NatureLinks | East Meets West · The East meets West NatureLink is the crucial first step in achieving that goal. The East meets West NatureLink Plan outlines a bold direction to

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East Meets West NatureLink PlanImplementing South Australia’s Strategic Plan

East meets West NatureLink

Foreword

The East meets West NatureLink Plan outlines a bold direction to enable plants, animals and ecosystems to survive, evolve and adapt to climate change.

A healthy and diverse environment is critical to South Australia’s social, cultural and economic well-being. As climate change intensifies the stresses on our environment, the need for action and large-scale strategic planning is required now and into the future.

Target 3.2 of South Australia’s Strategic Plan outlines the government’s commitment to establish five biodiversity corridors

linking public and private lands across the state by 2010. Our long term vision is to have five extensive corridors of healthy and diverse habitat across land and sea in 100 years time.

The East meets West NatureLink is the crucial first step in achieving that goal.

The East meets West NatureLink Plan outlines a bold direction to enable plants, animals and ecosystems to survive, evolve and adapt to climate change. It provides the framework for an ecologically sustainable future by integrating biodiversity management with regional development and natural resource management.

Our approach aims to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits to the people living and working within the corridor region.

The NatureLinks program encourages our focus to move from conserving individual species in particular locations, to protecting broad areas of habitat and entire communities of plants and animals. Conservation activities will therefore be planned on a large scale and then applied locally.

NatureLinks is a whole-of-community initiative led by the Department for Environment and Heritage in partnership with regional Natural Resource Management Boards, the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, and the Department of Primary Industries and Resources SA. These partners, together with other non-government and community organisations, have an important role to play in the implementation of the plan.

The State Government is pleased to present the East meets West NatureLink Plan – the first of five NatureLinks plans to be established across the State. I encourage people to contribute to and share in this ambitious vision.

Hon Jay Weatherill MP Minister for Environment and Conservation

Contents

What is East meets West? 2Concept•

Vision•

Scope•

Implementing NatureLinks•

Principles of NatureLinks •

Changing with climate change 8

Where the East meets the West 12

Constituent biomes 16

The East meets West plan 20People in nature1.

Integration and partnerships2.

Connectedness3.

Lose no species4.

Monitoring and reporting 32 Appendix - Summary of objectives and approaches 34

Glossary 40 Further reading 41

2 East meets West NatureLink Plan

People working together to enable the species and ecosystems within the East meets West NatureLink to continue to survive, evolve and adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Vision

People working together to enable the species and ecosystems within the East meets West NatureLink to continue to survive, evolve and adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Scope

East meets West aims to protect functioning natural ecosystems. It includes land and seascapes and is based upon core protected areas, such as National Parks and privately owned land under long-term conservation agreements, that are complemented by other privately owned and managed lands.

It is a place where land and wildlife management practices ensure that plants, animals and ecosystems continue to survive, evolve and adapt to environmental change in the longer term. All elements of the ecosystems will be considered when making decisions about threat management, natural recovery and active ecological reconstruction. Conservation decisions will also consider the social and economic circumstances of the day.

East meets West is most importantly about people delivering conservation services in a viable community context.

The local community will be actively encouraged to identify land management issues and priorities and develop and implement strategies for achieving on-ground conservation outcomes.

What is East meets West?

Concept

The East meets West NatureLink is being established to assist the species and ecosystems within central and northern Eyre Peninsula and the Far West of South Australia to survive, evolve and adapt to environmental change. It will achieve this by connecting habitats, through a comprehensive system of core protected areas that are buffered and linked by lands which have complementary land management objectives.

East meets West seeks to achieve positive outcomes for nature conservation while at the same time enhancing sustainable land management and regional economic development. Engaging with the broader community is a fundamental component of the East meets West NatureLink.

East meets West is characterised by a shift away from managing patches of land and discrete wildlife populations towards holistic land and wildlife management where connectedness and functioning ecosystems are of prime concern. It will address landscape and ecosystem needs and facilitate the conservation of the processes that support species and ecosystems in the landscape. In this way East meets West challenges traditional notions of conserving ‘exactly what we have now, where it is now’ (a static view of biodiversity conservation). More ambitiously, it attempts to actively protect dynamic and broad scale ecosystem processes and to ameliorate the impacts of changing climatic conditions.

There is no quick fix to conservation issues. The East meets West vision is ambitious and involves the conservation of entire land and sea scapes rather than individual habitats. This may take generations to achieve, so time scales of 100 years or more are realistic. The current boundary of the East meets West NatureLink was developed to provide an initial focus to this long term vision. The current boundary is based on key biophysical criteria that have been determined by scientists to be critical to ecological recovery at a broad landscape scale at this time. The boundary may be revised in time, in light of further scientific knowledge or to incorporate other key habitat areas.

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East meets West seeks to achieve positive outcomes for nature conservation while at the same time enhancing sustainable land management and regional economic development.


This plan provides the initial direction for Government, NRM Boards and indigenous and rural communities to apply NatureLinks principles to the management of the East meets West NatureLink. It is a direct response to the South Australia’s Strategic Plan Target 3.2 ‘by 2010 have five well-established biodiversity corridors aimed at maximising ecological outcomes particularly in the face of climate change’. The first state-wide nature conservation strategy in South Australia, ‘No Species Loss – A Nature Conservation Strategy for South Australia 2007–2017’, also provides the overarching framework for NatureLinks corridors.

The integrated, landscape scale approach of East meets West is well aligned with the goals of the State NRM Plan. Both aspirational plans recognise that a collaborative approach is required to manage natural resources in the face of changing climatic conditions, where the community and other stakeholders are actively involved in natural resource management and more broadly, nature conservation in South Australia. Significant opportunities exist to work together to progress shared goals.

Eyre Peninsula and Alinytjara Wilurara NRM Boards can look to this document to inform the development of the biodiversity components of their regional NRM Plans. The ambitions, objectives and approaches may be further refined to suit the purposes of NRM Boards. Landholders or community groups may also use this plan to guide their own conservation efforts.

As East meets West progresses, project partners and delivery agents as well as operational details such as the types of projects, activities and on-ground actions will be identified and described. This document showcases several examples of the types of projects or activities that are complementary to the aims of East meets West, and illustrate what is possible when we embrace a collaborative approach to nature conservation. The case studies provided in this plan serve as commendable examples of productive partnerships achieving nature conservation outcomes. East meets West will encourage the development and continuation of such projects.

Implementing NatureLinks

This plan is intended to provide the direction sought by State and local Government, the Natural Resources Management Boards (NRM Boards), landholders living within and adjacent to the NatureLink, non-government organisations, community groups, research institutions and nature-based commercial operators to interpret and apply the principles of NatureLinks in undertaking a broad range of conservation related activities within central and northern Eyre Peninsula and the Far West of South Australia.

East meets West is ambitious and requires a collaborative approach. Without all interested parties taking a shared responsibility and working together in partnership for the long-term, the objectives within this plan will not be achieved.

The plan is based upon the four elements of NatureLinks:

People in nature - South Australians sharing the benefits •of ecological sustainability;

Integration and partnerships - natural resource •management across the landscape meeting common biodiversity objectives;

Connectedness - connected habitat facilitating •ecological flows across the land and sea; and

Lose no species - native species and ecological •communities surviving and continuing to evolve.

East meets West builds upon, and is complementary to, previous and existing initiatives such as the Eyre Peninsula Biodiversity Plan, threatened species recovery projects, the work of regional NRM Boards, other Government agencies, local Government and the tireless work of the local community and industry sectors.

Implementation of the plan is dependent upon the development of alternative funding initiatives and new partnerships to secure resources in support of activities associated with implementing aspects of the plan.

What is East Meets West?

Without all interested parties taking a shared responsibility and working together in partnership for the long-term, the objectives within this plan will not be achieved.

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Implementation of the plan is dependent upon the development of alternative funding initiatives and new partnerships to secure resources.


Principles of NatureLinks

NatureLinks promotes a set of fundamental ecological principles to ensure the best long term outcomes for healthy ecosystems.

Biodiversity conservation activities should be planned •at a landscape scale Landscape connectivity is critical to maintaining viable populations and enabling ongoing evolution. Management objectives should consider the relationship between habitat components in the landscape. Individual projects may be small in scale, but should form part of a ‘bigger picture’.

