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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Reserve Proposal November 2016
Image: Vica Bayley
Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
The Wilderness Society
Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal Contact:
[email protected] [email protected] Page 1 of 12
Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
1. Executive Summary The giant freshwater lobster (Astacopsis gouldi) is a species of key conservation interest in Tasmania. Occupying streams in the state’s North, often in forested areas, it is an enigmatic and iconic species that has long suffered human induced impacts to its population viability. Fishing and poaching pressure, landclearing and degradation of habitat through industrial logging have been key processes threatening the survival of the species. Species Recovery Plans have recommended a suite of actions aimed at stabilizing and recovering lobster populations, with the most recent in draft form and recently subject to community consultation. This reserve proposal contains recommendations to formally reserve particular areas of unallocated crown land in North West Tasmania under Tasmania's nature conservation legislation. Based on current scientific knowledge, advice, and the recommendation of species Recovery Plans (current and draft), this action, in concert with improved landscape management practices, would make a substantial contribution to securing the future of the species. The recommendations are as follows: Recommendation 1: Formal reservation of lands currently protected as Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) land in the priority Lobster sub-catchments of the Dip, Black, Hebe and Flowerdale Rivers as part of a dedicated Lobster Forests Nature Reserve. This reserve should also encompass existing areas of formal reserve adjacent to the identified areas of FPPF land. Recommendation 2: The formal reservation of lands currently protected as Future Potential Production Forest land in the priority Lobster sub-catchments of the Upper Frankland, Leigh, Lindsay, Horton and Rapid River, as one part of a broader Tarkine National Park declaration. Recommendation 3: The development of management plans across these and contiguous protected areas, production forest, and freehold lands that ensure cross tenure management is focused on the conservation and recovery of the Giant Freshwater Lobster.
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
Recommendation 4: In addition to protection of unallocated crown land in priority subcatchments, landscape protections should include the expansion of riparian protections to critical ‘headwaters’ habitat, in line with recent research findings.
2. Giant Freshwater Lobster - Conservation Status The giant freshwater lobster is a species endemic to Tasmania. It is the world’s largest freshwater lobster, with recorded specimens growing up to 1 metre long and to a weighing up to 6 kilograms. Inhabiting the catchments of northern Tasmania, the species holds enduring public interest. The species is listed as vulnerable under Australian and Tasmanian legislation, and as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Substantial efforts have been undertaken in relation to fishing bans, poaching control efforts, voluntary habitat restoration and forestry prescriptions, however localised extinctions are believed to have occurred in some catchments. Key scientific and Recovery Plan recommendations pertaining to the reservation of critical habitat on public land have been repeatedly ignored by Governments. This proposal seeks to address this failure.
3. Species Extent Giant freshwater lobsters have different habitat preferences depending on different life stages. They are however, restricted to river catchments of northern Tasmania that flow into Bass Strait, and the Arthur catchment flowing into the Indian Ocean on the takayna/Tarkine coast. In general, the species is restricted to rivers and streams below an altitude of approximately 400m above sea level and these areas are described as key habitat requiring additional levels of reservation. Above this altitude, headwater streams in upper catchments, while not housing populations of lobsters, require additional protections from degradation as they are important for maintaining water quality in downstream areas of critical habitat. The species prefers well shaded streams with reliable water flows of good quality with low sedimentation. Across its lifecycle, the species requires a diversity of under surface environments, from large logs and snags, undercut banks, shingle rapids and deep pools. It is known to travel over-land to seek out new, suitable habitat.
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
Populations in north east and central northern Tasmania have been heavily impacted by fishing, mining related pollution, landclearing and industrial logging that degrades key habitat and water quality, increasing sedimentation that makes recruitment of juvenile lobsters difficult. As the 2016 review of the national recovery plan of the giant freshwater lobster (the review) notes , the species has suffered ‘probable localised extinctions’ in catchments in northeast Tasmania, with surveys undertaken in 2009/10 showing ‘that massive sediment loads had decimated the population in most downstream areas of the catchments’.1 Without doubt, the most viable populations of the species are now restricted to northwest Tasmania. With genetic diversity across the population believed to be low, the reestablishment of populations in catchments where the species is believed extinct is possible and a recommendation of the draft Recovery Plan.
