Mountain Devil, Lambertia formosa
Coreopsis, Coreopsis Lanceolata
Flora
The floristic diversity of the Park and the Jervis Bay region is high. It is essentially a coastal zone where the vegetation is influenced by fire, salt spray, strong winds, sandy soils and undulating topography. Over 460 native vascular plants in approximately 100 families have been recorded in the Jervis Bay Territory.
Forest communities in the Park are dominated by blackbutt Eucalyptus pilularis and southern mahogany E. botryoides, with Sydney golden wattle Acacia longifolia and banksias dominating the understory. Relic rainforest communities, which are generally found in wet gullies within forest communities, are dominated by hard corkwood Endiandra sieberi and lilly pilly Acmena smithii. Native poplar Omolanthus populifolius, blueberry ash Elaeocarpus reticulatus, bastard rosewood Synoum glandulosum and cabbage tree palm Livistona australis also occur. Ferns and creepers are common ground cover species in the rainforest gullies.
Woodland communities in the Park are dominated by silvertop ash E. sieberi and bloodwood E. gummifera. Woodland understorys are composed mainly of heath banksia Banksia ericifolia and old man banksia B. serrata and the grass tree Xanthorrhea australis also occurs.
Common heath species occurring in the Park include B. ericifolia, dagger hakea Hakea teritifolia, Manuka Leptospermum scoparium, Xanthorrhea resinosa and Allocasuarina distyla. Coastal scrub communities are dominated by coastal tea tree L. laevigatum. Sporobolus virginicus, Stipa sp. and Zoysia macrantha dominate grassland communities on Bowen Island.
The marine seagrass beds contain three genera: Posidonia, Zostera and Halophila. Due to the clarity of the water some marine species are found at much greater depths than usual. The region has approximately thirty saltmarsh species. There are two species of mangrove in the Park: grey mangrove Avicennia marina and river mangrove Aegiceras corniculatum. Subtidal and intertidal platforms support a diversity of rocky reef algae with Hormosira, Ecklonia, Sargassum, Phyllospora and Cystophora being the dominant genera.
A number of plant species which occur in the Park have significant conservation status and warrant special protection because of their limited distribution or they are rare. These species are protected under various inventories and schedules.
Impacts on Booderee National Park following bush fire
In December 2003 a bush fire affected approximately 2,500 ha, about 50% of the Park. Damage to park infrastructure in campgrounds and along walking trails was substantial.
Because of the intensity of the fire many trees in this area were fire affected. An extensive audit of the trees was undertaken and specialist advice provided recommending the removal of many trees to reduce the risk of harm to visitors through falling limbs. Where possible habitat trees have been retained and assessment of fire damaged trees and infrastructure is continuing. Visitor safety was the primary consideration in restoring the park to normal operations.
Fire and the Fauna of Booderee
Australia's wildlife has had millions of years to adapt to bushfire and many of the plant species they depend upon require fire to complete their life cycle. For example, while many pygmy possums would have been killed by the fire, the nectar rich heath Banksias they depend on for food need fire to stimulate their regeneration. Other animals have strategies for surviving fire such as native bushrats which hide in burrows or marsupial mice which hide in tree hollows. Studies in other parts of Australia have revealed that most species of mammals and birds recover to their former abundance several years after a fire. Indeed wallabies and kangaroos increase in abundance after fires in response to the new grass that is stimulated by the fire, a fact that has been exploited by Aboriginal people for thousands of years through "fire stick farming".
The December fire at Booderee has had a significant impact on the wildlife within the Park either through burning, smoke inhalation or starvation after the fire. In collaboration with the Park, Professor David Lindenmayer from the Australian National University, has initiated a long-term study on the relationship between the fauna of Booderee and fire. The main aim of the study is to understand how whole ecosystems respond to different types and frequencies of fire.
Shortly after the fire, surveys were conducted for the abundance of medium sized ground mammals such as bandicoots. These surveys revealed decent numbers of bandicoots in all habitats including areas that had recently been burnt. These animals, like brush-tail possums, eat a wide range of foods so it is likely that they can respond to the fire by changing their diet to include more foods like underground fungus that wouldn't have been destroyed by the fire.
Despite the resilience of most of Booderee's fauna to fire, there is concern about the impact of fire on the endangered eastern bristlebird. This bird depends on dense tangled growth as a habitat such as old unburnt heath and obviously a lot of this habitat has been destroyed in the bushfires. It will regrow but may take up to 15 years to become ideal habitat. Since the fire, surveys have shown that these birds have disappeared from large areas of burnt heath but there are still reasonable numbers in unburnt areas of the park. Monitoring of these birds will continue in subsequent years to see their long-term response to the fire.
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