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

                                                    Noosa Biodiversity Plan – Biodiversity Assessment Report




      Species              Status*                                      Local Values

                                        The species is very rare (100 breeding birds) and little is known about its
                                        behaviour or distribution. It was probably most abundant in lowland
                                        subtropical rainforest, however, since extensively cleared post European
 Coxen’s fig parrot
                                        arrival, is now restricted to fragmented remnants of dry and cool
 Cyclopsitta
                         Endangered     rainforest (Department of Environment (DoE), 2016). Noosa Shire occurs
 diophthalma
                                        within the species suspected range (Coxen’s Fig-Parrot Recovery Team,
 coxeni
                                        2001). Council sought funding for the restoration and expansion of the
                                        species habitat within the Shire, making Noosa an important conservation
                                        area for the species.

 Wallum
 sedgefrog,
 Wallum
                                        These species are considered ‘Acid frogs’ as they typically are associated
 rocketfrog,
                                        with nutrient poor and acidic (pH between 3.5 and 6.0) water (Meyer et al.
 Wallum froglet,
                                        2006) and are unique to Australia’s eastern coastal regions.
 Cooloola
 sedgefrog                              The species are confined to coastal lowlands and sand islands of south-
                          Vulnerable
                                        east Queensland and NSW and inhabit densely vegetated coastal wet
 Litoria
                                        heathlands, ferns, sedges, wetlands and swamps (Rowland, 2013). The
 olongburensis,
                                        Shire provides critical mainland coastal habitat for the species, with large
 Litoria freycineti,
                                        populations able to persist in protected reserves of Noosa.
 Crinia tinnula,
 Litoria
 cooloolensis

                                        This species is endemic to heathlands of the Noosa region (Fraser Island
 Cooloola blind
                             Near       to Sunshine Coast) and occurs in the Great Sandy National Park. Noosa
 snake
                         Threatened     provides refuge for the species as its habitat is at risk from climate
 Anilios silvia
                                        change impacts.

                                        This specie’s natural distribution is restricted to the Mary River, Burnett
 Australian lungfish
                                        River and its tributaries. It is the sole survivor of species in the Family
 Neoceratodus             Vulnerable
                                        Ceratodontidae, which is a family of fishes that have been around since
 forsteri
                                        prehistoric times.
* Status under the NC Act or EPBC Act

       3.4.2       Flora species
Approximately 4% (50) of Noosa’s flora assemblage is currently listed as threatened under the
Commonwealth EPBC Act and the Queensland NC Act. This accounts for approximately 23% of
threatened flora species that occur within the SEQ region, which is a significant proportion given the small
extent of the Noosa Shire.

In addition to this, a further 3% (40) of flora species in Noosa are considered regionally or locally
significant. These species are considered of conservation value due to being endemic, restricted in
distribution or at the limit of their geographic range. Overall approximately 7% of Noosa’s known flora
species are of conservation value.

There are a few species that in particular encapsulate the values that make Noosa such a unique area.
These species are considered key and iconic to the region. Table 3 lists these iconic flora species as
well as their special values that contribute to the environmental values of the Noosa region. A complete



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