• Change text size
• Skip to content

Threatened species & ecological communities

Search:

• About us
• Contact us

• Home
  • Atmosphere
  • Biodiversity
  • Marine
  • Heritage
  • Human settlements
  • Land
  • Living sustainably
  • Parks Australia
  • Water
  • EPBC Act

• Biodiversity
  • Biodiversity conservation
    • Biodiversity Conservation Strategy
    • Conservation covenants
    • Wildlife corridors
  • International activities
  • Legislation

• Threatened species and ecological communities
  • Nominations
  • Listing assessments
  • Threatened species
  • Threatened ecological communities
  • Key threatening processes
  • Recovery plans
  • Conservation advices
  • Threat abatement plans
  • Threatened Species Scientific Committee

• • Invasive species
    • Diseases, fungi and parasites
    • Feral animals
    • Insects and other invertebrates
    • Weeds
    • Links
    • Funded projects
  • Migratory species
    • Migratory birds
  • Science and research
    • Biodiversity hotspots
    • Bird and bat banding
    • National Environmental Research Program
  • Wildlife trade
    • Internationally endangered plants and animals (CITES)
    • Invitations to comment
    • Permits, fees and contacts
    • Travellers and online shoppers
    • Live plants and animals
    • Australian native plants and animals
    • Exotic (non-native) animals
    • Trade and the law
    • Trading into and out of Australia
    • Report illegal wildlife trade
    • Publications
  • Australia's Biological Resources
    • Access to Biological Resources in Commonwealth areas
    • Access to Biological Resources in States and Territories
    • More about accessing Biological Resources
    • Permits - Accessing Biological Resources in Commonwealth Areas
    • Model Access and Benefit-Sharing Agreement
    • Nagoya Protocol
    • Biodiscovery Forum 2011
    • Biodiscovery Forum 2012
    • Publications
    • Related websites
  • Australian Biological Resources Study
    • Bush Blitz
    • Databases and online resources
    • Eureka awards
    • Forms
    • Funding and Research
    • Other links
    • Publications
    • Site index
    • What’s new
    • Workshops and forums
  • Publications

Appendix 3

Prasophyllum suaveolens D.L. Jones & R.J. Bates (Fragrant Leek-orchid)
Prasophyllum sp. aff. suaveolens (Western Basalt Plains)

Conservation status:

EPBC Act 1999: E

IUCN (2000): CR

NRE (2000): E

Distribution:

Endemic to Victoria - Victorian Volcanic Plain Bioregion (Derrinallum, Wingeel, Ballarat, Streatham areas).

Formerly recorded, but now extinct west and southwest of Melbourne at Werribee, St Albans, Albion, Laverton, Lara, Tottenham and Merri Creek, and from near Creswick.

Specific details of population localities (including GPS data) are held on DSE internal files.

Abundance:

<300 plants known in the wild, in 5 populations. Former abundance not known, but assumed to be many thousands across its natural range.

Habitat:

Occurs in open species rich native grassland dominated by Themeda triandra with perennial herbs and lilies on poorly drained red-brown soil derived from basalt. Critical habitat has not been determined, but fire or other disturbance such as slashing is highly likely to promote flowering.

Reservation status:

Not reserved.

Management:

Shire of Moyne, Golden Plains Shire, Shire of Corangamite, Rural City of Ararat, Australian Rail Track Corporation, DSE-BNR SW.

Recovery objectives:

Maintain and/or increase existing population sizes; protect sites and manage habitat.

Recovery actions undertaken:

• Grassland vegetation communities at Derrinallum and Vite Vite sites have been monitored since the late 1980s (School of Botany, La Trobe University).
• Fire ecology has been researched and is well understood for Western Basalt Plains Grassland (School of Botany, La Trobe University)
• Public Authority Management Agreements (PAMAs) are currently being negotiated with the Shire of Moyne and Golden Plains Shire which will include the sites near Woorndoo (DSE) and Wingeel.
• Ecological burns planned for Yalla Y Poora and volunteers will carry out weed control.
• Three sites are burnt annually (Derrinallum, Woorndoo, Wingeel).
• Ecological burning and weed control to recover P. suaveolens and P. sp. aff. suaveolens (see below) habitat have been carried out at Dowling Forest Cemetery.
• Plants have been monitored at Dowling Forest Cemetery and life histories determined.
• Management strategies have been negotiated at Dowling Forest Cemetery.
• All known populations were visited during recovery plan preparation.

Issues specific to recovery:

• Taxonomic clarification is urgently required for the P. suaveolens complex, which currently includes a number of populations in the Victorian Volcanic Plains Bioregion currently included under P. suaveolens, but likely to consist of two morphologically distinct entities which are broadly sympatric on the Western Basalt Plains. Both are included in the recovery plan. Other closely related taxa occur elsewhere in central and western Victoria (D. Rouse, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, pers. comm.).
• P. suaveolens and P. sp. aff. suaveolens populations are vulnerable to damage from heavy machinery. Public Authority Management Agreements under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG) are urgently required for all roadside and rail reserve sites.
• Habitat where P. sp. aff. suaveolens and P. suaveolens occurs is highly significant and listed as threatened under the Victorian FFG Act 1988 and some sites are National Estate listed. It is vital to continue the current fire regime of annual burning in order to preserve species diversity in vegetation where they occur, to maintain openness and suppress invasive exotic species such as Phalaris aquatica, Romulea rosea and Cuscuta dubia.
• La Trobe University have conducted applied research in site management since the 1980s at Derrinallum and Vite Vite and their continuing involvement should be encouraged. The contributions of local field naturalists should also be encouraged and supported in regard to site management at Yalla Y Poora.
• Yalla Y Poora land tenure is in need of resolution.

Overall recovery strategy:

Broadscale risk management will include negotiated PAMAs with Local Government and rail reserve managers to undertake annual burning, weed management and protection of sites from damage caused by heavy machinery. Searches will be conducted at similar sites in the region in the spring following annual fuel reduction burning. Populations will be mapped and annual censusing carried out to determine their response to current management. Recovery will be jointly managed by DSE with involvement from La Trobe University School of Botany and local field naturalists.

Consultation:

DSE SW (Ballarat, Colac, Warrnambool); Shire of Moyne, Shire of Corangamite, Rural City of Ararat; A. and M. Morton (Field Naturalists and ANOS members, Clunes), Parks Victoria (Victoria West Region, Beaufort); Dr J. Morgan (La Trobe University); John Arnott (Geelong Botanic Gardens).