Flora
Impacts of bush fire | Botanic Gardens | Weed management | See whats in flower this season with our newsletter
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 a wide variety of native shrubs, ferns and grasses. 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 understories 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.
Despite the severity of the of the December 2003 wildfire Booderee's fauna has shown itself to be remarkably resilient to fire. Even the population of endangered Eastern Bristlebirds which depend on dense tangled undergrowth as a habitat has successfully recovered. Since the fire, surveys have shown that these birds have repopulated burnt areas of the park. It is thought that the intensive baiting of foxes within Booderee National Park played a major role in their recovery. Monitoring of these birds will continue in subsequent years to see their long-term response to the fire.
Weed management
Booderee National Park and Booderee Botanic Gardens has a number of projects and management programs to help protect our native wildlife and habitats for future generations.
- Bitou bush control program
- Sea Spurge (PDF 770KB)