1.3.2.1 Description


The total number of ecological assets in the preliminary assessment extent (PAE) of the Gloucester subregion is 116 (made up from 3400 elements). They fall within five of the ten ecological asset classes (Table 10): ‘River or stream reach, tributary, anabranch or bend’, ‘Wetland, wetland complex or swamp’, ‘Aquifer, geological feature, alluvium or stratum’, ‘Groundwater‑dependent ecosystems’ and ‘Habitat (potential species distribution)’. As described in the companion submethodology M02 (as listed in Table 1) for identifying water‑dependent assets (Mount et al., 2014), an asset may be made up of one or many polygons termed ‘elements’, and the number of elements for each asset is indicated in the following tables.

Table 10 Classification of elements into ecological assets in the preliminary assessment extent (PAE) of the Gloucester subregion


Group

Subgroup

Class

Elements

Total assets

Ecological

Surface water feature

River or stream reach, tributary, anabranch or bend

24

24

Lake, reservoir, lagoon or estuary

0

0

Waterhole, pool, rockpool or billabong

0

0

Wetland, wetland complex or swamp

140

1

Marsh, sedgeland, bog, spring or soak

0

0

Floodplain

0

0

Ecological

Groundwater feature (subsurface)

Aquifer, geological feature, alluvium or stratum

3

3

Ecological

Vegetation

Groundwater‑dependent ecosystems

2426

45

Riparian vegetation

0

0

Habitat (potential species distribution)

807

43

Total

3400

116

Landscape features such as aquifers, rivers and wetlands are obviously water dependent and are included in the water‑dependent asset register (Table 11 to Table 13). The distribution of these is shown in Figure 7. As described in Section 1.3.3.2 below, data from the Atlas of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (Bureau of Meteorology, 2012) were not ‘fit for purpose’ for the bioregional assessment of the Gloucester subregion and have not been included in the water‑dependent asset register (Table 14). However, more accurate mapping of groundwater‑dependent ecosystems (GDEs) obtained from the NSW Office of Water will be used in the assessment to identify receptors for GDEs.

Table 11 Assets within the ‘Aquifer geological feature, alluvium or stratum’ class


Asset namea

Elements

In register

Hunter‑Central Rivers Karuah Alluvium

1

Yes

Hunter‑Central Rivers Manning Alluvium

1

Yes

Hunter‑Central Rivers New England Fold Belt

1

Yes

aPunctuation and typography appear as used in the asset database.

Table 12 Assets within the ‘River or stream reach, tributary, anabranch or bend’ class


Asset namea

Elements

In register

Catchments 237, 243–247, 250–256, 298, 300, 308, 329–330, 344, 347, 356–357, 464

24

Yes

Hunter‑Central Rivers Karuah River Estuary

1

Yes

aPunctuation and typography appear as used in the asset database.

Table 13 Assets within the ‘Wetland wetland complex or swamp’ class


Asset namea

Elements

In register

Port Stephens Estuary

140

Yes

aPunctuation and typography appear as used in the asset database.

Table 14 Assets within the ‘Groundwater‑dependent ecosystems’ class


Asset name

Elements

In register

Barrington Moist Blue Gum‑White Mahogany

25

No

Barrington River

7

No

Barrington Wet New England Blackbutt‑Blue Gum

19

No

Central Mid Elevation Sydney Blue Gum

1

No

Coastal Flooded Gum

22

No

Dry Foothills Blackbutt‑Turpentine

3

No

Dry Foothills Spotted Gum

239

No

Dry Grassy Blackbutt‑Tallowwood

132

No

Dry Grassy Tallowwood‑Grey Gum

41

No

Dry Heathy Blackbutt‑Bloodwood

11

No

Dry Redgum‑Bloodwood‑Apple

79

No

Escarpment Redgum

168

No

Escarpment Tallowwood‑Bloodwood

20

No

Foothills Grey Gum‑Spotted Gum

6

No

Gloucester River

94

No

Gorge Grey Box

3

No

Grey Gum‑Stringybark

2

No

Ironbark

180

No

Karuah River

24

No

Mangrove

6

No

Manning River

7

No

Moist Foothills Spotted Gum

59

No

Moist Open Escarpment White Mahogany

2

No

Open Coastal Brushbox

13

No

Open Shrubby Brushbox‑Tallowwood

45

No

Open Silvertop Stringybark‑Blue Gum

2

No

Paperbark

3

No

Rough‑barked Apples

15

No

Smoothbarked Apple‑Sydney Peppermint‑Stringybark

31

No

South Coast Shrubby Grey Gum

494

No

South Coast Tallowwood‑Blue Gum

304

No

Southern Wet Sydney Blue Gum

250

No

Stringybark‑Apple

93

No

Swamp Mahogany

1

No

Sydney Peppermint‑Stringybark

6

No

Wetland (5 assets in total)

5

No

Wet Coastal Tallowwood‑Brushbox

5

No

Wet Flooded Gum‑Tallowwood

1

No

Wet Foothills Blackbutt‑Turpentine

5

No

Wet New England Blackbutt‑Silvertop Stringybark

2

No

Wet Shrubby Brushbox‑Tallowwood

1

No

aPunctuation and typography appear as used in the asset database.

