Inclusion of ecological communities in the list of threatened ecological communities under section 181 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (21/07/2005) (Cth)

Commonwealth of Australia

Inclusion of ecological communities in the list of threatened ecological communities under section 181 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

I, IAN CAMPBELL, Minister for the Environment and Heritage, pursuant to section 184(1) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, hereby amend the list referred to in section 181 of that Act by:

including in the list in the critically endangered category:

• Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley, as described in the Schedule to this instrument.

Dated this…..............21^st .....................day of…............July..................................2005

Ian Campbell

Minister for the Environment and Heritage

SCHEDULE

Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley

The Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley ecological community of woodland of Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) up to 10 m high with Coobah (Acacia salicina) and Scrub Wilga (Geijera salicifolia). Yarran (Acacia omalophylla) and Stiff Canthium (Canthium buxifolium) are also present in the small tree/shrub layer. The ground stratum is dense and primarily grassy. Grasses include Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra/australis), Wallaby Grass (Austrodanthonia spp.), Snow Grass (Poa sieberiana) and Barbed Wire Grass (Cymbopogon refractus) (Benson in prep.). Some exotic grasses have also invaded the site.

The ecological community occurs in a small stand on heavy, brown clay soil at Jerry's Plains in the Hunter Valley, in the South Hunter Province of the Sydney Basin Bioregion (Benson in prep.).

There is one patch of two hectares of the Weeping Myall - Coobah - Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley ecological community remaining. The patch contains about 200 Weeping Myall trees. The patch occurs at Jerry's Plains, including the cemetery (Benson in prep.). None of this ecological community exists in protected areas (Benson in prep.).

The Weeping Myall that dominates this ecological community is disjunct from the major occurrences on the Liverpool Plains, 100 km to the east. It is probably a relic from the last ice age when the Hunter Valley would have been dominated by "western semi-arid" flora (Benson in prep., T. Tame pers. comm.).

Characteristic native plant species of the Weeping Myall - Coobah - Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley ecological community. Not every species may be present at all times. This list is not comprehensive, and does not include all plant species found in the ecological community.

Habit	Scientific Name	Common Name
Trees	Acacia pendula	Weeping Myall, Boree, Myall
Shrubs/Vines/ Epiphytes:	Geijera salicifolia Acacia salicina Myoporum montanum Geijera parviflora Canthium buxifolium Acacia omalophylla	Scrub Wilga, Green Satinheart, Glasswood, Greenheart, Flintwood, Axegapper, Brush Wilga Coobah, Cooba, Broughton Willow, Australian Willow, Native Willow Water Bush, Western Boobialla Wilga, Greenheart, Native Willow Stiff Canthium, Shiny Canthium Yarran, Yarran Wattle
Groundcover	Themeda australis Poa sieberiana Austrodanthonia bipartita Cymbopogon refractus Bothriochloa macra Chrysocephalum semipapposum Spartothamnella juncea Einadia nutans subsp. nutans	Kangaroo Grass Grey Tussock-grass, Poa Tussock Wallaby Grass, Leafy Wallaby Grass Barbed-wire Grass Red-leg Grass, Redgrass Clustered Everlasting, Red Bead Bush, Square-stemmed Broom Nodding Saltbush, Climbing Saltbush