Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 Notice of Final Determination (1997-577) [GG No 117 of 31.10.1997, p 8845] (NSW)

1997 No 577

New South Wales

THREATENED SPECIES CONSERVATION ACT 1995 No 101

Notice of Final Determination and Amendment of Schedule 1 to Act

The Scientific Committee constituted under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 has, in pursuance of Division 3 of Part 2 of that Act, made a final determination to insert the following ecological community in Schedule l to that Act and, accordingly, that Schedule is amended as set out in Annexure “A” to this Notice:

Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest

The final determination, set out in Annexure “B” to this Notice, to insert this ecological community in Schedule 1 has been made because the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that the community is likely to become extinct in nature in New South Wales unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival cease to operate.

Copies of the final determination may be inspected at:

The Information Centre (Level 1)
National Parks & Wildlife Service
43 Bridge Street

HURSTVILLE NSW 2220

and at all District Offices of the National Parks and Wildlife Service during

business hours.

Signed at Sydney, this 21st day of October 1997.

Dr Chris Dickman

Chairperson Scientific Committee

Annexure “A”

Schedule 1 to the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 is amended by inserting in Part 3 in appropriate order the matter “Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest (as described in the final determination of the Scientific Committee to list the ecological community)”.

Annexure “B”

Final determination of the Scientific Committee to list the Cooks River Clay

Plain Scrub Forest as an endangered ecological community.

Published in Gazette No 117 of 31 October 1997, page 8845 Page 1

1997 No 577

Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 No 101-Final Determination

Annexure “B”

NSW SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

Final Determination

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a final determination to list the Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest as an ENDANGERED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY on Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the Act. Listing of Endangered Ecological Communities is provided for by Section 12 of the Act.

1.        The Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest is the accepted name for a plant community occurring on shale-derived soils of the upper Cooks River valley and associated shale lowlands in the Parramatta-Bankstown-Auburn-Strathfield-Canterbury area of Sydney.

2.        It has the structural form predominantly of open-forest to low woodland, generally with a characteristic shrubby or scrubby understorey.

3.        The characteristic assemblage of vascular plant species in the community is:

Acacia binervia	Acacia falcata	Angophora bakeri
Angophora floribunda	Aristida ramosa	Aristida vagans
Astroloma humifusum	Boronia polygalifolia	Bursaria spinosa
Calotis cuneifolia	Cassinia arcuata	Danthonia setacea
Dianella revoluta	Dichelachne	Dillwynia parvifolia

micrantha

Dillwynia sieberi	Einadia nutans	Einadia trigonos
Entolasia stricta	Eucalyptus capitellata	Eucalyptus fibrosa
Eucalyptus longifolia	Eucalyptus moluccana	Eucalyptus resinifera
Exocarpos	Goodenia bellidifolia	Goodenia hederacea
cupressiformis
Goodenia paniculata	Hakea sericea	Hibbertia empetrifolia
Hibbertia serpyllifolia	Kunzea ambigua	Laxmannia gracilis
Leptospermum	Leucopogon	Lissanthe strigosa
trinervium	juniperinus

1997 No 577

Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 No 101-Final Determination

Lomandra longifolia	Melaleuca decora	Melaleuca nodosa
Microlaena stipoides	Microtis parviflora	Notelaea longifolia
Orthoceras strictum	Ozothamnus	Podolobium ilicifolium
diosmifolius
Pultenaea villosa	Rhytidosporum	Stackhousia viminea
procumbens Stipa rudis
Stipa pubescens	Syncarpia glomulifera
Thelymitra pauciflora	Themeda australis	Xanthorrhoea media

4.        The total species list of the community is considerably larger than that given in 3 (above), with many species present only in one or two sites or in very small quantity. In any particular site not all of the assemblage listed in 3 may be present at any one time (at least above ground), seeds of more species may be present in the soil seed bank. The species composition of a site will be influenced by the size of the site and by its recent disturbance history. For a number of years after a major disturbance, dominance by a few species may occur, with gradual restoration of a more complex composition and vegetation structure over time. The balance between species will change over the fire cycle, and may also change in response to changes in fire frequency.

5.        The Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest occurs on clay soils on Wianamatta Shale including the Birrong Soil Landscape and associated shale lowlands.

6.        The community has been reported from areas of Wianamatta Shale in the Local Government Areas of Auburn, Bankstown, Canterbury, Parramatta, Strathfield.

7.        The Scientific Committee noted that general information on the Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest is contained in the Draft Cooks River Foreshores Strategic Plan, Volumes 1–3, March 1997, prepared for the Cooks River Regional Working Party by Clouston Landscape Architects, Leichhardt.

The Scientific Committee has found that:

8.        The Community, as defined by the proposal, satisifies the definition of an ecological community under the Act; i.e., an assemblage of species occupying a particular area.

9.        Less than 1% of the original area of the community currently exists in the form of a number of small remnants.

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1997 No 577

Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 No 101-Final Determination

10.      Threats to the survival of the community include invasion by exotic species, illegal dumping, water pollution, unauthorised access, fragmentation and clearing for urban, recreational and industrial development.

11.      None of this community is represented in any national park or nature reserve. In view of the substantial reduction in the area occupied by the community, its fragmentation and the numerous threats to the integrity of the community, the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that the Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest is likely to become extinct in nature in New South Wales unless the factors threatening its survival cease to operate.

12.      In view of 9, 10 and l l, the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that the community is likely to become extinct in nature in New South Wales unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival cease to operate. Accordingly, the Committee has made a Final Determination to list the Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest on Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the Act.

Dr Chris Dickman
Chairperson
Scientific Committee