Abstract for presentation at Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference - A Pacific Response

The Conservation Status of Vertebrate Species in the Central West and Lachlan Catchments in NSW

  • Dr J Anne Kerle, Consultant Ecologist, Australia
  • Prof David Goldney, Charles Sturt University & University of Sydney, Orange Campus, Australia
  • Dr Michael Fleming, NSW Department of Environment & Conservation, Western Region, Australia

    • The Central West and Lachlan Catchments lie west of the Great Dividing Range and have been subjected to extensive land clearing, grazing and agricultural pressures since the 1820s. Many vertebrate species are known to have disappeared from these catchments but reliable species’ data are not available. The aim of this research was to provide the Catchment Management Authorities, tasked with management of this landscape, with a strong scientific foundation on which to base management decisions, especially for regionally threatened species and habitats.

    The project consisted of two parts:
    • The development of a comprehensive vertebrate species database, mapping of species distributions, analysis of distribution patterns of species groups (PATN analysis) and assessment of changes in species distribution and abundance.
    • An analysis of habitat availability and requirements for vertebrate species groups. Fourteen Broad Habitat Types (BHTs) were defined based on a structural classification of the vegetation and topography. The distribution of these BHTs has been mapped, the availability and quality of habitats for vertebrate communities assessed and rare habitats identified.
    These analyses were undertaken for the 74 x 1:100000 map sheets, covering the two catchments, about 25% of New South Wales.

    Of the 597 verified vertebrate species, 44% are listed or regionally threatened (82 TSC Act, 18 EPBC Act, 96 regionally vulnerable, 50 regionally endangered and 14 likely to have become regionally extinct) and, overall, we estimate that 64% (382) of species are declining. These statistics present a grim picture of the survival of vertebrates in these catchments and potentially for the sheep-wheat belt of eastern Australia. The extreme loss of habitat across these catchments, along with its degraded nature, provide clear reasons for the catastrophic decline of vertebrates in this landscape. If this is to be halted, strategies aimed at habitat and landscape restoration must be developed.

    Conference Organiser - ICMS Pty Ltd