Appendix 4

Greater Bunbury Region

Ecological Linkages Plan

ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES(Regionally significant sequences of ecological communities

within and between the major landform elements)

IN THE

GREATER BUNBURY REGION

A preliminary investigation of ecological linkages to supportthe EPA's identification of regionally significant natural areas

in the Greater Bunbury Region portion of the Swan Coastal Plain.

CONTENTS

1 Introduction

2 THE IDENTIFICATION OF ECOLOGICAL LINKAGESIN THE GREATER BUNBURY REGION PORTION OF THE SWANCOASTAL PLAIN

3 REFERENCES

TABLETable 1: Listing of sixteen preliminary Ecological Linkages

in the Greater Bunbury Region

MAPSMap 1: Map of sixteen preliminary Ecological Linkages

in the Greater Bunbury Region

1 INTRODUCTION

The EPA's Natural Areas Strategy (Appendix ) briefly describes seven distinctive naturalfeatures in the Swan Coastal Plain portion of the Greater Bunbury Region (GBR), being:• Diversity of Foothills ecological communities• Extensive, highly cleared Pinjarra Plain• Most southern area of extensive Bassendean Dunes• Undulating Spearwood Dunes• Narrow Coastal Quindalup Dunes• A diverse near coastal wetland belt• Regionally significant sequences of ecological communities within and between the

major landform elements

These natural features were identified through a series of regional scale studies andinformation sets (mostly dating from before 1995). As part of this process, these earlierreports are combined with more recent reports and studies to make a preliminaryidentification of a series of 'Regionally significant sequences of ecological communitieswithin and between the major landform elements' within the GBR. For brevity thesesequences are, hereafter referred to as, Ecological Linkages.

The EPA recognises that the systematic identification of regionally significant natural areas,and the mechanisms to protect these areas, is to be achieved through the update of theremainder of the System 6 and part System 1 area in a similar coordinated program to BushForever (Government of WA 2000a). However, in the interim, the EPA is of the opinion thatsufficient information has been gathered to broadly identify Ecological Linkages in the GBR.

2 THE IDENTIFICATION OF ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES IN THE GREATERBUNBURY REGION PORTION OF THE SWAN COASTAL PLAIN

Seven Ecological Linkages were listed in the Strategy for the EPA to identify regionallysignificant natural areas in its consideration of the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme portionof the Swan Coastal Plain EPA (2002, Appendix). These were identified using the reports andstudies listed below and the location of reserved land.a) System reports – System 1 and System 6 (DCE 1976, 1983);b) Areas of Threatened and Poorly Reserved Plant Communities: EPA (1994, derived from

Gibson et al. 1994); andc) Areas of threatened ecological communities: as defined by English and Blyth (1997),

locations established in Gibson et al. (1994) and DEP (1996); andd) the Kemerton Buffer Link (EPA, 1999c).The majority of these areas are recognised in the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme (GBRS)and the earlier, related planning document, Bunbury-Wellington Region Plan (WAPC 1995).

During the EPA's assessment of the GBRS further consideration of a series of recent studies,or updates of previous information, resulted in the identification of 16 ecological linkages inthe GBR. Information used in the determination of the configuration of the ecologicallinkages included the use of:• mapping and/or locations of remnant vegetation (Beeston et al. 2001), vegetation

complexes (Heddle et al. 1980 and CALM 1998), wetlands (Hill et al. 1996a&b,Semeniuk 1998 and WRC updates of the mapping), EPP Lakes (Government of WA1992), floristic community types (after Gibson et al. 1994 and DEP 1996); threatenedecological communities (after English and Blyth (1997), significant fauna species (afterGovernment of WA 2000b, CALM 2002) and significant flora species (Keighery 1999,Atkins 2001);

• information on the movement of bird species on the Plain (after Government of WA2000b, Dell 2000);

(a) information on key natural areas being investigated in the ongoing flora, vegetation,wetland and fauna survey by government for the update of the remainder of the System 6and part System 1 area (DEP 1996, Government of WA 2000b);

(b) specific flora, vegetation and fauna survey by DEP or for DPI (for example HGM 2002;DEP 2002&2003; Dell and Hyder-Griffiths 2002; Keighery et al. 2002) for the GBRS;and

(c) ongoing flora, vegetation and fauna survey for proposed developments.

