achieving conservation outcomes on st bees island national park

Is killing goats and burning bush the answer?

Achieving conservation outcomes on St Bees Island National Park

Dr Rhonda Melzer, Ecological Assessment Unit, Conservation Management Branch, QPWS

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Impacts …… Values ….. Desired outcomes

From grazing property to National Park

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2001 2007

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Management objectives

• Maintain or restore the distribution, structure & composition of the vegetation communities

• Maintain the koala population and its habitat – in particular the E. tereticornis (Qld blue gum) woodlands

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So what are we doing to achieve our objectives?

Monitoring plots est. Oct 2006

Goat culling commenced Oct 2007

Lantana spraying – 2007

Detailed veg. mapping – 2009

1st planned burn – 2009

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Are we heading in the right direction?

3 sites:• Exclosure

• Open plot

Additional:

Photo points& transects in grasslands

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Are we heading in the right direction?

• Foliage projective cover – overstorey• Leaf area index – overstorey• Density/basal area – woody species• Foliage projective cover – understorey• Species presence & abundance –

ground stratum• Recruitment woody species• Photo monitoring

• Koala population

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Woodland

0

2.5

5.0

7.5

10.0

2006 2007 2008 2009

% bare soil - woodland plots

% b

are

soil

ExclosureOpen plot

0

250.00

500.00

750.00

1000.00

2006 2007 2008 2009

Biomass - woodland plots

g/m

2

ExclosureOpen plot

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Woodland cont.

0

150.0

300.0

450.0

600.0

2006 2007 2008 2009

Relative increase (%) in rainforest tree seedlings in the woodland plots

%

ExclosureOpen plot

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‘Grassland’

0

275.00

550.00

825.00

1100.00

2006 2007 2008 2009

Biomass - grassland plots

g/m

2

ExclosureOpen

0

3.8

7.5

11.3

15.0

2006 2007 2008 2009

% bare soil in grassland plots

% b

are

soil

ExclosureOpen plot

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Grassland – on the way back

Exclosure 2009

‘Exclosure’ - 2006

0

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

2006 2007 2008 2009

Mean % cover Imperata cylindrica

% c

over

/m2

ExclosureOpen

0

25.00

50.00

75.00

100.00

2006 2007 2008 2009

Mean % cover Aristida personata

% c

over

/m2

ExclosureOpen

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2007

2009

2007

2009

14

2007

2009

2007

2009

14

2007

2009

2007

2009

14

2007

2009

2007

2009

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So – is killing goats and burning bush the answer?Killing goats:• ↑ ground stratum cover & biomass (+)• ↓ bare ground (↓ erosion) (+)• ↑ spp. richness (+)• Recovery of native herbaceous spp. (+)• ↑ recruitment of woody spp. (+/–)• E. tereticornis seedlings sighted! (+)• Lantana suppression reduced (–)

Adding fire management to the equation:• Prevent rainforest expansion into areas where we want to

maintain woodland & grassland• Provide suitable habitat conditions for eucalypt regeneration• Help restore species diversity in grasslands• Facilitate lantana control

A necessary evil for koalas….a juggling act for us!

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So – is killing goats and burning bush the answer?Killing goats:• ↑ ground stratum cover & biomass (+)• ↓ bare ground (↓ erosion) (+)• ↑ spp. richness (+)• Recovery of native herbaceous spp. (+)• ↑ recruitment of woody spp. (+/–)• E. tereticornis seedlings sighted! (+)• Lantana suppression reduced (–)

Adding fire management to the equation:• Prevent rainforest expansion into areas where we want to

maintain woodland & grassland• Provide suitable habitat conditions for eucalypt regeneration• Help restore species diversity in grasslands• Facilitate lantana control

A necessary evil for koalas….a juggling act for us!

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Acknowledgements

QPWS staff – Central Marine Region• Caleb Bailey• Kerensa McCallie• Steve Burke• Steve Fisher• Ross Courtenay

QPWS staff – Ecological Assessment Unit• John Clarke• John Olds

Dr Alistair Melzer, Koala Research Centre of Central QldDr Bill Ellis, Koala Study Program University QldEarthWatch volunteers

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