Ecological Communities nominations no longer eligible for automatic consideration
The following public nominations for threatened ecological communities were considered by the Minister and have not been included on a Finalised Priority Assessment List. This is because at the time of nomination and consideration other ecological communities were considered to be a higher priority for listing assessment.
The list does not include:
- Items later prioritised for assessment after an original nomination was revised and resubmitted; and
- Items incorporated into other listing assessments because analysis revealed they could reasonably be considered part of another ecological community or communities.
| Ecological Community name | Years considered | Reasons the nomination was not considered |
|---|---|---|
| Aquatic ecological community in the catchment of the Snowy River (EC072) | 2012 & 2013 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations as uncertainties remain about definition, national extent and data to support decline across the entire ecological community |
| Aquatic Root Mat Community (Lake Cave) of the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge (EC058) | 2010 & 2011 | The Committee found that the nomination was of a good standard but recommended that there were other nominations that would achieve a higher conservation benefit from an assessment for potential national listing. |
| Bangalay Sand Forest of the Sydney Basin & South East Corner Bioregions (EC013) | 2007, 2008, 2014 & 2015 | Bangalay Sand Forest of the Sydney Basin, South East Corner and East Gippsland Bioregions is a near coastal sand forest and is characterised by Eucalyptus botryoides (Bangalay) in the canopy. Under its current definition, and according to the available information at the time of consideration, the Bangalay Sand Forest ecological community is unlikely to meet national listing thresholds that would confer full protection under the EPBC Act. The ecological community has not been prioritised for assessment at this time because the conservation benefits will be less than for those nominations prioritised. |
| Bauxite Land System with linked Coolibah Springs on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve Nature Refuge, Cape York Peninsula (EC159) | 2013 & 2014 decision | Available information on the national extent of the more broadly defined bauxite land system and on the severity and impact of threats is insufficient to enable an assessment to be completed. |
| Calcarenite Dune Woodland of South East Australia (EC015) | 2007 & 2008 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations. |
| Camerons Cave Troglobitic Community (EC037) | 2008 & 2009 | The Committee considered that there was not likely to be a clear conservation benefit in assessing the ecological community for listing, as a number of component species are already listed as threatened under EPBC and/or State legislation and the stochastic nature of the threats outlined in the nomination decreased the likelihood that the ecological community would meet the criteria for listing under the EPBC Act. The Committee gave priority to other nominations. |
| Cape Range Remipede Community (EC036) | 2008 & 2009 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations. N.B. The ecological community was included in the National Heritage assessment of the Ningaloo Coast which was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2011. |
| Darwin sandsheet heath (EC155) | 2016, 2017 & 2018 | The nominated ecological community is predominantly a heathland that occupies the seasonally inundated sand sheets of the Darwin Coastal bioregion. Additional information on the national extent and threats is required to enable an assessment to be completed. The Committee will reconsider this nomination when adequate information becomes available. |
| Dry Rainforest of the South East Forests of New South Wales (EC026) | 2007 & 2008 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations. |
| Eucalyptus melanophloia Grassy Woodland (EC022) | 2007 & 2008 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations. |
| Freshwater Floodplains of the Timor Sea drainage division (EC157) | 2014 & 2015 | The Freshwater Floodplains of the Timor Sea Drainage Division ecological community is the freshwater and brackish water floodplains within the Timor Sea Drainage Division. Current information on the severity and impact of threats across the broad extent of the nominated ecological community is insufficient for an assessment to be completed at this time. This nomination has been considered twice by the Committee and will not automatically be considered again under the EPBC Act. |
| Gnarled Mossy Cloud Forest of Lord Howe Island (EC053) | 2009 & 2010 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations as the ecological community receives EPBC Act protection as a number of nationally listed species are restricted to the ecological community. It is also receives protection being part of the Lord Howe Island Permanent Park Preserve. |
| Groundwater dependent ecosystems of the Maules Creek alluvial aquifer (EC069) | 2011 & 2012 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations and notes that the potential impact of future threats to the ecological community cannot be quantified. Uncertainty remains about the national extent of the stygofauna component of the ecological community, as it may be a component of a broader national ecological community. Continued uncertainty remain about the real versus modelled magnitude of the likely threats to the ecological community as identified in the nomination precludes assessment at this time. |
| King Island Scrub Complex | 2021 | In 2021, the then Minister for the Environment, decided to give priority to assessment of ecological communities which were affected by the 2019-20 bushfires. Consequently, the Minister has decided to omit the King Island Scrub Complex from the 2021 priorities under the EPBC Act. This ecological community is automatically eligible for reconsideration by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee in the 2022 Proposed Priority Assessment List process. |