4. Species Recovery Plans The recent publication of the review into the current Recovery Plan and release for public comment of a new draft of the Recovery Plan, provides good advice and sound recommendations regarding critical actions that need to be taken to secure the future of the species. Some recommendations have been informed by new research into the importance of management of headwater streams to manage downstream water quality issues. The review of the 2006 Recovery Plan is clear that despite some successes, more action is required to protect the species. It is clear that the story of recovery for this species is mixed, in regards to localised populations, actual delivery of habitat protection strategies, and implementation of other planned measures to achieve recovery. Anecdotal evidence in 2016, of mass population mortality through extreme flooding events in some important habitat catchments highlights the precarious state of the species, the impact of uncontrollable external events and the dire need for both sound recovery planning and actual implementation of effective conservation strategies. In concert with major population declines in some catchments in the species’ strongholds in 1 Australian Department of Environment (2015) Review of the national recovery plan for the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi). https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/005e8904-6602-4de1-b32f-64a58af3a63f/files/reviewrecovery-plan-giant-freshwater-lobster.pdf . p17
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
north west Tasmania, mass mortality events and the lack of recovery of populations in heavily degraded catchments, there is substantial cause for concern. Conversely, the stabilisation of populations in suitable quality habitats and the increase in size of monitored crayfish indicate positive progress, particularly in regards to fishing bans, poaching prevention and improvements in some aspects of habitat protection. The conclusion of the recovery plan review states that: It appears likely that overall, the population of A. gouldi is slowly recovering, particularly in the north-west of the State. Preliminary indications from the northeast of the State are that the populations in that region are severely fragmented and impacted.2 We note, however, the qualified nature of that assessment, and the very clear need to undertake ongoing monitoring to accurately assess the conservation trajectory of the species. In regards to ongoing actions, the most substantial class of outstanding actions required are measures to reduce habitat disturbance in headwater stream to avoid downstream sedimentation, providing support for private land management and habitat restoration, and the protection of catchment areas with resident, critical populations.3 The Wilderness Society strongly supports the measures outlined in the recovery plan review and draft plan to increase the area of public land gazetted as formal protected areas in Lobster strongholds. The Lobster Forest Nature Reserve proposal seeks to advance these actions by proposing specific areas for reservation, in the hope and expectation of a positive investment from the Tasmanian Government in the preservation of this iconic Tasmanian species.
2 3
Ibid Ibid
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
5. New conservation reserves - A major contribution to long term viability The Wilderness Society notes that the 2016 recovery plan review identified that a 30,000ha increase in the total area of reserves on public land, ‘may greatly reduce the need for any active management of this species’.4 This points to the well-recognised conservation value of securing the viability of threatened species through permanent protection of key habitats from threats, through formal protected areas. The current Recovery Plan (2006-10)5, based on the work of Lynch and Blundhorn (2007) and Walsh (2003), identified the need for reservation of a number of important locations for the lobster. The limited progress meeting recommendations to increase permanent reservation of priority catchments for the species is reflected in the 2016 recovery plan review. The review notes that ‘key areas requiring protection have been identified on multiple occasions. This information needs to be incorporated into future management and recovery efforts’6 and that ‘public land reserves have not been set aside for this species’7. As the review recognises, the major remaining strongholds for habitat and population density are the Arthur, Frankland, Black, Dip, Flowerdale and Leven Rivers. Within these areas, there are specific sub-catchments with known population occurrences and high quality habitat89, including: ● Black-Detention Catchment, specifically the Black and Dip River subcatchments; ● Arthur catchment, specifically the Upper Frankland sub-catchment, the Horton River, and the Rapid River; and ● Inglis-Flowerdale catchment, specifically the Flowerdale/Hebe subcatchment.
4 Australian Department of Environment (2015) Review of the national recovery plan for the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi). https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/005e8904-6602-4de1-b32f-64a58af3a63f/files/reviewrecovery-plan-giant-freshwater-lobster.pdf , p20. 5 Threatened Species Section (2006). Giant Freshwater Lobster Astacopsis gouldi Recovery Plan 2006-2010. Department of Primary Industries and Water, Hobart. http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/078d5e2e-3867-4f69-81f798b4076c4510/files/gouldi.pdf p14 6 Ibid, p15 7 Ibid, p14 8 Todd Walsh personal communication (2016) 9 Threatened Species Section (2006). Giant Freshwater Lobster Astacopsis gouldi Recovery Plan 2006-2010. Department of Primary Industries and Water, Hobart
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
The Tasmanian Forest Agreement established a number of reserves on public land that were specifically identified, based on expert advice, to protect key habitat for the lobster in these catchments. However, the reserve status of this land was altered in 2014 and placed into a form of future logging tenure, proposed for logging after 2020 (and known as Future Potential Production Forest Land or FPPF). While still classified as Informal Reserves10, this land now sits as ‘unallocated crown land’ designated through policy and legislative intent to be returned to the publicly owned, commercial forestry estate. Table 1: hectares of Unallocated Crown Land (FPPF recognised as Informal Reserves) in Lobster Priority Subcatchments
Lobster Priority Subcatchment
Unallocated Crown Land (hectares)
Black and Dip Rivers
7,730
Flowerdale and Hebe Rivers
2,394
Frankland, Leigh and Lindsay Rivers
10,476
Horton River
13,405
Rapid River
3,634
Total
37,639
