Fitzgerald Biosphere Recovery Plan
This Fitzgerald Biosphere Recovery Plan constitutes the formal national regional recovery plan for 11 flora species and provides recovery guidance for the remaining species and ecological communities largely endemic to the Fitzgerald Biosphere on the south coast of Western Australia that are listed under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
The Fitzgerald River National Park (FRNP) was designated a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 1978, and is recognised for its relatively pristine state and high biological diversity, especially its flora.
For the purpose of this plan, the term ‘Fitzgerald Biosphere’ or ‘Biosphere’ refers to the combination of the core Biosphere area as recognised by MAB and the buffer and transition zones as defined by catchment boundaries as shown in figure 1. Accordingly, this Recovery Plan applies to the threatened species and ecological communities occurring within the core area and the buffer and transition zones. However, the plan does not constitute an EPBC Act management plan for the MAB Biosphere.
The Biosphere includes 41 threatened species/communities listed by the State of WA, 33 of which are also listed by the Commonwealth.
The Plan presents a landscape approach to identifying the recovery actions and management practices necessary to ensure the long-term viability of the threatened and priority species and ecological communities and the overall biodiversity of the Fitzgerald Biosphere.
The attainment of this Plan’s objectives and the provision of funds necessary to implement actions are subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Recovery Plans do not necessarily represent the views or the official positions of individuals or organisations represented on the Recovery Team.
It is intended that this Recovery Plan will be implemented over a 10-year period. The information in this Plan is accurate at March 2011.
This Fitzgerald Biosphere Recovery Plan is presented in two documents. This document is the main body of the Plan, while the second document contains profiles of the threatened species and ecological communities represented by this plan (Appendix 2).
