – New fact sheets

• New threatened ecological communities listed under national environmental law

• Technical workshops – Banksia Dominated Woodlands of the

Swan Coastal Plain Bioregion – Poplar/Bimble Box Grassy Woodland

on Alluvial Plains• What happens to a nomination• Conferences and events in 2015

These fact sheets help readers understand:

– What an ecological community is

– Why it is nationally protected

– What the listing aims to achieve

– What the listing means for people in the region.

• Two previously listed ecological communities have received updated conservation advices:

– Hunter Valley Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) Woodland

– Shale Sandstone Transition Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion.

environment.gov.au

Newly-listed ecological communitiesSince the previous edition of this newsletter in May 2014, six new ecological communities have been listed under national environmental law. These new additions are:

• Coastal Upland Swamps in the Sydney Basin Bioregion

• Natural Damp Grassland of the Victorian Coastal Plains

• Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion

• Castlereagh Scribbly Gum and Agnes Banks Woodlands of the Sydney Basin Bioregion

• Central Hunter Valley Forest and Woodland

• Posidonia australis seagrass meadows of the Manning-Hawkesbury ecoregion.

Two ecological community listings have been updated following reviews:

• Hunter Valley Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) Woodland (updated name and conservation advice)

• Shale Sandstone Transition Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion (up listed).

With these recent additions, the total number of nationally listed ecological communities has increased to 72. Further information regarding all nationally listed ecological communities, including full conservation advice, detailed descriptions, threat analyses, distribution maps, and priority research and conservation actions (within national conservation advices and/or recovery plans), can be found on the Department’s website at: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publiclookupcommunities.pl

Castlereagh Scribbly Gum and Agnes Banks Woodlands at Agnes Banks Nature Reserve © Department of the Environment

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Key threats:

• land clearing

• changes to landscape hydrology

• climate change

• changes to fire regimes, including increased frequency

• inappropriate recreational use (off-track vehicles, horses, etc).

Other features: With such diverse vegetation, the swamps provide vital habitat for a range of fauna. Found within these swamps are a range of threatened mammal, bird and frog species. Such examples include:

• eastern pygmy-possum—state vulnerable

• eastern bristlebird—nationally and state endangered

• turquoise parrot—state vulnerable

• green and golden bell frog—nationally vulnerable, state endangered

• giant burrowing frog—nationally and state vulnerable.

With 80 per cent of this ecological community occurring on the Woronora Plateau, protection will aid in ensuring the health of the catchment and water supply for Sydney and the surrounding regions.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=140&status=Endangered

Coastal Upland Swamps in the Sydney Basin BioregionDate listed: July 2014

Category: Endangered

Location: The ecological community occurs on the eastern part of the Sydney Basin bioregion of NSW. It is found across the Woronora plateau to the south of Sydney and the Somersby-Hornsby plateaux to the north. The north and south distributions are separated by variable geological features, with the Cumberland Plain and Sydney city at the centre.

Descriptive features: Found primarily on impermeable sandstone plateaux, the swamps occur in the headwaters of streams and on sandstone benches with abundant seepage moisture. They typically occur at elevations of 200–450 m above sea level (ASL), but can range from 20–600 m ASL.

These swamps are typically treeless, instead occurring as graminoid heaths, sedgelands, fernlands and tall scrub. Vegetation is highly variable and diverse with more than 200 vascular plant species occurring across its range.

Green and golden bell frog © Frank Lemckert (SFNSW) Eastern bristlebird © G Threlfo

environment.gov.au

Natural Damp Grassland of the Victorian Coastal PlainsDate listed: February 2015

Category: Critically Endangered

Location: Located within the Victorian coastal plains, the Natural Damp Grassland community is found primarily in the Gippsland Plain subregion. Some remnants are also present in the Otway Plain subregion. Due to land clearing and significant fragmentation, occurrences are often rare, small in size and are relatively scattered across a significant range. The grasslands are often found on fertile clay soils in areas of high rainfall occurrence with infrequent drought. The community is typically found up to 100 m ASL.

Descriptive features: Patches of the natural damp grassland are associated with boggy soils and has a unique assemblage of dryland and moisture-loving native species. Therefore, any long-term disruption to natural water flows may have impacts upon its assemblage.