Habitat restoration should be undertaken at large •spatial scales Habitat restoration, including revegetation, is a key component of the ecological restoration of landscapes and needs to be undertaken on a large scale in order to maximise habitat connectivity with the landscape.

Species in fragmented landscape should be managed •as metapopulations – populations linked by the exchange of individuals Population of species must be sufficiently large to contain enough genetic variability to resist local extinction due to inbreeding or chance events such as flood or fire. Exchange of individuals and/or genetic material between small subpopulations is critical.

An ecological community approach to biodiversity •conservation should be encouraged An ecological community is a characteristic group of interacting species that are adapted to particular conditions of soil, topography, water availability and climate. Projects targeting communities may yield broad ecological benefits and provide good value for money.

Ecological restoration should be planned over •long time scales Short term activities should be planned in the context of large scale, longer term ecological objectives that may take up to a century to achieve.

Biodiversity conservation activities should be underpinned •by sound ecological knowledge Activities should be based on an understanding of the ecological systems being managed or restored. Projects should evolve as more knowledge is gained.

What is East Meets West?

Short term activities should be planned in the context of large scale, longer term ecological objectives that may take up to a century to achieve.

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Case study

The Wilderness Society: WildCountry

WildCountry is The Wilderness Society’s vision for protecting Australia’s wilderness, plants and animals into - and beyond - the 21st Century. It is a vision to protect what remains of the continent’s wilderness, through reserve protection and rehabilitation, and reinstatement of habitat outside of parks and wilderness zones.

WildCountry is based on cutting edge conservation science. In order to develop this science and to inform the WildCountry program, The Wilderness Society has established a Science Council made up of leaders in the field of landscape and marine ecology and their disciplines. WildCountry science seeks to understand the large-scale and long-term connections in nature. It aims to solve environmental problems before they occur, and restore the ecological processes and environmental flows which sustain the long-term health of nature.

In South Australia WildCountry has been a major focus since 2002. Indeed, the NatureLinks program has developed from the early work undertaken by The Wilderness Society in South Australia.

The Wilderness Society’s commitment to WildCountry is highlighted by the ongoing fulltime position of a WildCountry Coordinator for South Australia. This position aims to identify areas of cooperation and opportunities to address gaps including:

securing independent funding for land acquisition; •

initiating large-scale restoration projects;•

facilitating the interchange of information and data •between stakeholders (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) in the region and with the WildCountry Science Council;

guiding science projects where key knowledge gaps •have been identified;

promoting WildCountry initiatives within the community, •with the aim of developing local habitat restoration and protection projects as a priority. The consolidation of Heritage Agreements on the Eyre Peninsula provides a springboard to achieve linkages of native vegetation between existing reserves.

The WildCountry Coordinator has established productive working relationships with a range of government agencies, non-government organisations, land managers, indigenous groups and other community members with an interest in the conservation of biodiversity on the Eyre Peninsula.


Long-term planning should not assume that the future climate and distribution of natural resources will be as they were over the last century.

How the species and ecosystems within the East meets West NatureLink may respond to changing climatic conditions is uncertain. Species might change in distribution and abundance, population dynamics, life history patterns and reproductive cycles; vulnerable species might be at increased risk of extinction; invasive and over-abundant native species may gain more opportunities for establishing in wider areas. Ecological processes could well change. The uncertainty associated with these changes demands that research initiatives and practical solutions to the impacts of climate change be flexible, adaptable and innovative if they are to deal with the vagaries of an uncertain climate future.

What this specifically means for Eyre Peninsula and the Far West of South Australia is slowly being understood and it is clear that this area will not be immune from the predicted changes. As an example, the mallee of this region is likely to become much less diverse in a more variable climate. Changes in soil moisture, daily and seasonal temperatures and continued grazing pressure from domestic stock and native and feral herbivores, will make it increasingly difficult for plants to reproduce or recruit successfully. As existing populations die, they may not be replaced, with potentially adverse consequences.

Changing with climate change A significant degree of climate change across South Australia now seems inevitable. Changes are to be expected in both the average values and in the magnitude and frequency of climatic extremes. This means that long-term planning should not assume that the future climate and distribution of natural resources will be as they were over the last century. Significant adaptation to a changing climate will be necessary.

Australian species have adapted to past climatic changes which have occurred comparatively slowly, but the rate of warming projected for the coming century expected to be the fastest it has been in the last 10,000 years. Historically, Australian plants and animals have occurred more or less continuously across the landscape, whereas now, especially within the agricultural and urban landscapes, their distribution is fragmented by cleared productive lands and dependent on remnant areas of native habitat. Species most at risk will be those marooned within isolated patches of habitat and those with limited, or at the extremes of their geographic ranges. The need for connected areas has been recognised in conservation practices for decades. Predicted changes to climatic conditions now amplify this need.

Climate change is expected to affect the present functional capacity of ecosystems in South Australia. Some animal and plant species are likely to come under increasing stress, causing long-term changes in species composition. Coastal ecosystems will be affected by sea-level rise and changes in runoff. Further, higher temperatures and lower rainfall may lead to an increase in drought and fire that could have devastating impacts on biodiversity.

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Climate change statistics:By 2030, Eyre Peninsula may warm 0.4 to 1.2°C and the inland Far West 0.5 to 1.4°C. By 2070 the increase is 0.9 to 3.5°C on Eyre Peninsula and 1.2 to 4.4°C in the Far West. Annual rainfall on Eyre Peninsula decreases by 1 to 10% by 2030 and 2 to 30% by 2070 with a significant decrease in spring rain. Similar decreases are expected in the Far West.


Increases in the risk of extinction for species that are already vulnerable Species with limited climatic ranges, dispersal ability, specialised habitat requirements, small populations and/or low genetic diversity are the most vulnerable to extinction. Some examples of this include the Nodding Grass-lily (Stypandra glauca), a small blue flowered lily which is restricted to cracks in granite outcrops and Needle-leaf Honey Myrtle (Melaleuca armillaris ssp. akineta) with only 200ha to be found in narrow creek and drainage lines.

Increased opportunity for range expansion of invasive species Weeds and pest animals may take advantage of climatic changes and native communities under stress from climatic changes may be more susceptible to invasion and other disturbances. Some examples requiring vigilance on Eyre Peninsula include Galahs (Cacatua roseicapilla), Silver Gulls (seagulls) (Larus novaehollandiae), and Bridal Creeper (Asparagus asparagoides). Garden and/or agricultural pests not yet present in the region may become pests. Additionally, some native species distributions may expand to the detriment of overall diversity. Alternately some current pest species may cease to be a problem.

Changes in the structure and composition of ecosystems and communities Temperature and rainfall may directly affect the distribution, lifecycles, physiology, habitat use and extinction rates of individual species. These changes will also alter interactions between species leading to changes in the structure and composition of communities and ecosystems as we know them today. As an example, the introduced Black Rat (Rattus rattus) has already replaced the native Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes) in small degraded patches of native vegetation on Eyre Peninsula.

Changes in coastal and estuarine habitat due to rising sea levels Rising sea levels could significantly alter low lying areas such as Lake Newland, Baird Bay and Acraman Creek. A rise in sea level could potentially lead to flooding of nesting areas for migratory or shorebird species or limit access to Australian Sea-lion (Neophoca cinerea) haul out areas or breeding locations.

Climate change impacts on biodiversity (from the National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan)

Reductions in the geographic range of species Species could become restricted to small areas or could disappear altogether, for example Mallee Box (Eucalyptus porosa) communities currently occur in heavy soils over limestone in large shallow depressions eastwards of Streaky Bay. Should average rainfall and water table levels be reduced through climate change, it is likely this species will become restricted to drainage lines, as it has already in the northern agricultural districts of South Australia.

Changes to the timing of species’ lifecycles Species may breed earlier in the season than previously. Cape Barren Geese (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) are a species that are dependent on the ‘break of season’ with the flush of new green grasses, to begin breeding. So it is possible that should climatic conditions change, the breeding pattern of Cape Barren Geese and other species could be altered.