Two types of linked (or potentially linked) sequences of ecological communities wereidentified in the EPA's Strategy, vegetated sequences and river corridors. This same groupingis used here to list 16 Ecological Linkages in the Greater Bunbury Region (see Table 1 andMap 1). The vegetated sequences are further divided into two groups – those that link North-South predominantly along landforms and vegetation complexes; and those that link East-West across landform and vegetation complexes.

The vegetated sequences and river corridors identified in the Natural Areas Strategyare incorporated in this list. At times the vegetated sequences and river corridorsdescribed in the Natural Areas Strategy have been split to reflect the direction of thelinkage. The name, or part name, from the EPA's Strategy is given in brackets aftereach named linkage.

The location of the Corridors is shown in the Greater Bunbury Region Constrained Area andonly indicated beyond this boundary.

In broadly identifying these 16 preliminary Ecological Linkages in the Greater BunburyRegion in the EPA was mindful of the following issues.e) Individual natural areas in Ecological Linkages are only described when the particular

site is being assessed as part of the EPA's consideration of the Greater Bunbury RegionScheme.

f) In general natural areas in the vicinity of each Linkage have not been identified. Thisidentification process is expected to be achieved through the update of the System 6 andpart System 1 area in a coordinated program similar to Bush Forever.

g) Naturally vegetated areas (in particular the larger relatively intact remnants) in the area ofthe linkages will be priorities for retention and protection, being expected to meet thecriteria for regional significance against at least two criteria, that is 'Representation ofecological communities' and 'Maintaining of ecological processes or natural systems'.

h) The Ecological Linkages could provide a focus for the restoration of ecologicalcommunities and landscape rehabilitation between and around the small remainingremnants on the eastern side of the Swan Coastal Plain.

i) regionally significant natural areas have been, and will be, identified outside the generalarea of these Ecological Linkages.

Table 1: Listing of the preliminary Ecological Linkages in the Greater Bunbury RegionThe name, or part name, from the EPA's Strategy is given in brackets after each namedlinkage.Vegetated sequencesNorth-South Ecological Linkages

• Yalgorup/Myalup/Leschenault Coastal• McLarty/Kemerton/Twin Rivers/Preston River/Gwindinnup (Kemerton Buffer Link;

Wellesley River, part Brunswick and Collie Rivers; part Dalyellup/Gelorup/PrestonRiver/Plateau Link)

• Maidens/Muddy Lake/Ludlow Coastal

East/west Ecological Linkages (most of these are relatively short, only three go from the coast tothe Plateau)

• Yalgorup/Riverdale Road/Yarloop (Riverdale Road Transect)• Myalup/Kemerton• Leschenault/Kemerton• Leschenault/Eaton• Maidens/Preston River (Ocean to Preston River Park)• Dalyellup/Gelorup/Crooked Brook (part Dalyellup/Gelorup/Preston River/Plateau Link)• Capel/Boyanup• Wonnerup/Ludlow River/Gibson

River Corridors or River Ecological Linkages• Brunswick River• Collie River• Preston River (this linkage is that portion of the Preston River in the City of Bunbury

outside of the McLarty/Kemerton/Twin Rivers/Preston River/Gwindinnup ecologicalLinkage)

• Ferguson River• Capel River

3 REFERENCES# The mapping information in these studies is available in a GIS format.

# Atkins K 2001 Declared Rare and Priority Flora List for Western Australia. Departmentof Conservation and Land Management, Como, Western Australia.

#Beeston GR, Hopkins AJM and Shepherd DP (eds) 2001 Land-use and Vegetation,Western Australia. Unpublished Report. Department of Agriculture Western Australia, SouthPerth and National Land and Water Resources Audit, Canberra, ACT. NOTE: This wasprovided to DEP by the National Land and Water Resources Audit and has been modified toremove plantation datasets

CALM - Department of Conservation and Land Management

#CALM 1998 Vegetation Complex Mapping for the Swan Coastal Plain in the Busseltonarea. An unpublished GIS dataset compiled by Mattiske and Havel for CALM.

CALM 2002 Threatened and Priority Fauna List for Western Australia. Unpublished reportto the Department of Conservation and Land Management, Como, Western Australia.

DEP - Department of Environmental Protection

DEP 1996 System 6 and Part System 1 Update Programme. Unpublished bushland plot andarea records and analysis.

