Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion - endangered ecological community listing

This Determination has been superseded by the 2011 Determination (Critically endangered ecological community listing).

NSW Scientific Committee - final determination

The Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Final Determination to list the Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion as an ENDANGERED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY on Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the Act. The listing of Endangered Ecological Communities is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.

The Scientific Committee has found that:

1. Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest is the name given to the ecological community characterised by the assemblage of species listed in paragraph 4 that is currently known from Sun Valley in the Blue Mountains City Council Local Government Area. All sites are within the Sydney Basin Bioregion.

2. Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest is dominated by Eucalyptus amplifolia (Cabbage Gum) with  Eucalyptus eugenioides (Thin-leaved Stringybark) as an associated tree. Native understorey species include  Acacia parramattensis,  Imperata cylindrica,  Lomandra longifolia and  Pteridium esculentum.

3. Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest occurs on the diatreme soils at Sun Valley. Other diatremes in the area have different dominant tree species and do not have Eucalyptus amplifolia.

4. Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest is characterised by the following assemblage of species.

5. The total flora species list for the community may be larger than that given above, with many species present in only one or two sites or in very small quantity. In any particular site not all of the assemblage listed above may be present. At any one time, some species may only be present as seeds in the soil seed bank with no above-ground individuals present. The species composition of the site will be influenced by the size of the site and by its disturbance history. The community is likely to be an important habitat for fauna (vertebrates and invertebrates), but detailed records are not available and the invertebrate fauna is poorly known.

6. Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest was originally tall open forest. Although there is still good cover of remnant trees and regeneration, much Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest has been cleared for timber and grazing and the canopy components remaining are often predominantly fairly recent growth (

7. Disturbed remnants are still considered to form part of the community including remnants where the vegetation, either understorey, overstorey or both, would, under appropriate management, respond to assisted natural regeneration, such as where the natural soil and associated seedbank are still at least partially intact.

8. Grazing of livestock, particularly horses, now affects much of the community, and tree recruitment is negligible in most of the remnants. Other threats are mowing, uncontrolled weed invasion, altered fire regimes, clearing of understorey for hazard reduction purposes, general tidying-up, landscaping for exotic gardens, and clearing for houses and infrastructure.

9. The community is not represented in any NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service conservation reserves.

10. Fauna species of conservation significance which may occur in Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest include the Squirrel Glider, Petaurus norfolcensis.

11. In view of the small size of existing remnants, the threat of further disturbance and degradation, the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that Sun Valley Cabbage Gum Forest is likely to become extinct in nature in New South Wales unless the circumstances and factors threatening its survival or evolutionary development cease to operate and that listing as an endangered ecological community is warranted.

Proposed Gazettal date: 30/11/01
Exhibition period: 30/11/01 - 18/01/02