Register of Critical Habitat pursuant to section 207A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The identification of critical habitat for the Register of Critical Habitat, including location and extent information, is a matter of ecological judgement, and is based on the most up-to-date scientific information available to the Threatened Species Scientific Committee and the Minister for the Environment and Heritage at the time the habitat was being considered. As new or additional information becomes available, critical habitat identified on the Register may be amended.
Register of Critical Habitat | Effective | Details |
Diomedea exulans (Wandering Albatross) – Macquarie Island | 01 JUL 2002 | See Attachment A |
Thalassarche cauta (Shy Albatross) – Albatross Island, The Mewstone, Pedra Branca | 01 JUL 2002 | See Attachment B |
Thalassarche chrysostoma (Grey-headed Albatross) Macquarie Island | 01 JUL 2002 | See Attachment C |
Attachment A
Diomedea exulans (Wandering Albatross) – Macquarie Island
Listed Critical Habitat: | Diomedea exulans (Wandering Albatross) – Macquarie Island |
Date Effective: | 01 July 2002 |
Location and extent: | Macquarie Island: About 13,000 ha, comprising all islands and rocks above mean high water level, lying within the area bounded by parallels 54°27' S and 54°49' S latitude and meridians 158°45' E and 158°59' E longitude. |
Reasons for Listing | Criteria (a). Whether the habitat is used during periods of stress. Examples of period of stress: Flood, drought or fire. N/A
Criteria (b). Whether the habitat is used to meet essential life cycle requirements. Examples: Foraging, breeding, nesting, roosting, social behaviour patterns or seed dispersal processes. All albatrosses spend more than 95% of their time traversing the world’s oceans in search of prey, and usually only return to land to breed. For southern hemisphere species, nesting typically occurs on small islands scattered throughout the Southern Ocean. Five species of albatross breed within Australian waters, three of which are listed as threatened under the EPBC Act:
There are four major breeding locations under Australian jurisdiction where these albatross species breed. These are:
These remote islands constitute the only suitable breeding habitat under Australian jurisdiction and should be regarded as habitat that is critical to the survival of the three albatross species in Australian waters.
Criteria (c). The extent to which the habitat is used by important populations. NB: An important population is one that is necessary for a species’ long-term survival and recovery. This may include populations that are: key source populations either for breeding or dispersal, populations that are necessary for maintaining genetic diversity, and/or populations that are near the limit of the species range. Because there are so few populations for these species in Australia, all populations are important.
Shy Albatrosses breed only within Australia, and hence the breeding habitats of this species (Albatross Island, Pedra Branca and The Mewstone) comprise its entire breeding range. Each of these populations appears to be genetically distinct.
Macquarie Island hosts the other two species of albatrosses. All of these populations are very small and are critical for maintaining the genetic diversity necessary to ensure the viability of these species. Although these populations are likely to be genetically distinct (based on data from other populations which have been studied), no data currently exist regarding the genetic distinctiveness of these populations.
Criteria (d). Whether the habitat is necessary to maintain genetic diversity and long-term evolutionary development. If these island habitats were lost, it is unlikely that the species which use them would persist. Albatrosses are extremely site-faithful and the populations currently breeding on these islands are unlikely to breed elsewhere.
Criteria (e). Whether the habitat is necessary for use as corridors to allow the species to more freely between sites used to meet essential life cycle requirements. N/A
Criteria (f). Whether the habitat is necessary to ensure the long-term future of the species or ecological community through reintroduction of re-colonisation. Shy albatrosses occupy most of the land area of the islands on which they breed.
Wandering and Grey-headed Albatrosses do not breed on all parts of Macquarie Island, but the entire island is critical to providing isolation for each population and protection from the impact of disturbance. Some of these populations are also recovering from past declines and hence expanding, hence the whole island is considered critical to their survival and future growth.
Macquarie Island is also subject to feral animal control, with an intensive control campaign focussed on the eradication of feral cats from the island.
