Regional ecosystem details for 3.2.6
| Regional ecosystem | 3.2.6 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Of concern |
| Wetlands | Not a Wetland |
| Biodiversity status | Of concern |
| Subregion | 7, 9, 3, 4, 6, (2), (1) |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 2000 ha; Remnant 2021 2000 ha |
| Short description | Casuarina equisetifolia woodland to open forest on foredunes on mainland and islands |
| Structure code | Woodland |
| Description | Casuarina equisetifolia woodland to open forest, sometimes with an understory of vine thicket species. Occurs on foredunes on mainland and islands. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 28a). Vegetation communities in this regional ecosystem include: 3.2.6a: Casuarina equisetifolia (beach sheoak) woodland to open forest. A very sparse shrub layer can occur and include Colubrina asiatica, Hibiscus tiliaceus and Sterculia quadrifida. The mixed but generally sparse ground layer can include Ipomoea indica, Spinifex longifolius and Thuarea involuta. Occurs on foredunes. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 28a). 3.2.6b: Casuarina equisetifolia open forest (18-25m) with a dense sub-canopy of vine thicket species including Aglaia elaeagnoidea, Cyclophyllum spp., Drypetes deplanchei, Diospyros maritima, Planchonella obovata (yellow boxwood), Premna serratifolia and Millettia pinnata. A sparse shrub layer often contains canopy species often with Eugenia reinwardtiana (Cedar Bay cherry) common. A sparse to dense groundlayer usually contains seedlings of canopy species. Occurs on coral cay islands. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 28a). |
| Protected areas | Turtle Group NP, Possession Island NP, Three Islands Group NP, Howick Group NP (CYPAL) |
| Fire management guidelines | INTERVAL: Fire return interval not relevant. INTERVAL_MIN: 100. INTERVAL_MAX: 100. STRATEGY: No fire management required. Protection relies on broad-scale management of surrounding country with numerous small fires throughout the year so that wildfires will be very limited in extent. ISSUES: Fire sensitive vegetation community. |
| Comments | 3.2.6: Widely distributed type. Also occurs in other coastal bioregions. Widely distributed type. Also occurs in other coastal bioregions. 3.2.6b: Masig and Kodel Islands. On Masig Island this community is under threat of fragmentation through clearing for expanding sewerage infrastructure requirements. |
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.
