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John Clarkson points to an unnamed Stackhousia known only on the
sand dunes between the mouth of the McIvor River and Cape Flattery
on Cape York
Photo: Jill Landsberg
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A PROJECT aimed at ensuring the long-term survival of rare and
threatened plants in Cape York Peninsula is now nearing the end of
its first year—and researchers have found that a number of
plants listed as threatened might not be as rare or threatened as
previously thought.
The project is being carried out by John Clarkson and Jill
Landsberg of the Mareeba office of the Queensland Parks &
Wildlife Service.
The first stage of the project is testing the consistency of the
official lists of rare and threatened plants. Lists matter because
the species on them have special status in legislation.
“Protecting listed plants and animals is given high priority
in regional vegetation management planning,” said Jill.
“Listed species also get priority for endangered species
funding, and have legal protection from ‘taking’ and
‘use’. They also provide a focus for recovery
activities.”
These lists are maintained by both state and federal governments.
Until recently, state lists had the greatest influence. However,
the introduction of the Commonwealth Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which came into force in July
2000 changed things.
“Previously what was listed on a federal level only had
on-ground implications on Commonwealth land,” said Jill.
“Now, it has implications for freehold and state land also. A
developer has to get permission from Environment Australia to
undertake work that might have a significant impact on a nationally
listed species, regardless of who owns the land.”
Therefore it is important that the species on both the federal and
state lists really are threatened. However, the project’s
field searches have found that many listed plants on Cape York
Peninsula are more widespread than indicated by the records. The
project has also revealed discrepancies between the state and
federal lists. For example, the Commonwealth lists 53 of the plant
species of Cape York Peninsula as under threat but Queensland lists
63.
Under the previous Federal Act, the Commonwealth was required to
undertake annual reviews of state lists. The new Act does not spell
out this requirement, and since its introduction, reviews that
might have dealt with discrepancies have not taken place. This new
research underlines the need for regular reviews of both federal
and state lists. “There is an expectation that reviews will
continue,” said Jill, “but new federal procedures are
still being developed.”
The project is set to continue for another year. The emphasis will
be on further field surveys to narrow down the list to just those
species that really are threatened, and developing management
strategies to protect them. John and Jill are also preparing a
small field guide to help Cape York land managers recognise the
special plants under their protection.
