Download Property Management Plan (RTP) Evan Hall

Property Management
Plan for the
Conservation of the
Red-Tailed Phascogale
Stronachs – “Kunmallup” Robinson Road – Woodanilling.
Prepared by Veronika Crouch, Zone Manager
at Wagin Woodanilling Landcare Zone - on the 30th June 2014.
Owner/Manager:
Russel Thomson
Contact Person:
Evan Hall
Property Address:
“Kunmallup” Robinson Road, Woodanilling, WA, 6316
Postal Address:
“Kunmallup” Robinson Road, Woodanilling, WA, 6316
Contact phone:
0428 123 374
Woodanilling
Shire:
Property size (ha):
6500
Land Use:
Rural / Agricultural – Crop & Stock
Landscape and Vegetation:
The property is mainly cleared grazing and cropping land with large areas of remnant
vegetation, with an undulating landscape with at least 10 patches of remnant vegetation of
average size 10ha plus. Species includes York gum, Salmon gum, Sheoak, Jam, Wandoo, Mallee
etc. Much of the remnant vegetation has been fenced to protect it from stock access. There are
many rocky granite and quartz outcrops which dominate these remnant vegetation areas. The
property is located at the start of the Queerearrup Catchment.
Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
1. Property Description
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Threatened Ecological Communities (TECs) and Threatened and/or Rare species located
on the property or found in close proximity:
TECs:
Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
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None.
Federally listed threatened flora:
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Adenanthos pungens subsp. Effuses - Sprawling Spiky Adenanthos
Adenanthos pungens subsp. Pungens - Spiky Adenanthos
Banksia oligantha - Wagin Banksia
Caladenia dorrienii – Cossack Spider-orchid
Calectasia pignattiana – Stilted Tinsel Lily
Centrolepis caespitosa
Conostylis drummondii - Drummond's Conostylis
Conostylis setigera subsp. Dasys – Boscabel Conostylis
Hemigenia ramosissima - Branched Hemigenia
Roycea pycnophylloides – Saltmat
Verticordia fimbrilepis subsp. Fimbrilepis - Shy Featherflower
Federally listed threatened fauna:
• Calyptorhynchus banksii naso - Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
 Calyptorhynchus baudinii - Baudin's Black Cockatoo, Long-billed Black-Cockatoo
 Calyptorhynchus latirostris - Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, Short-billed Black
Cockatoo
• Leipoa ocellata - Malleefowl
• Dasyurus geoffroii - Chudditch, Western Quoll
• Phascogale calura - Red-Tailed Phascogale
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Acacia brachypoda - Western Wheatbelt Wattle
Acacia cochlocarpa subsp. Velutinosa - Velvety Spiral Pod Wattle
Adenanthos pungens subsp. Effuses - Sprawling Spiky Adenanthos
Adenanthos pungens subsp. Pungens - Spiky Adenanthos
Adenanthos velutinus - Velvet Woollybush
Banksia fuscobractea - Dark-bract Banksia
Banksia oligantha - Wagin Banksia
Caladenia dorrienii – Cossack Spider-orchid
Calectasia pignattiana – Stilted Tinsel Lily
Conostylis drummondii - Drummond's Conostylis
Conostylis setigera subsp. Dasys – Boscabel Conostylis
Gastrolobium luteifolium - Yellow-leafed Gastrolobium
Haloragis platycarpa - Broad-fruited Haloragis
Hemigenia ramosissima - Branched Hemigenia
Isopogon robustus - Robust Coneflower
Lysiosepalum abollatum - Woolly Lysiosepalum
Roycea pycnophylloides – Saltmat
Tribonanthes purpurea – Grainte Pink
Verticordia fimbrilepis subsp. Fimbrilepis - Shy Featherflower
State listed fauna: (partial listing)
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Anous tenuirostris melanops - Australian Lesser Noddy
Atrichornis clamosus - Noisy Scrub-bird, Tjimiluk
Botaurus poiciloptilus - Australasian Bittern
Cacatua pastinator pastinator - Muir's Corella (southern), Western Long-billed Corella
(southern)
• Calyptorhynchus banksii naso - Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Cockatoo
• Cereopsis novaehollandiae grisea - Cape Barren Goose (south-western),
Recherche Cape Barren Goose
• Dasyurus geoffroii - Chudditch, Western Quoll
• Diomedea epomophora epomophora - Southern Royal Albatross
• Leioproctus douglasiellus - a short-tongued bee
• Leipoa ocellata – Malleefowl
• Rostratula australis – Australian Painted Snipe
• Macrotis lagotis - Greater Bilby
• Myrmecobius fasciatus – Numbat
• Parantechinus apicalis – Dibbler
• Petrogale lateralis lateralis - Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
• Phascogale calura - Red-Tailed Phascogale
• Pseudocheirus occidentalis - Western Ringtail Possum, Ngwayir
• Pseudomys shortridgei - Dayang, Heath Rat
Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
State listed flora: (partial listing)
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Current condition of vegetation:
Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
Using the ‘Remnant vegetation condition assessment from Land for Wildlife 2011’, your
remnant vegetation condition is rated as: MODERATE / POOR
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Much of the remnant vegetation is fenced with stock deterrent or better fencing
No dieback
Nesting sites evident
Good litter layer
No evidence of recent fires
Minimal weed issues.
