Ecosystem benchmarking project

Ecosystem benchmarking project Final report for Brisbane City Council Queensland Herbarium February, 2016

Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation

Prepared by Annie Kelly Queensland Herbarium Science Delivery Division Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation PO Box 5078 Brisbane QLD 4001 © The State of Queensland (Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation) 2016 May be cited as: Kelly, Annie (2016), Ecosystem Benchmarking Project, Queensland Herbarium, DSITI. February 2016. The Queensland Government supports and encourages the dissemination and exchange of its information. The copyright in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY) licence

Under this licence you are free, without having to seek permission from DSITI, to use this publication in accordance with the licence terms. You must keep intact the copyright notice and attribute the State of Queensland, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation as the source of the publication. For more information on this licence visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en

Disclaimer This document has been prepared with all due diligence and care, based on the best available information at the time of publication. The department holds no responsibility for any errors or omissions within this document. Any decisions made by other parties based on this document are solely the responsibility of those parties. Information contained in this document is from a number of sources and, as such, does not necessarily represent government or departmental policy. If you need to access this document in a language other than English, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask them to telephone Library Services on +61 7 3170 5725

Acknowledgements This report has been prepared by the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation. Acknowledgement is made of Brisbane City Council staff for assistance with access, and DSITI staff including; Tim Ryan for advice on locating sites, and Dr Jian Wang, Jesse Rowland and Dan Ferguson from the Queensland Herbarium and Geoff Borschmann from Wetland Science, for assistance with field work.

Cover photo Regional Ecosystem 12.9-10.17c in Toohey Forest Park – Eucalyptus tindaliae, E. helidonica, E. microcorys and E. siderophloia open forest.

February, 2016

Brisbane City Council Ecosystem Benchmarking Project

Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................... 1 Method........................................................................................................................................... 3 Results........................................................................................................................................... 5 References .................................................................................................................................... 7 Appendix A – Benchmark Documents ........................................................................................ 8 Appendix B – Site locations ....................................................................................................... 13 Appendix C – Reference site profile sheets.............................................................................. 14

List of tables Table 1: Vegetation communities benchmarked in the study.......................................................... 2 Table 2: Summarised data components for the ecosystem benchmarking project .......................... 4 Table 3: Sites surveyed for the project ............................................................................................ 6 Table 4: Additional site data sourced for the project........................................................................ 6

List of figures Figure 1: Plot layout for data collection ........................................................................................... 3

i


Introduction Key to the management and conservation of native vegetation is knowledge of its condition. In order to improve conservation outcomes for the reserves and management area administered by Brisbane City Council (BCC), a study was undertaken to assess structural and compositional features, related to condition, for four key vegetation communities managed by council. The study was undertaken by the Queensland Herbarium, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, using the BioCondition framework which was developed in Queensland, to measure how well a terrestrial ecosystem is functioning for the maintenance of biodiversity values (Eyre et al 2015). BioCondition is a site-based, rapid field assessment procedure that provides a numerical condition score. The framework involves the assessment of 14 site-based and 3 landscape-based attributes, and is standardised to be quantitative and repeatable allowing a comparison of condition between and within regional ecosystems (RE’s). RE’s are the principal classification for vegetation in Queensland, and were originally defined by Sattler and Williams (1999) as vegetation communities in a bioregion that are consistently associated with a particular combination of geology, landform and soil. Key to the use of BioCondition is the comparison of an area with a benchmark representing ‘functional’ condition that is derived from best-on-offer (BOO) local examples of the vegetation type. Benchmarks provide a ‘reference’ point for comparison, and are based on the average or median values from mature and long undisturbed sites, or from BOO reference sites. The benchmarks need to be generated from standardised floristic and habitat data collected from reference sites, and/or elicited from experts with knowledge of the REs of interest to the project. The ecosystem benchmarking project was undertaken as a joint initiative of BCC and the Queensland Herbarium, with the aim to collect information on vegetation condition specific to four RE’s (Table 1) in the BCC management areas. The study will provide BCC with Benchmarks descriptions for four vegetation communities within RE12.9-10.17: 12.9-10.17a, 12.9-10.17b, 12.910.17c and 12.9-10.17d (See Table 1 for descriptions of the vegetation communities). The ecosystem benchmarking project coincides with a larger project undertaken by the Queensland Herbarium to provide updated vegetation mapping for Brisbane City.

