Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L01376:reg:1:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L01376
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1 (pt 1/3)
Character Range: 9655–12901

1               General information
The Macadamia genus is endemic to Australia and is the predominant Australian native commercial food crop. Two of the four Macadamia species produce a highly desired, edible nut and are extensively cultivated within and outside their natural distribution in Australia and internationally. Despite this, all four species are threatened in the wild.
Wild populations of Macadamia are genetic reservoirs for the Macadamia industry, which was founded from only a very small number of trees exported to Hawai'i in the late 1800s. Wild trees contain a genetic diversity that does not exist within cultivated trees and are a resource vital to building industry resilience to changes in weather patterns, emerging pests and possible diseases.
Preceding contemporary utilisation, Macadamias were harvested and eaten by First Nations communities along the east coast, as well as traded with other communities and, following colonisation, with settlers.
Macadamia nuts are also sought after by cockatoos and native as well as introduced rat species, though few other animals can crack the hard shell found on the edible species.

Conservation status
This Plan encompasses the four Macadamia species, all of which are listed as threatened under relevant State threatened species legislation where they occur and under Commonwealth legislation (Table 1).
Table 1. Legislative status of Australian Macadamia species
Scientific Name                              Macadamia species             
                                            Queensland1        NSW2        Australia3
Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche       Vulnerable         N/A         Vulnerable
Macadamia jansenii C.L. Gross & P.H. Weston  Endangered         N/A         Endangered
Macadamia ternifolia F. Muell                Vulnerable         N/A         Vulnerable
Macadamia tetraphylla L.A.S. Johnson         Vulnerable         Vulnerable  Vulnerable

1 Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld); 2 Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW); 3 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

International obligations
All four Macadamia species are listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List for Threatened Plants (IUCN 1997), with M. jansenii listed as endangered and the other three species as vulnerable.
Australia is a signatory to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (FAO 2009), adopted by consensus and as a binding international agreement at the Thirty-first Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on 3 November 2001. Under the terms of this agreement, Australia is required to conserve the genetic resources of Macadamia species for food and agricultural purposes.
Macadamia integrifolia, M. integrifolia x tetraphylla and M. tetraphylla are included on the List of Exempt Native Species (LENS) for oil, fruit, husks and shells. Native species export permits may be required if these species are to be exported in any form or from any other species than those included on LENS.

Affected interests
Macadamias have a restricted distribution within appropriate habitats which