| Kwongkan shrubland thickets of the Avon Wheatbelt | 2018 & 2019 | The nominated ecological community occurs in the Avon Wheatbelt in south west Western Australia. It consists of a shrubland with two layers; an upper dense layer and a lower open layer, dominated by Acacia, Allocasuarina and/or Melaleuca species. It faces ongoing impacts from multiple threats including past clearing and resulting fragmentation, altered fire, the loss of digging mammals, weed incursion and climate change. The available information suggests a likely conservation status of at least ‘Vulnerable’, probably ‘Endangered’, but additional clarification of the description and threat impacts would be needed during an assessment. Listing the ecological community at the national level is likely to provide substantial conservation benefit, however additional clarification is required and it recommended that this be brought forward as a Committee nomination in 2020. |
| Lord Howe Island Lagunaria Patersona Swamp Forest (EC052) | 2009 & 2010 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations as the ecological community is listed as endangered under state legislation and the threats are of a form that should be mitigated consistent with the Lord Howe Island Biodiversity Management Plan. |
| Lower Murray River and associated wetlands, floodplains and groundwater systems from the junction of the Darling River to the sea | 2019, 2020 | The nominated ecological community is a complex aquatic ecosystem, with associated terrestrial components, at the lower end of the Murray-Darling Basin. It faces significant ongoing impacts from multiple threats, particularly from altered flow regimes, decreased water quality, invasive species and climate change. Available information suggests a likely conservation status of critically endangered. Other river reaches in the Murray-Darling Basin are exposed to similarly severe pressures. Listing the ecological community at the national level would afford comprehensive recognition of threats to the community, support local and landscape scale recovery efforts and should complement Murray-Darling Basin planning management and initiative, but given the need to prioritise substantially fire-affected items in 2020, and the benefit of considering the context of other river reaches within the Murray-Darling Basin, the ecological community is not considered a priority for assessment. The nomination is not automatically eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2021 Proposed Priority Assessment List. |
| Maroota Sands Swamp Forest (EC057) | 2011 & 2012 | The Committee concluded that the conservation benefit in assessing this ecological community for listing under the EPBC Act is limited compared to other nominations because there is a degree of protection through state listing and the threats are not immediate. |
| Mission Road Viney Hardwood Forest of Norfolk Island (EC029) | 2007 & 2008 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations. |
| Murragamba sands woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion | 2019, 2020 | The nominated ecological community is a woodland or tall shrubland found on Tertiary floodplains and terraces within the catchment of the Goulburn River, in the far north-west of the Sydney Basin Bioregion. The nominated community is known to be restricted to an area of less than 1290 ha and faces considerable threats from wholesale clearing and excavation for open cut mining. However, listing at the national level is unlikely to provide substantial conservation benefit, as the Department considers that there are unlikely to be upcoming EPBC assessments that will significantly impact on this community. Given the relative priority of other nominations and the need to prioritise substantially fire-affected listings in 2020, the ecological community is not considered a priority for assessment. The nomination is not automatically eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2021 Proposed Priority Assessment List. |
| Port Phillip Deep Canyon Marine community (EC041) | 2008 & 2009 | The Committee found that the national extent of this ecological community is not clear, especially in regard to other sponge garden systems. The Committee also found that the main threats to the community occurred in the past and the nature of the ecological community is such that some recovery is likely in the medium term, even without human intervention. |
| Raine Island (EC158) | 2014 & 2015 | The nominated ecological community is Raine Island, a vegetated coral cay on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef off Cape York Peninsula. The nominated ecological community is not a priority for assessment because it is already conserved and managed under national and state legislation, thus conservation benefits will be less than for the nominations prioritised. Also, uncertainty about the vegetation component of the ecological community and insufficient information about how it meets the nominated listing criteria mean that an assessment cannot be completed at this time. This nomination has been considered twice by the Committee and will not automatically be considered again under the EPBC Act. |
| Ribbon Gum – Mountain Gum – Snow Gum - Black Sallee Woodlands on Basalt (EC010) | 2007 & 2008 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations. N.B. Originally nominated as: Ribbon Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) - Mountain Gum (Eucalyptus dalrympleana subsp. heptantha) - Snow Gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora) Open Forest - Tall Open Forest with a Grassy Understorey on Basalt on the NSW Northern Tablelands. |
| Sedge-rich Eucalyptus camphora swamp forest and woodland | 2007, 2008, 2019, 2020 | The nominated ecological community is a swampy open forest or woodland that occurs on valley floors subject to seasonal inundation along several creeks east of Melbourne. It faces ongoing impacts from threats including past clearing for agriculture; dieback associated with overabundant Bell Miner (Manorina melanophry) birds; habitat loss through altered hydrology; weeds and feral animals and damage from Phytophthora cinnamomi. The available information suggests a likely conservation status of Endangered, but the community already has some protection from its overlap with the habitat of the nationally-listed Helmeted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix)as well as protection on public lands from its listing under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee (FFG) Act (1988) and a reasonable proportion that occurs within reserves. Given the relative priority of other nominations, and the need to prioritise substantially fire-affected items in 2020, the ecological community is not considered a priority for assessment. The nomination is not automatically eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2021 Proposed Priority Assessment List. |
