4     Habitat critical to the survival of Littoral Rainforest

Current knowledge indicates that significant areas of Littoral Rainforest that existed at the time of European settlement have been cleared or converted to other land uses. Remaining remnants of the ecological community are highly fragmented and isolated across the natural distribution range; many remnants are degraded and in lower condition states.

The Littoral Rainforest and Coastal Vine Thickets of Eastern Australia ecological community is rated nationally as Critically Endangered. Given the small area remaining, all sites that meet the criteria for the listed community should be considered habitat critical to the survival of the ecological community.

From an ecological perspective, derived native vegetation structures (or patches on the pathway of succession towards Littoral Rainforest) may also be habitat critical to survival of the ecological community, if they adjoin, buffer or connect high integrity remnants, provide habitat critical for functionally important or threatened species, expand the potential habitat available to some species, or have good potential for restoration.