page_title: Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve
section_title: Environmental threats
hierarchical_section_title: Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve / Environmental threats
context_page_description: The Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve in the central western region of New South Wales, Australia. The 86.4-hectare reserve is situated 10 kilometres south of West Wyalong and may be accessed via the Newell Highway and The Charcoal Tank Road. The reserve is an important refuge for native flora and fauna in a highly fragmented landscape, one in which the majority of the original vegetation has been removed.
context_section_description: Due to its small size and isolation in a fragmented landscape The Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve's structure and biodiversity are at risk from threatening processes such as climate change, edge effects, pest species, pollution, high intensity fire and further clearing of roadside and patch remnants in the region. Any of these threatening processes can have serious impacts on biodiversity but they are rarely encountered in isolation having a compounding effect on individual species and ecosystems as a whole.
  Fragmentation has isolated the Reserve from other remnant patches making it difficult for species to move through the landscape. This places species at greater risk of local extinction by preventing range expansion and therefore decreasing genetic diversity and trapping species in areas without sufficient resources. Once a species becomes locally extinct re-colonisation through immigration across a fragmented landscape is highly unlikely. If species are forced to move across a fragmented landscape they are at greater risk of predation or collisions with vehicles; this is especially the case for species in the Reserve which is bordered by the Newell Highway
  Roadside vegetation in NSW is now extremely important to the survival of many species that rely on them as the only corridors to larger remnants; this includes species found in the Reserve. Small remnants such as The Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve and roadside strips are under increased pressure from edge effects as they have smaller interior habitats. The Reserve's edges are linear and artificial making it more susceptible to degrading processes including severe weather events, erosion, insecticidal drift from neighbouring properties, select species dominance, grazing by neighbouring domestic livestock and invasion of pest species. Predation of bird nests along artificially created edges in Mallee is higher than naturally occurring Mallee edges. Gully erosion in the west of the reserve is a long-standing problem, caused by runoff from the cleared surrounding paddocks and the artificial drainage line to dams. The Reserve becomes a sink for the cleared surrounding landscape with topsoil disturbance and potential pollutants and seeds of pest plants entering the Reserve.
  The rest stop that has encroached into the Reserve from the Newell Highway allows easy access to the public. The area of the Reserve immediately adjoining the rest stop is regularly polluted by rubbish and is used as a toilet. Rubbish may attract introduced pest species to the Reserve, and general public access can increase the likelihood of fire with makeshift fireplaces evident.
  The altering of weather patterns caused by anthropogenic climate change is a serious threat to the Reserve as the impact of increased severe weather events such as drought, fire, floods and storms can exacerbate existing threatening processes. Changes to the timing of seasonal onset can modify food availability such as nectar and impact on the survival and abundance of species as the metabolic cost of finding food increases. The Reserve has already been impacted by long periods of drought which have seen a decline in the overall abundance of bird species in the last 30 years. A recent study using data on Lichenostomus plumus (white-plumed honeyeater) collected in The Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve over the past 23 years shows their size has increased in correlation with warmer mean temperatures and a decrease in rainfall. The study by Gardner shows selection against smaller individuals at breeding time. Selective mortality has the potential to threaten population viability as conditions in the region become dryer and temperatures increase
  If the rate of wildfire increases with climate change slow growing flora in the Reserve, such as Callitris endlicheri (black cypress pine), may be lost. Callitris rely on seeds alone for reproduction and post fire may be outcompeted by species such as Eucalyptus that are faster growing and have more recovery options through epicormic buds and lignotubers.
caption: Farmland surrounding The Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve
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