Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (List of Threatened Ecological Communities (EC185)) Instrument 2026
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Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (List of Threatened Ecological Communities (EC185)) Instrument 2026
I, Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water, make the following instrument.
Dated 13 March 2026
Murray Watt
Murray Watt
Minister for the Environment and Water
Contents
1 Name
2 Commencement
3 Authority
4 Schedules
Schedule 1—Amendments
Declaration under s178, s181, and s183 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - List of threatened species, List of threatened ecological communities and List of threatening processes
Schedule 2— Description of ecological community
1 Name
This instrument is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (List of Threatened Ecological Communities (EC185)) Instrument 2026
2 Commencement
This instrument commences on the day after it is registered.
3 Authority
This instrument is made under section 184 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
4 Schedules
Each instrument that is specified in Schedule 1 to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in Schedule 1 to this instrument has effect according to its terms.
Schedule 1—Amendments
Declaration under s178, s181, and s183 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - List of threatened species, List of threatened ecological communities and List of threatening processes
1 In the appropriate position under the category heading “ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ENDANGERED”
Insert the following ecological community:
(a) Alpine Ash forests of mainland Australia
Schedule 2— Description of ecological community
Alpine Ash forests of mainland Australia
The ecological community is the assemblage of plants, animals and other organisms associated with and dependent upon, the tall, open forests dominated or co-dominated by Eucalyptus delegatensis subsp. delegatensis (alpine ash).
The ecological community occurs from the Brindabella Ranges south-west of Canberra in the ACT, through the Snowy Mountains in NSW and Victorian Alps in Victoria to the Yarra Ranges, with outlying occurrences in the Mt Macedon area. It mostly occurs at 900 m to 1450 m elevation and typically on slopes.
Alpine Ash forests in their mature state have a multi-layered structure, with the eucalypt overstorey comprising 25 to 50 m tall trees dominated or co-dominated (more than 30% of the total number of stems or total tree canopy cover) by Eucalyptus delegatensis subsp. delegatensis (alpine ash). Commonly co-occurring tree canopy species can include Eucalyptus dalrympleana (mountain gum), E. denticulata, (shining gum), E. nitens (shining gum), E. obliqua (messmate), E. pauciflora (snow gum), E. radiata (narrow-leaved peppermint), E. regnans (mountain ash) and E. rubida (candlebark or ribbon gum). At lower elevations typical co-occurring eucalypts can include E. dives (broad-leaf peppermint), E. fastigata (brown barrel), E. robertsonii (Robertson’s peppermint), E. stellulata (black sallee) and E. viminalis (ribbon gum).
Midstorey species comprise a mixture of hard-leaved (sclerophyllous) and soft-leaved (mesophyllous) shrubs, which will vary depending on hydrological inputs and site conditions. The density and height of midstorey species will vary due to fire history, site conditions and species composition. In wetter sites, rainforest species such as Nothofagus cunninghamii (myrtle beech) may occur.
The ground layer can vary from grassy to shrubby depending on the site condition and fire history. Typically it has an open grassy herb-rich ground layer interspersed with leaf litter, small shrubs, tussock grasses, lilies and other herbs. A cover of bryophytes and lichens may be present. Wetter sites may contain sedges and fern species such as Pittosporum bicolor (banyalla), Blechnum wattsii (hard water-fern), Dicksonia antarctica (soft tree-fern), Polystichum proliferum (mother shield fern) and Pteridium esculentum (austral bracken). Herbaceous vines may occur.
The ecological community includes a variety of fauna species, including several species that are listed as threatened at a national or state level.