Umina coastal sandplain woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion - endangered ecological community list

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

NSW Scientific Committee - final determination

The Scientific Committee has found that:

1. The Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland is the name given to the ecological community recorded on coastal sands on the Woy Woy peninsula from the local government area of Gosford (within the Sydney Basin Bioregion) that is characterised by the following assemblage of species.

2. The total species list of the community is considerably larger than that given above, with many species present in only one or two sites or in very small quantity. The species composition of a site will be influenced by the size of the site, recent rainfall or drought condition and by its disturbance (including fire) history. The number of species, and the above ground relative abundance of species will change with time since fire, and may also change in response to changes in fire regime (including changes in fire frequency). At any one time, above ground individuals of some species may be absent, but the species may be represented below ground in the soil seed banks or as dormant structures such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, rootstocks or lignotubers. The list of species given above is of vascular plant species, the community also includes micro-organisms, fungi, cryptogamic plants and a diverse fauna, both vertebrate and invertebrate. These components of the community are poorly documented.

3. Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland has been recorded from the local government area of Gosford (within the Sydney Basin Bioregion).

4. Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland is a low woodland dominated by trees of Eucalyptus botryoides and  Angophora floribundawith a diverse understorey of sclerophyllous shrubs species including  Banksia integrifolia, Banksia serrata, Monotoca elliptica, Macrozamia communis, Acacia ulicifolia, Platysace lanceolata, Acacia suaveolens and  Allocasuarina littoralis.

5. Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland has been recorded on coastal sands on the Woy Woy Peninsula at Umina and Pearl Beach. The woodland was described in 1952 by Burges & Drover (1952) who described Eucalyptus botryoides as predominating immediately behind the beach with  Angophora floribunda predominating for up to 2 km from the beach. They described the soils as iron podzols and distinguished them from humus podsols with  Angophora costata which occurred further away from the beach. Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland occurs on soils of the Woy Woy Soil Landscape (Chapman & Murphy 1989). Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland is part of the vegetation described as Coastal Dune Forest (map unit 9t) in Benson & Howell (1994).

6. Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland is currently only known from three small areas at Umina; at Umina Oval, McEvoy Oval and Umina High School and at a tiny remnant at Little Patonga Beach. The total area still surviving in 2002 is estimated at less than 2 ha. Understorey has been removed for the occurrence at Pearl Beach.

7. Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland has been extensively cleared for suburban development and remnants are not within conservation reserves. Remnants are very small and threatened by mowing and slashing, weed invasion, sand extraction and modified fire regimes. Weed species include Lantana camara, Chrysanthemoides monilifera, Ipomoea cairica, Paspalum urvillei, Bidens pilosa,  Pennisteum villosum, Coreopsis lanceolata and  Ehrharta erecta.

8. In view of the above the Scientific Committee is of the opinion that Umina Coastal Sandplain Woodland in the Sydney Basin Bioregion 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.

Proposal Gazettal date: 06/12/02

Exhibition period: 06/12/02 - 24/01/03

References:

Benson, D.& Howell, J. (1994) The natural vegetation of the Sydney 1:100 000 map sheet.Cunninghamia3 (4): 679-787.

Burges, A.& Drover, D.P. (1952) The rate of podzol development in sands of the Woy Woy district N.S.W.Australian Journal of Botany1 :83-95.

Chapman, G.A. & Murphy, C.L. (1989)Soil landscapes of the Sydney 1:100 000 sheet. Soil Conservation Service of N.S.W., Sydney.