Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00858:body:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023L00858
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 37015–40286

roosting, or dispersal;
   * for the long-term maintenance of the species or ecological community (including the maintenance of species essential to the survival of the species or ecological community, such as pollinators);
   * to maintain genetic diversity and long-term evolutionary development; or
   * for the reintroduction of populations or recovery of the species or ecological community.

Such habitat may be, but is not limited to: habitat identified in a recovery plan for the species or ecological community as habitat critical for that species or ecological community; and/or habitat listed on the Register of Critical Habitat maintained by the Minister under the EPBC Act.

Habitat critical to the survival of the Black-breasted Button-quail includes:

Foraging and breeding habitat:
   * Vine thickets and rainforest vegetation types that are periodically water-stressed. These include: semi-evergreen vine thicket, low microphyll vine forest, Araucarian microphyll vine forest, Araucarian notophyll vine forest and Brachychiton scrubs that may incorporate bottle trees (Brachychiton sp.), Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) and Belah (Casuarina cristata).
   * Low thickets or woodlands with a dense understorey but little ground cover, typically dominated by Acacia spp.
   * In littoral situations, dry vine scrubs, acacia thickets and areas densely covered in shrubs, particularly Midgen Berry (Austromyrtus dulcis).

Habitat for the long-term maintenance of the species:
All Key Biodiversity Areas with Black-breasted Button-quail as a trigger species.
Suitable habitat in future climate niches as information becomes available.

Areas with potential habitat
Areas with Black-breasted Button-quail habitat attributes that occur within the modelled distribution of the Black-breasted Button-quail that have been surveyed without confirmed detections may be habitat that is temporarily unoccupied. A greater understanding about Black-breasted Button-quail patterns of occurrence, population dynamics and dispersal, and detectability is required before these areas can be classed as unoccupied or unsuitable.

Areas supporting recovery
Population connectivity is important for Black-breasted Button-quail persistence. Areas that are not currently occupied may support dispersing individuals and be critical for maintaining connectivity and genetic resilience. These biologically important areas are likely to:

    *  Occur between areas of known or potential habitat,
    *  Provide vegetation cover and temporary shelter resources to protect dispersing individuals from predation, and
    *  Provide sufficient food resources during dispersal.

It is also important to consider and maintain buffer zones and refugia habitat for the species. When Black-breasted Button-quail populations are placed under intense pressure, the species may also be found in other habitats, for example, displaced populations in Hervey Bay which were found foraging at the edge of mangroves. These adjacent habitats may provide a temporary refugia when more preferred habitat is no longer available and should also be considered habitat critical to the survival.

Detrimental actions in areas supporting recovery are likely to interfere with the long-term persistence of the