Criteria (g). Any other way in which habitat may be critical to the survival of a listed threatened species or a listed threatened ecological community. N/A |
References:
Environment Australia (2001f) Recovery Plan for Albatrosses and Giant-Petrels 2001-2005
Environment Australia (2002) Map of Habitat Critical to the survival of Wandering Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross and Shy Albatross
Attachment B
Thalassarche cauta (Shy Albatross) – Albatross Island, The Mewstone, Pedra Branca
Listed Critical Habitat: | Thalassarche cauta (Shy Albatross) – Albatross Island, The Mewstone, Pedra Branca
|
Date Effective: | 01 July 2002 |
Location and extent: | Albatross Island: About 33ha, comprising all islands and rocks above mean high water level, lying within the area bounded by parallels 40°21' S and 40°24' S latitude and meridians 144°38' E and 144°40' E longitude.
The Mewstone: About 13ha, comprising all islands and rocks above mean high water level, lying within the area bounded by parallels 43°43' S and 43°45' S latitude and meridians 146°21' E and 146°23' E longitude.
Pedra Branca: About 2.5 ha, comprising all islands and rocks above mean high water level, lying within the area bounded by parallels 43°51'S and 43°52' S latitude and meridians 146°57' E and 146°59' E longitude. |
Reasons for listing: | Criteria (a). Whether the habitat is used during periods of stress. Examples of period of stress: Flood, drought or fire. N/A
Criteria (b). Whether the habitat is used to meet essential life cycle requirements. Examples: Foraging, breeding, nesting, roosting, social behaviour patterns or seed dispersal processes. All albatrosses spend more than 95% of their time traversing the world’s oceans in search of prey, and usually only return to land to breed. For southern hemisphere species, nesting typically occurs on small islands scattered throughout the Southern Ocean. Five species of albatross breed within Australian waters, three of which are listed as threatened under the EPBC Act:
There are four major breeding locations under Australian jurisdiction where these albatross species breed. These are:
These remote islands constitute the only suitable breeding habitat under Australian jurisdiction and should be regarded as habitat that is critical to the survival of the three albatross species in Australian waters.
Criteria (c). The extent to which the habitat is used by important populations. NB: An important population is one that is necessary for a species’ long-term survival and recovery. This may include populations that are: key source populations either for breeding or dispersal, populations that are necessary for maintaining genetic diversity, and/or populations that are near the limit of the species range. Because there are so few populations for these species in Australia, all populations are important.
Shy Albatrosses breed only within Australia, and hence the breeding habitats of this species (Albatross Island, Pedra Branca and The Mewstone) comprise its entire breeding range. Each of these populations appears to be genetically distinct.
Macquarie Island hosts the other two species of albatrosses. All of these populations are very small and are critical for maintaining the genetic diversity necessary to ensure the viability of these species. Although these populations are likely to be genetically distinct (based on data from other populations which have been studied), no data currently exist regarding the genetic distinctiveness of these populations.
Criteria (d). Whether the habitat is necessary to maintain genetic diversity and long-term evolutionary development If these island habitats were lost, it is unlikely that the species which use them would persist. Albatrosses are extremely site-faithful and the populations currently breeding on these islands are unlikely to breed elsewhere.
Criteria (e). Whether the habitat is necessary for use as corridors to allow the species to move freely between sites used to meet essential life cycle requirements. N/A.
Criteria (f). Whether the habitat is necessary to ensure the long-term future of the species or ecological community through reintroduction or re-colonisation. Shy albatrosses occupy most of the land area of the islands on which they breed.
Wandering and Grey-headed Albatrosses do not breed on all parts of Macquarie Island, but the entire island is critical to providing isolation for each population and protection from the impact of disturbance. Some of these populations are also recovering from past declines and hence expanding, hence the whole island is considered critical to their survival and future growth.
