Threatened species & ecological communities

Irwin's Conostylis (Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres) interim recovery plan 2005-2009

Interim recovery plan no.191
Alanna Chant, Gillian Stack and Val English
Department of Conservation and Land Management
Western Australian Threatened Species and Communities Unit WA, January 2005

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Summary

Current status

Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres was declared as Rare Flora in October 1996 under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. It currently meets World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List category Vulnerable (IUCN 2000) under criteria B1ab(iii), as it is only known from a total of nine populations that occur over a 30km range, with decline in quality of habitat from weed invasion in four road reserve populations. C dielsii subsp. teres is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Five relatively secure populations have been located since 1996. Four are within a Nature Reserve and one occurs within a wide (> 100m width) road reserve. The main threats to C. dielsii subsp. teres include edge effects, weeds, road, railway and firebreak maintenance, rabbits and inappropriate fire regimes.

Description

Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres is a tufted perennial herb, that grows to about 20cm tall, and has leaves 13 to 33 cm long and less than a mm wide. The leaf bases are densely hairy, while the upper part of the leaf is less hairy. C. dielsii subsp. teres has a dense inflorescence composed of many flowers, held on a 4-10 cm long stem. The individual flower stalks are short and each cream flower, 7.5 to 10 millimetres long, is tubular for a third to a half of its length then divides into six lobes. The flowers are covered with short, densely matted hairs. The petal lobes remain on the fruit and become claw-like, touching at the apex with gaps at the bases (Brown et al. 1998).

Habitat requirements

Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres is currently known from a range of approximately 30 km, to the north east of Dongara. It is found on white, pale yellow or grey sand with lateritic gravel, in heath, open scrub, low open heath and low open woodland, in upland areas with Allocasuarina species, Banksia scabrella, Dryandra fraseri, Hibbertia hypericoides, Ecdeiocolea monostachya and Hakea species.

Critical habitat and important populations

Populations 1, 2, 4 and 5 occur on Shire road reserves, but are in reasonably good condition. Populations 3, 6, 7 and 8 occur in a Nature Reserve, are not in decline and are subject to few threats. These populations are considered to be important. The critical habitat for Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres comprises the area of occupancy of important populations; similar habitat within 200 metres of important populations; corridors of remnant vegetation that link important populations and additional occurrences of similar habitat near important populations that do not currently contain the species but may have done so in the past and may be suitable for translocations.

Benefits to other species or ecological communities

Conostylis micrantha (Vulnerable under Wildlife Conservation Act 1950; Endangered under EPBC Act) occurs in association with Populations 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of C. dielsii subsp. teres. Leucopogon marginatus (Endangered under Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and under EPBC Act) occurs in association with Populations 3, 6, 7 and 8 of C. dielsii subsp. teres. Grevillea hirtella (Priority 3) occurs in association with Populations 3, 4 and 7 of C. dielsii subsp. teres. Grevillea erinacea (Priority 3) occurs in association with Population 7 of C. dielsii subsp teres. Banksia scabrella (Priority 4) occurs in association with Populations 3 and 4 of C dielsii subsp teres. Recovery actions such as weed and rabbit control and fire management strategies will help to protect these Rare and Priority Flora as well as C. dielsii subsp. teres, and the ecological community in which the populations are located.

International obligations

This plan is fully consistent with the aims and recommendations of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified by Australia in June 1993, and will assist in implementing Australia’s responsibilities under that Convention. However, as Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres is not specifically listed under any international agreement, the implementation of other international environmental responsibilities is not affected by this plan.

Role and interests of indigenous people

The Aboriginal Sites Register maintained by the Department of Indigenous Affairs does not list any significant sites in the vicinity of these populations. Implementation of recovery under this plan will include consideration of the role and interests of indigenous communities in the region, and this is discussed in the recovery actions.

Social and economic impact

Populations of C. dielsii subsp. teres occur on Shire road reserves and a Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve is under the joint care, control and management of the Conservation Commission and the Tree Society. The implementation of this interim recovery plan therefore has limited potential for social or economic impact, where populations occur on lands that are not specifically managed for conservation. Laying of poison oats for rabbit control will occur after liaison with managers of nearby properties. Recovery actions refer to continued liaison between stakeholders with regard to populations on shire road reserves.

Evaluation of the plan’s performance

The Department of Conservation and Land Management will evaluate the performance of this IRP in conjunction with the Geraldton District Threatened Flora Recovery Team. In addition to annual reporting on progress with listed actions and comparison against the criteria for success and failure, the plan is to be reviewed within five years of its implementation.

Existing Recovery Actions

IRP objective

The objective of this Interim Recovery Plan is to maintain or enhance viable in situ populations to ensure the long-term preservation of the subspecies in the wild.

Recovery criteria

Criteria for success

The number of individuals within populations and/or the number of populations have increased by ten percent or more over the five year period of the plan.

Criteria for failure

The number of individuals within populations and/or the number of populations have decreased by ten percent or more over the five year period of the plan.

Recovery actions

  1. Coordinate recovery actions
  2. Monitor populations
  3. Conduct further surveys
  4. Liaise with relevant land managers
  5. Map critical habitat
  6. Implement weed control when necessary
  7. Implement rabbit control as necessary
  8. Obtain biological and ecological information
  9. Obtain information of fire response
  10. Develop and implement a fire management strategy
  11. Collect seed
  12. Promote awareness
  13. Review the need for further recovery actions
Cover of interim national recovery plan for Irwin's Conostylis (Conostylis dielsii subsp. teres)

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