The community is typically characterised by the abundance of grassy ground cover commonly composing of tussock and non-tussock grasses, other graminoids and forbs; with the absence or sparse occurrences of trees and large shrubs. Most commonly the ground vegetation is dominated by kangaroo grasses in drier and non-saline areas, through to common tussock grasses in wetter or brackish areas. Shrubs may occasionally be present in drainage lines and depressions in the landscape.

Key threats:

• land clearing and fragmentation

• changes to landscape hydrology

• weed invasion, including encroachment of native shrubs

• inappropriate management regimes which are too much or insufficient (slashing, mowing, grazing and fire)

• inappropriate road and infrastructure maintenance

• fertiliser residues.

Other features: The ecological community provides potential habitat for at least nine plant and 11 animal species which are listed as nationally threatened. Examples include:

• Caladenia fragrantissima subsp. orientalis (cream spider-orchid)—nationally endangered

• Dianella amoena (matted flax-lily)—nationally endangered

• Prasophyllum frenchii (maroon leek-orchid)—nationally endangered

• southern brown bandicoot—nationally and state endangered.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=133&status=Critically+Endangered

Daraman Bushland Reserve © Department of the Environment

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• loss of hollow-bearing trees

• removal of dead wood and trees

• inappropriate rural-residential mowing

• rubbish dumping

• changes in faunal composition and ecological function

• plant diseases such as Phytophthora cinnamomi and myrtle rust (Puccinia psidii s.l.).

Other features: The community provides habitat for many nationally threatened flora and fauna. This includes at least 15 nationally listed threatened fauna species which may occur or are known to occur in the area occupied by the ecological community. Examples include:

• Persoonia nutans (Nodding Geebung)—nationally and state endangered

• Allocasuarina glareicola—nationally and state endangered

• Pultenaea parviflora—nationally vulnerable andstate endangered

• Australasian bittern—nationally and state endangered

• regent honeyeater—nationally endangered and state critically endangered

• spotted tail quoll—nationally endangered and state vulnerable.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=129&status=Critically+Endangered

Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin BioregionDate listed: March 2015

Category: Critically Endangered

Location: The Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion is endemic to the Cumberland subregion of NSW. The community is generally found between Penrith and Richmond. Additional patches occupy areas near Kemps Creek and Holsworthy, as well as small urban remnants near the Cooks River.

Descriptive features: The community is an open-forest to low woodland. It is dominated by an overstorey of Eucalyptus fibrosa (red ironbark) and Melaleuca decora (white feather honeymyrtle), with E. longifolia (woollybutt) often present. While the ground layer is relatively sparse, there is a variable and often dense shrub layer dominated by Melaleuca nodosa (prickly-leaved paperbark) and Lissanthe strigosa (peach heath).

Key threats:

• land clearing and fragmentation

• changes to fire regimes, particularly an increased frequency

• invasion by weed species from garden escapes and farms

• predation of native fauna by domestic pets, feral species (such as noisy minors) and aggressive urban adapted natives

Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest, Kemps Creek © Department of the Environment

environment.gov.au

Castlereagh Scribbly Gum and Agnes Banks Woodlands of the Sydney Basin BioregionDate listed: March 2015

Category: Endangered

Location: The Castlereagh Scribbly Gum and Agnes Banks Woodlands of the Sydney Basin Bioregion are typically found on the north-west of the Cumberland Plain. Other known occurrences include Kemps Creek, Longneck Lagoon and near Holsworthy. The community is found on areas of flat or gently undulating terrain where rainfall is 700–900 mm per year. These are typically areas of low altitude and hinterland positioning to avoid the warmer and drier surrounding landscapes.

Descriptive features: Typically characterised as low woodland, the canopy species typically reach 15 m in height, sometimes emerging to 20 m. Species which dominate the canopy can include Angophora bakeri (narrow leaved apple), Eucalyptus racemosa (narrow-leaved scribbly gum) and E. parramattensis subsp. parramattensis (Parramatta red gum). With a prominent and diverse understorey, it is typically occupied by a sclerophyllous shrub mid-layer and patchy ground cover of sedges and grasses. Species diversity decreases and shifts to a sedge and grass dominated understorey in areas of poor soil drainage. Isolation of various geological and soil characteristics has seen the development of differences in species composition and abundance across the range of the community.