1


Table 1: Vegetation communities benchmarked in the study

Regional Ecosystem

2

Description

Biodiversity status

12.9-10.17a

Lophostemon confertus or L. suaveolens dominated open forest usually with emergent Eucalyptus and/or Corymbia species. Occurs in gullies and southern slopes on Cainozoic and Mesozoic sediments. (BVG1M: 28e)

No concern at present

12.9-10.17b

Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata mixed open forest to woodland. Other commonly occurring canopy trees include Eucalyptus acmenoides, Angophora leiocarpa, E. siderophloia, E. carnea, E. longirostrata and C. intermedia. Other species that may be present locally include Eucalyptus tereticornis, E. crebra, E. fibrosa subsp. fibrosa and E. exserta. Lophostemon confertus (tree form and whipstick form) often present in gullies and as a sub-canopy or understorey tree. Mixed understorey of grasses and shrubs. Hills and ranges on Cainozoic and Mesozoic sediments. (BVG1M: 10b)


12.9-10.17c

Open forest of Eucalyptus carnea and/or Eucalyptus tindaliae +/- Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata, Eucalyptus crebra, Eucalyptus major, Corymbia henryi, Angophora woodsiana, C. trachyphloia, E. siderophloia, E. microcorys, E. resinifera and E. propinqua. Lophostemon confertus often present in gullies and as a sub-canopy or understorey tree. Occurs on Cainozoic and Mesozoic sediments. (BVG1M: 9g)


12.9-10.17d

Open forest generally containing Eucalyptus siderophloia, E. propinqua, Corymbia intermedia. Other characteristic species include Lophostemon confertus, Eucalyptus microcorys and E. acmenoides or E. portuensis. Other species that may be present locally include Corymbia trachyphloia subsp. trachyphloia, C. citriodora subsp. variegata, E. longirostrata, E. carnea, E. moluccana and occasional vine forest species. Hills and ranges on Cainozoic and Mesozoic sediments. (BVG1M: 9a)



Method For the BCC management area, existing quantitative data on reference condition states for RE’s is limited. The study required expert knowledge to identify and sample the RE’s of interest, as a result of issues with the size and fragmented nature of some RE’s and the scale and potential for errors in the mapping available. The culmination of these issues made it essential that these areas were verified in the field, as in some cases within the study, mapping issues resulted in the field team having to locate examples of the RE elsewhere. Minor mapping issues identified as part of the study have been communicated to the Herbarium’s mapping team, to improve future mapping releases. The method used for the generation of vegetation condition benchmarks is detailed in Eyre et al 2011, which can be found at: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plantsanimals/biodiversity/biocondition/#reference_site_manual. Data is collected on condition, structural and habitat features of the stand in a series of subplots based on a 100 x 50m plot area (Figure 1), and is used for the generation of benchmarks (Table 2). A plant species list was compiled at each site in order to provide managers with knowledge of the plants that occurred at the sites assessed on their properties. In addition, this information in combination with information already held by the Queensland Herbarium was used to compile a list of dominant species that typically occur in each vegetation community to be provided in the benchmark documents.

Figure 1: Plot layout for data collection

3


Table 2: Summarised data components for the ecosystem benchmarking project

BioCondition Attributes Tree species richness Shrub species richness Grass species richness Forb and other species richness Tree canopy cover Tree subcanopy cover Canopy height Subcanopy height Shrub canopy cover Native perennial grass cover Litter ground cover Large tree size - Eucalypts Large tree size - Non eucalypts Total number of large eucalypt trees per hectare Total number of large non - eucalypt trees per hectare Woody debris length per hectare

Field trips were conducted between November, 2015 and February, 2016 and included at least an ecologist and botanist on each of the trips. Scheduling of trips was based on weather conditions, staff availability and access to reserves. Queensland Herbarium staff involved in the project were Dr Jian Wang (Senior Botanist), Annie Kelly (Senior Ecologist), Jesse Rowland (Ecologist) and Daniel Ferguson (Senior Ecologist). Tim Ryan (Principal Botanist) provided advice on potential site locations based on his observations from the coinciding vegetation mapping project.

4


Results Field survey planning The spatial extent of the vegetation communities of interest were extracted and mapped using Version 9.0 of the RE mapping (2015). Regional Ecosystem mapping uses the concept of mosaics, where because of scale restraints; a single vegetation polygon is classed as a mix of several different vegetation types (and thus RE’s). Polygons containing a mixture of RE’s are known as heterogeneous polygons. In order to increase the chances of finding larger patches of the RE of interest it was useful to make a selection of those polygons that are dominated (>50%) by the RE of interest.

