What is the EPBC ACT?
The EPBC Act, or Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, is a key piece of Australian legislation aimed at protecting the environment, particularly Australia's unique biodiversity and heritage. Here are its main features:
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Protection of Biodiversity: The Act safeguards threatened species, ecological communities, and migratory species, establishing a framework for their conservation.
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Environmental Impact Assessments: It requires assessments for proposed actions that may significantly impact matters of national environmental significance, such as listed threatened species, world heritage sites, and Ramsar wetlands.
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National Heritage Listings: The Act provides for the protection of places of national heritage value, ensuring that significant cultural and natural sites are preserved.
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Conservation Programs: It mandates the development of recovery plans and conservation programs for threatened species and ecological communities, guiding actions to enhance their survival.
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Community Engagement: The Act encourages public participation and consultation in environmental decision-making processes.
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Compliance and Enforcement: It includes provisions for compliance monitoring and enforcement to ensure adherence to environmental protections.
The EPBC Act plays a crucial role in Australian conservation efforts, balancing development needs with environmental protection to safeguard the country's rich biodiversity for future generations.
Endangered Species
Proserpine Rock Wallaby
Essential Habitat - Petrogale persephone
The Proserpine Rock-wallaby has the smallest known distribution of any Rock-wallaby, and is limited to near the towns of Proserpine and Airlie Beach, in the Whitsunday Shire of northern Queensland.
Did You Know?
Wild Proserpine Rock-wallabies occur in three main regions: Conway Range / Mt Dryander, Clarke Range, and Gloucester Island. These three regions are separated by substantial areas of unsuitable habitat.
Proserpine Rock-wallabies at Clarke Range are isolated from other subpopulations by around 20 km of unsuitable vegetation and cleared land.
MLA100351 is overlayed across mapped essential habitat for fragmented and well documented colony of the MNES endangered and endemic Proserpine rock wallaby.
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Overview: Endangered Proserpine Rock Wallaby
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Only 25 colonies of the Proserpine Rock-wallaby are known to still exist in the wild.
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The largest & most viable colonies are found in Dittmer and the Clarke Ranges
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Land Clearing & Habitat Loss are the main threat to the survival of the last remaining critically endangered Proserpine Rock Wallabies:
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Land clearing reduces the availability of these essential habitats, forcing wallabies into smaller, fragmented areas that may not provide adequate resources.
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Fragmentation: Habitat loss often leads to fragmentation, isolating populations.
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This isolation can limit genetic diversity and reduce opportunities for breeding, making populations more vulnerable to inbreeding and decreasing their overall resilience.
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Food Resources: Rock wallabies depend on a variety of plants for food. Land clearing disrupts these food sources, leading to competition with other species for limited resources and potentially impacting their nutrition and survival.
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Increased Predation: As habitat is cleared, wallabies may be more exposed to predators, such as foxes and feral cats. Without adequate cover, their chances of evading predators decline, leading to increased mortality rates.
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Human Disturbance: Land clearing often brings increased human activity, including development and recreational use of land. This can lead to stress and displacement for rock wallabies, further impacting their survival.
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Water Sources: Habitat loss can also affect local water sources, which are crucial for wallabies, especially in dry periods. Reduced access to water can lead to increased stress and mortality.
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Conservation Challenges: Addressing the effects of land clearing and habitat loss is vital for conservation strategies. Efforts may include habitat restoration, creating wildlife corridors to connect fragmented areas, and implementing protective measures to conserve remaining habitats.
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The Proserpine Rock-wallaby is opportunistic in its diet. It eats at least 142 species of plants, including grass (54%), leaves (and sometimes fruit) of trees (31.5%), vines (7.5%), shrubs (7.5%), fungi and herbs (1%).
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Only species that lives exclusively in rainforests
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At serious risk due to human activity, habitat loss and potential mining operations.
