Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges - Regional Recovery Pilot

About the Regional Recovery Pilot Project Area Why are species at risk in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges? Outcomes Funding Timelines What do you need? Author Contact and Feedback Project Updates for Download ** Draft Plan Available for Comment **

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Southern Brown Bandicoot Isoodon obesulus obesulus Photo: K Long

About the Regional Recovery Pilot

Stiff White Spider-orchid Caladenia rigida Photo: J Quarmby

Traditionally, the planning and management of threatened species recovery has been based on a single-species approach. This approach (and more recently multi-species recovery for plants) has seen a number of successful programs implemented for threatened species in the State. However, it has long been recognised that there is a limit to the rate at which recovery plans can be developed (for an increasing number of threatened species), and that alternative approaches need to be explored to better integrate recovery planning and management actions.

The Regional Recovery Pilot for the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges is about developing and testing a more integrated approach to recovery and threat abatement planning at the regional scale.

Black-chinned Honeyeater Melithreptus gularis Photo: D Paton

The outcome of the Regional Recovery Pilot will be a multi-taxa recovery plan that incorporates and integrates prioritised recovery and threat abatement actions for many of the threatened species and ecological communities within the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region. It is hoped that this approach will provide more efficient and effective outcomes, and make better use of limited resources.

The pilot is being developed as a partnership between the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources (AGDEW), the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board (AMLR NRM) and the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage (SADEH).

The project has a Steering Committee comprised of both DEH and external representatives. The committee together with project staff have prepared a consultation strategy. Input from key stakeholders will be sought throughout the development of the plan.

The Regional Recovery Pilot is one of several pilot projects being undertaken in Australia to test the feasibility of this integrated regional recovery and threat abatement plan approach.

Click here for larger version of Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Recovery Plan Pilot Regional Boundary map

Project Area

The project area is the same as the draft Greater Mount Lofty Biodiversity Plan. This area is based on bioregional boundaries, and crosses NRM regional boundaries, incorporating the AMLR NRM Board area and the western flank of the Murray Darling Basin NRM Board area.

Why are species at risk in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges?

The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges (AMLR) is a complex and biologically diverse region covering over 685,000 ha. The region comprises land under a variety of tenures and land uses ranging from housing and industry, conservation, horticulture and dry-land farming. Despite significant land clearance and habitat fragmentation across much of the landscape, the region supports a number of areas of remnant native vegetation (covering approximately 91,000 ha) and many native plant and animal species. However, the threats are considerable - many species have become extinct or are declining. Some species are unique to the AMLR region and occur nowhere else in the world.

Skeleton Fork-fern Psilotum nudum Photo: P Lang

The metropolitan area of Adelaide supports over one million people, and the surrounding peri-urban area of the Mount Lofty Ranges is the most densely populated region in SA. Because of this and ongoing development, the significant biodiversity which remains in the landscape is under increasing pressure from a variety of threatening processes.

Many species are at continued risk of decline because the vegetation remnants are fragmented and isolated, affecting their ability to sustain species in the long term. Other threats include incremental loss of vegetation, invasion of pest plants and animals, inappropriate fire regimes and disease. Many threatened species are at risk of becoming either locally extinct or extinct across their whole range.

Silver Daisy-bush Olearia pannosa ssp. pannosa Photo: P Lang

Scope of the Plan

The project will include (as a minimum) all species and ecological communities listed as threatened under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (excluding marine and coastal species). The plan will also include many species listed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 .

Grassy Woodland Photo: A Hurren

The plan will include information profiles on threatened species and communities and incorporate integrated recovery actions. The threat abatement component will address key threats, linkages and management priorities across those threatened species and ecological communities. Development of the plan will involve compiling, checking, and building on existing threatened species information, particularly from existing recovery plans. The plan will be prepared in accordance with the Australian Government Department for the Environment and Water Resources Recovery Planning Guidelines.

Cunningham's Skink Egernia cunninghani Photo: P Robertson

Outcomes

Anticipated outcomes of the Regional Recovery Pilot are:

• A recovery plan that aims to meet the requirements for adoption under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999;
• Improvements in the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of regional management of threatened species including on-ground threat abatement;
• Increased capacity of the AMLR NRM Board and surrounding NRM boards to incorporate threatened species recovery and threat abatement actions into regional NRM plans and investment strategies;
• Improved information sources on threatened species and communities in AMLR.

Funding

The project is funded by the AMLR NRM Board through the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust. The Department for Environment and Heritage is managing the project on behalf of the AMLR NRM Board.

Timelines

The AMLR Regional Recovery Project commenced in late 2006 and will continue until June 2008. The draft plan should be available for a three-month public comment period during the first half of 2008.

Veined Sun-orchid Thelymitra cyanea Photo: M Houston

What do you need?

An information tool will be developed to assist the retrieval of information about threatened species/ecological communities occurring in the AMLR region. The project team would like your feedback to help determine what form of 'tool' you would find most useful and easiest to access. For example, combining all available information for AMLR threatened species, perhaps accessible through a map-based website, may be beneficial for planners, managers and students. Your feedback is appreciated.

Authors

Andrew Willson, Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide Region.
Julia Bignall, Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide Region.

Contact and Feedback

Andrew Willson, Project Leader, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Regional Recovery Pilot, Department for Environment and Heritage Ph: (08) 8336 0929.

Project Updates for Download

Regular project updates will be available for download.