Nelia Shrublands - profile

Scientific name: Acacia loderi Shrublands
Conservation status in NSW: Endangered Ecological Community

Description

The Acacia loderi Shrubland community is dominated by the tall shrub or small tree, Acacia loderi(commonly known in some parts of its range as Nelia). Other tree species that may occur in association with A. loderi are A. aneura, A. oswaldii, Callitris gracilis, Casuarina pauper and Flindersia maculosa.

Location and habitat

Distribution
The Acacia loderi Shrublands are known from the Broken Hill Complex, Murray-Darling Depression, Cobar Peneplain, Riverina, Mulga Lands and Darling Riverine Plains Bioregions. Sites occur from south-western NSW to north-western Victoria and eastern South Australia. In NSW, the community is mainly confined to south-western NSW, extending east to Hillston and north to White Cliffs. The major stands occur between Broken Hill, Ivanhoe and Wilcannia, while isolated stands occur beyond these areas.

Habitat and ecology

The community has a naturally open structure of individual shrubs to small trees (to 8 m tall) with a low, diverse understorey dominated by chenopod sub-shrubs, herbs and grasses. The community is often interspersed by woodlands of Belah Casuarina pauper, Rosewood Alectryon oleifolius or Flindersia maculosa.
Indigenous people have a strong cultural association with Nelia.
Remnants are found on solonized brown and duplex soils on level to undulating plains or on calcareous red earths; at Kinchega National Park remnants are restricted to level areas on solonized brown soils; typical habitat has a rainfall range of 240mm to 280mm.

Regional information
This species is found in the following catchment management authority regions. Click on a region name to see more details about the distribution, vegetation types and habitat preference of the species in that region.

Threats

Threats include clearing and a lack of regeneration of tree species through heavy grazing pressure, particularly from stock and rabbits; although there is some limited regeneration by vegetative means (suckering) in the dominant Nelia, most existing stands consist of old-age cohorts; even within conservation reserves such as Kinchega National Park, rabbit grazing pressure has severely limited regeneration of Nelia, and flooding from over-filling of the Menindee Lakes has resulted in destruction of several remnants; a number of former stands now consist of only rings of dead trees.
Lack of regeneration, especially seedling recruitment of Nelia.
Heavy grazing pressure, particularly from stock and rabbits.
Exists in some instances as small isolated fragments.
Increased grazing pressure around groundwater tanks in Mungo NP.
Clearing of remnants.
Inappropriate fire regimes.
Lack of knowledge of the ecology of the community.
Historical pastoral uses.
Invasion of exotic weeds in the understorey.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

Involve stakeholders in the management of remnants, and disseminate information about this EEC to the community.
Control rabbits and goats in Kinchega and Mungo National Parks.
Ensure that the fire sensitivity of the community is considered when planning hazard reduction and asset management burning.
Protect sites from inappropriate burning.
Ensure that this species is considered in the land use planning process, particularly development consents, rezonings and regional planning
Manage the Menindee Lakes Water Storages to prevent detriment impacts on remnants.
Reduce the total grazing pressure (especially rabbits, sheep, cattle and goats) in critical dry periods on semi-arid and arid grazing land.
Close or fence off the groundwater tanks in Mungo NP to reduce the concentrated impacts of stock, feral animals and native grazers on existing remnants.
Rehabilitate the understorey of remnants via weed control.
Protect all known habitat from clearing or disturbance.
Monitor status of all known remnants.
Investigate the impacts of grazing animals on remnants (particularly the effects of rabbit density and stocking rates).
Survey and map the extant distribution of remnants.

References

Auld, T.D. (1995) The impact of herbivores on regeneration in four trees from arid Australia. The Rangeland Journal 17, 213-227.
Fox, M. (1993) Acacia shrublands of western New South Wales. Unpublished National Estate Programme report.
NSW Scientific Committee (2000) Acacia loderi shrublands - Endangered ecological community determination - final. DEC (NSW), Sydney.
Pickard, J. and Norris, E. H. (1994) The natural vegetation of north-western NSW: notes to accompany the 1:1000000 vegetation map sheet. Cunninghamia 3, 423-465.
Westbrooke, M. E. and Miller, J. D. (1995) Vegetation of Mungo National Park, western NSW. Cunninghamia 4, 63-81