Proserpine Rock Wallaby
Immediate Issues of Relevant Concern:
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The Proserpine Rock Wallaby is an endangered species with only 25 colonies left
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EPBC Act Listing Status: Listed as Endangered (Date effective 16-Jul-2000)
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Habitat clearing and human impact is the largest threat to the remaining colonies of Proserpine Rock Wallabies.
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The Dittmer MLA100351 Lease is located over well documented essential habitat which (according to researchers) is the most viable of all colonies.
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The Clarke Ranges forms part of a scope of works relating to Green Energy which threatens the habitats of various endangered and critically endangered flora and fauna, including the Platypus, Proserpine Rock Wallaby,
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Evidence suggests that the Dittmer colony of endangered Proserpine Rock Wallabies rely extensively on the Kelsey Creek water catchment for their ongoing survival.
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This water resource forms part of the scope of works proposed for Dittmer Gold Mine and is at risk of contamination should mining works be undertaken.
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ACT 1999
We urge immediate action for thorough Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA/EIS/hydro studies) and EPBC referrals in accordance with the EPBC ACT 1999, to ensure the adequate protection of these vulnerable species, their habitats, and critical water resources. The approval of these projects could have irreversible consequences for the Proserpine Rock Wallaby and other threatened species.
The Clarke-Connors Ranges
The Clarke Ranges in Queensland are home to several threatened and endangered species that are at risk due to habitat loss and other environmental pressures.
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Proserpine Rock Wallaby (Petrogale persephone): This species is particularly vulnerable due to habitat loss from land clearing and fragmentation.
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Greater Glider (Petauroides volans): A large, nocturnal marsupial that is affected by habitat degradation and loss of mature forests.
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Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis): This glider depends on old-growth forests and is threatened by logging and habitat fragmentation.
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Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis): This migratory shorebird is threatened by habitat loss in its breeding and feeding grounds.
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Spotted-Tail Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus): This carnivorous marsupial faces threats from habitat destruction and competition with invasive species.
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The eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) (Felis catus; wild populations): While not officially classified as endangered, feral cats can impact native species through predation, particularly in fragmented habitats.
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Various Threatened Plant Species: The Clarke Ranges also host several plant species that are considered threatened due to habitat loss, including certain orchids and other flora that rely on specific ecosystems.
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These species are part of a broader ecological network, and their decline can have significant consequences for the health of the ecosystem. Conservation efforts in the Clarke Ranges are essential to protect these species and their habitats from further degradation.
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THREATENED NATIVE SPECIES: WALL OF SHAME
Australian snubfin dolphin
water mouse
ghost bat
grey-headed flying-fox
Proserpine rock-wallaby
southern greater glider
yellow-bellied glider (southern subspecies)
koala
northern quoll
Eungella honeyeater
powerful owl
glossy black-cockatoo
glossy black-cockatoo (northern)
ruddy turnstone
sharp-tailed sandpiper
red knot
curlew sandpiper
great knot
Latham's snipe
Western Alaskan bar-tailed godwit
black-tailed godwit
eastern curlew
common greenshank
terek sandpiper
greater sand plover
lesser sand plover
grey plover
beach stone-curlew
grey falcon
red goshawk
white-throated needletail
squatter pigeon (southern subspecies)
orange-speckled forest-skink
Connors' Range broad-tailed gecko
Mount Jukes broad-tailed gecko
white-throated snapping turtle
Fitzroy River turtle
estuarine crocodile
northern gastric brooding frog
Eungella dayfrog
Eungella tinkerfrog
tusked frog
pale imperial hairstreak
The Whitsunday Clarke-Connor Range area is home to several threatened native plant species at risk of extinction:
These plants are part of the unique ecosystems in the Clarke Connor Range, and their conservation is critical for maintaining biodiversity in the region. Protecting their habitats from development, invasive species, and climate change is essential for their survival.
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Our Water Resources are irreplaceable and deserve our primary focus and protection. Endangered animals and flora located in this delicate ecosystem are in dire need of our help.
