Saline Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia - Peri Coleman

1

Saline Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems:Saline Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems:A look at some West Coast habitats and organisms A look at some West Coast habitats and organisms

October 2013

2

Salt lakes, sabkhas and dolinesSalt lakes, sabkhas and dolines

3

Doline:Doline:The WhirlpoolThe Whirlpool

Thank you to Sharie Detmar at DEWNR for the use of these photographs

4

Salt lake:Salt lake:Seagull LakeSeagull Lake

5

Current hydrology & geomorphologyCurrent hydrology & geomorphology

6

Sabkha:Sabkha:Yanerbie WetlandsYanerbie Wetlands

7

Sabkha hydrologySabkha hydrology

8

An introduction to An introduction to some specific some specific inhabitants of inhabitants of

dolines, salt lakes and dolines, salt lakes and sabkhassabkhas

9BMC’sBMC’s

10

Beach rock seepage communitiesBeach rock seepage communities

11

Tecticornia flabelliformis Tecticornia flabelliformis (fan or (fan or bead samphire)bead samphire)

12

What is the What is the T. flabelliformis T. flabelliformis niche?niche?

• Soil type• Soil moisture• Soil salinity• pH and gypsum tolerance

13

Meet Meet Coxiella glauerti Coxiella glauerti (resurrection snail)(resurrection snail)

14

A unique behavioural response to aridityA unique behavioural response to aridity

15

A small diversion on the topic of rarityA small diversion on the topic of rarityRarity per se does not relate to threatening processes. “Rare” may mean a naturally tiny population, or it may mean a large population in a small and very specific habitat.

By definition, plants with small populations or narrow distributions are more vulnerable to threatening processes and so in Australia we classify plants as:

Rare: a taxon which is rare within Australia but not facing any identifiable threatEndangered: a taxon in serious risk of disappearing in the wild within 10-20 yearsVulnerable: a taxon not presently endangered but at risk over 20-50 years

16

Threats to GDE’s and speciesThreats to GDE’s and species

17

Hydrological disturbance…Hydrological disturbance…

18

Interruptions…Interruptions…

19

Sea level rise…Sea level rise…

20

Other threatsOther threats

21

What is being done to improve things?What is being done to improve things?• One-on-one talks with West Coast Councils about the

vulnerability of these habitats and possible other sources of saline water for road building (tourists need good roads)

• Workshops with West Coast people to help them • Recognise different samphire species• Recognise saline GDE’s and value them• Develop monitoring programs for vulnerable

habitats• Inclusion of the West Coast marine-influenced GDE’s

into the new Temperate Saltmarsh Ecological Community that has recently been granted EPBC Act protection

22

Thank you!Thank you!