Key threats:

• land clearing and fragmentation

• changes to fire regimes, particularly an increased frequency (often due to arson)

• invasion by weed species from garden escapes and farms

• hydrological changes and increases in water nutrient loads

• predation of native fauna by domestic pets, feral species and aggressive urban adapted natives

• inappropriate rural-residential mowing

• rubbish dumping

• changes in faunal composition and ecological function

• plant diseases such as Phytophthora cinnamomi and myrtle rust (Puccinia psidii s.l.).

Other features: The community provides habitat for at least nine nationally threatened fauna including:

• regent honeyeater—nationally endangered and state critically endangered

• swift parrot—nationally and state endangered

• spotted tail quoll—nationally endangered and state vulnerable

• large-eared pied bat—nationally and state vulnerable.

The ecological community also represents a nationally significant important bird area.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=119&status=Critically+Endangered

Narrow-leaved scribbly gum © Department of the Environment

environment.gov.au

Hunter Valley Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) WoodlandDate listed: December 2014 (originally August 2005)

Category: Critically Endangered

This ecological community was originally listed under the name Weeping Myall—Coobah—Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley in 2005. After a recent listing review where new information regarding its occurrence was considered, the name was updated and a new conservation advice issued.

Location: Found in the Hunter Region of NSW, the weeping myall woodland is found between Warkworth and Wybong. An additional patch is found in Jerrys Plains cemetery and is considered the most intact patch of the known community. All known weeping myall woodlands occur within landscapes which have been heavily cleared and grazed. Found at elevations of 60–150 m ASL, the community favours heavy clay soils located on flood washouts.

These near coastal stands of weeping myall are probably a relic from the last period of glaciation. This explains their segregation from the species’ primary occurrence 100 km to the northwest on the Liverpool Plains and elsewhere on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range.

Descriptive features: Typically appearing as a low forest to woodland, the overstorey is characteristically 5–15 m in height. There is a sparse shrub layer 1-3 m tall over a generally grassy ground layer. The floristic composition of this woodland typically includes more western species. Such examples include Acacia melvillei-homalophylla complex, oak-leaved goosefoot and Mulla Mulla, but it is the presence of weeping myall which characterises this woodland.

Key threats:

• historic land clearing and fragmentation, as well as current and future development activities

• invasion by exotic plant species

• inappropriate grazing regimes

• changes to fire regimes

• climate change

• competition and land degradation by rabbits.

Other features: There are four nationally listed threatened fauna species which may occur or are known to occur in the area occupied by the ecological community:

• regent honeyeater—nationally endangered and state critically endangered

• swift parrot—nationally and state endangered

• large-eared pied bat—nationally and state vulnerable

• grey-headed flying-fox—nationally and state vulnerable.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=44&status=Critically+Endangered

Hunter Valley Weeping Myall Woodland © Trisha Hogbin and Office of Environment and Heritage

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Shale Sandstone Transition Forest of the Sydney Basin BioregionDate uplisted: December 2014 (originally 2000)

Category: Critically Endangered

This ecological community was originally listed as endangered in 2000. After a recent listing review, it has now been listed as critically endangered.

Location: Confined to the Sydney Basin bioregion of NSW, the Shale Sandstone Transition Forest is found to the west of Sydney on the edges of the Cumberland Plain and on the sandstone-dominated Hornsby, Woronora, and Lower Blue Mountains plateaux. It is found primarily where soils are derived from shale substrates which are characterised by their clay texture, with a weathered sandstone substrate transition. This ecological community is generally found in areas receiving 800–1100 mm mean annual rainfall, and most commonly occurs at elevations below 200 m ASL—although can be found up to 600 m ASL in specific locations.

Descriptive features: Occurring as a forest or woodland, the community is dominated by an overstorey of various eucalypt tree species such as grey gum, narrow-leaved ironbark, red ironbark, forest red gum, red mahogany, and thin-leaved stringybark with an understorey of sclerophyllous shrubs, grasses and herbs. As a result of variations in the underlying substrate and environmental variables such as rainfall and slope the community is highly diverse. An increase in sandstone influence generally results in a shrubbier understorey, whereas a reduction sees increased prevalence of herbs and grasses.

Key threats:

• land clearing and fragmentation

• invasion by exotic plant species and feral animals

• inappropriate grazing regimes and mowing

• changes to fire regimes, particularly an increased frequency

• inappropriate recreational use

• rubbish dumping (source of weeds and pollutants)

• wood removal

• salinity.