Changes in population dynamics and survival Species may not be able to physically tolerate higher temperatures, for example the Southern Grass Skink (Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii), a coastal lizard species, may not be able to tolerate changing climatic conditions. Impacts on population densities, age classes and weights of individuals are currently unknown.

Changes in the location of species habitats Species may need to move southwards in order to keep pace with shifting climate zones. It has been predicted that under a changing climate, the conditions necessary for the mallee belt and sheoak woodlands to continue to survive on Eyre Peninsula will be south of where these environments occur today.

Changing with Climate Change

Temperature and rainfall may directly affect the distribution, lifecycles, physiology, habitat use and extinction rates of individual species.

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Species with limited climatic ranges, dispersal ability, specialised habitat requirements, small populations and/or low genetic diversity are the most vulnerable to extinction.


The East meets West NatureLink represents a highly valuable resource for both State and local economies, supporting a wide range of activities.

Where the East meets the West The East meets West NatureLink makes the most of the large, mostly continuously vegetated areas across Eyre Peninsula and the Far West. It covers a range of climatic variables, land tenures, land uses and biogeographic regions. This is where the ‘East meets the West’ in terms of Australian plants and animals, and spans the coast-ocean continuum and the interface between the land and sea.

The following list contains flora and fauna species that have limited or are currently at the edge of their geographic ranges. For example - the Western Tree Skink is a species typically found within the western areas of South Australia, whose current distribution is pushed toward the eastern end of suitable conditions.

Western species Endemic species Eastern species

Flora Flora Flora

Sandalwood (Santalum spicatum)

Broad-leaf Flax-lily (Dianella revoluta var. divaricata)

Fauna Western Tree Skink (Egernia richardi)

Dwarf Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor) Western Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus granariensis) Carpet Python (Morelia spilota imbricata) Red-tailed Dragon (Diporiphora reginae) Australian Sealion (Neophoca cinerea) Port Lincoln Ringneck (Barnardius zonarius)

Rufous Treecreeper (Climacteris rufa) Western Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria griseogularis) Splendid Fairy Wren (Malurus splendens ssp callainus) Blue Breasted Fairy Wren (Malurus pulcherrimus) Grey Shrike Thrush (Colluricincla harmonica ssp

rufiventris) Chestnut Quail-Thrush (Cinclosoma castanotus) Yellow Plumed Honey-eater (Lichenostomus ornatus)

Purple Gaped Honey-eater (Lichenostomus cratitius)

Marsupial Mole (Notoryctes typhlops) Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila)

Peninsula Guinea-Flower (Hibbertia paeninsularis)

West Coast Mintbush (Prostanthera calycina)

Crimson Mallee (Eucalyptus lansdowneana)

Granite Mudwort (Limosella granitica)

Bead samphire (Tecticornia flabelliformis) Silver Daisy-bush (Olearia pannosa ssp. pannosa) Yellow Swainson-Pea (Swainsona pyrophila)

Fauna Eastern Tree Skink (Egernia striolata) Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata)

Eastern Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus vittatus) New Zealand Fur Seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus funereus)

Musk Lorikeet (Glossopsitta concinna)

Superb Fairy Wren (Malurus cyaneus) White Winged Chough (Corcorax melanorphamphos)

Diamond Fire-tail (Emblenia guttata) Red Lored Whistler (Pachycephala rufogularis)

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The East meets West NatureLink covers a range of climatic variables, land tenures, land uses and biogeographic regions.


The meeting of east and west not only occurs on the land. The East meets West NatureLink is also a place where the warmer waters of the Leeuwin Current from the tropical Indian Ocean in the west meet the colder waters of the Flinders Current originating in south eastern Australia. The interaction of these current systems and the physical environment has a great influence on the local marine environment and the area is characterised by high species diversity and endemism (meaning they are found nowhere else).

The East meets West NatureLink has been intentionally designed to extend across the far west of South Australia to the Western Australian border. East meets West aims to complement other landscape scale conservation programs in Western Australia and provide a unique opportunity to develop interstate planning and management synergies which share information, align priorities and work towards enhancing connectivity across State borders, a diversity of ecosystems and a vast tract of southern Australia.

A wealthy natural capital

The East meets West NatureLink represents a highly valuable resource for both State and local economies, supporting a wide range of activities including recreation and cultural activities, nature based tourism, fishing and aquaculture and related industries, shipping and transportation, agriculture and primary production, mining and mineral and petroleum exploration activities, urban development and science and education.

Fully-functioning natural ecosystems are significant community assets, providing a range of essential environmental services such as the maintenance of water cycles, provision of nurseries for commercial fish species and soil protection and soil nutrient cycling. These would be extremely difficult to restore, repair or replace if ecosystem functioning was impaired. Accordingly, it is wiser to protect these assets now for the prosperity of current and future generations.

Of national conservation significance

East meets West is also significant because it provides the major link connecting mallee areas in western and eastern Australia and the acacia shrublands and woodlands to the north, east and west. It is where the ‘East meets the West’ in terms of Australian plants and animals. This overlapping of the eastern and western geographic ranges of plants and animals means that the East meets West NatureLink not only hosts a unique mixture of Australian plants and animals, but that these plants and animals will probably be particularly vulnerable to changing climatic conditions as they are at the extremes of their current range.

Where the East meets the West

The importance and diversity of the coastal and marine environment further reinforces the need for designated conservation areas in marine zones and to manage land and sea as one.

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A less fragmented landscape

Compared with the rest of South Australia, areas on Eyre Peninsula and the Far West have good vegetation cover. There are some large, more or less continuously vegetated areas providing unique opportunities for nature conservation, which are not available anywhere else in South Australia.

The NatureLink contains areas with species diversity as close as possible to pre-European settlement. Population sizes for many species are also considered to be optimal, providing an opportunity to protect key areas as a stronghold for species on both a national and state level.

East meets West boasts some of South Australia’s most pristine conservation areas such as Hincks, Hambidge and Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Areas. Currently the East meets West NatureLink contains 54 reserves and 179 Heritage Agreements. These areas within the NatureLink and others throughout the adjoining area provide a basis for the ecosystems within the NatureLink to be self-sustaining thereby safeguarding their genetic diversity and assuring their continued evolution.

An irreplaceable marine environment

The marine and coastal environments of the East meets West NatureLink are physically and biologically diverse with a dynamic range of habitats maintained by complex and interconnected ecological processes. These processes can be wide ranging and occur across the coast-ocean continuum and the interface between the land and sea. In the East meets West NatureLink this is illustrated by migratory whale species linking the Great Australian Bight with the Southern Ocean, sealions and oceanic birds linking the land and sea and migratory shore birds linking West Coast beaches to inland Australian salt lakes and beaches in the northern hemisphere.

Coastal habitats occupy a central place in the functioning of marine ecosystems. Their location at the interface between land and sea means they function to modulate the movement of terrestrial materials (e.g. fresh water, nutrients and pollutants) into the marine environment. Coastal habitats are also crucial nurseries for many species of fish and crustaceans, and act as links in the life cycles of species that migrate between shallow coastal and deeper marine water habitats.

The importance and diversity of the coastal and marine environment further reinforces the need for designated conservation areas in marine zones and to mange land and sea as one. Marine Parks will play an integral role in the conservation of marine ecological processes and the conservation of marine species and communities within the East meets West NatureLink.

A culturally significant landscape

There has been an Indigenous association with some areas of the East meets West NatureLink for at least 39,000 years. Traditional landowners, often living in remote communities, retain significant knowledge and management skills that are crucial to the long term management and protection of this precious environment. Unfortunately much of this knowledge is limited to a small, ageing and diminishing number of indigenous people.

Some areas of the East meets West NatureLink supported a fully nomadic population of indigenous residents until as recently as the 1950s. Many areas are still used and managed by indigenous people in a customary fashion as they travel through, forage and camp within the East meets West NatureLink for social, recreational and traditional purposes, such as Oak Valley, Yalata Indigenous Protected Area (including Head of Bight), Maralinga Tjarutja lands, Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands and Mamungari Conservation Park (formerly Unnamed Conservation Park).

No-one knows more about parts of the far west of South Australia and its human history than the indigenous people, who were born there, have lived within and continue to use the area on a daily basis. Many of these people still maintain an inseparable connection to the land today.


