Two more species of flora presumed extinct rediscovered (A/Min)

14/7/98

The number of Western Australian native plants presumed extinct has fallen again with the rediscovery of two more species.

The rediscoveries mean that the number of presumed extinct flora species is now 23, compared with 53 when the category was first included on the threatened species list in 1991.

Acting Environment Minister Norman Moore today said that the fall in the number of native plants thought to be extinct was due to the tremendous efforts of botanists and reflected the great improvements in flora research and conservation in the past decade.

However, there was much more that needed to be done, with 318 species now listed as declared rare flora.

The two rediscovered species, Drummond grass (Deyeuxia drummondii) and Lasiopetalum rotundifolium, have been transferred from the presumed extinct flora list to the declared rare (threatened) species list released today.

Drummond grass was rediscovered in the Stirling Range National Park. Lasiopetalum rotundifolium, a purple flowering shrub originally collected in 1947 south of New Norcia, was rediscovered in the Brookton area.

Although 15 species have been added to the rare flora list, a further 20 have been delisted following further survey work and conservation action. The total of 318 flora species listed as rare is down from the 321 species listed last year.

A total of 16 fauna species have been removed from the threatened list.

They include the quenda (southern brown bandicoot) and tammar wallaby which are recovering in numbers as a result of the continued success of fox control through Western Shield, the Department of Conservation and Land Management's wildlife recovery initiative that aims to rescue 30 species of native animals from the brink of extinction.

Mr Moore said the removal of the two species brought to three the number of native mammals which had been brought back from the brink of extinction as a result of feral predator control. The woylie was removed from the threatened list in 1996. The three species are now listed as Conservation Dependent under World Conservation Union (IUCN) guidelines.

A further 14 species also had been removed from the threatened list. These included two mammals (the spectacled hare-wallaby and western mouse), eight birds (including the freckled duck), one reptile (the rough-scaled python) and three invertebrates.

The species had been removed from the list for several reasons, including as a result of status reviews following IUCN criteria and further surveys.

Mr Moore said WA now complied with the IUCN's Red List categories for assessing the threatened status of flora and fauna species. The new listings of threatened species now were directly comparable with international listings that used the IUCN criteria.

A further 17 invertebrate fauna species had been added to the threatened fauna list, including Synemon gratiosa, a small day moth, most recently located near Neerabup and Whiteman Park to the north of Perth.

Ten of the newly-listed invertebrates were found only in subterranean habitat on Barrow Island. The remaining six included a land snail from Stirling Range National Park, three Cape Range subterranean invertebrates, a springtail insect from South Guildford and a cave dwelling crustacean from Yanchep National Park.

The total number of threatened fauna species was now 116, up from 107 in November 1997, with a further 13 fauna species presumed extinct.

The increase in threatened species was directly due to further investigations into the conservation status of our previously largely ignored invertebrate fauna, including the subterranean fauna of Cape Range and Barrow Island.

Media contacts: Hartley Joynt, Minister's office, 9 321 1444

CALM: Gordon Wyre 9334 0420.