In addition to mapping the spatial extent of the vegetation communities of interest, Tim Ryan, who undertook the associated vegetation mapping project was consulted on the location of local and appropriate reference sites based on the results of the updated mapping. This information was used in conjunction with relevant spatial mapping and air photos for planning field trips for the collection of data from reference sites. Site selection however was ultimately determined in the field due to the possibility of errors with the mapping, access issues and recent disturbance events which might have reduced the condition of the vegetation.

Surveyed sites A total of nine sites were surveyed for the project. Table 3 shows the number of sites surveyed for the targeted RE’s, while Appendix B shows the site locations and date the site was sampled. For the vegetation community 12.9-10.17a, there was a scarcity of suitable undisturbed and mature reference sites, so a substitute equivalent vegetation community 12.11.3a was sampled. These two vegetation communities, are equivalent in floristic diversity and structure according to Tim Ryan, the Bioregional Coordinator for south east Queensland mapping.

5


Table 3: Sites surveyed for the project

Vegetation Community

Number of Reference Sites surveyed

12.9-10.17a

2 (located in 12.11.3a)

12.9-10.17b

2

12.9-10.17c

3

12.9-10.17d

2

Benchmark generation Data was summarised for each of the reference sites and where available additional existing Queensland Herbarium data (CORVEG (Neldner et al. 2012), and data from other studies was sourced in order to increase the sample size used to derive the benchmark values. CORVEG data is the principle method used by the Herbarium to collect data on RE’s, and includes data on many of the attributes assessed in BioCondition such as species richness, canopy cover and height and ground cover. Table 4 shows the number of additional sites available from the CORVEG database that was used to supplement reference site data from the project. Benchmarks were generated using median or average values from the compiled site data where all data was sourced from mature and relatively undisturbed or BOO reference sites. Appendix A provides the benchmark documents generated by the project.

Table 4: Additional site data sourced for the project

6

Vegetation Community

Number of CORVEG sites available

12.9-10.17a

0

12.9-10.17b

9

12.9-10.17c

3

12.9-10.17d

7


References Eyre, T.J., Kelly, A.L., and Neldner, V.J. (2011). Method for the establishment and survey of reference sites for BioCondition. Version 2.0. Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM), Biodiversity and Ecological Sciences Unit, Brisbane. https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/assets/documents/plantsanimals/biodiversity/reference-sites-biocondition.pdf Eyre, T. J, Kelly, A. L, Neldner, V. J, Wilson, B. A, Ferguson, D. J, Laidlaw, M. J, and Franks, A.J (2015). ‘BioCondition: A Condition Assessment Framework for Terrestrial Biodiversity in Queensland.’ Assessment Manual. Version 2.2. Department of Science, Information Technology, and Innovation. Queensland Government, Brisbane. https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/assets/documents/plantsanimals/biodiversity/biocondition-assessment-manual.pdf Neldner, V.J., Wilson, B.A., Thompson, E.J. and Dillewaard, H.A. (2012) Methodology for Survey and Mapping of Regional Ecosystems and Vegetation Communities in Queensland. Version 3.2. Updated August 2012. Queensland Herbarium, Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Brisbane. 124 pp.

7


Appendix A – Benchmark Documents

8


9


10


11


12


Appendix B – Site locations Site

Vegetation Community zone easting northing Date sampled

Location

BCC0001

12.9-10.17c

56

504508

6953772

26/11/2015

Northern section, Toohey Forest, Tarragindi

BCC0002

12.9-10.17c

56

505100

6951897

26/11/2015

Griffith university, Nathan campus

BCC0003

12.9-10.17d

56

507849

6942816

27/11/2015

Karawatha Forest, Karawatha

BCC0004

12.9-10.17c

56

508445

6943232

27/11/2015

Karawatha Forest, Karawatha

BCC0005

12.11.3a

56

494686

6960710

22/12/2015

Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, north-west of lookout, Mt Coot-tha Forest, Mt Coot-tha

BCC0006

12.9-10.17b

56

499551

6942895

21/01/2016

Sergeant Dan Stiller Memorial Reserve, Steelwood St, Algester

BCC0007

12.9-10.17b

56

486228

6952797

04/02/2016

South eastern section of Anstead Bushland reserve

BCC0008

12.11.3a

56

489448

6963417

04/02/2016

D’aguilar National park, off Southern boundary track

BCC0009

12.9-10.17d

56

495393

7037318

10/02/2016

Dularcha National Park, north of Landsborough, off centre track.

13


Appendix C – Reference site profile sheets

14


15


16


17


18


19


20


21


22


23


24


25


26


27


28


29


30


31


32