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5. Existing Conservation Measures

5.1 Reservation

Representation of the Caladenia taxa in conservation reserves varies from well represented to not reserved. Examples include C. lowanensis and C. tensa which, have a very high proportion of their total population represented within conservation reserves while C. formosa is reserved in South Australia but believed to be unreserved in Victoria. C. fragrantissima ssp. orientalis, C. xanthochila and C. versicolor are unreserved across their range. Table 6 summarises the representation of the threatened Caladenia taxa in southeast Australia.

Taxa are considered reserved if they are contained within reserves established with a primary aim of nature conservation as defined by the former Victorian Land Conservation Council. Reserves which qualify under this definition include Reference Areas, National and State Parks, Flora Reserves, Flora and Fauna Reserves, Wildlife Reserves, Wildlife Management Cooperative Areas, Streamside Reserves, Bushland Reserves and Education Areas. In addition, Conservation Parks in South Australia are also included as reserved areas.

Taxa within local government reserves are also considered reserved if the particular reserve has a primary aim of nature conservation and there is a current agreement between local and state governments referring to conservation and management of threatened Caladenia. Taxa occurring on private land protected by a conservation covenant (Victoria) or heritage agreement (South Australia) are also considered reserved. This is in line with current thinking about biodiversity conservation that suggests a range of tenures and protection mechanisms are required to adequately address reservation objectives across bioregions (Bedward et al. 1992, Pressey et al. 1995).

Table 6: Representation of twelve threatened Caladenia taxa in conservation reserves in Victoria and South Australia.

Caladenia fragrantissima ssp. orientalis is considered unreserved despite occupying the Wonthaggi Heathland Reserve, Wonthaggi managed by Parks Victoria. Wonthaggi Heathland Reserve was proposed as a nature conservation reserve under the proposed Melbourne Land Conservation Council recommendations (LCC 1993) however reservation under the Victorian Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 is yet to proceed. C. amoena is also considered unreserved despite occurring on public land managed by Parks Victoria as part of Plenty Gorge Parklands. This area is unreserved public land, which is part of a former road easement.

Caladenia robinsonii and C. thysanochila both occur in reserves owned and managed by the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council. These areas are zoned Public Conservation and Resource but are not protected by any formal management or conservation agreement and therefore both taxa are considered unreserved.

Under the West Victoria Regional Forest Agreement, the presence of several of these taxa in state forest is likely to be recognised by the creation of Special Protection Zones, which will be managed for conservation and where timber harvesting will be excluded. These areas have no legislative protection but they are incorporated into the forest planning process and this is likely to be reinforced in the upcoming Forest Management Plan for Portland and Horsham Forest Management Areas (J. Cook, NRE Forests, pers. comm.). Taxa likely to be included under this zoning include C. formosa and C. versicolor. The final configuration of forest management zones was yet to be finalised at the time of writing of this plan.

5.2 On-ground works

Rabbit-proof guards have protected a significant proportion of the total population of C. lowanensis at Kiata Flora Reserve. These were erected by the Gerang Landcare Group (Friends of Kiata Flora Reserve) in conjunction with a PhD research project being undertaken at the site, which is investigating the population biology and cultivation of C. lowanensis (J. Anthony, University of Melbourne, in prep.). Plants were hand-pollinated in 1998. The landcare group has also undertaken removal of woody weeds in the reserve, repaired an existing internal fence and removed hard rubbish from the area. They have also been involved in a joint exercise with Parks Victoria to control rabbits in the reserve through warren identification and fumigation. Populations of C. tensa within the Kiata Flora Reserve have also benefited from some of these activities. The Friends group has received funding from Parks Victoria to construct a rabbit-proof boundary fence around the reserve and this is expected to be completed by mid-2000.

Seed was collected from C. xanthochila plants at Murtoa in spring 1999 and sent to Kings Park Botanic Gardens (KPBG) in Perth, Western Australia for cryostorage. Some of this seed originated from plants that had been hand pollinated earlier that year. This seed will remain at KPBG until such a time as propagation from seed techniques have been perfected for other Caladenia species. Negotiations have commenced with the land owners to protect and manage the site.

Management of Mount Eliza Regional Park, the only known site for C. thysanochila has been actively promoted and closely monitored by a local environment group for several years. Mornington Peninsula Shire liaises with the group and NRE with respect to the management of the reserve. One plant was hand-pollinated in 1990 and set seed. Unfortunately, the capsule opened unexpectedly and dispersed its seed before any could be saved for ex-situ conservation. An area surrounding the two known plants was fenced in 1992. Areas within the fence were slashed in April 1993 and burnt in April 1994 and April 1997 to stimulate flowering of the orchid but no flowering has been observed. On-going experimental trials using fire are being conducted in the area to determine the most effective means of grassy weed control.

Monitoring transects were established in spring 1999 for five taxa (C. formosa, C. lowanensis, C. tensa, C. versicolor and C. xanthochila). Data were collected on species abundance and distribution, flowering, rates of pollination and fruit production. Additional information on habitat preferences and identified threats were also collected. C. fragrantissima ssp. orientalis was not monitored during 1999 due to a poor flowering response at previously known sites, while C. thysanochila failed to flower at its one known locality.

Various on-ground works have been undertaken for those taxa already subject to recovery planning. Actions have included site and plant protection through fencing and/or caging of plants, predator control, monitoring and hand-pollinating plants, seed collection and weed control. Table 7 provides a summary of on-ground works undertaken for all taxa across all known populations.

Table 7: On-ground works at sites containing populations of threatened Caladenia taxa in Victoria and South Australia.