Other features: The community provides habitat for at least eight nationally listed threatened plant species and five nationally listed threatened animal species (21 state threatened). Examples include:

• Persoonia hirsute (hairy geebung)—nationally endangered

• Pterostylis saxicola (Sydney plains greenhood)—nationally and state endangered

• Grevillea parviflora subsp. parviflora (small-flowered Grevillea)—nationally endangered

• regent honeyeater—nationally endangered and state critically endangered

• swift parrot—nationally and state endangered

• spotted tail quoll—nationally endangered and state vulnerable

• koala—nationally and state vulnerable.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=146&status=Critically+Endangered

Koala and young in a eucalypt tree © Dan Lunney

environment.gov.au

Central Hunter Valley Forest and WoodlandDate listed: May 2015

Category: Critically Endangered

Location: The Central Hunter Valley Forest and Woodland ecological community occurs in the Hunter Valley region (including the Goulburn Valley) within the Hunter River catchment of north east NSW. It is primarily found in the Muswellbrook, Singleton and Cessnock Local Government Areas.

The community is found on soils with a high clay content and of medium fertility relative to the fertile deep alluvial loam soils nearby and the low fertility sandy soils of the bordering escarpment landscape.

Descriptive features: Occurring as an open forest or woodland, the community is typically dominated by eucalypt species. It often has an open to sparse mid-layer of shrubs and a ground layer of grasses, forbs and small shrubs. Species composition is influenced by factors such as position in the landscape and size of the site, recent rainfall occurrences (including droughts) and disturbance history (including clearing, grazing and fire).

The community is usually dominated by one or more of the following eucalypt species: narrow-leaved ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra), spotted gum (Corymbia maculata syn. Eucalyptus maculata), slaty gum (Eucalyptus dawsonii) and grey box (Eucalyptus moluccana). However, in some instances bulloak (Allocasuarina luehmannii) may co-dominate. The sparse mid-layer often compromises shrubs such as wattles and blackthorn. Groundcover can be highly variable, ranging from a sparse to thick coverage of native grasses and other native herbs and/or native shrubs.

Key threats:

• vegetation clearing and landscape fragmentation

• changes in faunal composition and ecological function

• invasive flora species

• rural, residential and industrial development

• removal of fallen timber and trees (e.g. collection of firewood and ‘tidying up’)

• detrimental grazing, mowing and slashing regimes

• altered fire regimes (fire intensity, frequency, seasonality and patchiness all influence vegetation composition and structure)

• predation of native fauna by feral species and competition from aggressive native species.

Other features: The community provides potential habitat for at least 61 nationally and/or state listed threatened species including:

• brush-tailed rock-wallaby

• bush stone-curlew

• Corben’s long-eared bat

• green and golden bell frog

• grey-headed flying fox

• koala

• large-eared pied bat

• New Holland mouse

• painted honeyeater

• regent honeyeater

• spotted tail quoll

• swift parrot.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=130 &status=Critically+Endangered

Central Hunter Valley Forest and Woodland © Department of the Environment

environment.gov.au

Key threats: The ecological community has suffered substantial damage in the past, largely associated with the direct loss and degradation of Posidonia australis meadows.

A range of threats is ongoing and interacting in complex ways to reduce the integrity and function of the Posidonia seagrass meadows including: coastal development, dredging, boat mooring and other boating related activities, catchment disturbance and pollution and climate change.

Other features: The ecological community protects water quality by filtering the water, removing and recycling nutrients; and stabilises sediment on the seabed, preventing large scale sand movement. The ecological community is an important carbon sink, capturing and storing carbon through photosynthesis and by trapping particles in the water. Seagrass debris may be transported well beyond the range of the meadow and subsequently provides food and shelter to animals and microorganisms in other environments as well as contributing to the stability of beach sediments.

Further information: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=127&status=Critically+Endangered

Posidonia australis seagrass meadows of the Manning-Hawkesbury ecoregionDate listed: May 2015

Category: Endangered

Location: The ecological community is found in a limited number of estuaries and around islands along the New South Wales coastline between Wallis Lake and Port Hacking within the Manning Shelf and Hawkesbury Shelf bioregions. The ecological community is known to occur at Wallis Lake, Broughton Island, Port Stephens, Lake Macquarie, Brisbane Water, Hawkesbury River, Pittwater, Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), Botany Bay and Port Hacking.

Descriptive features: The ecological community is the collection of plants, animals and micro-organisms associated with seagrass meadows dominated by Posidonia australis.

