Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Genoplesium baueri also on Nowra - Braidwood Road.

Further to my most recent post about the lovely Turquoise Parrots, I can now report that in a quiet period on Saturday afternoon, when the "Turqs" were resting amongst the trees, and while I was resting my hip, Alan Stephenson went looking along the grassy verge of the Nowra-Braidwood Road, and found a few specimens of Genoplesium baueri - the "Brittle Midge Orchid".

Genoplesium baueri on Nowra Braidwood Road
This species is listed on the NSW Threatened Species list as "vulnerable". It has been nominated for EPBC Act listing, by Alan, but so far, it has not yet been "listed' in the Federal environmental protection system.
    Genoplesium baueri on Nowra Braidwood Road
The reason this lack of Federal environment protection is important is because of my last line comment on the previous blog post: 
  • Alan has just learnt that the local National Parks office is preparing to "slash" the roadside verge in this area, which would be bad news indeed for the Parrots which are feeding on the low grasses there which are happily seeding at present. Lets hope that move can be delayed for a few weeks at least.
Because I had not got around to mentioning the Orchids, I did not refer to the threat posed to the Orchids by roadside slashing. Of course, when the Orchids are in flower or when carrying any seed capsules, then slashing could well be "terminal" for a small colony of these Endangered Orchids.

Lets hope the Nowra office of NPWS can be persuaded to hold back on their plans for roadside verge slashing along the Nowra-Braidwood Road, for a few weeks, to allow these important "threatened species" to at least complete their reproductive phase.


There are so few of these Orchids known to exist that Australia does not have any "to spare". The biology of this species is such that it does not appear to recover well from disturbance. It has a habit of simply dying out if disturbed.

Decisions about such matters are probably less likely to be considered important for relatively drab little flowers like these.

Let us hope that the "pretty Turquoise Parrots" can help attract enough attention to get both these Endangered Species protected from such a simple threat as "routine roadside slashing". At the very least, surely the 600 metres where both these Orchids and Turquoise Parrots have been identified could be spared from slashing.


After all, it is the same Department (currently the "NSW Office of Environment and Heritage") which has "Listed" both these species as threatened species, which currently poses a threat to their survival - within the Parma Creek Nature Reserve.

The irony of this situation surely cannot be allowed to go without comment.

6 comments:

mick said...

Bureaucracy gone mad?

Denis Wilson said...

Hi Mick
.
Well, in fairness, they didn't know until last week that either Threatened Species was there.
But that itself is part of the problem.
They are underfunded to the huge task they have of managing the areas they have under their "control" (and I use that term loosely).
.
Lets hope we can achieve some satisfactory outcome in this case.
.
Cheers
Denis

Mr. Smiley said...

Denis
The problem always is with the news train. Sure the Nowra office will be onside but will they bother to pass the info down to the guy on the slasher? The answer is most likely no. He won't have any idea of the orchid or anything else along the road. He just does his job. Such is bureaucracy.
DR

Denis Wilson said...

Hi David,
Thanks.
I agree with your assessment.
Lets just hope for a good outcome. I am not giving them stick for not caring.
They just didn't know what they have under their control, (or slashers).
Cheers
Denis
.
PS:
No doubt there are Katydids and Grasshoppers there too. In fact I know there are.
Cheers
Denis

the forest said...

HiDenis, I decided to try to add a comment -very brave for a ludite like myself. I am so glad that guys like you and Alan are out there and trying to protect these areas. I assume the new hip is now working.Yes , unfortunately I have often heard of slashing being done by a contractor or a council grader in spite of the area being listed as sensitive etc.
Can only nope this wont be the case there and commonsense prevails.

Denis Wilson said...

Hi Mark
Thanks for being a brave little Luddite. Well done.

Alan is being very persistent, (hardly a surprise there).
I saw him this afternoon, and he has arranged meetings with the relevant persons over the next few days.
.
Even if they just leave the small area 9about 600 metres long) where the orchids and the Parrots coexist that would be good.
.
Cheers

Denis