Threatened species & ecological communities

National recovery plan for the Keighery’s Macarthuria (Macarthuria keigheryi)

Department of Environment and Conservation, Kensington

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Summary

Illustrations and/or further information:

Atkins, K. (2008) Declared Rare and Priority Flora List for Western Australia, Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia; Brown, A., Thomson-Dans, C. and Merchant, N. (Eds) (1998) Western Australia's Threatened Flora,. Department of Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia; Threatened Ecological Community database (2007) Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia; Declared Endangered Flora Database (2007) Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia; Close, D. & Dixon, K. (2005) Research Plan for Conservation of Nationally Threatened Conospermum undulatum and Macarthuria keigheryi on Westralia Airports Corporation Bushland, Kings Park and Botanic Gardens, Western Australia; Bush Forever Volume 2 Directory of Bush Forever Sites (2000)Department of Environmental Protection, Perth Western Australia; Evans, R., Willers, N., and Mitchell, D. (2003) Threatened flora of Swan Region. Unpublished report to the Department of Conservation and Land Management and Environment Australia; Keighery, B. (2001) Conservation Category Wetlands in Bush Forever Site 283 East of McDowell Street, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia; Lepschi B. J. (1996) A Taxonomic revision of Macarthuria. Nuytsia 11(1). 12-13; IUCN (2001) IUCN Red List Categories prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission, as approved by the 51st meeting of the IUCN Council. Gland, Switzerland; Western Australian Herbarium (2007) FloraBase -Information on the Western Australian Flora. Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia. http://www.calm.wa.gov.au/science/.

Current status:

Macarthuria keigheryi was declared as Rare Flora under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 in 1997 and is currently ranked as Endangered (EN) under World Conservation Union (IUCN 2001) Red List criterion B2ab(iii) as the area of occupancy is less than 500 km2, populations are severely fragmented and there is a continuing decline in the quality of habitat. The species is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Threats include: urban development and clearing, mining, fragmentation of populations, weeds, grazing by rabbits, road maintenance and construction, inappropriate fire regimes, firebreak maintenance, and other impacts of development.

Description:

Macarthuria keigheryi is a small erect shrub up to 40 cm tall with hairy, bright yellow to green stems. The leaves are present mainly at the base of the stems and on young growth. They are narrowly obovate to elliptic in shape, 2.7 - 11.5 mm long and 0.7 - 3.5 mm broad. The flowers have five sepals that are hairy on the outside. The outer sepals are green, the inner are partly white and membranous. The five petals are narrow, falling early. There are eight stamens joined at the base. The style is small, divided into three. The seeds are normally round, black and shiny. Macarthuria keigheryi is distinguished from other members of the genus by a dense covering of golden hairs on the stems and leaves. Additional details are available in the taxonomic description provided in Section 6.

Habitat requirements:

Macarthuria keigheryi is currently known from six populations over a range of approximately 160 km. However, plants have not been recorded in two of these populations during recent surveys. One isolated population (recorded in 1991 and last surveyed in 1996) occurs in the Cooljarloo area (Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) Midwest Region, Moora District) west of Dandaragan. The other five are all within a 5 km radius of Welshpool and Kewdale in the Perth metropolitan area. The species is found in low-lying winter-wet damp, grey/white sands and grows in open patches with low tree canopy cover among heathland, jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and Allocasuarina/Banksia woodland at Welshpool and Kewdale; and Banksia/Eucalyptus woodland at the Dandaragan population. Associated species include Kingia australis, Banksia attenuata, B. menziesii, Eremaea pauciflora, Nuytsia floribunda, Melaleuca seriata, Patersonia occidentalis and Alexgeorgea nitens in the Welshpool/Kewdale area and Banksia menziesii, B. attenuata, Eucalyptus todtiana and Nuytsia floribunda in the Cooljarloo area (Brown et al 1998; Keighery 2001; Atkins 2006).

Habitat critical to the survival of the species, and important populations:

Habitat critical to the survival of the species includes the area of occupancy of all known populations, areas of similar habitat surrounding known populations (lw-lying winter wet damp sands with Banksia and Kingia australis heathland or Banksia woodland) that provide potential habitat for natural range extension), remnant vegetation that surrounds and links populations (necessary to allow pollinators to move between populations), the local catchment area and ground water systems that maintain the damp-land habitat of the species, and additional occurrences of similar habitat that may contain the species or be suitable for future translocations.

