Regional ecosystem details for 8.12.28
| Regional ecosystem | 8.12.28 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Of concern |
| Wetlands | Not a Wetland |
| Biodiversity status | Of concern |
| Subregion | 1, (6) |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 1000 ha; Remnant 2021 1000 ha |
| Short description | Semi-evergreen microphyll Acacia fasciculifera, Terminalia spp., Brachychiton spp. vine forest to vine thicket of near-coastal foothills on volcanics (subregion 1) |
| Structure code | Closed Forest |
| Description | Semi-evergreen microphyll vine forest to vine thicket. Emergents are sometimes present, such as Araucaria cunninghamii, Euroschinus falcatus, Brachychiton compactus, Brachychiton australis and Falcataria toona. The canopy consists of species such as Acacia fasciculifera, Cleistanthus dallachyanus, Brachychiton compactus, Pleiogynium timorense, Terminalia porphyrocarpa and Terminalia melanocarpa. There may be a lower tree layer including species including Cleistanthus dallachyanus, Croton arnhemicus, Drypetes deplanchei, Dendrocnide photiniphylla, Acacia fasciculifera, Brachychiton acerifolius, Planchonella pohlmaniana and Gossia bidwillii. A shrub and/or lower tree layer is usually present, typically Psydrax odorata, Eugenia reinwardtiana, Atalaya rigida, Turraea pubescens, Archidendropsis thozetiana, Tabernaemontana orientalis and Capparis arborea. The ground layer may include Ancistrachne uncinulata, Drynaria sparsisora, Pseuderanthemum variabile and Aneilema acuminatum. Vines are common, especially Melodorum crassipetalum, Cissus oblonga, Smilax australis and Dioscorea transversa. Epiphytes include Dendrobium discolor and Platycerium bifurcatum. Occurs on slopes, ridges and crests on rolling hills of foothills. Geologies mapped as Pll (Airlie Volcanics) and Kp (Proserpine Volcanics). Early Cretaceous - Early Permian acid to intermediate pyroclastics and flows. Includes rhyolite and andesite. May include some basalt. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 5b). |
| Supplementary description | McDonald (1995), Group 2 |
| Protected areas | Dryander NP |
| Special values | 8.12.28: Habitat for the near threatened plant species Brachychiton compactus and Solanum sporadotrichum. Also habitat for plant species which are poorly known in the Central Queensland Coast Bioregion such as Brachychiton acerifolius, Phyllanthus microcladus, Sarcochilus hillii and Vincetoxicum grandiflorum; northern range limit of Monococcus echinophorus; southern range limit of Marsdenia tricholepis, Brackenridgea australiana and Tetrastigma thorsborneorum, and habitat for plant species with restricted distribution such as Homalium sp. (South Molle Island J.A.Gresty AQ208995). Habitat for Proserpine Rock Wallaby listed as "Endangered" in the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. |
| Fire management guidelines | INTERVAL: Fire return interval not relevant. INTERVAL_MIN: 100. INTERVAL_MAX: 100. ISSUES: Fire sensitive. |
| Comments | 8.12.28: Distinguished from other land zone 12 closed forest ecosystems by the presence of characteristic species such as Brachychiton compactus, Acacia fasciculifera, and Brachychiton australis, and by occurring only and subregion 1. Restricted to subregion 1 coastal areas from the northern parts of the Dryander range (4km north of Earlando) to Bluff Point (5km north-west of Airlie Beach). May occur on some of the northern islands. Reasonably good, though the ecosystem is at risk from tourist or housing developments (due to the near-coastal distribution adjacent to idyllic bays). The variable and low structure of this ecosystem naturally enables light to penetrate, and it is therefore vulnerable to weed invasion, and in most places by weeds such as *Lantana camara, *Passiflora suberosa, *P. pallida and *Solanum seaforthianum are present. This ecosystem is also at risk from fire, especially due to the possibility of rapid *Lantana camara encroachment during recovery (which subsequently makes ecosystem more flammable and at risk of hotter fires). |
1 Estimated extent is from version 13 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.
