Threatened Ecological Communities Recovery

	Darke Peake Mallee Eucalyptus cretata (Photo: Courtesy M. Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens

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An ecological community is a group of interacting species (plants and animals) that is adapted to particular conditions of soil, topography, water availability and climate.

A number of ecological communities within the West Region are considered threatened with extinction and are in need of conservation. The goal in managing these ecological communities is to conserve all species, populations and habitat within that community.

Nationally Threatened Ecological Communities

Under Commonwealth law, the conservation status of ecological communities is assessed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. Once an ecological community is listed as threatened under the Act, its recovery is promoted using Recovery Plans and Threat Abatement Plans. For more information see:

• Nationally Threatened Ecological Communities on the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) Environment Reporting website
• Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts Threatened Ecological Communities web page.

The following ecological communities found on Eyre Peninsula are currently being considered by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee for listing as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999:

• Peppermint Box Eucalyptus odorata Grassy Woodland - nominated as Critically Endangered
• Calcarenite Dune Woodland of South Eastern Australia - nominated as Endangered.

State Threatened Ecosystems

Drooping Sheoak Grassy Low Woodland is considered a threatened ecosystem in South Australia and is the focus of recovery efforts

The following ecosystems found on Eyre Peninsula have been identified as threatened in a provisional list of threatened ecosystems of South Australia (DEH, unpublished) and within the Biodiversity Plan for Eyre Peninsula (3.2Mb PDF):

Woodland

• Eyre Peninsula Blue Gum Eucalyptus petiolaris Grassy Woodland on heavy, fertile soils on plains - Endangered, endemic to Eyre Peninsula
• Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata Grassy Low Woodland on clay loams of low hills - Vulnerable
• Rough-bark Manna Gum Eucalyptus viminalis ssp. cygnetensis and/or E. viminalis ssp. viminalis Woodland on alluvial soils in moist areas - Vulnerable

Mallee

• Broad-leaf Box Eucalyptus behriana, +/- Peppermint Box E. odorata, +/- White Mallee E. dumosa Woodland/Mallee on gilgai soils on plains - Endangered
• Darke Peak Mallee Eucalyptus cretata Mallee on clay loam plains - Endangered, endemic to Eyre Peninsula
• Cummins Mallee Eucalyptus peninsularis, White Mallee E. dumosa complex Mallee on loams or clay-loams on flats - Endangered, endemic to Eyre Peninsula

  Cutting Grass Gahnia trifida Sedgeland is considered a threatened ecosystem in South Australia and provides critical habitat for the threatened Eyre Peninsula Southern Emu-wren (Photo: Marcus Pickett)

Sedgeland

• Freshwater wetlands including aquatic Herblands/Sedgelands - Endangered
• Cutting Grass Gahnia trifida Sedgeland in drainage lines and depressions (of fresher water than Thatching Grass G. filum) - Endangered
• Thatching Grass Gahnia filum Sedgeland in drainage lines and depressions - Vulnerable.

For more information see State Threatened Ecosystems

Video Footage

See video footage of threatened Broad-leaf Box / Peppermint Box Woodland regenerating after the 2005 lower Eyre Peninsula bushfire (4.1Mb file).

See video footage of threatened Gahnia sp. Sedgeland, which is important habitat for the Eyre Peninsula Southern Emu-wren (3.9Mb file). The video shows adjacent burnt and unburnt sites after the 2005 lower Eyre Peninsula bushfire.