Page 2613 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 21 September 2022
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I recently received a five-yearly implementation progress report on the vulnerable pink-tailed worm-lizard action plan from the Conservator of Flora and Fauna. The ACT is a hot spot for the pink-tailed worm-lizard and its habitat exists in many Canberra nature reserves, but the Molonglo River Reserve protects the largest known population of pink-tailed worm-lizards in Australia, and monitoring indicates that population numbers are stable in this reserve.
In response to the 2020 bushfires that devastated most of our endangered high-country bogs and fens ecological community, the ACT sphagnum bog rehabilitation and monitoring plan was developed, and is being implemented in a selection of burnt bogs. Observed recovery of the bogs is slow but there has been noticeable improvement in ground cover, and minimal erosion. The rehabilitation interventions appear to be working well.
Under the Australian government’s Landcare Program, the ACT government delivered a five-year project, principally to establish the impact and abundance of sambar deer to inform control programs and protect the Ginini Flats Ramsar site from the destructive impacts of sambar deer. Feral vertebrate pests, including deer, pigs and horses, remain major threats in the fragile high-country areas. While this project finished in June, it has implications beyond the Ramsar site, and is guiding annual management and monitoring actions across the entire bogs and fens ecological community.
The ACT government is working to protect our beautiful but threatened bird species. Monitoring of breeding and movements of the vulnerable little eagle continue, in collaboration with the CSIRO, the ANU, and Ginninderry Conservation Trust. Research into another iconic bird, the vulnerable superb parrot, continues to ensure that critical breeding and habitat resources are maintained in the ACT. As migratory shorebirds face challenges of habitat loss, the ACT government has supported research conducted by the Woodland and Wetlands Trust, in collaboration with Japan. This work will help Japan and Australia conserve the charismatic species, the Latham’s or Japanese snipe, into the future. Insights have been gained into its migratory land use through tracking the species’ movements from the Jerrabomberra Wetlands since 2017.
The ACT government undertakes monitoring of threatened fish species including trout cod, Murray cod and two-spined blackfish, as well as Riek’s crayfish, which is being assessed under the EPBC Act. The monitoring program has special importance following the considerable impacts on populations following the Orroral Valley fire and the large volumes of sand and sediment from the fire that are still present in many reaches of the river, within and downstream of the fireground, despite high river levels in the past 12 months. This has significantly impacted the vulnerable two-spined blackfish, with no indication of breeding since spring last year. A genetic condition assessment of this two-spined blackfish population is also being undertaken, to determine whether direct management action will be needed to maintain this population into the future.
The ACT government conducts annual monitoring of many populations of threatened plants and habitat conditions. This helps to inform on condition, species occurrence, threats, and management needs. We also need to secure flora. Threatened orchid seeds
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