Newland Conservation Parks in the south west, and to the mallee and acacia shrublands and woodlands of the Gawler Ranges National Park in the north. Approximately 46 per cent of the total native vegetation cover in this area is formally protected in public and private reserves, with nearly 71 per cent of Heritage Agreements on Eyre Peninsula located within this area, comprising a system of significant protected areas. There are however, approximately 365,000 hectares that are not formally protected and may not currently be managed for conservation purposes.

In comparison with the Arid and Marine biomes, the Mediterranean biome is highly fragmented. A higher degree of scientific concern exists about the potential problems confronting the remaining and unprotected areas of this biome. As such, the Mediterranean biome is a priority area to begin implementing the aims of the East meets West NatureLink.

Marine

The vast stretch of coastal and marine environments of the far west of South Australia is home to the Great Australian Bight Marine Park, which extends approximately 300km along the coast from Cape Adieu in the east to the Western Australian border in the west. Extending a distance of three nautical miles from shore, the Great Australian Bight Marine Park covers just over 168,000 ha. Adjacent to this is the Commonwealth Great Australian Bight Marine Park extending to 200 nautical miles from shore and covering approximately 1,920,000 ha.

In addition, four sites of interest have been identified as part of South Australia’s Representative System of Marine Protected Areas within the East meets West NatureLink. These include Nuyts Archipelago and the St Francis Isles and coastal embayments in the north, Baird Bay to Searcy Bay (including Point Labatt), Venus Bay and surrounds and the Investigator Group Isles in the south. Multiple use marine protected areas, known as ‘marine parks’, will be developed in these areas specifically for the conservation and protection of marine and estuarine ecosystems, while also providing for the ecologically sustainable use of the area. Marine parks in these locations will compliment the island or coastal public protected lands of the Isles of St Francis, Nuyts Archipelago, Venus Bay, Lake Newland, Waldegrave Islands and the Investigator Group.

Constituent biomes The East meets West NatureLink spans three of South Australia’s biomes, across which species and ecological processes function. It is important that connectivity is conserved both within and between the Arid, Mediterranean and Marine biomes.

Arid

Of particular significance is a continuous band of protected areas in the form of Regional Reserves, National Parks, Wilderness Protection Areas and Conservation Parks, covering over 5.9 million hectares. These protected areas conserve the biological link between South Australia in the east and Western Australia in the west. Nowhere else in South Australia are there such significant connected protected areas. This is the area in which the largest Wilderness Protection Area in South Australia can be found and is a key conservation region for Australia because of its large size and biological diversity and integrity. It is an area where all levels of biological diversity – from genetic variability and species diversity through to ecological processes – can be conserved.

Despite limited amounts of vegetation clearance in the Arid biome, other threats still exist, for example, the Arid biome experiences significant grazing pressure from both native and introduced animals, which has implications for vegetation condition. Natural watercourses and introduced water points have influenced the distribution and impacts of herbivores across the landscape. The Arid biome has been impacted least by habitat modification. In light of this, connectedness in the Arid biome may be best characterised by social connections and the need to maintain a sustainable and appropriate lifestyle on the land.

Mediterranean

There is an extensive and nearly continuous belt of remnant vegetation, approximately 200km long, on Eyre Peninsula, linking privately owned and managed farmland to Bascombe Well, Hambidge and Hincks Wilderness Protection Areas in the east, to the coastal environments of Venus Bay and Lake

It is important that connectivity is conserved both within and between the Arid, Mediterranean and Marine biomes.

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WA

Biomes

Arid

Mediterranean

Marine

IBRA SubregionIBRA Region

0 100 20050

kilometres

East meets West NatureLink

East meets West NatureLink Plan18

We will need to take a dynamic approach which embraces new ideas or changed circumstances as they occur. We must learn by doing.

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The state of the environment in the Eyre Peninsula and Far West of South Australia is a shared responsibility.

Some significant information is currently unavailable, including critical species requirements, current distributions, population sizes and interactions. In light of this, each element also incorporates a short list of key ecological, social or economic research priorities for East meets West. Research students or institutions can use these priorities as a guide for future research and in doing so the knowledge gained will inform operational aspects of corridor management. This list is by no means complete or exhaustive; rather it provides a starting point which will likely result in many other research questions being identified and explored as time goes on and the NatureLink is established.

The East meets West planThe state of the environment in the Eyre Peninsula and Far West of South Australia is a shared responsibility. East meets West aims to forge long term collaborative partnerships between those responsible for, or with an interest in, natural resources management. In order to achieve this vision all conservation activities should work towards contributing to one or more of the following four elements of NatureLinks:

People in nature - South Australians sharing the benefits •of ecological sustainability;

Integration and partnerships - natural resource •management across the landscape meeting common biodiversity objectives;

Connectedness - connected habitat facilitating •ecological flows across the land and sea; and

Lose no species - native species and ecological •communities surviving and continuing to evolve.

There are many gaps in our current knowledge, which makes it difficult to decide with any certainty on which activities undertaken at specific locations will result in the best conservation outcomes. Nonetheless, we cannot afford to be too cautious or be paralysed by a lack of full scientific certainty. We will need to take a dynamic approach which embraces new ideas or changed circumstances as they occur. We must learn by doing.

Planning structure

The plan establishes a long term vision for East meets West and is focussed around the four elements provided above. The Plan incorporates four long term ambitions, 12 medium term priority objectives and 34 short term approaches that will guide conservation activities over long timeframes.

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Planning structure East meets WestExample: Element one – People in nature

Approach

Host research projects to identify •the potential benefits for product differentiation for landholders that become actively involved in integrating natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Identify and support •complementary activities and production systems that provide benefit to biodiversity conservation. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Establish a nature-based tourism •program that integrates the tourism experience with environmental management in the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, marine)

Promote the physical, social and •mental health benefits of visiting and working with nature and living in a healthy environment. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Approach

Assess the cultural, economic •and business impacts of improved native vegetation management, integrated feral animal and pest plant control. (Mediterranean)

Assess the potential benefits •to enterprises from improved ecosystem services. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Develop programs to illustrate •the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of biodiversity conservation activities. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Approach

Provide and maintain sustainable •opportunities for visitor experiences within the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Ensure a diversity of knowledge •and aspirations are incorporated into the NatureLink’s programs. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Encourage indigenous •participation in decision making, and the use of traditional knowledge in NatureLink programs. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Priority objective Improved physical, social and cultural health within the region.

Priority objective Increased economic benefits to the region.

Priority objective Demonstrate the benefits of managing natural resources for biodiversity conservation.

Vision People working together to enable the species and ecosystems within the East meets West NatureLink to continue to survive, evolve and adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Ambition The active involvement of all people in a corridor that enhances their social, economic and cultural wellbeing.


The East meets West Plan

CASE STUDIES

Yalata Land Management and the Great Australian Bight Marine Park

Local people work together to cooperatively manage natural resources at Head of Bight and within the Great Australian Bight Marine Park. They regularly remove beach debris and conduct research, monitoring and surveillance operations.

The beach clean up reduces threats posed by rubbish to marine animals and surveillance operations provide useful information for making management decisions.

Sand tracking study with Anangu people

The Aboriginal Lands ecologists undertook a sand tracking study in Maralinga Tjarutja lands of the Alinytjara Wilurara NRM region. Aboriginal people (Anangu) from Oak Valley and Tjuntjunjara assisted with the survey and helped search for animal tracks. The survey relied on the skills of local people to identify tracks, scats and gait characteristics to determine the distribution of animal species in the Maralinga Tjarutja lands. The survey focused on the occurrence of threatened native species and invasive predator and herbivore species.

The project demonstrated the capacity of the monitoring technique to include the skills of Aboriginal people and deliver rapid and comprehensive information on the distribution and abundance of native and introduced fauna throughout arid Australia.