The ecological community is an important driver of fisheries productivity and estuarine biodiversity. The Posidonia seagrass provides a surface for other plants (as epiphytes) and animals (as epifauna) to grow on and which become a source of food for larger animals. It provides refuge, nursery habitat and feeding grounds for some important animals including Manly’s endangered population of little penguins; the protected weedy seadragon; and commercially and recreationally important fish species such as yellow bream, black bream, sea mullet, luderick, fanbelly leather jacket, six-spine leatherjacket and yellowfin leatherjacket.

Weedy seadragon © Department of the Environment Little penguin © Brian Furby Collection

environment.gov.au

Technical workshopsTechnical workshops are often an important step in the Australian Government’s assessment of nominations to list nationally threatened ecological communities. Workshops bring together key scientific experts, land managers and other community experts to provide advice on a nominated ecological community. This allows for robust discussion of complex definitional issues and testing at field sites. They enhance the outcomes of nomination assessments and help ensure community engagement.

Banksia Dominated Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain BioregionA public nomination for the Banksia Dominated Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain Bioregion was placed on the Finalised Priority Assessment List (FPAL) in 2012. It is currently being assessed by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) for listing on the national list of threatened ecological communities. The community has undergone significant decline due to the impact of ongoing threats. These threats include clearing and fragmentation, weed invasion, hydrological changes, climate change and changes in fire regimes.

This assessment investigates banksia woodlands across the entire Swan Coastal Plain, spanning from Jurien Bay north of Perth down to the Busselton region south of Perth. As part of the assessment, a workshop was held in Perth during June 2014. The workshop included site visits to a range of example woodlands. Site visits explored common characteristics of the ecological community, variation between sites and the different levels of condition—from degraded to pristine.

Participants at the workshop agreed that, while banksia woodlands across the Swan Coastal Plain shared common characteristics, they also featured variation (e.g. floristic composition) due to the complexity of the landscape. From the outcomes of this engagement and additional information gathering, the Committee continues to consider appropriate scales for this assessment.

The community is principally defined as an upper sclerophyllous layer of large shrubs and small trees. These are commonly dominated or co-dominated by Banksia attenuata (candlestick banksia) and/or B. menziesii (firewood banksia), but other Banksia species may dominate.

Banksia Dominated Woodland on the Swan Coastal Plain Bioregion © Department of Environment

It is estimated that the extent of the woodlands has declined by at least 70 per cent since European settlement. Such declines have been observed in the nearby Eucalypt Woodlands of the Western Australian Wheatbelt. These examples highlight the need for protection of threatened ecological communities in this region.

To keep up to date with the assessment, or to provide any relevant information, please contact us at [email protected]

environment.gov.au

Owing to the productive nature of the soils they grow on, much of the grassy box woodlands have been historically impacted by clearance for agriculture and pasture improvements. In addition to remaining patches of grassy woodlands being heavily fragmented, the woodlands are being impacted by many other threats. These include weed invasion (particularly buffel grass in Queensland), inappropriate fire regimes, along with increasing salinity and hydrological changes.

The depth of knowledge and experience offered by the workshop participants provided an immensely valuable underpinning to the scientific assessment of this ecological community under the EPBC Act. The assessment of the Poplar/Bimble Box Grassy Woodlands on Alluvial Plains for potential listing, as a threatened ecological community under the EPBC Act, is due for completion by 31 October 2015.

Poplar/Bimble Box Grassy Woodland on Alluvial PlainsThe Poplar/Bimble Box Grassy Woodland on Alluvial Plains was nominated and accepted on the 2013 Finalised Priority Assessment List. In February 2015, a two day technical workshop was held in Toowoomba. The workshop brought together woodland and grassland experts whose expertise ranged across the national extent of the ecological community.

Poplar box grassy woodlands are very wide-ranging, but heavily cleared, through Queensland and NSW. The woodlands occur from south of Charters Towers and west of Ipswich in Queensland to north of Leeton and east of Cobar in NSW. They occur on alluvial soils particularly clay, clay-loam, loam and sandy loams, but are absent on sandy, sodic soils and siliceous substrates. With decreasing soil fertility and increasing topographic relief, the poplar box grassy woodlands are replaced by shrubbier types of box woodland and ironbark/cypress pine communities. Such communities characterise much of the less fertile parts of the landscape.

