Commonwealth of Australia
List of Threatened Ecological Communities Amendment (EC189) Instrument 2025
I, MURRAY WATT, Minister for the Environment and Water, pursuant to paragraph 184(a) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, amend the list referred to in section 181 of that Act by including in the list of threatened ecological communities in the critically endangered category:
Dry rainforests of south-east New South Wales and eastern Victoria
as described in the Schedule to this instrument.
This instrument commences the day after registration.
Murray Watt
Minister for the Environment and Water
Dated 3/9/25
SCHEDULE 1
Dry rainforests of south-east New South Wales and eastern Victoria
The ecological community is the assemblage of plants, animals and other organisms associated with a type of rainforest growing among rocky outcrops and slopes, with seasonally dry conditions, found in fragmented locations typically between the Tuross River, New South Wales (NSW) in the north and the upper Mitchell River, eastern Victoria in the south.
The ecological community is restricted to small patches within the South East Corner IBRA Bioregion, and adjacent parts of the South East Coastal Plain bioregion and the South Eastern Highlands bioregion. It typically occurs in relatively sheltered niches, often among rocky outcrops, screes or limestone cliffs and cliff bases, steep upper granite slopes, heads of gullies, and rain shadow valleys, often with north or west-facing aspects. It occurs on a variety of substrates, primarily igneous felsic to intermediate intrusive or igneous felsic volcanic, with other occurrences on sedimentary siliciclastic substrates (e.g. mudstones) and limestone (e.g. in Victoria)
The ecological community typically has a closed or near-closed tree canopy approximately 9–15m in height, typically dominated by one or two species. In NSW occurrences, Ficus rubiginosa (Port Jackson fig) is typically dominant, while Pittosporum undulatum (sweet pittosporum) and Brachychiton populneus (kurrajong) occur often and can be dominant but also may be absent. In Victorian occurrences, P. undulatum (sweet pittosporum) and B. populneus typically dominate the canopy. Other common canopy species may include Myrsine howittiana (brush mutton-wood), Syzygium smithii (lilly pilly), Alectryon subcinereus (native quince), Dendrocnide excelsa (giant stinging tree) and Acacia implexa (lightwood). Emergent trees (eucalypts) may be present.
The understorey mid-layer is typically sparse, dominated by abundant lianas and other vines, with a few characteristically spiny or prickly shrub species such as Melycitus dentatus (tree violet) and Coprosma quadrifida (prickly currant bush). Vines are conspicuous in the understorey and sometimes in the canopy, including Celastrus australis (staff climber), Geitonoplesium cymosum (scrambling lily), Gynochthodes jasminoides (sweet morinda), Pandorea pandorana (wonga wonga vine) and Clematis glycinoides (headache vine).
The groundcover comprises typically scattered patches of herbs, drought-tolerant ferns and grasses with a patchy litter layer and mosses and lichens amongst rocks. Common species include Pellaea falcata (sickle fern) almost universally, often with Asplenium flabellifolium (necklace fern).
The ecological community includes a variety of fauna species, including several species that are listed as threatened at a national or state level.