Scoping the shoreline

This collaborative project between Birds Australia, the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board, Friends of Parks Groups, Southern Eyre Birds Inc., Department for Environment and Heritage, and bird enthusiasts is monitoring the status of Eyre Peninsula’s shorebirds and identifying how these birds are affected by predators such as foxes, weeds and recreational beach use. Volunteers walk along the same 20 beaches every three months to monitor numbers of shorebirds species such as the Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis), Pied (Haematopus longirostris) and Sooty (Haematopus fuliginosus) Oystercatchers and Red-Capped Plovers (Charadrius ruficapillus). The project will result in a dataset that can guide future research, decision making and planning at a regional level.

1. People in nature Healthy ecosystems provide vital services and contribute to South Australia’s economic, social and cultural well-being and provide a basis for ecologically sustainable development. People are an essential part of the fabric of this landscape. The community and its knowledge, aspirations and activities are crucial to East meets West. People are encouraged to participate, become a part of the project and share in its benefits.

Mitigating or adapting to the effects of climate change is of paramount importance, not only to the natural environment, but also to primary producers, whose livelihood may be affected by changes to the climate. East meets West can provide a framework for ongoing management that can improve the ‘triple bottom line’ for landholders whilst at the same time building resilience in the ecosystems. This approach aims to deliver economic, environmental and social benefits to the lives and livelihoods of people living within the NatureLink by developing mutually beneficial activities by which these benefits can be realised.

One opportunity for people to become involved in East meets West may lie in the planting of vegetation for carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored either underground, in the ocean or in plants and soil. Carbon offsetting is the act of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions by sequestering carbon. The most popular form of offsets in the current voluntary market is bio-sequestration (the planting of forestry projects). The trees absorb carbon dioxide, and thus can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.

By promoting and applying carbon sequestration - a component of carbon trading - the East meets West NatureLink could link biodiversity and carbon outcomes into every planting established. The vegetation will accumulate carbon that may have a value as an ‘offset’, or for trading purposes, whilst also providing valuable habitat for flora and fauna. This introduces a potential commercial value to revegetation beyond the land management or biodiversity benefits.

People are an essential part of the fabric of this landscape. The community and its knowledge, aspirations and activities are crucial to East meets West. People are encouraged to participate, become a part of the project and share in its benefits.

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Priority objectives Approach

Demonstrate the benefits of managing natural resources for biodiversity conservation

Assess the cultural, economic and business impacts of improved native vegetation management, integrated feral animal and pest plant control. (Mediterranean)

Assess the potential benefits to enterprises from improved ecosystem services. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Develop programs to illustrate the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of biodiversity conservation activities. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Increased economic benefits to the region Host research projects to identify the potential benefits for product differentiation for landholders that become actively involved in integrating natural resource management and biodiversity conservation. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Identify and support complementary activities and production systems that provide benefit to biodiversity conservation. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Establish a nature-based tourism program that integrates the tourism experience with environmental management in the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, marine)

Promote the physical, social and mental health benefits of visiting and working with nature and living in a healthy environment. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Investigate the viability of a carbon sequestration program within the East meets West NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Improved physical, social and cultural health within the region

Provide and maintain sustainable opportunities for visitor experiences within the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Ensure a diversity of knowledge and aspirations are incorporated into the NatureLink’s programs. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Encourage indigenous participation in decision making, and the use of traditional knowledge in NatureLink programs. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Research priorities Determine the level of community understanding and awareness of East meets West.

Model future climate change across the corridor.

Identify effective methods for engaging the community and Indigenous communities in biodiversity conservation activities.

Calculate any potential economic costs of nature conservation activities.

Ten year ambition

The active involvement of all people in a corridor that enhances their social, economic and cultural wellbeing.



that East meets West will operate. In time, becoming involved with East meets West may prove beneficial to landholders by providing a market advantage through demonstrating social responsibility or ethical investment.

2. Integration and partnerships East meets West aims to foster long-term collaboration to meet common conservation objectives between those with a responsibility for land management, those with an interest in the future of the region, and those with an ability to assist. This includes land holders, community groups, volunteer organisations, indigenous communities, industry bodies, schools, research institutions, local government, individuals and Government agencies.

If true linkages are to function across the landscape, irrespective of land tenure or fences, it is vital that East meets West incorporates programs relevant for landholders and industry and is compatible with existing and future production systems. For much of the NatureLink, the on-ground work must be able to be delivered alongside ongoing, sustainable, productive land uses.

A long-term, landscape scale approach that includes an understanding of climate change impacts on natural resources will provide the future foundation for prosperous communities and industries. This approach will be most effective when it is integrated with the land use planning system, regional infrastructure and industry development, while engaging with and building community capacity.

The NRM Boards have a critical role in planning, facilitating, coordinating, partnering and managing long-term, landscape scale initiatives that will address climate change and other threats. NRM Boards work with Commonwealth, State and Local Governments, industry bodies, community groups and landholders and can provide the planning and investment framework for working at a landscape level with long time frames.

An ongoing focus of East meets West will be to ensure NRM Boards can identify the priorities, tools and knowledge required to assist the delivery of real biodiversity outcomes.

Landholders are recognised as local experts in land management and their accumulated wisdom is a vital part of East meets West. Private land involvement is a critical factor in re-establishing landscape connectivity and connecting people with nature. Land uses and management that protect and assist with nature conservation will ensure the land between core areas can be linked up while still furthering economically sustainable production. It is through this concept

A long-term, landscape scale approach that includes an understanding of climate change impacts on natural resources will provide the future foundation for prosperous communities and industries.

Case studies

Gawler Ranges Bounceback

‘Bounceback’ is a major ecological restoration program operating in the Gawler Ranges National Park. The combined threats of excessive grazing, weed infestation and introduced predators have degraded habitats, resulting in the extinction of small mammals and a decline in the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus). Integrated threat abatement programs focus on these threats. Partnerships with landholders and the exchange of management ideas are critical for this success story.

Conservation action planning for the Mediterranean Biome

Initial project partners, including the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board, Greening Australia, The Wilderness Society (SA) and the Department for Environment and Heritage, are working together to apply The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Action Planning (CAP) process to identify conservation priorities for a selected trial area within the NatureLink. The 12,000km2 area extends across the Eyre Peninsula from Acraman Creek Conservation Park, south of Goyder’s Line, including Hincks and Hambidge Wilderness Protection Areas, to just north of Elliston.

The conservation strategies will focus on the conservation of these identified ecological assets by following the ‘SMART’ principle; that they should be ‘specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-based’. Upon completion of the first iteration of planning, these key groups will work together to improve knowledge gaps and will undertake shared operational activities to implement the strategies. The approaches provided in this plan may be refined as the initial CAP progresses and new information develops.

CAP processes may also be applied to Arid and Marine biomes within the East meets West NatureLink.

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Plan and implement biodiversity conservation activities in conjunction with other natural resource management activities

Establish and maintain constructive communication networks to ensure information is shared freely between all stakeholders and opportunities for involvement increased. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Develop a regional focus point where biological data is made available to those involved in natural resource management. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Publicise how conservation activities and landholdings (including reserves) may contribute to the delivery of natural resource management within the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Develop opportunities for active participation by local stakeholders in decision making for conservation activities. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Integrate biodiversity conservation with the social and economic needs of the community

Identify methods to encourage landholders and organisations to become involved in conservation activities and implement biodiversity conservation as part of their land management regime. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Develop a better understanding of how regional social and economic trends will affect biodiversity conservation. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Strengthen and increase partnerships for biodiversity conservation with the local community

Continue to support and encourage public discussion in management arrangements for threatened species and ecological communities and reserve management. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Expand opportunities for formal indigenous involvement in reserve management. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Research priorities Determine how corridor use is influenced by the condition of and human activities in areas surrounding the NatureLink.

Determine the viability of carbon trading on Eyre Peninsula and in the Far West of South Australia.

Determine the best model to fund landcare groups and/or individual landholders to achieve biodiversity outcomes.

Determine what types of incentives are required for landholders to undertake proactive biodiversity conservation.

Ten year ambition

Integrate biodiversity conservation and natural resource management across the East meets West NatureLink.



Case studies Australian National University and Flinders University: Landscape connectivity and the ecological value of dune top mallee remnants.

The role of remnant vegetation in connecting the landscape needs to be better understood. Research is being undertaken to provide insight into the potential for un-cleared dune-tops to facilitate connectivity at a landscape scale and the role of isolated remnant vegetation to act as stepping stones for fauna. The results of this research will be incorporated into East meets West. Research partnerships are critically important for East meets West and will be sought both within and outside South Australia.