Macquarie Island is also subject to feral animal control, with an intensive control campaign focussed on the eradiation of feral cats from the island.
Criteria (g). Any other way in which habitat may be critical to the survival of a listed threatened species or a listed threatened ecological community. N/A. |
References
Environment Australia (2001f) Recovery Plan for Albatrosses and Giant-Petrels 2001-2005
Environment Australia (2002) Map of Habitat Critical to the survival of Wandering Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross and Shy Albatross
Attachment C
Thalassarche chrysostoma (Grey-headed Albatross) – Macquarie Island
Listed Critical Habitat: | Thalassarche chrysostoma (Grey-headed Albatross) – Macquarie Island
|
Date Effective: | 01 July 2002 |
Location and extent: | Macquarie Island: About 13,000 ha, comprising all islands and rocks above mean high water level, lying within the area bounded by parallels 54°27' S and 54°49' S latitude and meridian.
|
Reasons for listing: | Criteria (a). Whether the habitat is used during periods of stress. Examples of period of stress: Flood, drought or fire. N/A
Criteria (b). Whether the habitat is used to meet essential life cycle requirements. Examples: Foraging, breeding, nesting, roosting, social behaviour patterns or seed dispersal processes. All albatrosses spend more than 95% of their time traversing the world’s oceans in search of prey, and usually only return to land to breed. For southern hemisphere species, nesting typically occurs on small islands scattered throughout the Southern Ocean. Five species of albatross breed within Australian waters, three of which are listed as threatened under the EPBC Act:
There are four major breeding locations under Australian jurisdiction where these albatross species breed. These are:
These remote islands constitute the only suitable breeding habitat under Australian jurisdiction and should be regarded as habitat that is critical to the survival of the three albatross species in Australian waters.
Criteria (c). The extent to which the habitat is used by important populations. NB: An important population is one that is necessary for a species’ long-term survival and recovery. This may include populations that are: key source populations either for breeding or dispersal, populations that are necessary for maintaining genetic diversity, and/or populations that are near the limit of the species range. Because there are so few populations for these species in Australia, all populations are important.
Shy Albatrosses breed only within Australia, and hence the breeding habitats of this species (Albatross Island, Pedra Branca and The Mewstone) comprise its entire breeding range. Each of these populations appears to be genetically distinct.
Macquarie Island hosts the other two species of albatrosses. All of these populations are very small and are critical for maintaining the genetic diversity necessary to ensure the viability of these species. Although these populations are likely to be genetically distinct (based on data from other populations which have been studied), no data currently exist regarding the genetic distinctiveness of these populations.
Criteria (d). Whether the habitat is necessary to maintain genetic diversity and long-term evolutionary development If these island habitats were lost, it is unlikely that the species which use them would persist. Albatrosses are extremely site-faithful and the populations currently breeding on these islands are unlikely to breed elsewhere.
Criteria (e). Whether the habitat is necessary for use as corridors to allow the species to move freely between sites used to meet essential life cycle requirements. N/A.
Criteria (f). Whether the habitat is necessary to ensure the long-term future of the species or ecological community through reintroduction or re-colonisation. Shy albatrosses occupy most of the land area of the islands on which they breed.
Wandering and Grey-headed Albatrosses do not breed on all parts of Macquarie Island, but the entire island is critical to providing isolation for each population and protection from the impact of disturbance. Some of these populations are also recovering from past declines and hence expanding, hence the whole island is considered critical to their survival and future growth.
Macquarie Island is also subject to feral animal control, with an intensive control campaign focussed on the eradiation of feral cats from the island.
Criteria (g). Any other way in which habitat may be critical to the survival of a listed threatened species or a listed threatened ecological community. N/A. |
References
Environment Australia (2001f) Recovery Plan for Albatrosses and Giant-Petrels 2001-2005
Environment Australia (2002) Map of Habitat Critical to the survival of Wandering Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross and Shy Albatross