The ecological community is an assemblage of organisms associated with the dominant canopy species poplar/bimble box (Eucalyptus populnea). The ground layer can vary in composition depending on hydrology, landscape position and season. It is typically open, low and dominated by a variety of grasses and herbs. In some locations during dry periods, grass and herbaceous species may decrease, allowing other understorey species such as chenopods to dominate. In more moist sites and seasons, sedges, rushes and ferns, such as Marsilea drummondii (nardoo) may become more prominent.

Poplar box trees are a significant hollow forming tree, and are important for providing habitat for a diverse range of native fauna. The grass layers of the poplar box woodlands provide protection for fauna such as narrow-nosed planigale and fat-tailed dunnart. The woodlands are essential habitat for rare and threatened fauna such as the square-tailed kite, lesser long-eared bat, bridled nail-tail wallaby and koalas.

Calostemma luteum at St Ruths Reserve Jondaryan © Rosemary Purdie

environment.gov.au

The conservation advice including a recommendation on listing category is supplied to the Minister to determine a final listing decision.

Importantly, items on the FPAL are not guaranteed final listing under the EPBC Act. It is the subsequent conservation advice and the Minister’s decision which determines the final listing category, if any.

For further information regarding nominating a species, ecological community or key threatening process under the EPBC Act, please see: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/nominations

Items on the 2015 FPAL will be announced prior to 1 October 2015. To see other items currently under assessment please see: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/assessments/fpal

What happens to a nomination?

Background

Each year the Department will open a public nomination period to allow for the submission of ecological communities, species and key threatening processes for listing or delisting consideration under the EPBC Act (or the transfer from one threatened category to another). The Minister may determine a conservation theme and invite nominations which reflect this theme.

The Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) may also submit its own nominations against the assessment criteria. Such examples include those which have been identified in strategic work or contribute to state alignment.

The nomination period is open for no less than 40 business days (typically opening in December), as per the requirements of the EPBC Act. The most recent nomination period closed on Thursday 26 March 2015.

Next steps for a nomination

Once the nomination period has closed, the TSSC will consider all nominations. All nominations must first contain a minimum amount of information, as specified in the EPBC Act regulations, to be considered. These nominations are then evaluated against criteria that ensure a fairly weighted process to successfully accept and prioritise nominations. These consider factors such as threat, existing protection and available information. Once each of the nominations has been evaluated, a proposed priority assessment list (PPAL) is prepared for the Minister to consider.

During this time the Minister has a statutory timeframe of 20 business days in which to consider the PPAL. This process sees the Minister make a determination for the nominations to be included on the Final Priority Assessment List (FPAL) for the upcoming assessment period. For items which make the FPAL, assessments will commence from October 1 and are bound by their assessment completion timeframes listed on the FPAL. Items on the FPAL are subject to robust assessment by the TSSC against a clear set of criteria.

Banksia spinulosa in Castlereagh Scribbly Gum and Agnes Banks Woodlands © Department of the Environment

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Who’s who in the Ecological Communities SectionDirector:Matt White

Assistant Directors:Justin BillingAnn HoldenJohn Vranjic

Project Officers:Paul BarracloughMark BourneAndrew ChalklenAnthony HoffmanTrudy O’ConnorJesse Mahoney

Media enquiries

Please direct all media enquiries to [email protected]

Conferences and events in 2015The 8th Making Cities Liveable ConferenceMelbourne, Victoria6–7 July 2015www.healthycities.com.au

Australian Mammal Society Scientific MeetingHobart, Tasmania6–10 July 2015www.australianmammals.org.au/events/5_ams_conference_2015

The 18th International River SymposiumBrisbane, Queensland21–24 September 2015www.riversymposium.com

2015 NSW Environmental Education ConferenceHunter Valley, New South Wales29– 30 October 2015www.nsweeconference.org.au

2015 EIANZ Annual ConferencePerth, Western Australia29–30 October 2015www.eianz.org

Ecological Society of Australia 2015 Annual ConferenceAdelaide, South Australia29 November – 3 December 2015www.ecolsoc.org.au

Australasian Systematic Botany Society Inc. ConferenceCanberra, Australian Capital Territory29 November – 3 December 2015www.asbs.org.au/cbr2015

© Commonwealth of Australia, 2015.

This newsletter is licensed by Commonwealth of Australia under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia licence.

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment.

Covers: Banksia © Department of the Environment (front cover)