Heritage Agreement Grants Scheme

The Native Vegetation Council funds the Heritage Agreement Grants Scheme which provides financial assistance to landholders for the conservation and management of their Heritage Agreement areas. The types of projects eligible include management or action planning, feral animal control, repair of damaged or cleared sites and mapping of native plants and vegetation communities. Applicants must contribute an amount approximately equal to the grant, for example, in labour, materials or equipment or funds. The grants scheme not only provides financial assistance to landholders but also builds community capacity and capability, an approach promoted by NatureLinks.

3. Connectedness Landscape connectivity is critical to enabling the movement of plants and animals and their genes that are required to maintain viable populations and the ongoing evolution of species and ecosystems. Connectivity is also critical to maintaining ecosystem resilience - the capacity of an ecosystem to ‘recover’ from major disturbances such as storm damage (in both marine and land systems) and fire and enabling species to evolve and adapt to changing climatic conditions.

East meets West aims to reconnect habitat in central and northern Eyre Peninsula and create a link for biodiversity through Eyre Peninsula to the Western Australian border, using a system of core protected areas buffered and linked by lands managed sympathetically with conservation objectives.

East meets West aims to reconnect habitat in central and northern Eyre Peninsula and create a link for biodiversity through Eyre Peninsula to the Western Australian border.

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Maintain a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of protected areas to provide an ecological core for the NatureLink

Research, develop and implement a plan for targeting additional protected areas in priority locations to build upon the existing extensive core areas. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Review and where necessary revise the management of public landholdings to emphasise biodiversity conservation and linkages for biodiversity conservation. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Maintain and restore existing areas of remnant native vegetation and significant marine and coastal attributes that buffer and provide linkages between key habitats

Manage native vegetation where it adjoins core habitat areas to allow regeneration and provide a buffer. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Develop and implement landscape wide fire management plans. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Re-establish connectivity between core habitat areas Incorporate complementary nature conservation goals into the land management practices for primary production and resource extraction. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Establish or protect and manage areas that provide stepping stones and corridor links between core areas of habitat. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Continue to implement coordinated control programs for pest animals across land tenures to address excessive grazing pressure and predation. (Arid, Mediterranean)

Develop the necessary policy and planning environment to facilitate and promote ecosystem function and habitat connectivity in the landscape. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Increase understanding of the impacts of climate change on ecological processes and core protected areas. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Research priorities Identify which species move between habitat patches without corridors and which species depend on corridors, and to what degree.

Determine how corridor use is influenced by human activities in areas surrounding the corridor.

Determine whether the core areas within East meets West suffer from significant edge effects, and if so, identify what can be done to reduce the impact of these on native flora and fauna.

Determine the role of connectivity in marine systems.

Ten year ambition

Increase the area, connectivity and long term viability of core habitats.



Case studies

Appointment of Aboriginal lands ecologists

In 2006, DEH with support from the Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resources Management Board, appointed two ecologists for the Aboriginal lands in the Far West of South Australia. These ecologists face unique challenges but are also afforded wonderful opportunities to combine western science with traditional indigenous knowledge and help to manage Aboriginal lands in the corridor for conservation.

The ecologists facilitate an improvement in natural resource management through combining western science with Aboriginal knowledge and skills and provide scientific expertise and regional overview to assist in the management of threatened species and communities, key threatening processes and biodiversity areas of significance.

Managing fire in reserves of Eyre Peninsula - Creating healthy habitat mosaics

In an effort to better manage reserves to limit the social, financial and conservation impacts of fire the Department for Environment and Heritage and Flinders University are examining how plants and animals recolonise areas burnt by fire in a project aimed at managing fire in reserves to maintain healthy habitats. This information will be used to make decisions about the location, appropriate frequency and size of prescribed burns in parks so that fires can be better managed.

The research project will help answer some of the questions which exist about how areas recover after fire, time periods required for plants to reach reproductive maturity, time periods for different animals to recolonise areas and the importance of unburnt refuges for recolonisation. The challenge is to limit the impact of bushfires and achieve an appropriate mosaic of habitat ages, which means healthy ecosystems in reserves.

4. Lose no speciesSpecies decline and become extinct naturally. However, many human practices have resulted in the need for management of some of our native species - because they are now critically threatened, because they are now used for production, or because they have become over abundant or impact causing. Climate change will only add to the need to manage these species, and in ways that are at this stage unclear. We must intervene if we are to have healthy and sustainable landscapes.

Many species and communities, while relatively secure across the State, are threatened with extinction at the regional level, for example the Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo. Furthermore, at a regional level, there are currently more species and ecological communities that are threatened with extinction than are being actively managed for recovery - leaving us with an extinction debt. If we do not manage this debt with a sense of urgency then the extinction of some species due to human practices is likely. Clearing the debt requires the reconnection of habitats and landscapes, particularly in the face of climate change.

Identifying and managing species before they dramatically decline and maintaining habitats that are currently in good condition makes good ecological and economic sense.

Identifying and managing species before they dramatically decline and maintaining habitats that are currently in good condition makes good ecological and economic sense.

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Manage ecosystem function to ensure that viable populations of species and ecological communities continue to survive

Focus protection and recovery programs on species which require a high degree of connectivity across the landscape. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Establish baseline information and ongoing monitoring programs to identify declining species and communities within the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Identify opportunities to build resilience in ecosystems to improve their capacity to respond to disturbance and stress. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Manage the impact of climate change on species and ecological communities

Identify the threats to declining species and communities within the NatureLink and undertake actions to reduce those threats within the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Monitor species at risk of extinction due to rapid climate change and incorporate requirements for future management into planning and actions within the NatureLink. (Arid, Mediterranean, Marine)

Re-establish species into known suitable areas where they are no longer present

Identify opportunities, maintain technical capacity and undertake preparatory works for flora and fauna translocations and reintroductions. (Mediterranean)

Research priorities Conduct baseline surveys of flora and fauna species distributions within the NatureLink. Further, develop ongoing monitoring programs.

Determine the ecological requirements of species living within the NatureLink, including critical population sizes.

Identify which species require a high degree of habitat connectivity for survival.

Determine the ideal size of habitat remnants required to maintain species populations.

Ten year ambition

No further loss of native species and ecological communities due to human impacts.


the formal protection of large areas of pristine wilderness;•

the return of land to its traditional owners for joint •management– Tjungaringu or Tjungaringanyi (working together);

systematic broad-scale biological inventory;•

formal co-management arrangements for public •protected areas between Government and traditional owners;

scientific research, including ecological restoration;•

the formation of local landcare or community groups; and•

community education and awareness raising.•

These activities provide a solid foundation for the establishment of the East meets West NatureLink. It also provides an opportunity to build upon these efforts to develop an efficient and long term approach aimed at increasing the resilience of species and preventing as many species as possible from becoming endangered in the first place.

Recognising past and current conservation achievements

The local community, including indigenous people, landholders, government, conservation groups and industry sectors have already shown a strong interest in the plant and animal species of the East meets West NatureLink, devoting considerable effort over time to ensure that species such as the Malleefowl, West Coast Mintbush and Eyre Peninsula Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo continue to survive in their natural habitat. Without these efforts, some of these species may have already been lost forever. Efforts to conserve these and other species have taken many forms, including:

total grazing management, including fencing to exclude •domestic stock from important habitat areas;

revegetation works;•

integrated pest management & targeted and broad scale •control of pests such as rabbits and foxes;

captive breeding programs;•

the reintroduction of animals to suitable habitats; •

the establishment of private conservation areas such •as Heritage Agreements;


These activities provide a solid foundation to build upon efforts to develop an efficient and long term approach aimed at increasing the resilience of species and preventing as many species as possible from becoming endangered in the first place.

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The local community have already shown a strong interest in the plant and animal species of the East meets West NatureLink, devoting considerable effort over time to ensure that species continue to survive in their natural habitat.


Monitoring and Reporting

A great deal more work needs to be undertaken over a long timeframe to fully establish the East meets West NatureLink.