Thirty‑six of the 43 ecological assets that were classified as ‘Habitat (potential species distribution)’ were included in the water‑dependent asset register on the basis that they were judged to be moderately or highly water dependent (Table 15). These included the Karuah National Park and the threatened ecological community ‘Lowland Subtropical Rainforest on Basalt Alluvium in NE NSW and SE Qld’ (Figure 7), as well as fish biodiversity hotspots and the oyster growing areas within the Karuah River. The justification for judging seven of the assets as having low water dependence, and excluding them from the water‑dependent asset register, is provided in Table 16.

Table 15 Assets within the ‘Habitat (potential species distribution)’ class

Although examples of individual species are listed below, bioregional assessments consider the potential impact to the habitat of species not individual species per se.


Asset namea

Elements

In register

(Grevillea guthrieana)

1

Yes

Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)

1

Yes

Black‑eyed Susan (Tetratheca juncea)

6

No

Broad‑headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bungaroides)

2

No

Brush‑tailed Rock‑wallaby (Petrogale penicillata)

1

No

Charmhaven Apple (Angophora inopina)

2

Yes

Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus)

1

No

Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus)

1

Yes

Grey‑headed Flying‑fox (Pteropus poliocephalus)

20

Yes

Hastings River Mouse (Pseudomys oralis)

1

Yes

Karuah National Park

1

Yes

Karuah River Oyster growing Area

1

Yes

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

1

Yes

Leafless Tongue‑orchid (Cryptostylis hunteriana)

1

Yes

Lowland Subtropical Rainforest on Basalt Alluvium in NE NSW and SE Qld (threatened ecological community)

77

Yes

New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae)

1

No

Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus)

2

Yes

Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia)

623

Yes

Slaty Red Gum (Eucalyptus glaucina)

1

Yes

Spot‑tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus maculatus)

1

No

Stuttering Frog (Mixophyes balbus)

1

Yes

Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor)

15

Yes

Trailing Woodruff (Asperula asthenes)

3

Yes

White‑flowered Wax Plant (Cynanchum elegans)

2

No

Known Platypus habitat in Catchment 244–247, 250, 252–253, 329–330, 347, 356 (11 assets in total)

33

Yes

Fish Biodiversity Hotspots 2–3, 21, 29, 30–31, 49, 108 (8 assets in total)

8

Yes

aPunctuation and typography appear as used in the asset database.

Table 16 Justification for judgement of low water dependence for seven assets


Common name

Scientific name

Justification

Black‑eyed Susan

Tetratheca juncea

It generally prefers well‑drained sites below 200 m elevation and annual rainfall between 1000 – 1200 mm. The preferred substrates are sandy skeletal soil on sandstone, sandy‑loam soils, low nutrients; and clayey soil from conglomerates, pH neutral. ‘Well‑drained sites’ suggests no dependence on groundwater.

Broad‑headed snake

Hoplocephalus bungaroides

Nocturnal. Shelters in rock crevices and under flat sandstone rocks on exposed cliff edges during autumn, winter and spring. Moves from the sandstone rocks to shelters in hollows in large trees within 200 m of escarpments in summer. Feeds mostly on geckos and small skinks; will also eat frogs and small mammals occasionally. No specific mention of water dependency.

Brush‑tailed rock‑wallaby

Petrogale penicillata

Brush‑tailed rock‑wallaby habitat includes refuge habitat, feeding habitat, and routes in between. Refuge habitat includes rock faces or outcrops with large tumbled boulders, ledges and caves (often with vegetation cover) that provide shelter and some protection from predators. No specific mention of water dependency.

Eastern bristlebird

Dasyornis brachypterus

Habitat is characterised by dense, low vegetation including heath and open woodland with a heathy understorey; all of these vegetation types are fire prone. Age of habitat since fires (fire‑age) is of paramount importance to this species. No specific mention of water dependency.

New Holland mouse, Pookila

Pseudomys novaehollandiae

Known to inhabit open heathlands, woodlands and forests with a heathland understorey and vegetated sand dunes. Distribution is patchy in time and space, with peaks in abundance during early to mid stages of vegetation succession typically induced by fire. No specific mention of water dependency.

Spot‑tailed quoll

Dasyurus maculatus maculatus

Recorded across a range of habitat types, including rainforest, open forest, woodland, coastal heath and inland riparian forest, from the sub‑alpine zone to the coastline. Mostly nocturnal, although will hunt during the day; spends most of the time on the ground, although also an excellent climber and may raid possum and glider dens and prey on roosting birds. Females occupy home ranges up to about 750 ha and males up to 3500 ha; usually traverse their ranges along densely vegetated creek lines. May utilise creek lines and riparian vegetation but no specific dependence.

White‑flowered wax plant

Cynanchum elegans

Usually occurs on the edge of dry rainforest vegetation. Other associated vegetation types include littoral rainforest; coastal tea‑tree – coastal banksia coastal scrub; forest red gum aligned open forest and woodland; spotted gum aligned open forest and woodland; and bracelet honeymyrtle scrub to open scrub. Associated vegetation types not indicative of groundwater dependent vegetation.

Figure 7

Figure 7 Location of ecological assets in the Gloucester subregion preliminary assessment extent (PAE)

(a) Groundwater assets, (b) Surface water assets and (c) Vegetation and wetland assets

Last updated:
15 October 2018