Threatened species & ecological communities

National recovery plan for Twelve Threatened Spider-Orchid Caladenia R. Br. Taxa of Victoria and South Australia 2000 - 2004

James A. Todd
Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria
Flora and Fauna Statewide Programs, March 2000

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6. Strategy for Recovery

This recovery plan will run for a term of five years from the time of implementation. The strategy for conservation of threatened Caladenia taxa will include three approaches: specific management actions for key populations; broader identification, protection and habitat management actions for all taxa across their range; and ex-situ cultivation and conservation of endangered taxa with critically low wild populations. A need to better understand the biology and ecology of all taxa is also an inherent part of the recovery process. Key populations for each taxon are identified in Table 8. Their selection is based on population size, habitat condition, representation of environmental range within the taxon, understanding of the threats posed to the population and practicality of management. These key populations are selected irrespective of their land tenure or reservation status. It may be necessary to revise the list of key populations as new data become available, as the status of threatening processes changes or is better understood and as negotiations with land managers progress.

Table 8: Key populations for the conservation of twelve threatened Caladenia taxa in Victoria and South Australia.

Species name

 

Population

 

State

 

Land tenure

 

Land manager/ management agency

 
Caladenia amoena  

Plenty Gorge Park

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia amoena  

Wattle Glen

V

Private

Landholder
Caladenia audasii  

Deep Lead

V

Public

NRE Forests/Parks Victoria
Caladenia audasii  

Kingower

V

Public

Committee of Management
Caladenia audasii  

Bendigo, One Tree Hill

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia formosa  

Longbottom's Track, Meereek State Forest

V

Public

NRE Forests
Caladenia formosa  

Shilcock's Road, Beear State Forest

V

Public

NRE Forests
Caladenia formosa  

Mt Monster CP, Keith

SA

Public

EH
Caladenia formosa  

Mt Scott CP, Kingston

SA

Public

EH

Caladenia fragrantissima ssp. orientalis

Wonthaggi Heathland Reserve

V

Public

Parks Victoria

Caladenia fragrantissima ssp. orientalis

Cape Paterson Township*

V

Private

Various private land owners

Caladenia fragrantissima ssp. orientalis

Tarwin Lower-Waratah Rd, Walkerville

V

Public

South Gippsland Shire
Caladenia hastata  

Point Danger, Portland

V

Public/ Private

NRE/Portland Aluminium
Caladenia hastata  

Discovery Bay, Portland

V

Public

Parks Victoria/NRE
Caladenia lowanensis  

Kiata Flora Reserve, Kiata

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia lowanensis  

Glenlee Flora and Fauna Reserve, Glenlee

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia lowanensis  

Private land, Kiata

V

Private

Land owner
Caladenia robinsonii  

Betty Clift Conservation Reserve, Rosebud

V

Public

Mornington Peninsula Shire
Caladenia rosella  

Cottles Bridge

V

Private

various
Caladenia rosella  

One Tree Hill, Christmas Hills

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia tensa  

Kiata Flora Reserve, Kiata

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia tensa  

West Wail Flora and Fauna Reserve, West Wail

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia tensa  

Barabool Flora and Fauna Reserve, Murtoa

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia tensa  

Red Gum Walk, Lt. Desert National Park

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia tensa  

Broken Bucket Campsite, Big Desert National Park

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia tensa  

Camp Ground, Red Gum Track, Lt Desert National Park

V

Public

Parks Victoria
Caladenia thysanochila  

Mt Eliza Regional Park, Mt Eliza

V

Public

Mornington Peninsula Shire
Caladenia versicolor  

Lake Fyans Reserve, Pomonal

V

Public

NRE Forests; Wimmera-Mallee Water
Caladenia xanthochila  

Murtoa Golf Club

V

Private

Committee of Management
Caladenia xanthochila  

Spring Creek Track, Glenalbyn

V

Public

NRE Forests

* Known from various private land allotments within the Cape Paterson township. It is presumed that this population will become extinct as allotments are sold and properties are developed for housing.

Management of key populations will aim to mitigate threatening processes relevant to each site and thereby secure the populations from extinction. The major threats requiring attention include accidental destruction, weed invasion, inappropriate fire regimes and grazing by introduced and possibly native herbivores. A range of in situ conservation measures will be necessary to mitigate these threats including weed control, fire management, fencing, rabbit control and research on key aspects of fire ecology, native herbivore numbers, pollination ecology and plant biology. Monitoring of selected sites will be necessary to gather life history information and to evaluate the success of particular management actions. In addition to the above, ex situ conservation measures will be required for key populations under threat of extinction either at present or in the future. Such measures may include hand pollination, seed collection and storage, mychorrizal fungi collection, identification and research, seed germination, plant cultivation and transplantation into suitable areas.

Broader protection measures applicable to all populations include legal protection of sites and habitat retention, management of fire regimes and liaison with land managers including private landholders. In addition, searches of known and potential habitat should continue to better define taxa distribution and abundance. Additional protective measures should be implemented for non-key populations whenever opportunities arise, except where this precludes similar actions being implemented for key populations listed for priority action in Table 8 or future updated key population lists.

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