National recovery plan for Twenty-five threatened orchid taxa of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales 2003 - 2007
Coates, F., Jeanes, J. and Pritchard, A.
Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne, 2002
Appendix 3
Prasophyllum niphopedium D.L. Jones
Summer Leek-orchid
- Conservation status:
- EPBC Act 1999: Not listed
- IUCN (2000): E (preliminary assessment)
- NRE (2000): Not listed
- Distribution:
- Endemic to Victoria - Victorian Alps Bioregion (Mt Cobberas-Benambra area). Not recorded elsewhere, but may be more widespread throughout the Snowy Mountains Range in NSW and Victoria.
- Specific details of population localities are held on DSE internal files.
- Abundance:
- 200-500 plants known from 5 populations, however population sizes fluctuate from year to year (D. Rouse pers. comm.). Former abundance is unknown, but likely to have been naturally rare.
- Habitat:
- On snow plains in grassy alpine heath dominated by Hakea microcarpa, Epacris gunnii, E. brevifolia, Baeckea gunniana, Poa clivicola and P. sieberiana var. sieberiana, usually near watercourses. Soils are dark brown organic loams, seasonally poorly drained. Critical habitat has not been determined, but populations occur above 1400m above sea level and plants are likely to require open habitat protected from feral horses.
- Reservation status:
- Reserved in the Alpine National Park.
- Management:
- Parks Victoria, (East Victoria Region, Omeo)
| Current threats | Perceived risk |
|---|---|
| Soil disturbance | High - pugging of soil by cattle, feral pigs and feral horses. |
| Grazing | High - feral horses and cattle are common in the area. |
| Inappropriate fire regimes | Likely to be low - sites are long unburnt and plants are unlikely to rely on fire for regeneration. |
| Site disturbance | Moderate- some sites are vulnerable to damage from off road vehicles. |
| Illegal collection | Low - no evidence of collection in the past. |
| Potential threats | Perceived risk |
| Weed invasion | Low - exotic grasses and opportunistic sedges may establish at the site with disturbance by cattle, feral pigs and feral horses. |
| Ecology/biology | Low - conditions for seed recruitment and maintenance of pollinator and fungal activity unknown; disturbance requirements are unknown. |
Recovery objectives:
Maintain and/or increase existing population size; protect and manage habitat.
Recovery actions undertaken:
- Parks Victoria is currently preparing a commercial contract for feral horse management.
- All sites were visited during preparation of the recovery plan.
Issues specific to recovery:
- Control of feral animals at the known sites is urgently required and methods to maintain open, undisturbed habitat should be investigated.
Overall recovery strategy:
Site condition and the extent and severity of disturbance from feral animals will be evaluated. Appropriate habitat management strategies will be implemented to prevent damage by vehicles, cattle, feral horses and feral pigs. Recovery will be jointly managed by DSE and PV. Community involvement will be sought if necessary.
Consultation:
Parks Victoria (Victoria East Region, Omeo); D. Rouse (Centre for Plant Conservation Biology, Canberra).
| Action | Playgrounds (H) | Rocky Plain (M) | Cowombat Tk (M) | Forlorn Hope Plain (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Determine current conservation status | ||||
| 1.1 Clarify taxonomy | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1.2 Acquire baseline population data | M | M | M | M |
| Responsibility | Centre for Plant Conservation Biology, Canberra, DSE-BNR | Centre for Plant Conservation Biology, Canberra, DSE-BNR | Centre for Plant Conservation Biology, Canberra, DSE-BNR | Centre for Plant Conservation Biology, Canberra, DSE-BNR |
| 2. Investigate population biology | ||||
| 2.1 Describe life history | M | M | M | M |
| 2.2 Evaluate natural pollination levels and/or causes of pollinator limitation | M | M | M | M |
| 2.3 Determine the effects of artificial pollination on growth survival and reproduction | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2.4 Determine spatial distribution of mycorrhizal fungi | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2.5 Determine optimal conditions for growth of mycorrhizal fungi in-situ | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) |
| 3. Determine habitat requirements of key populations | ||||
| 3.1 Identify key populations | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 3.2 Conduct surveys | M | M | M | M |
| 3.3 Identify ecological correlates of populations | M | M | M | M |
| 3.4 Prepare habitat descriptions | L | L | L | L |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) |
| 4. Manage risks to populations | ||||
| 4.1 Identify and implement strategies to control threats | H | H | H | H |
| 4.2 Identify disturbance regimes to promote regeneration and recruitment | M | M | M | M |
| 4.3 Protect key public land populations and habitat | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 4.4 Protect key private land populations and habitat | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) |
| 5. Promote in-situ recruitment | ||||
| 5.1 Prepare habitat for seedling recruitment | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 5.2 Re-stock populations with seed | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR |
| 6. Measure population trends and responses against recovery actions | ||||
| 6.1 Conduct annual censusing of populations | M | M | M | M |
| 6.2 Collate, analyse and report on census data | M | M | M | M |
| 6.3 Re-prioritise and adjust recovery actions and/or threat management | H | H | H | H |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) | DSE-BNR, PV (Omeo) |
| 7. Increase populations ex-situ | ||||
| 7.1 Hand pollinate plants | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 7.2 Establish a threatened orchid seed bank and determine seed viability | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 7.3 Establish a mycorrhizal fungi bank | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 7.4 Establish and maintain cultivated populations | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 7.5 Maintain a database of threatened orchid taxa in cultivation | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR |
| 8. Translocate cultivated plants | ||||
| 8.1 Determine criteria for re-stocking/re-introduction | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8.2 Evaluate site suitability | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8.3 Determine long term cost-benefits and feasibility of translocating plants | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8.4 Prepare and implement translocation plans | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8.5 Maintain translocated populations | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR |
| 9. Implement an education and communication strategy | ||||
| 9.1 Prepare technical educational material on in-situ recovery techniques | L | L | L | L |
| 9.2 Undertake community extension | L | L | L | L |
| 9.3 Conduct workshops and symposia on in-situ recovery techniques | L | L | L | L |
| 9.4 Encourage and support research by Higher Education Institutions and existing research partners | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR |
| 10. Consolidate recovery and extend networks | ||||
| 10.1 Maintain the Threatened Orchid Recovery Team | L | L | L | L |
| 10.2 Establish and facilitate regional Recovery Teams | L | L | L | L |
| 10.3 Co-ordinate recovery and exchange knowledge with interstate agencies | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Responsibility | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR | DSE-BNR |
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