| Subtropical woodland bird community | 2019, 2020 | The nominated ecological community consists of an assemblage of bird species characteristic of subtropical woodlands from northern NSW to north-eastern Queensland. There are serious concerns about the decline of this bird assemblage. The available information suggests a likely conservation status of Endangered, but additional clarification of the description and threat impacts would be needed to make an assessment. Listing the ecological community at the national level would provide substantial conservation benefit. However, the approach of defining an ecological community by a bird assemblage is relatively new at this level. The Committee is currently undertaking an assessment of the Mallee bird community of the Murray Darling Depression bioregion. Given this, and the need to prioritise substantially fire-affected listings in 2020, it would be appropriate to delay assessment of this ecological community. The nomination is not automatically eligible for reconsideration, but it is recommended that this be brought forward as a Committee nomination in 2021. |
| Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest (EC056) | 2010 & 2011 | The Committee concluded that the conservation benefit in assessing this ecological community for listing under the EPBC Act is limited compared to other nominated communities because a degree of protection currently exists through state listing. |
| Temperate and Sub-tropical Woodland Bird Community | 2017 & 2018 | The nominated ecological community consists of an assemblage of bird species characteristic of temperate and subtropical woodlands across Australia. There are serious concerns about the decline of this bird assemblage. Further investigation is required into the appropriate scale for defining and assessing the community, based on the impact of threats and the level and rate of decline in different regions. The Committee will consider the nominated ecological community or one or more of the proposed regional units in 2019, in the light of progress on its assessment of the ‘Mallee bird community of the Murray Darling Depression bioregion’ as an exemplar. |
| Tropical Freshwater Floodplains of Northern Australia (EC162) | 2013 & 2014 | Current information on its national extent, location within the landscape and the severity and impact of threats, is insufficient for an assessment to be completed. |
| Warm Temperate Rainforests of the South East Corner Bioregion | 2021,2022 |
This ecological community is a collection of warm temperate rainforests that occur along streams and in sheltered gullies within the south-east corner bioregion. These closed forests are generally up to 20 metres tall and are found primarily in small stands at elevations below 800 metres and dominated by a small number of evergreen non-eucalypt species - most commonly the rainforest species Acmena smithii (lilly pilly), with an understorey of small trees or shrubs, occasional scramblers and vines and an open to relatively dense fern groundcover. They were impacted by the 2019-2020 bushfires. A Species Expert Assessment Panel is assessing all the rainforests and wet forests of south-east Australia, which will include the warm temperate rainforests. On this basis, the TSSC does not recommend including the ecological community on the 2022 FPAL. The ecological community is not automatically eligible for reconsideration for inclusion on the 2023 PPAL. |
| Western Australia Banded Ironstone Vegetation Complex (EC156) | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 | The nominated ecological community comprises xeric shrublands associated with banded ironstone formations within the Yalgoo, Coolgardie and Avon Wheatbelt IBRA bioregions in the south west of Western Australia. Available information on the extent of the ecological community, impact of threats and level of decline is insufficient for an assessment to be completed at this time. |
| Wetland and inner floodplain of the Macquarie Marshes | 2019, 2020 | The nominated ecological community is a wetland complex within the Murray-Darling Basin. It faces significant ongoing impacts from multiple threats, particularly from altered flow regimes, decreased water quality, deforestation and disturbance, invasive species and climate change. Available information suggests a likely conservation status of critically endangered. Listing the ecological community at the national level would afford comprehensive recognition of threats to the community, support local and landscape scale recovery efforts and should complement Murray-Darling Basin planning management and initiatives, but given the need to prioritise substantially fire-affected items in 2020, the ecological community is not considered a priority for assessment. The nomination is not automatically eligible for consideration for inclusion on the 2021 Proposed Priority Assessment List. |
| Yeodene and Porcupine Creek Aquifer Intake Areas, Northern Otway Ranges Victoria (including five stream systems with extensive wetland, springs and native vegetation (EC055) | 2009 & 2010 | The Committee gave priority to other nominations as information about this ecological community was considered insufficient to enable an assessment due to a lack of clarity about identifying the ecological community and its national extent. |
Ecological Communities nominations not prioritised for assessment
| Ecological Community name | Years considered | Reasons the nomination was not considered |
|---|---|---|
| The assemblage of species dependent on the extended presence of a salt-wedge cycle in estuaries of south-western Australia | 2022 | This ecological community is characterised by a core component of obligate estuarine taxa; with associated coastal, estuarine, brackish and freshwater taxa, that occupy high stratified “salt-wedge” estuaries along the coastline of southern Western Australia. Available information suggests a possible conservation status of ‘Endangered’. These estuaries were considered during an assessment for the EPBC Act listed Assemblages of species associated with open-coast salt-wedge estuaries of western and central Victoria ecological community. The assessment found that insufficient data are available and further research is required. On this basis, the TSSC does not recommend including the ecological community on the 2022 FPAL. |