Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153:body:0:p28
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 76562–79705

least 30 percent canopy cover of one rainforest canopy (either tree or shrub) species (Attachment A from the Listing Advice; excluding Banksia and Eucalyptus species that may be part of the ecological community).

Condition Threshold Notes
Where gaps in the canopy exist, they should be in the process of regenerating with the usual suite of rainforest gap species for the site. Natural regeneration of native gap species may be limited where weed invasion is significant, or where the natural geology and soil condition do not allow for regeneration.
As species diversity diminishes from northern to southern latitudes, it is important to take into account the natural diversity of a patch in a particular bioregion when examining specific sites. For example, it is possible to find littoral rainforest stands that are dominated by single tree species or a small number of species (Miles & Kendall 2006). If such patches are in good condition, they will be representative of the ecological community and they may also contain rainforest dependent fauna species.
The flora lists in Attachment A from the Listing Advice are not exhaustive. Additional rainforest species encountered when surveying sites need to be included when determining the condition thresholds. These additional species should added to both the numerator and the denominator when determining percentage of native plant species diversity present in a patch.
The condition criteria outlined above represent the minimum level for patches to be included in the listed ecological community.

3.5      Derived native vegetation
In addition to habitat patches that meet the condition thresholds for Littoral Rainforest, there may be other 'derived native vegetation structural forms' that are of benefit to the recovery and conservation of the ecological community. For example, 'partially corresponding' patches that feature some components of the ecological community, but do not exhibit enough characteristics to meet the thresholds for listing, may correspond during certain stages of their successional development (BAAM 2013). These patches may provide useful targets for rehabilitation whereby the extent of Littoral Rainforest may be increased through replanting or restoration of particular components of the ecological community. Furthermore, 'practically corresponding' patches on a successional trajectory towards Littoral Rainforest may be suitable targets for protection and/or restoration.

3.6      Threatened species and species of conservation significance

Threatened fauna
Vertebrate fauna play an essential ecological role in Littoral Rainforest, particularly processes such as seed dispersal and pollination that structure and maintain plant diversity within the ecological community. For example, the grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) is an effective pollinator, travelling many kilometres between foraging sites (BAAM 2013). Littoral Rainforest itself provides habitat for many threatened fauna species listed under the EPBC Act. The most iconic being the endangered southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii), restricted to Cape York