Development and application of procedures to identify and conserve threatened ecological communities in the South-west Botanical Province of Western Australia

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. English ◽  
J. Blyth

A two year project was conducted to: (i) produce definitions, criteria and procedures for identifying threatened ecological communities (TECs) and assigning them to categories that define conservation status; (ii) develop a minimum data set for allocating TECs to one of these categories; (iii) establish a database and enter on it TECs, and associated data, of the South-west Botanical Province of Western Australia; and (iv) assess each community and make recommendations for actions to conserve them. The procedures described allow assessment of whether a particular biological assemblage can be described as an ecological community, and whether it meets the definitions and criteria for a TEC. ''Threatened'' (with destruction) includes ''totally destroyed", "critically endangered (CRl", "endangered (EN)" and ''vulnerable (VU)". Ecological communities that do not meet the criteria as ''threatened'' may be classified "data deficient" if there is insufficient information to assign a category, or "lower risk" if the community is not under significant threat. Other assemblages are termed "not evaluated". The terminology, categories and criteria are adapted from those recommended for threatened species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Thirty-eight ecological communities, including those based on assemblages of terrestrial and aquatic plants, cave and mound-spring invertebrates, and structure-forming microbes were entered on the database. Of these, 16 were assessed as CR, seven as EN, ten as VU and five as data deficient. The project established methods that are applicable to data on a broad range of community types at a broad range of scales. It also initiated many recovery actions including preparation of interim recovery plans, land acquisition, fencing, weed control and public liaison. Such actions are intended to cause allocation of communities to a lower category of threat when reevaluated against the criteria.

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
R. Butcher ◽  
K. R. Thiele

The Swan Coastal Plain of south-west Western Australia has been extensively cleared since European settlement, with the fertile Pinjarra Plain land system preferentially cleared for grazing; what remains of the native vegetation is of high conservation value despite being highly fragmented and often degraded. The following six taxa of Synaphea R.Br. (Proteaceae), with conservation status corresponding to IUCN Red List categories Threatened and Data Deficient, are restricted to vegetation remnants in this region: S. stenoloba A.S.George, S. odocoileops A.S.George, S. sp. Pinjarra (R. Davis 6578), S. sp. Fairbridge Farm (D. Papenfus 696), S. sp. Pinjarra Plain (A.S. George 17182) and S. sp. Serpentine (G.R. Brand 103). Taxonomic boundaries among these morphologically similar taxa of Synaphea were investigated using morphometric analyses based on characters of leaves, inflorescences, flowers and fruits. Results allow the circumscription of the four informally named taxa from this complex, which will enable their formal description in a subsequent publication. They also provide support for several morphologically closely related taxa, including the provisional distinction of S. sp. Udumung (A.S. George 17058) from close ally S. decorticans Lindl. Two described species (S. odocoileops and S. stenoloba) and several anomalous specimens could not be adequately resolved in these analyses, and further investigation of their boundaries using molecular markers is required.


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Manning ◽  
Kate Lancaster ◽  
April Rutkay ◽  
Linda Eaton

The parasite, Nosema apis, was found to be widespread among feral populations of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the south-west of Western Australia. The location, month of collection and whether the feral colony was enclosed in an object or exposed to the environment, all affected the presence and severity of infection. There was no significant difference in the probability of infection between managed and feral bees. However, when infected by N. apis, managed bees appeared to have a greater severity of the infection.


Author(s):  
David Worth

Over the past 30 years in Western Australia (WA), there has been heated debate about the future use of the remaining karri and jarrah forests in the south-west of the State. This debate revolves around policy proposals from two social movements: one wants to preserve as much of the remaining old-growth forests as possible, and an opposing movement supports a continued


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
R. S. Watkins

IN 1908, Ron's grandfather, Issac Gray, took up an uncleared block of land 15 km north of Frankland in the south-west of Western Australia (see Fig. 1, Hobbs 2003). During that time he ran a few cattle in the bush and clearing of the native woodlands of Wandoo (white gum) Eucalyptus wandoo, J arrah E. marginata and Marri (Redgum) E. calophylla was slow and tedious. Ron's parents took over the farm in 1947, and with the advent of the bulldozer, clearing of Watkin's property and surrounding district began in earnest during the 1950s. Clearing continued as fast "as money permitted", until almost the last natural vegetation was knocked down in 1978 (Fig. 1). Annual pastures with some cropping (for supplementary feed) were the main source of fodder for sheep and cattle.


The Festivus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-217
Author(s):  
Merv Cooper ◽  
Stephen Maxwell

This paper presents a new Altivasum found off Jurien Bay, Western Australia at 60 m. This new species expands our understanding of the distribution, and in particular extends the northern range of Altivasum, in the South-west Marine Region. Altivasum pauladellaboscae n. sp. is more rhomboidal than A. hedleyi Maxwell and Dekkers, 2019, which is elongated, and has the formation of tubular spines on the shoulder of axial fold on the later whorls of the spire; these spines are not formed in A. pauladellaboscae n sp. Altivasum pauladellaboscae n sp. differs from A. profundum Dekkers and Maxwell, 2018 in having acute shoulder nodules. The South Australian, A. flindersi Verco, 1914 lacks the fibriated subsutural band found in A. pauladellaboscae n. sp. Altivasum clarksoni Maxwell and Dekkers, 2019 is geographically isolated and morphologically distinct, being more elongated and fibriated. This paper brings the number of described Altivasum species to five


1990 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 751 ◽  
Author(s):  
BG Briggs ◽  
LAS Johnson ◽  
SL Krauss

The three species of Alexgeorgea Carlquist are revised, including A. ganopoda L. Johnson & B. Briggs, a newly described rare species of the Mt Frankland–Bow River region of the south-west of Western Australia.


1970 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 359 ◽  
Author(s):  
HL Davies ◽  
RC Rossiter ◽  
R Maller

The cultivars Dwalganup, Geraldton, Yarloop, Woogenellup, and Mt. Barker were each grazed continuously by Merino and Merino x Border Leicester ewes from April 1963 to November 1967. There was a progressive decline in the proportion of Merino ewes conceiving on the three high oestrogen cultivars Dwalganup, Geraldton, and Yarloop; crossbred ewes showed a decline on Dwalganup and Yarloop. For neither breed of sheep was the decline in conception rate significant on the two low oestrogen cultivars Woogenellup and Mt. Barker. The incidence of uterine prolapse was higher on the high oestrogen cultivars. The percentage lambs marked in 1967 was only 50% for the high oestrogen cultivars (excluding the crossbred ewes on Geraldton), compared with 93% for the low group. Conception rates were significantly related to the concentration of the isoflavone formononetin in the clover leaves.


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