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Regional ecosystem details for 12.2.17

Regional ecosystem 12.2.17
Vegetation Management Act class Of concern
Wetlands Not a Wetland
Biodiversity status Of concern
Subregion 12
Estimated extent1 Pre-clearing 20 ha; Remnant 2021 10 ha
Short description Mixed closed tussock grassland to closed herbland on coral, shingle and sand cays
Structure code Closed Tussock Grassland
Description Mixed closed tussock grassland to closed herbland. Restricted to coral, shingle and sand cays. Littoral open to-sparse grassland/herbland (0.3 m, 5-35% FPC) comprised of seasonally variable short-lived and/or ephemeral species. Lepturus repens (0.3 m, up to 15% FPC) and Thuarea involuta are frequently dominant. Other species include the short-lived grass Stenotaphrum micranthum (0.15-0.5 m, 10% FPC) and the annual herb *Lepidium englerianum (0.03-0.07 m, 3-5% FPC). On landward margins, Boerhavia albiflora var. albiflora (0.02 m, 1-5% FPC) and *Portulaca oleracea (0.03-0.05 m, 1-2% FPC) may also be present. Argusia argentea seedlings (0.05 m, up to 5% FPC) seasonally establish during beach accreting periods. Restricted to coral, shingle and sand cays. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 28d).

Vegetation communities in this regional ecosystem include:
12.2.17a: Mixed tussock grassland to herbland. Restricted to coral, shingle and sand cays. Littoral open to-sparse grassland/herbland (0.3 m, 5-35% FPC) comprised of seasonally variable short-lived and/or ephemeral species. Lepturus repens (0.3 m, up to 15% FPC) and Thuarea involuta are frequently dominant. Other species include the short-lived grass Stenotaphrum micranthum (0.15-0.5 m, 10% FPC) and the annual herb *Lepidium englerianum (0.03-0.07 m, 3-5% FPC). On landward margins, Boerhavia albiflora var. albiflora (0.02 m, 1-5% FPC) and *Portulaca oleracea (0.03-0.05 m, 1-2% FPC) may also be present. Argusia argentea seedlings (0.05 m, up to 5% FPC) seasonally establish during beach accreting periods. Coral, shingle and sand cays. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 28d).
12.2.17b: Sesuvium portulacastrum herbland. Coral, shingle and sand cays. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 34f).
12.2.17c: Ephemeral wetlands. Coral, shingle and sand cays. Palustrine. (BVG1M: 34f).
Supplementary description Batianoff et. al (2009) 1;Batianoff et. al (2012) 3b,3c,4
Protected areas Capricornia Cays NP (S), Capricornia Cays NP
Fire management guidelines INTERVAL: Fire return interval not relevant. INTERVAL_MIN: 100. INTERVAL_MAX: 100. ISSUES: Do not burn deliberately. These islands are nesting habitat for seabirds; fire at inappropriate times could disrupt breeding cycles.
Comments 12.2.17a: Restricted to coral, shingle and sand cays. 12.2.17b: Restricted to coral, shingle and sand cays. Occurs on One Tree, Lady Musgrave, Fairfax East Islands. 12.2.17c: Restricted to coral, shingle and sand cays. Occurs on One Tree, Lady Musgrave, Lady Elliot and Fairfax East Islands.

1 Estimated extent is from version 13.1 pre-clearing and 2021 remnant regional ecosystem mapping. Figures are rounded for simplicity. For more precise estimates, including breakdowns by tenure and other themes see remnant vegetation in Queensland.

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Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Last updated
14 May 2024