Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153:body:0:p27
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 73800–76819

canopy of trees that can be interspersed with canopy gaps that are common in exposed situations or with storm events. Usually, several vegetation strata are present. However, where there is extreme exposure to salt laden winds, these strata may merge into a height continuum rather than occurring as distinct vegetation layers. The canopy forms a mosaic due to canopy regeneration, typically in the form of basal coppice following canopy decapitation due to prevailing salt laden winds and storm events. Wind sheared canopy can be present on the frontal section leading to closed secondary canopies. Emergents may be present, for example, species from the genera Araucaria (northern bioregions only), Banksia or Eucalyptus. The ground stratum of the vegetation typically is very sparse.

      * The ecological community contains a range of plant life forms including trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, ferns and epiphytes. To the north, most plant species diversity is in the tree and shrub (i.e. canopy) layers rather than in lower strata. The converse generally occurs from the Sydney Basin Bioregion southwards. Feather palms, fan palms, large leaved vascular epiphytes and species that exhibit buttressing are generally rare. Ground ferns and vascular epiphytes are lower in diversity in littoral rainforests compared to most other rainforest types.

      * Plants with xeromorphic and succulent features are generally more common in littoral rainforest than in hinterland rainforest types. Canopy stem sizes also tend to be smaller compared to that in hinterland rainforest. Trunks rarely host mosses though lichens are usually common.

      * Whilst species can be regionally predictable, there may be considerable variation in the composition of individual stands of the ecological community within any given bioregion. Attachment A from Listing Advice provides a list of flora species for each relevant bioregion.

Condition thresholds
The condition thresholds of Littoral Rainforest are as follows:
         * Small patches can be resilient and viable, but minimum size of a patch needs to be
           0.1 ha;

    and

         * The cover of transformer weed species (as identified in Attachment A from the Listing Advice) is 70 percent or less. Transformer weeds are highly invasive taxa with the potential to seriously alter the structure and function of the ecological community. This threshold recognises the relative resilience and recoverability of the ecological community to invasion by weed species;

    and
    The patch must have:

                 at least 25 percent of the native plant species diversity characteristic of this ecological community in that bioregion (Attachment A from the Listing Advice);

    or

                 at 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