The way forward

Over the last few years a tremendous amount of time and effort has gone into the development of this Plan. However if this Plan is to be successfully implemented a great deal more work needs to be undertaken over a long timeframe to fully establish the East meets West NatureLink. Resource availability will influence the speed at which the NatureLink can be established, however within the first few years, it will be important that the following be progressed as priorities:

Determine priority areas for operational activities through •scientific and spatial analyses;

Develop programs to illustrate the potential economic, •social and environmental impacts of biodiversity conservation activities;

Investigate the viability of a carbon sequestration program •within the East meets West NatureLink;

Establish and maintain constructive communication •networks to ensure information is shared freely between all stakeholders and opportunities for involvement increased;

Develop opportunities for active participation by local •stakeholders in decision making for conservation activities;

Incorporate complementary nature conservation goals into •the land management practices for primary production and resource extraction;

Increase understanding of the impacts of climate change •on ecological processes and core protected areas;

Focus protection and recovery programs on species •which require a high degree of connectivity across the landscape; and

Establish baseline information and ongoing monitoring •programs to identify declining species and communities within the NatureLink.

As this work progresses, information will be uploaded onto the East meets West website: www.naturelinks.sa.gov.au so that it can be accessed and shared by all partner organisations and the wider community.

Annual monitoring and reporting

The Department for Environment and Heritage will be responsible for regular reporting to the Minister for Environment and Conservation on progress towards the establishment of the East meets West NatureLink.

There are already a suite of existing Government reporting mechanisms to provide transparency and accountability, such as annual reports to Parliament, regular South Australia’s Strategic Plan progress reports, NRM plan reporting and State of Environment reports, that will capture and provide information to the public on the status and success of this and other corridors.

Reporting will include progress towards meeting the identified approaches and new information that may influence the priority or direction of East meets West.

This information will be shared with the community, industry and interested parties through the communication networks established under the ‘People in nature’ and ‘Integration and Partnerships’ sections.

Review of the East meets West plan

In five years time (2013) the East meets West NatureLink Plan will be reviewed to:

Assess the success of the identified approaches; •

Review the approaches’ success towards meeting •the priority objectives;

Evaluate the priority objectives’ ability to meet the •ambitions; and

Identify actions and revise priority objectives where •necessary to meet the ambitions.

The review of East meets West may be aligned and integrated with the review cycles of key project partners where practicable.

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Reporting information will be shared with the community, industry and other interested parties through the communication networks established as part of the East meets West NatureLink.


Appendix - Summary of objectives and approaches

The East meets West NatureLink spans three of South Australia’s biomes, across which species and ecological processes function. The objectives and approaches listed in following pages are presented for each of the three biomes so landholders, NRM Groups and other stakeholders can easily review the approaches for the biome that is most relevant to their employment, recreation or volunteer work.

Arid Biome

1. People in nature

Element ambition Priority objective Approach

The active involvement of all people in a corridor that enhances their social, economic and cultural wellbeing


Assess the potential benefits to enterprises from improved ecosystem services.

Develop programs to illustrate the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of biodiversity conservation activities.

Increased economic benefits to the region

Host research projects to identify the potential benefits for product differentiation for landholders that become actively involved in integrating natural resource management and biodiversity conservation.

Identify and support complementary activities and production systems that provide benefit to biodiversity conservation.

Establish a nature-based tourism program that integrates the tourism experience with environmental management in the NatureLink.

Promote the physical, social and mental health benefits of visiting and working with nature and living in a healthy environment.

Investigate the viability of a carbon sequestration program within the East meets West NatureLink.


Provide and maintain sustainable opportunities for visitor experiences within the NatureLink.

Ensure a diversity of knowledge and aspirations are incorporated into the NatureLink’s programs.

Encourage indigenous participation in decision making, and the use of traditional knowledge in NatureLink programs.

The active involvement of all people in a corridor that enhances their social, economic and cultural wellbeing.

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Arid Biome

2. Integration and partnerships


Integrate biodiversity conservation and natural resource management across the East meets West NatureLink


Establish and maintain constructive communication networks to ensure information is shared freely between all stakeholders and opportunities for involvement increased.

Develop a regional focus point where biological data is made available to those involved in natural resource management.

Publicise how conservation activities and landholdings (including reserves) may contribute to the delivery of natural resource management within the NatureLink.

Develop opportunities for active participation by local stakeholders in decision making for conservation activities.


Identify methods to encourage landholders and organisations to become involved in conservation activities and implement biodiversity conservation as part of their land management regime.

Develop a better understanding of how regional social and economic trends will affect biodiversity conservation.


Continue to support and encourage public discussion in management arrangements for threatened species and ecological communities and reserve management. Expand opportunities for formal indigenous involvement in reserve management.

3. Connectedness

Increase the area, connectivity and long term viability of core habitats


Research, develop and implement a plan for targeting additional protected areas in priority locations to build upon the existing extensive core areas.

Review and where necessary revise the management of public landholdings to emphasise biodiversity conservation and linkages for biodiversity conservation.


Manage native vegetation where it adjoins core habitat areas to allow regeneration and provide a buffer.

Develop and implement landscape wide fire management plans.

Re-establish connectivity between core habitat areas

Incorporate complementary nature conservation goals into the land management practices for primary production and resource extraction.

Establish or protect and manage areas that provide stepping stones and corridor links between core areas of habitat.

Continue to implement coordinated control programs for pest animals across land tenures to address excessive grazing pressure and predation.

Develop the necessary policy and planning environment to facilitate and promote ecosystem function and habitat connectivity in the landscape.

Increase understanding of the impacts of climate change on ecological processes and core protected areas.


Arid Biome

4. Lose no species


No further loss of native species and ecological communities due to human impacts


Focus protection and recovery programs on species which require a high degree of connectivity across the landscape

Establish baseline information and ongoing monitoring programs to identify declining species and communities within the NatureLink.

Identify opportunities to build resilience in ecosystems to improve their capacity to respond to disturbance and stress.


Identify the threats to declining species and communities within the NatureLink and undertake actions to reduce those threats.

Monitor species at risk of extinction due to rapid climate change and incorporate requirements for future management into planning and actions within the NatureLink.

Mediterranean Biome

1. People in nature



Assess the cultural, economic and business impacts of improved native vegetation management, integrated feral animal and pest plant control.








Investigate the viability of a carbon sequestration program within the East meets West NatureLink.





Appendix - Summary of Objectives and Approaches

37

Mediterranean Biome



Integrate biodiversity conservation and natural resource management across the East meets West NatureLink




Publicise how conservation activities and landholdings (including reserves) may contribute to the delivery of natural resource management within the NatureLink.



Identify methods to encourage landholders and organisations to become involved in conservation activities and implement biodiversity conservation as part of their land management regime.




3. Connectedness



Research, develop and implement a plan for targeting additional protected areas in priority locations to build upon the existing extensive core areas. Review and where necessary revise the management of public landholdings to emphasise biodiversity conservation and linkages for biodiversity conservation.


Manage native vegetation where it adjoins core habitat areas to allow regeneration and provide a buffer.

Develop and implement landscape wide fire management plans.

Re-establish connectivity between core habitat area



Continue to implement coordinated control programs for pest animals across land tenures to address excessive grazing pressure and predation.




Mediterranean Biome

4. Lose no species




Focus protection and recovery programs on species which require a high degree of connectivity across the landscape.

Establish baseline information and ongoing monitoring programs to identify declining species and communities within the NatureLInk.



Identify the threats to declining species and communities within the NatureLInk and undertake actions to reduce those threats within the NatureLink.

Monitor species at risk of extinction due to rapid climate change and incorporate requirements for future management into planning and actions within the Naturelink.


Identify opportunities, maintain technical capacity and undertake preparatory works for flora and fauna translocations and reintroductions.

Marine Biome

1. People in nature














Appendix - Summary of Objectives and Approaches

39

Mediterranean Biome

4. Lose no species





Establish baseline information and ongoing monitoring programs to identify declining species and communities within the NatureLInk.



Identify the threats to declining species and communities within the NatureLInk and undertake actions to reduce those threats within the NatureLink.

Monitor species at risk of extinction due to rapid climate change and incorporate requirements for future management into planning and actions within the Naturelink.