As announced in October 2016, the stated intent of the Tasmanian Government is to seek legislative changes to reverse reservation and annul protection to enable logging to commence in these areas as early as 2018. This legislative reversal of conservation reserves specifically designed to help address lobster habitat protection on public land conflicts with the longstanding strategy in the recovery plan to ‘increase the total area of giant freshwater lobster habitat that is reserved’. In addition it would create a range of other economic and certification issues for the logging industry stoke community conflict and undermine recovery efforts for a number of threatened species. 10
http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/tas%20reserve%20class%20areas%2030th%20june%202015.pdf
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
This situation presents a simple, logical opportunity for the gazettal of new conservation reserves on public land as a key contribution to the protection of the species. In particular, conversion of these unallocated crown lands to dedicated nature conservation reserves would make a considerable contribution to protecting the species, with very substantial and often comprehensive contributions to securing species’ populations in key sub-catchments. The Wilderness Society recommends the permanent formal reservation of these areas of unallocated crown land under the Nature Conservation Act, together with contiguous areas of high conservation value, under tenures that support the most effective conservation management. 5.1 Lobster Forests Nature Reserve It is recommended that a specific ‘Lobster Forests Nature Reserve’ is established to encompass the lower sections of the Dip and Black River subcatchments, and the Flowerdale-Hebe subcatchment above the Lapoinya Road bridge. These areas of unallocated crown land total 7300 hectares. While the most critical action remains the formal reservation of key unreserved habitat areas, existing formal reserves adjacent to these areas should be gazetted as part of the Lobster Forests Nature Reserve. This includes the Flowerdale River Regional Reserve, the Detention Falls Conservation Area, the Dip Range Regional Reserve, the Shakespeare Hills Regional Reserve and the Dip River Regional Reserve. Amalgamation of all these areas in the one Lobster Forests Nature Reserve will create a logical reserve boundary encompassing contiguous areas, all protected under nature conservation legislation. This would best enable proactive conservation management of discrete protected areas in catchments that have been heavily impacted by other land uses.
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
4.2 Tarkine National Park For the upper sections of the Dip and Black River subcatchments, the sections of the Frankland above the Blackwater Road bridge, and the Lindsay, Leigh, Horton and Rapid River subcatchments, it is recommended that the unallocated crown land in these catchments are incorporated into the boundaries of the gazettal of a long-proposed Tarkine National Park. The conservation case for a Tarkine National Park is strong and dates back decades. It addresses the protection of a range of natural and cultural values across a diverse landscape of different ecosystems. It encompasses a wild remote coastline, mobile dune systems, heathland, moorlands, rainforests and mixed eucalypt forests. Throughout these landscapes flows a raft of wild rivers, some critical habitat to the Lobster. Gazettal of a Tarkine National Park that includes these key Lobster catchments will greatly contribute to the future survival of the species. The area of key Lobster habitat within this proposal totals approximately 30,000 hectares. National park status for the takayna/Tarkine would provide a strong level of conservation protection (IUCN category II) whilst allowing management of critical Lobster habitats to be integrated into that of single contiguous area of land reserves under the Tasmania’s Nature Conservation Act.
Table 2: Hectares of Unallocated Crown Land in Lobster Priority Subcatchments, by Reserve Proposal Reserve Proposal
Flowerdale and Hebe Rivers (ha)
Black and Dip Rivers
Frankland, Leigh, and Lindsay Rivers
Horton River
Rapid River
Total
Lobster Forests Nature Reserve
2394
4900
0
0
0
7294
Tarkine National Park
0
2830
10476
13405
3634
30345
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
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Lobster Forests Nature Reserve Proposal November 2016
6. Additional actions required to safeguard the species In addition to finally meeting the recovery plans’ recommendation of increased reservation of public land in key Lobster habitat, the Wilderness Society made additional recommendations in its submission to the draft recovery plan.11 This included the recommendation that landscape-wide management plans be developed to ensure effective management of the species across all land tenures. Landscape management should also include riparian prescriptions that address the protection of critical ‘headwater’ habitat conservation needs that have been identified through recent research.12
7. Conclusion An increase in the amount of public land formally reserves to protect the Giant Freshwater Lobster has long been a recommendation of recovery plans and remains a key action advised by scientists and experts working to understand and safeguard the species. While progress has been made in implementation of other critical actions, such as changing public behaviours to honour a fishing ban and reduce poaching, it remains perplexing that Government continues to ignore the science and recommendations of its own recovery plans with regards to meeting conservation needs on public land through the gazettal of formal reserves. While all Tasmanians can take responsibility for honouring and policing the fishing ban and private landowners are being called upon to help protect and restore habitat on their own land, only Government, with the support of Parliament, can implement the recommendations to formally reserve additional areas of public land. Much work has been done to understand the needs of the species and identify the priority areas for reservation. There is little to no contention over which areas require protection. This proposal calls on Government to finally take action to meet the needs of the species through the creation of dedicated, formal reserves on identified areas of public land. 11 Wilderness Society (2016) Submission on the Recovery Plan for the Giant Freshwater Crayfish. https://www.wilderness.org.au/sites/default/files/PDFS/giantfreshwatercrayfishrecoveryplansubmission.pdf 12 Davies PE, Cook LSJ, Mallick SA and Munks SA (2016). Relating upstream forest management to stream ecosystem condition in middle catchment reaches in Tasmania. Forest Ecology and Management 362, 142-155.
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