Has been grazed in the past.
Current threats to native biodiversity:
• Acidity
• Wind erosion
Potential
threats to native biodiversity:
• Depletion of carbon stores and microbial activity in the soil
• Water erosion
• Economic pressures which reduce ability to invest in environmental management
• Stock access reducing shelter and food sources.
2. General Management Practices for the
Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
The Red-Tailed Phascogale (Phascogale calura) lives in remnant patches of vegetation and
prefers vegetation where burning is infrequent and the habitat consists of dense understorey
and trees which provide a continuous canopy. Trees such as wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo)
and rock sheoak (Allocasuarina heugeliana) provide suitable nesting sites as do grasstrees
(Xanthorrhoea species). They also utilise riverine corridors consisting of species such as York
gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba) and swamp sheoak (Casuarina obesa).
Conservation of remnant vegetation on your property is highly desirable, and the following
management practices will benefit the phascogale:
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Fencing off remnant areas to exclude stock will enable natural regeneration to occur
If fencing is not an option, grazing of these areas needs to be managed to ensure the
grazing is not detrimental to the habitat (e.g. intermittent light grazing or crash
grazing)
Revegetation using native seedlings to connect patches of bush or to establish a
good riparian zone will aid in their movement to other areas and provide important
linkages
Infill planting may be required in areas of the remnant where the ground or shrub
layer may be absent or thin
Preserve all dead trees with hollows and old paddock trees
Where mature trees are absent in remnant vegetation, the installation of artificial
nest boxes may be beneficial for the phascogale in order to provide suitable homes
for them to utilize
Retain habitat such as ground litter and logs and establish ‘no clean up’ zones where
all fallen logs and ground litter are retained
Weed control in remnant areas will improve the habitat available to the phascogale
by ensuring native plants are able to regenerate naturally without competing with
weeds for available resources such as nutrients, moisture and light
Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
Conservation of habitat:
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Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
Control of Introduced Predators:
The fox and cat are two introduced species which are likely to prey on the phascogale,
therefore where possible these species should be controlled. There are a variety of methods
for control of these two species such as shooting, trapping and baiting, and it is
recommended that control of these species is undertaken simultaneously; as it is believed
cats may increase in number if control of foxes is undertaken (research into this is currently
being undertaken by DPAW). If you have domestic cats please keep them inside at night
when the phascogales are usually active, as community records provide a clear indication of
the vulnerability of phascogale to predation by cats.
Rabbits are another introduced species that require control as they graze on native
vegetation and can reduce new growth which may be detrimental to the phascogale. There
are a number of options for control of rabbits including baiting, warren fumigation, warren
ripping, shooting and use of viruses such as Myxomatosis and Rabbit Calicivirus Disease.
Please contact SWCC if you require further advice on the management of these species on
your property.
Fire Management:
The phascogale prefers vegetation that has not been burnt for a long time, as there is
normally more nesting and refuge sites available, along with a dense understory in which
they can move about in without being detected by predators. Fires in spring in particular put
the phascogale at risk as this is when most females will have dependent young. If you will be
undertaking any burning on your property, please ensure you do it at the best time of year
for biodiversity purposes (e.g. autumn). The frequency, season, spatial extent and intensity
of fire need to be taken into account when planning a controlled burn on your property. If
there are hollow logs on the ground that may be utilized by fauna, you can rake away any leaf
litter around them to provide a buffer so they may be protected. If you do not use fire as a
management tool, ensure that you maintain firebreaks on your property in order to protect
your vegetation from the threat of bushfire.
For further advice on fire management, please contact your local DPAW office.
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3. Recommended Management Actions to be
undertaken by landholders:
Frequency
Timing (e.g. month/season)
Fencing off remnant areas to exclude stock will
enable natural regeneration to occur
As able
Revegetation using native seedlings to connect
patches of bush or to establish a good riparian zone
will aid in their movement to other areas and
provide important linkages
As able
Winter planting season
Infill planting may be required in areas of the
remnant where the ground or shrub layer may be
absent or thin
As able
Winter planting season
Retain habitat such as ground litter and logs and
establish ‘no clean up’ zones where all fallen logs
and ground litter are retained
Ongoing
Weed control in remnant areas will improve the
habitat available to the Red-tailed Phascogale by
ensuring native plants are able to regenerate
naturally without competing with weeds for
available resources such as nutrients, moisture and
light
Ongoing
Manage feral pest populations of fox, cat, and
rabbit through baiting, shooting and trapping.
Maintain firebreaks around property and remnant
vegetation areas
Ongoing
Intense seasonal focus
during Spring and Autumn.
Ongoing
Property Management Plan for the Conservation of the Red-Tailed Phascogale
Activity
If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to
contact Derani Sullivan, Biodiversity Project Manager at SWCC on
9761 4184 or via email to [email protected]
4. Appendices: Property map with
recommended actions and locations
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Appendix 1: Property Map