2016-12-12 General Committee - Attachment 1 to Item 6 - Biodiversity Assessment Report

                                                       Noosa Biodiversity Plan – Biodiversity Assessment Report



3.3       T hre at e n e d E co l o g i c al Co mm u n it i es
The Noosa Shire contains two TECs that are recognised and protected at a Commonwealth level. These
are:

      •    Critically Endangered Lowland Rainforest of Subtropical Australia (“Lowland rainforest”)
      •    Vulnerable Subtropical and Temperate Salt Marsh (“Saltmarsh”)


          3.3.1    Lowland Rainforest
Lowland rainforests are highly diverse ecological communities, which is a direct reflection of the highly
productive ecosystem type. The high structural and floristic diversity provides a large range of shelter,
food and water resources utilised by a range of fauna. The diverse fauna assemblage includes a high
proportion of frugivorous (seed dispersing) birds, arboreal vertebrates, microbats and flying foxes, as well
as invertebrates, that all play a critical role in ecological processes that sustain the rainforest such as
decomposition, maintenance of pollination and seed dispersal as well as nutrient cycling (Threatened
Species Scientific Committee (TSSC, 2011).

There are several threatened and locally significant fauna species that are dependent or highly reliant on
lowland rainforests, such as the Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus), Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus
ocellatus), Black-breasted Button-quail (Turnix melanogaster), Short-limbed Snake-skink (Ophioscincus
truncatus), and Black Flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) (TSSC, 2011). In the cooler months, there is an influx
of birds to lowland rainforests, as part of altitudinal migrations. Overall, the community supports 34 flora
species and 12 fauna species listed as threatened under Commonwealth legislation, and 37 flora species
and 24 fauna species listed as threatened under Queensland legislation (TSSC, 2011).

Lowland rainforest occurs from Maryborough to the Clarence River near Grafton. In Noosa Shire, this
vegetation community is found across the inland areas, typically more than 2km from the coast and in
areas lower than 300m elevation (Figure 11). Approximately 4,393 ha of the lowland rainforest TEC
occurs in Noosa, which forms 90% of Noosa’s rainforest communities (Figure 9). This contributes 4.6%
of the total distribution of the TEC within SEQ. Whilst in a degraded condition and therefore not
considered to be of TEC status, 1,900 ha of rainforest regrowth within Noosa has the potential to return
back to the lowland rainforest community. These regrowth areas fall outside of the existing regulatory
framework but should be recognised for their potential future value. Recommended biodiversity
conservation management actions should therefore include protection of such values under the Planning
Scheme to ensure a no-net loss approach to protecting and maintaining biodiversity values.

The lowland rainforests in Noosa include relictual Gondwanan flora such as Agathis and Araucaria, which
grow on more fertile soils elsewhere in eastern Australia (Lewis et al. 2007). These sandy areas have a
distinctive assemblage of flora and fauna that exhibit a high degree of endemism and are strongly adapted
to living in cool sandy environments (Low, 2011). These communities also hold relictual fauna species,
which were once more widespread in previous geological periods.




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