Given that this species is listed as Endangered and is known from just six populations, it is considered that all known habitat for wild and any future translocated populations is habitat critical to its survival, and that all wild and any future translocated populations are important populations.

Benefits to other species or ecological communities:

Recovery actions implemented to improve the quality or security of habitat of Macarthuria keigheryi will also protect the threatened flora species Conospermum undulatum (Vulnerable), the Priority species Haloragis tenuifolia (P3) and three Threatened Ecological Communities (TEC’s) - (Banksia attenuata woodland over species-rich dense shrublands Swan Coastal Plain (SCP) community type 20a (Endangered), Corymbia calophylla and Kingia australis woodlands on heavy soils SCP community type 3a (Critically Endangered) and Corymbia calophylla and Eucalyptus marginata woodlands on sandy clay soils SCP community type 3b (Vulnerable).

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. Macarthuria keigheryi is not specifically listed under any international treaty, and therefore this plan does not affect Australia’s obligations under any other international agreements.

Role and interests of indigenous people:

Involvement of the Indigenous community is being sought through the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC) and the Department of Indigenous Affairs to assist in the identification of cultural values for land occupied by Macarthuria keigheryi, or groups with a cultural connection to land that is important for the species’ conservation and to determine whether there are any issues or interests identified in the plan. A search of the Department of Indigenous Affairs Aboriginal Heritage Sites Register has identified that there are 34 artifact sites in the vicinity of populations of the species covered by this IRP. Where no role is identified for the indigenous community associated with this species in the development of the recovery plan, opportunities may exist through cultural interpretation and awareness of the species. Indigenous involvement in the implementation of recovery actions will be encouraged.

Continued liaison between DEC and the indigenous community will identify areas in which collaboration will assist implementation of recovery actions.

Social and economic impact:

One population of Macarthuria keigheryi occurs on Commonwealth airport land and negotiations will continue with the current land managers in regards to the future management of this population. The Midwest population occurs within an area subject to a mining exploration lease. In this regard, the implementation of this IRP has the potential to have some social and economic impact. Recovery actions include continued liaison between stakeholders with regard to these areas.

Affected interests:

Stakeholders potentially affected by the implementation of this plan include Westralia Airports Corporation, Tiwest, Empire Oil and Gas, WA Planning Commission, Shires of Swan, Kalamunda and Dandaragan, Cities of Belmont and Canning, Conservation Commission and DEC.

Evaluation of the plan’s performance: DEC will evaluate the performance of this IRP in conjunction with the Moora District and Swan Region Threatened Flora and Communities Recovery Teams. 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.

Completed Recovery Actions:

The following recovery actions have been completed:

  1. Relevant land managers have been notified of the presence and threatened status of Macarthuria keigheryi.
  2. A survey conducted by staff from the former Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) located a sixth population in a ‘Bush Forever’ site.
  3. Numerous surveys have been conducted in areas of suitable habitat in the Dandaragan and Welshpool areas by staff from DEC.
  4. A detailed research project on the biology of Macarthuria keigheryi and Conospermum undulatum was conducted by the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA) in 2005.
  5. 164 plants are currently being maintained in cultivation at BGPA.

Ongoing and future recovery actions

  1. Staff from DEC’s Moora and Swan Coastal Districts regularly monitor all populations of this species.
  2. The Moora District Threatened Flora and Swan Region Threatened Flora and Communities Recovery Teams are overseeing the implementation of this IRP and will include information on progress in an annual report to DEC's Corporate Executive and funding bodies.

IRP objective:

The objective of this IRP is to abate identified threats and maintain or enhance viable in situ populations to ensure the long-term preservation of the species in the wild.

Recovery criteria

Criteria for success:

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

Criteria for failure:

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

Recovery actions

  1. Coordinate recovery actions
  2. Liaise with relevant land managers
  3. Increase rabbit control
  4. Monitor populations
  5. Install fencing if required
  6. Develop and implement a fire management strategy
  7. Implement weed control
  8. Conduct further surveys
  9. Improve security of tenure
  10. Map habitat critical to survival
  11. Start the translocation process if necessary
  12. Review this plan and assess the need for further recovery actions
Cover page of recovery plan

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