Identify opportunities, maintain technical capacity and undertake preparatory works for flora and fauna translocations and reintroductions.

Marine Biome

1. People in nature














Marine Biome



Integrate biodiversity conservation and natural resource management across the East meets West NatureLink.









3. Connectedness



Research, develop and implement a plan for targeting additional protected areas in priority locations to build upon the existing extensive core areas.

Re-establish connectivity between core habitat areas





4. Lose no species




Establish baseline information and ongoing monitoring programs to identify declining species and communities within the NatureLink.



Identify the threats to declining species and communities within the NatureLink and undertake actions to reduce those threats within the NatureLink.

Monitor species at risk of extinction due to rapid climate change and incorporate requirements for future management into planning and actions within the NatureLink.


Fragment Restricted areas of habitat surrounded by areas of mostly destroyed habitat (most relevant to modified and highly modified landscapes).

Genetic diversity The variability in the genetic make up among individuals and populations within a single species.

Habitat The physical place or type of site where an organism, species or population naturally occurs together with the characteristics and conditions that render it suitable to meet the lifecycle needs of that organism, species or population.

Healthy ecosystem An ecosystem that is sustainable, maintaining its organisation (native components, patterns and ecological processes) and autonomy over time and its resilience to stress.

Indigenous lands Any Aboriginal freehold land or land leased to an Aboriginal person or community; lands covered by the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land Rights Act 1981; the Maralinga Tjarutja Land Rights Act 1984; and the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966.

Introduced species A species occurring in an area outside its historically known natural range as a result of intentional or accidental dispersal by human activities (including exotic organisms, genetically modified organisms and translocated species).

Invasive species Any animal pest, weed or disease that can adversely affect native species and ecosystems.

Landscape A heterogeneous area of local ecosystems and land uses that is of sufficient size to achieve long term outcomes in the maintenance and recovery of species or ecological communities, or in the protection and enhancement of ecological and evolutionary processes.

Native species A plant or animal species which occurs naturally in South Australia.

Nature All plant and animal life.

Natural resources management Sustainable management of natural resources (land, soil, geological features, water, vegetation, animals, other organisms and ecosystems, the cultural heritage or amenity of an area) that incorporates economic, social and environmental values and involves the community, industries and governments in planning and decision making. Integrated natural resources management includes coordinating policies, programs, plans and projects, and coordination in the exercise and performance of administrative and statutory powers and functions by government agencies, statutory authorities, local government bodies, and the broader community, relevant to the management of the State’s natural resources.

Patches Areas of least modified habitat against a background of more highly modified habitat (most relevant to intact and modified landscapes).

Protected area An area of land and/or sea specifically dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.

Protected area system A network or system of protected areas.

Remnant Areas (generally small) of native plant communities that are found in otherwise cleared landscapes.

Glossary Adaptive management A systematic process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs.

Biodiversity The variety of life forms: the different plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and other micro-organisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems they form. Biodiversity is usually described at the genetic diversity, species diversity, ecosystem diversity, landscape and seascape levels. Genes, species, ecosystems, and landscapes can also be described in terms of their attributes: components – the identity and variety of the genes, subspecies, species and ecosystems; patterns – the spatial organisation of a system, from habitat complexity within communities, through to patterns of patches within a landscape; processes – ecological and evolutionary processes through which genes, species and ecosystems interact with one another and with their environment.

Biome A major biotic community broadly characterised by the dominant vegetation forms, patterns of ecological characteristics and climate, and often described in terms of agricultural land systems.

Biota All of the organisms at a particular locality.

Buffer areas Areas of vegetation around fragments or patches.

Connecting areas Areas of vegetation between fragments or patches.

Connectivity The extent of interconnected-ness between habitat units and subpopulations in a landscape.

Conservation The protection, maintenance, management, sustainable use, restoration and enhancement of the natural environment.

Ecological community A naturally occurring assemblage of interacting species adapted to particular conditions of soil, topography, water availability and climate.

Ecological processes Dynamic interactions among and between biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere.

Ecological restoration Assisting the recovery of ecological systems to a state in which the viability of species ecological communities, and ecosystem function, are improved.

Ecosystem A dynamic complex of plant, animal, fungal and microorganism communities and the associated nonliving environment interacting as an ecological unit.

Ecosystem services The full suite of benefits that human populations gain from a particular type of ecosystem, such as maintenance of climates; provision of clean water and air; soil stabilisation; pollination of crops and native vegetation; fulfillment of people’s cultural, recreational, spiritual, intellectual needs; and provision of options for the future, for example though maintaining biodiversity.

Endemic Restricted to a specified region or site.

Fire regime The intensity, frequency and extent of fire, fragmentation/fragmented landscapes or seascapes The division or separation of natural areas by the clearance of native vegetation for human land uses, isolating remnants and species and affecting genetic flow.

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Resilience The ability of an ecosystem to withstand and recover from environmental stresses and disturbances.

Restoration Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed.

Seascape A heterogeneous area of local ecosystems and sea uses that is of sufficient size to achieve long term outcomes in the maintenance and recovery of species or ecological communities, or in the protection and enhancement of ecological and evolutionary processes.

Significant environmental benefit The rationale for SEB is based upon the premise that the clearance of native vegetation will result in the further loss (even temporary) of habitat, biodiversity and environmental values in a landscape that has been substantially modified by European settlement. In order to compensate for that loss, an operator or individual who wishes to clear native vegetation must establish a process to protect and manage the biodiversity in that region over and above that lost. The intent of SEB is, therefore, to not only replace the immediate environmental values lost through clearing (i.e. achieve an SEB), but also to make a net gain that contributes to improving the condition of the environment and biodiversity of the region. SEB may be achieved at the site of the operations, or within the same region of the State. They are not defined under South Australian legislation.

Species A group of organisms capable of interbreeding with each other but not with members of other species.

Terrestrial Land based biodiversity including inland aquatic ecosystems, such as rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, springs, groundwater and groundwater dependent ecosystems, and the native inland aquatic species in these areas.

Threat abatement Eliminating or reducing a threat.

Threatened species and/or ecological communities Species (at national and State levels) or ecological community (at a national level) classified as being threatened by extinction and listed as either Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered or Presumed Extinct.

Threatening process Processes that threaten or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of components of native biodiversity.

Further reading

Biological Survey Reports for areas within the East meets West NatureLink: www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/biosurveys.html Copley PB and Kemper CM (eds) 1992. A Biological Survey of the Yellabinna Region South Australia in October 1987. South Australian Department for Environment and Planning. CSIRO 2006. Climate change under enhanced greenhouse conditions in South Australia. An updated report on: Assessment of climate change impacts and risk management strategies relevant to South Australia. Department for Environment and Heritage 2002. Biodiversity Plan for Eyre Peninsula. Department for Environment and Heritage 2004. NatureLinks: Implementing the WildCountry philosophy in South Australia. Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation 2003. Eyre Peninsula Regional Revegetation Technical Report. Groves CR 2003. Drafting a Conservation Blueprint. A Practitioners guide to planning for biodiversity. The Nature Conservancy, USA. Management Plans for Protected Areas within the East meets West NatureLink: www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/management/alphalisting.html Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council 2004. National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan 2004 – 2007. Australian Government Department for Environment and Heritage. The Wilderness Society 2005. WildCountry, a new vision for nature.

Photo credits

Page 3 Black Oak stump (DEH)

Page 5 Olearia sp. (DEH)

Page 9 Triodia irritans, Gawler Ranges National Park (DEH)

Page 11 Club-tailed Gecko (DEH)

Page 13 Sand dunes, Eyre Peninsula (DEH)

Pages 18-19 Venus Bay (M Turner)

Page 31 Remnant dune-top mallee, central Eyre Peninsula (DEH)

Page 33 Gawler Ranges National Park (DEH)

Page Heading

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Want to know more?

If you would like to know more about NatureLinks, please visit www.naturelinks.sa.gov.au or call the Department for Environment and Heritage on (08) 8204 1910.

FIS 80191 ISBN 978 1 921466 33 5

Documents

NatureLinks | East Meets West · The East meets West NatureLink is the crucial first step in achieving that goal. The East meets West NatureLink Plan outlines a bold direction to