Division Recovery objective 1: Protect and mainta - Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (National Recovery Plan for the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)) Instrument 2025 - Recovery objective 1: Protect and maintain wild sites and their habitat from threatening processes in the long term | Zoe
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (National Recovery Plan for the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)) Instrument 2025
Recovery objective 1: Protect and maintaRecovery objective 1: Protect and maintain wild sites and their habitat from threatening processes in the long term
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Recovery objective 1: Protect and maintain wild sites and their habitat from threatening processes in the long term
Performance criterion 10.1.1: The known stands of the Wollemi Pine are protected from damage by visitation to the stands. Enforcement of area closures, under the NPW Act Land Management Regulations and regulations in accordance with critical habitat occur.
Access to the wild Wollemi Pine stands continues to be highly restricted for both NSW DCCEEW staff and the public to minimise the risk to the remaining plants and their habitat. It is illegal to visit the Wollemi Pine wild population without authorisation from NPWS. The Wollemi Pine Access Strategy outlines the protocols for site access and restricts access only to essential personnel authorised by NSW DCCEEW. These measures have been further codified in the Wollemi National Park Plan of Management (2001), the Wollemi National Park Fire Management Plan (2006) and the Wollemi Pine Conservation Action Plan (2021).
Authorised visits to the wild stands for research purposes have also been monitored and approved by the Wollemi Pine Recovery Team. Only essential on-site work has been authorised. Wherever possible, use of plant material from the off-site populations at the ABGMA and the BMBGMT is prioritised over visits to the wild population. A registry of all approved site visits is maintained by NPWS. Illegal visitation has been minimal and on-ground site surveillance is continuing.
The declaration of Critical Habitat for the Wollemi Pine was made in 2007 under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) (now repealed). The identification report for the declaration of Critical Habitat for the Wollemi Pine also included regulations in accordance with Section 51 of the TSC Act to prohibit access to the critical habitat area and penalties for failure to comply with a direction given by a designated officer to leave the critical habitat area. Upon the repeal of the TSC Act, the Critical Habitat for the Wollemi Pine became an AOBV under the BC Act. The regulations to prohibit access to the declared area were substantially replicated in the Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2017.
The Wollemi Pine was declared an AIS under the NPW Act in 2021 and a CAP was developed. The activities described in the Wollemi Pine CAP include “Implement law enforcement and compliance action to prevent unauthorised access, to the extent practicable” and “Ensure all authorised access occurs in accordance with risk mitigation protocols which avoid significant impacts arising from trampling of plants, compaction and erosion of soils and the introduction and spread of pathogens.”
Performance criterion 10.1.2 The known stands of the Wollemi Pine are protected from the detrimental impacts of pathogens or other threats to plant health.
Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. multivora have been detected in Stand 1. The sources of introduction are unknown but are suspected to be the result of unauthorised visitation. Strict quarantine measures (including the Site Hygiene Protocol) have been, and will continue to be, enforced during all authorised site visits. The Site Hygiene Protocol has been updated and expanded since the previous recovery plan.
Performance criterion 10.1.3 A monitoring program is designed and implemented, and treatments are investigated and used, leading to the extent of P. cinnamomi in the site being controlled, further infections being halted and infected trees being effectively treated.
Monitoring of the Phytophthora spp. infection in Stand 1 is ongoing. Repeated soil testing has revealed the detectability of the pathogens along fixed transects varies over time. It is noted that absences may sometimes be detection failure, rather than true absences. Ridomil fungicide treatments have been discontinued following review of the wider environmental impacts associated with the application of the product and limited suppression success.
Wollemi Pine health monitoring is also ongoing, particularly around trees which have shown symptoms of Phytophthora infection. A non-destructive method of using phosphonate to treat Phytophthora infection has been developed based on glasshouse trials but has yet to be applied and tested on wild trees. The method involves painting phosphonate solution in conjunction with a penetrant onto the bark tissue, which allows chemical uptake by the tree. This reduces disease severity in infected trees and protects healthy trees from infection. Because the introduced chemical triggers energy-demanding defence mechanisms within treated trees, the treatment is only to be applied on trees that are free of, or have recovered from, severe stress ,such as extreme environmental conditions or fire damage.
Performance criterion 10.1.4 The stands of the Wollemi Pines are protected from the detrimental impacts of pollution, flooding, weed infestation, sedimentation and other adverse changes to the hydrology of the catchment wild population.
The wild Wollemi Pine population has been protected from pollution and weed infestation. Several flood events have occurred since the last recovery plan with no major impacts on the population or its habitat. Control of invasive weeds within the catchment is undertaken on a routine basis.
Performance criterion 10.1.5 The risk of damage to Wollemi Pine stands from wildfire and bushfire management activities will be minimised.
A Wollemi Pine Fire Management Strategy (FMS) was prepared in 2022 as a requirement of the CAP. Proposed actions under the FMS include continuation of the Rapid Aerial Response Team program for rapid suppression of fires within the Wollemi Pine catchment, in-grove protections in response to anticipated catastrophic fire conditions, hazard reduction burning at a landscape scale to limit bushfire spread and intensity, and inclusion of species experts in fire incident management teams.
Performance criterion 10.1.6 Guidelines for translocation of Wollemi Pine are prepared.
Guidelines for translocation were prepared as part of the 2019 translocations in Wollemi National Park. These will be updated as part of a review of the translocation program.
Performance criterion 10.1.7 Critical Habitat and associated regulations are declared and enforced as required.
A 5,000 hectare area of Wollemi National Park was declared as an AIS in 2021, supporting the declaration of the habitat of the Wollemi Pine as Critical Habitat in December 2007 under the TSC Act. Although the TSC Act has been repealed, the Critical Habitat for the Wollemi Pine became an AOBV upon enactment of the BC Act. The CAP describes the conservation activities required to control, abate or mitigate key risks to the environmental values of the AIS, and maintain, restore and remediate the environmental values of the AIS.