DEP 2002 Descriptions of flora, vegetation and fauna values of natural areas subject torezoning under the draft Greater Bunbury Region Scheme. Unpublished notes prepared forthe Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP 2003 Descriptions of flora, vegetation and fauna values of natural areas subject torezoning under the draft Greater Bunbury Region Scheme. Unpublished notes prepared forthe Department of Environmental Protection.

DCE 1976 Conservation Reserves for Western Australia. System 1, 2, 3, 5. Department ofConservation and Environment, Perth, Western Australia.

DCE 1983 Conservation Reserves for Western Australia. The Darling System - System 6.Parts 1 and 2. Report 13. Department of Conservation and Environment, Perth, WesternAustralia.

Dell J 2000 A Draft Summary Assessment of the Fauna Values of the Kemerton Bushland.Unpublished report prepared for the Department of Environmental Protection, Perth, WesternAustralia.

Dell J and Hyder-Griffiths BM 2002 A Description of the Fauna Values of the of theMuddy Lakes Area of the South Bunbury to Capel Coastal Corridor. Unpublished reportprepared for the Department of Environmental Protection, Perth, Western Australia.

Department of Conservation and Environment - refer to DCE

Department of Conservation and Land Management – refer to CALM

#English V and Blyth J 1997 Identifying and Conserving Threatened EcologicalCommunities in the South West Botanical Province. Unpublished report for the Department ofConservation and Land Management to Environment Australia

English V and Blyth J 1999 Development and application of procedures to identifying andconserve threatened ecological communities in the South West Botanical Province of WesternAustralia. Pacific Conservation Biology 5: 124 - 138.

Environmental Protection Authority - refer to EPA

#EPA 1994 Areas of Threatened and Poorly Reserved Plant Communities- GIS datasetEnvironmental Protection Authority, WA.

EPA 1999 EPA Advice Kemerton Industrial Area Expansion – Vegetation Significance .Environmental Protection Authority. Perth, WA.

EPA - Environmental Protection Authority

Gibson N, Keighery BJ Keighery GJ, Burbidge AH and Lyons MN 1994 A FloristicSurvey of the Southern Swan Coastal Plain. Unpublished Report for the Australian HeritageCommission prepared by Department of Conservation and Land Management and theConservation Council of Western Australia (Inc.).

Government of WA 2000a Bush Forever Volume 1: Policies Principles and Processes.Ministry for Planning, Perth, Western Australia.

Government of WA 2000b Bush Forever Volume 2: Directory of Bush Forever Sites.Department of Environmental Protection, Perth, Western Australia.

#Heddle EM, Loneragan OW and Havel JJ 1980 Vegetation of the Darling System. IN:DCE 1980 Atlas of Natural Resources, Darling System, Western Australia. Department ofConservation and Environment, Perth, WA.

HGM 2002c Natural values of 12 Sites of the Greater Bunbury Region Scheme. Tasks 1, 2and 3. Unpublished Report for the Western Australian Planning Commission.

HGM - Halpern Glick Maunsell Pty Ltd

#Hill AL, Semeniuk CA, Semeniuk V and Del Marco A 1996a Wetlands of the SwanCoastal Plain. Volume 1: Wetland Mapping, Classification and Evaluation — Main Report.Prepared for the Water and Rivers Commission and the Department of EnvironmentalProtection, Perth, Western Australia.

#Hill AL, Semeniuk CA, Semeniuk V and Del Marco A 1996b Wetlands of the SwanCoastal Plain. Volume 2: Wetland Mapping, Classification and Evaluation — Wetland Atlas.Prepared for the Water and Rivers Commission and the Department of EnvironmentalProtection, Perth, Western Australia.

Keighery BJ, Keighery GJ and Santich S 2002 A description of natural values of thesouth Bunbury to Capel coastal corridor. Unpublished report for the Department ofEnvironmental Protection, Western Australia.

Keighery GJ 1999 Conservation Status of Vascular Flora of the Southern Swan CoastalPlain. Unpublished report for Australian Nature Conservation Agency National ReservesSystem Cooperative Program Project: N710 and Department of Conservation and LandManagement, Como, WA.

#Semeniuk ,V&C Research Group 1998 Evaluation of wetlands on the Southern Swan

Coastal Plain. Unpublished report to Water and Rivers Commission. Perth WA.

WAPC - Western Australian Planning Commission

WAPC 1995 Bunbury Wellington Region Plan. Western Australian Planning Commission.Perth, WA.

WRC - Water and Rivers Commission

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